The Stray

When a young family happens upon a crashed alien UFO, they discover inside a small creature with antenna eyes and a body the general shape and size of a small dog. Lacking a collar or tag, the creature appears to be a stray, so the family takes him home and names him Grub. While their attempts to teach Grub tricks are unsuccessful, they still lovingly consider him part of the family, even when his disruptive paranormal powers cause everything around him to float. Just as they begin imagining life with Grub—Dad pictures himself and Grub driving down the road, Grub’s head out the window and tongue flapping in the wind; while Mom pictures Grub cozied up at the foot of the bed; and the kids imagine Grub making playtime extra fun—they realize Grub is not a stray and is missing his extraterrestrial home. Fortunately Grub’s family has been searching for him, and he’s safely beamed back aboard their spaceship. Ruttan’s debut as an author is a fun, lighthearted story sure to please any child with—or who dreams of having—a beloved family pet. Her charcoal pastel and digital illustrations playfully capture the mayhem the good natured Grub unintentionally causes, though the pea green waves depicting the levitating power that emanates from Grub give both Grub and many pages an unpleasant hue.