Earth to Audrey

Ellie Contursi is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

When Ray spots his new neighbour the first few times, he comes to the
conclusion that she is an alien. Who else would send signals from her
bedroom window and try to train grasshoppers? With his friends away at
summer camp, Ray feels compelled to meet this alien. After all, his pals
would want to meet one too. And so begins the friendship of Ray and
Audrey. Ray is introduced to the world through Audrey’s eyes, and
learns to look at things differently. He feels things in ways he has
never imagined before and grows comfortable with Audrey’s inquisitive
perspective about life and the surrounding world. As the summer
progresses, Audrey and Ray share special moments and even interesting
information with each other. As summer draws to an end, still convinced
that Audrey is an alien, Ray asks her in a touching closing scene if she
can “live here instead.” Audrey makes a promise to return next
summer to resume their adventures together.

Earth to Audrey is a charming picture book that evokes smiles and
laughter. Poulin’s double-page colour illustrations add the perfect
touch of sentiment. It is a pleasure to watch the friendship between a
boy and a girl grow, and the images truly allow the reader to become
immersed in the world of these two best friends. Highly recommended.