E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: The Classic Illustrated Storybook

by Kim Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

Steven Spielberg’s classic sci-fi story of interplanetary friendship makes a perfect picture book for the whole family.
 
When E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in theaters back in 1982, its bittersweet story enchanted millions and the film surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Now the cinematic blockbuster is transformed into an illustrated storybook, with colorful, adorable drawings by Kim Smith. Here is a story you can’t help but love: After E.T. is stranded on Earth, he takes refuge with Elliott, a boy in need of a friend. Together they find a way to help E.T. get back home. Along the way, both child and alien learn important lessons about courage, friendship, and the power of imagination. This is the perfect read-along story for children, their parents, and E.T. fans across the universe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683690108
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	10/31/2017
Series:	Pop Classics , #3
Edition description:	Illustrate
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	276,390
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kim Smith is the illustrator behind the Quirk Books Pop Classics series, including Home Alone, Home Alone 2, The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Karate Kid, and Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS. She has illustrated several other children’s books, including The Great Puppy Invasion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017), Builder Brothers: Big Plans (HarperCollins, 2018), and Boxitects (Clarion Books, 2020), her author/illustrator debut. Kim lives in Calgary, Alberta with her dog, Whisky, and husband, Eric. Visit her online at kimillustration.com.

Editorial Reviews

Thanks to the delightful illustrations of Kim Smith, families can bond over the lovable alien and his friendship with Elliot in book form.”—Jami Ganz, Entertainment Weekly

“Whimsically retro drawings...animate the story of Elliott, his friends and their secret other-worldly visitor.”—Parade
 
“Both kids and adults will adore following E.T. and Elliott’s adventures in this charming format, making it a perfect addition to any fan’s library.”—Paste Magazine Online

“I’ve always loved E.T., and the book is a fun way to experience the story with my toddler.”—GeekDad

“The story is a classic that hugs at the heartstrings and exemplifies the true meaning of friendship.”—Geeks of Doom

“With its theme of the kindness of strangers, this story is a great one to open the emotions and imagination of young readers.”—Books for Kids

Praise for other books in the Pop Classics series:
“Thanks to the delightful illustrations of Kim Smith, families can bond over the lovable alien and his friendship with Elliot in book form.”—Jami Ganz, Entertainment Weekly, on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 

“I was quickly won over by the charm of the writing and the awesome illustrations. Kim Smith's drawings have a distinctive style that imbues life into every single page.”—Sweety High, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 
“A lovely trip down memory lane that you can share with your little ones.”—Neatorama, on Back to the Future
 
“Smith’s art is excellent. . . . Her illustrations do a terrific job summing up the key moments of the movie, creating a rich picture of what happens in the film in only 40 pages.”—Comics Worth Reading, on The Karate Kid
 
“Kids will delight in the spooky-but goofy story and the surprise at the end, and parents will chuckle at this new take on an old favorite.”—GeekDad, on The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird

“Home Alone: The Classic Illustrated Storybook offers all the fun of the original movie in a darling hardcover package whose read-aloud story teaches lessons about responsibility and the importance of family.”—Pop Culture Insider, on Home Alone

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
Gr 1–3— This uninspired adaptation of the beloved 1982 film reads like too many books that are based on a movie—all plot and no heart. The main events are all here: the boy hero Elliott finds an alien in his shed, which he lures out with candy; only the children know about the new addition to the family, E.T. the extraterrestrial; government bad guys are after E.T.; and the children are devastated when the creature must go home. The book is certainly faithful to the movie and its computer-generated images are perfectly fine, but it has none of the hilarity, magic, and heartbreak that the movie's writer, Mathison, and its director, Steven Spielberg, brought to the big screen. VERDICT Not a worthwhile purchase.— Henrietta Verma, National Information Standards Organization, Baltimore

School Library Journal

2017-08-02
A picture-book adaptation of the iconic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Simplified. Very.For readers who fell through the time-space fabric of earthly life after 1982, this near goo-goo rendering for the young will provide the basics, if not the poignancy and power of "alien" affection, of the famous movie. The narrative adaptation is pared down to the bone but operates fairly smoothly, while the artwork offers some fine comic scenes, such as E.T. hiding among a pile of stuffed animals and E.T.'s various disguises. All the child characters have E.T.-size eyes, and although their heads are round, they are also as exaggeratedly large in proportion to their bodies as their alien friend's. The basic plot is here, but the emphasis is on getting E.T. away from the bad guys, who don't look nearly bad enough—though when they finally catch E.T. and put him in the coffinlike box, it's pretty creepy. The flat, affect-free narration underplays the movie's take on the magic of friendship, no matter how peculiar the "other," and Elliott's gesture of love in helping his friend return home is reduced to plot points. As in the film, principal characters are white, though Smith places some people of color in background roles. OK, you've read the SparkNotes, now it is time to see the movie. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews