About This Book
Reach for this book when you want to talk about prejudice, family expectations, or the beauty of a diverse world in a way that feels like a magical adventure. This vibrant space odyssey follows Janet (a red Smed) and Bill (a blue Smoo) whose families have spent generations avoiding each other due to superficial differences. When the pair falls in love and runs away, their families must cooperate to find them, eventually realizing that their similarities far outweigh their differences. It is a joyful, rhyming exploration of breaking down barriers and choosing love over tradition, perfect for children ages 3 to 7. Parents will appreciate how it handles themes of inclusion and blended families with Julia Donaldson's signature wit and warmth.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The story depicts deep-seated prejudice and families who initially reject a couple's love. Parents may want to prepare for questions about why the families are being mean to each other based on their looks. While the tone remains whimsical and the resolution is entirely positive, these themes of familial conflict and rejection are central to the plot.
Ideal Reader
Any child who enjoys space adventures, rhyming wordplay, and stories about families coming together.
Parent Prep
Be prepared to discuss why the Smeds and Smoos don't like each other and how their unfair rules made Janet and Bill feel sad or lonely. The rhymes are rhythmic and easy to follow, making it an excellent choice for a bedtime read-aloud. Hearing a child say 'We don't play with them' or 'They are weird' based on peer influence or surface-level observations.
Age Experience
For a 3-year-old, this is a fun book about colors, rockets, and funny alien names like 'Vums' and 'Jerp'. For a 6 or 7-year-old, the allegory for racial or cultural prejudice becomes much clearer, allowing for deeper conversations about why the families were 'silly' to stay apart.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many books about 'being different,' this one focuses specifically on the absurdity of inherited prejudice and the way shared missions (and shared snacks) can bridge divides.
Read plot summary
Janet and Bill, members of the red Smeds and blue Smoos respectively, fall in love on a distant planet. Their families, who harbor deep-seated prejudices against one another's habits and appearances, are horrified. The couple escapes in a rocket, prompting the two families to cram into a single ship to track them down. Through their shared journey across various planets, the families bond over shared snacks and goals, eventually welcoming Janet and Bill back along with their new purple baby.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
At the beginning, why did the Smeds and Smoos think they couldn't be friends? Do those reasons seem important at the end of the story?
2
When the families were all together on the rocket, how did they start to help each other?
3
How do you think Janet and Bill felt when they saw their families playing music and dancing together?
4
If you met an alien who ate 'strange' food like a Smoo or a Smed, would you try it or walk away? Why?
