Astro

by Manuel Marsol, Lizzie Davis (Translator)

Overview

An astronaut grapples with the absence of his otherworldly friend in this poignant tale of loss and acceptance from an award-winning Spanish illustrator.

When Astro arrives on a faraway planet, everyone wants to meet him. Who’s this strange person, and why is he here? But one kind creature in particular is especially drawn to him.

Together, they form an unlikely bond and navigate the world’s curious terrains—mountains, caves, oceans. When the creature is taken from him, Astro must confront the difficult questions that underlie our existence: Why are we here? What is our life for? 

Using a mix of collage, pencil and ink, and thickly layered acrylic, award-winning Manuel Marsol’s illustrations teem with the vastness and wonder of life near and far.

"I guarantee that nothing else for sale in America right now quite looks or feels like this book."—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798893389043
Publisher:	Transit Books
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	12.83(w) x 9.49(h) x 0.47(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Manuel Marsol (Madrid, 1984) is an illustrator & children’s book author. In 2017, he received the International Illustration Prize at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The winning illustrations form part of the picture book Yōkai (Fulgencio Pimentel 2017), which was co-authored with Carmen Chica.

Editorial Reviews

"I guarantee that nothing else for sale in America right now quite looks or feels like this book."—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 2024-12-14
This Spanish import mixes meditations on mortality with an outer-space setting.

“We had never seen such a strange being.” A creature who’s 90% neck attached to a spherelike orange body tells the story of Astro—an orange-suited astronaut whose face is never visible—who lands one day on the narrator’s planet. Illustrations that feel like a mashup of Peter Max’s psychedelic work and the cacophony of Bruegel (though quite a bit sweeter) depict spectacular landscapes and denizens, alien and wonderful. The narrator is eager to play with Astro, and the two strike up a deep friendship. After musing that “you should make the most of the good times. Because they don’t always last,” the narrator dies one day in an accident, leaving Astro bewildered and bereft. The creature continues to narrate as the spaceman ponders beginnings and endings and, in an act of acceptance, finally leaves the planet. A postscript shows Astro and the narrator together, Astro finding a tiny object that he holds in gloved hands that seem to contain universes. This translated tale perfectly taps into feelings of gentle wonder. “Maybe beings and worlds disappear but questions stay floating forever.” The results are not merely otherworldly—they will also challenge children’s very perceptions of what it means to be alive. Quotes from writers such as J.M. Barrie and Carl Sagan close out the work.

An achingly beautiful testament to life, love, and death among the stars.(Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews