Anna Aphid by Christine Goppel Ages 4-8 48 pages North-South Books September 2005 Hardcover     Who would think aphids had big dreams of adventure and exploration? Anna Aphid does, and she longs to go where no aphid has gone before and explore the world outside her own “planet” in a sweet story by Christine Goppel. No aphid has ever gone beyond the green planet’s edge, but Anna feels the call to adventure deep in her soul and MUST go see what lay beyond. She finds all sorts of strange new “planets” and burning suns and moonscapes where danger lurks at every turn. But this brave little aphid keeps on keeping on and finds her way home again, filled with wondrous stories of her adventures to share with her family and friends. The author wrote and illustrated this book for her degree dissertation at Bauhaus University in Germany, and the gorgeous, boldly colorful illustrations leap off the page with eye-popping vividness. Goppel’s story is one that has been told many times, of a hero or heroine brave enough to risk danger in search of new shores, but this time the cute aphid Anna adds a whole new buggy spin on things. Anna Aphid is entertaining and eye-catching, but most of all it encourages children to look beyond the confines of their day to day lives and listen to the call to adventure that will lead them into new experiences. And, like Anna proves, you can always go home again!       web reviews   Marie D. Jones/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)