cover image Explorers on the Moon

Explorers on the Moon

Herge. Joy Street Books, $16.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-316-35860-6

It was bound to happen. Having journeyed everywhere from America to the Congo to Tibet, Tintin blasts into outer space. Together with his faithful pooch, Snowy, the spunky boy reporter has joined an expedition ``based at the Sprodj Atomic Center, high in the Zmyhlpathian Mountains, in the kingdom of Syldavia.'' Following a perfect lift-off, the myriad misadventures begin, as the ubiquitous ``certified detectives,'' Thomson and Thompson, are discovered on board--inadvertent stowaways who threaten to monopolize the ship's precious oxygen supply. All's well that lands well, however, as Tintin and his colleagues return safely. Except for two diverting spreads, the fairly pedestrian paper engineering adds little zip; the palette, too, seems somewhat attenuated for a tale of astronomical derring-do. Though the narrative is overlong for the pop-up book set, this disparity will probably not deter the intrepid voyager's many fans. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)