Megalopolis and the Visitor from Outer Space

Debut French illustrator Dieudonné introduces Megalopolis, a palatial city revealed through panoramic pages that unfold downward to create a single scene more than 10 ft. tall. The arrival of a reptilian alien visitor in a spaceship inspires joyful celebration: a parade winds past the dormant volcano in the center of town, the alien converses with animals at the zoo, and he is named the city’s extraterrestrial ambassador. After being “overpowered by a praline” at a tea party, however, the visitor is mistaken for dead and set out on a funeral raft—only to be revived by a mermaid, who he eventually marries. It’s an irreverent and matter-of-factly told story (it ends with the mermaid and alien visiting a giant beast far beneath the city) that’s perhaps just as satisfying to mount on the wall, tapestry-style, as it is to “read” in a traditional sense. Ages 5–up. (May)