Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure

When Jimmy asks his mother for a Moon Pie, and she tells him he will have to wait until after dinner, the young boy wishes that his homemade jalopy could take him to the moon, where he can get his favorite treat in person. To his great surprise, his jalopy comes to life and whisks him off on an outer-space adventure, first to the moon, where he collects his Moon Pies, and then to the Milky Way, where he gets the milk he needs to go with the pies. When confronted by the terrifying Grimble Grinder, Jimmy flees, crash-landing on Mars. Will he share his Moon Pies with the Mars Men he meets? What will happen when the Grimble Grinder finds him...?

Presenting an imaginative journey in which a young boy gets to hobnob with the Man in the Moon, a show more group of nine hundred and ninety-nine Mars Men, and a misunderstood interstellar monster, Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure is an absolute hoot to read! The colorful artwork is every bit as engaging as the text, highlighting both the humor and the magical fun of Jimmy's adventure. I don't know if it was the theme, but the illustrations here reminded me a bit of some of William Joyce's work, such as that in his The Man In the Moon. I'm more used to the illustrations Tony DiTerlizzi has done for longer works of fiction, such as The Spiderwick Chronicles, so it was good to see some of his larger painted work. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining and fantastic outer-space picture-book adventures. show less

Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure tells the story of Jimmy Zangwow who really wants milk and a Moon Pie. When his mom denies his request, he takes his jalopy and flies high into outer space. There he talks to the moon and asks for Moon Pies, eventually receiving one thousand Moon Pies. When he asks for milk, he is directed to the Milky Way. As he is scooping up milk, the Grimble Grinder lets out a grumble so loud that the jalopy falls on Mars. Jimmy shares his Moon Pies and milk with the nine hundred ninety-nine Mars Men. The Grimble Grinder lets out more grumbles and all the Mars Men panic that they will be eaten. Jimmy offers the Grimble Grinder his Moon Pie and milk, and the Grimble Grinder reveals that he did not show more want to eat them, but was just so hungry that his stomach grumbled loud and frightened everyone away. To get Jimmy home to dinner, the Mars Men sew the Moon Pie wrappers into a huge balloon, and the Grimble Grinder eats the rest of the Moon Pie to burp into the balloon. Jimmy returns home and eats all of his dinner.

This is an example of science fiction because it incorporates scientific possibilities like spaceships and space travel. It also contains other fantasy motifs. For instance, it includes other worlds that the character travels to. There are special character types such as the moon and the Mars Men. The jalopy that Jimmy travels in is a fantastic object as it aids Jimmy in his quest.

GENRE: Science Fiction

USES:
- have students contrast what is fact and fiction (ex. the Milky Way exist, but there is not floating bottles of milk in it)
- assign a creative writing assignment where students come up with another creative way for Jimmy to make it home show less

Not a fan of MoonPies as "food" but I love reading this to my kids. It's a great story with great art from a wonderful creator I'm proud to know.

This book was science fiction because the main character, Jimmy, built a space ship and went to outer space. There, he encountered aliens, a monster, and a talking moon. The illustrations were done in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil.
The main character, Jimmy, is a fairly static character. From the beginning, he is hungry and never ceases to mention it throughout, even when a monster is about to eat him. He is round in that he has other attributes: compassion, imagination, and a thirst for adventure.

All Jimmy wants is a Moon Pie before dinner, but his mom will not let him until after dinner. Jimmy gets into his jalopy and travels to the moon to get a Moon Pie. When he gets there he decides that he needs milk to go with it. He sets out to the Milky Way and crashes on Mars. There he shares all of his Moon Pies with aliens. The Grimble Grinder and the other aliens help fix his jalopy so he can make it home in time for dinner. After dinner he finally gets to eat a Moon Pie.

I liked this book so much that I have read it to several different classes at school. It is very cute. The cover of this book grabbed my attention. It has jimmy on the front standing on the top of the Earth. He is a very mischievous looking boy. The illustrations are show more excellent The illustrator uses vivid colors in his pictures. A person could practically read this book with the pictures alone. It is very imaginative.

This would be a good book to read when starting a planet or outer space lesson. The book could help spark the interest of younger students. The teacher and students could have a discussion of what they think the moon, Mars, and the Milky Way are really like. Another extension is that the students may also design their own jalopy or space ship. The teacher could have the students make up their own out-of-this-world adventure and illustrate it. show less

All Jimmy Zangwow wanted was some milk and a Moon Pie, but his mother said no, it would ruin his dinner. So Jimmy went outside to sit in his secret project and suddenly it began to fly into outer space! Jimmy adventures took him to the Moon, to the Milky Way, and to Mars where he met the Mars Men and the grumbling, rumbling, Grimble Grinder. Does Jimmy get to eat a Moon Pie? And, more importantly, will he make it home for dinner?

DiTerlizzi’s painterly illustrations are reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting, if Rockwell had ever painted a red haired boy in cowboy boots talking with aliens. The book is fast paced; no sooner does Jimmy figure out one solution than the next obstacle presents itself. The text races along as well, with show more nonsense words mixed in with real words, “this junk jumbilee jalopy will never fly…”

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/07/book-182-jimmy-zangwows-out-of-this.... show less

If you want a great story to read during a thunderstorm, try "Jimmy Zangwow's Out-Of-This-World Moon Pie Adventure" by Tony DiTerlizzi (of Spiderwick fame). Meet the alien Grimble Grinder that "RUMBLE GRUMBLE!"s his way through the story. My kids love reading this one during storms to scare the loud thunder away. The louder you "RUMBLE GRUMBLE!" the sooner the storm passes. This story will have you hunting every grocery store for Moon Pies!...Don't forget the milk!