This was a great read!
As well as being hilariously funny, there were some really positive messages - friendship, acceptance, kindness, inclusion - that were beautifully worked into the story.
I'd never heard of Pluto Rocket before but I will be seeking out the first three books and looking forward to whatever comes next.

Writing Style
Initially, I wasn’t sure I ‘got’ this book. I know it’s meant for children, but reading the first few pages, I was lost regarding the plot. The story seemed to make no sense (but I figured this was because I’ve not read the previous three books in the series). However, as I read on, I found myself smiling at the humour, and the characters filled in some of the backstory as I read.

One of my favourite parts of the writing is how it balances comedy and heart. Some moments will make children laugh out loud, but there are also some quiet, reflective moments where the characters’ emotions shine through. Gilligan has mastered the art of appealing to kids and adults alike—all without losing the pacing or tone that keeps younger readers engaged.

Artwork
The artwork in the book is simple yet bright, bold and vibrant, with each frame bursting with energy, perfectly matching Pluto’s larger-than-life personality. The art style is unapologetically cartoony, with exaggerated expressions that will instantly capture a young reader’s attention.

Final Thoughts
Pluto Rocket: Over the Moon is a lovely early graphic novel for kids. It’s funny, heartfelt and colourful, telling a story as entertaining as it is meaningful.

Whether you’re a parent searching for a book to enjoy with your child or someone who loves a good story, this one is worth your time.

3.5/5 ⭐️

This was a cute book! The friendship between Joe Pidge and Pluto Rocket has great messaging for kids! The humour is awesome, and I absolutely LOVE that the book is inclusive (Pluto Rocket’s parents are 3 dads - LOVE that)!!

For the first little bit of the book, I was a little lost as to what the messaging of the book was supposed to be - if any - and the way Pluto Rocket talks just bothered me. But about 1/3 of the way in is when some messaging started coming in like: everyone has niceness inside them, don’t lie, you don’t need things to be happy just the people that make you happy, and you travel to new places for the differences not similarities!

I would recommend this to the kids I work with. My kids also really enjoyed this book and asked me to get books 1-3!

I read this with my oldest as I am trying to get him into reading. He enjoyed the art and storyline, and immediately asked if there were other books out yet. Overall, we had a fun read together and would purchase more in this series.

I haven't previously read this series before. I read it to my nephew (age 8). We both enjoyed the illustrations and the many funny parts of the story. This was a cute story and I believe any kid ages 7-11 would enjoy it, especially if they read it loudly in character voices like I did.

My kids really enjoyed the book, they were giggling all the time while reading this and re-iterating the lines. Especially Pluto's lines which sounded so Alienish!

This was the first time I read this book in the series so I was unfamiliar with the story line. I enjoyed reading it and liked the balance of a graphic novel and short story. There were funny parts to the story and the illustrations were funny. I think a 2nd-4th grader would best enough this story.

Overall, this was a funny, silly book that kids would probably love. I appreciated the illustration style, the inventiveness (like a taco-powered rocket? that’s amazing!), the bright and heartwarming colors, and the very distinct personalities and characteristics of the two main characters. I think, in general, the plot is rather unclear; I’m guessing you probably would have needed to read the other books to know what they’re doing. Something about the disjointedness of the characters’ thoughts also made the storyline hard to follow. I’m guessing it’s part of their characterization, but as a new reader, that made it somewhat unpleasant to read. I loved that there was a unique family configuration modeled here - the 3 dads and Pluto. The 3 dads were underdeveloped (though I’m guessing readers would get to know them better in a later book), and I found the one black-and-white thinking dad to be particularly off-putting and developmentally inappropriate. I’m not sure if the author intended to have the dad mimic child-like ways of thinking for a certain effect, but if they did, it didn’t land for me. It made me think the parent immature and unfit to be a parent. Maybe they were laying the message on thick, I don’t know. And the quick fix resulting in him changing his mind made matters worse, in my opinion. I would have liked there to be a more thoughtful conversation and more ambiguity (as is realistic in real life - we don’t just abruptly switch a long-held belief because of one contrasting experience).

This book was likely intended for middle childhood kiddos, and I would say for a native English speaking child, this would be decently appropriate. Because the characters sometimes have atypical ways of speaking or aren’t fluent in their grammar and diction, I don’t think this would be appropriate for children learning English without the supervision of an adult to explain the intentionally-silly grammar changes.

A graphic novel with bright colors and quirky characters was perfect for my 8 y.o. and 9 y.o. as a read-aloud book. They definitely could have read this on their own, too. My kids laughed at the silly dialog and were repeating some of the lines afterwards, making each other giggle.

Personally, I enjoyed the sweetness of Pluto's character and the illustrations. The messages within are especially good... understanding and embracing differences, telling the truth, helping others, and friendship.

I'll pick up a copy of the first 3 Pluto Rocket books so I can share with my kids.

[I was gifted an ebook in exchange for my honest review.]

Arc Copy...fist dive into the world of "Pluto Rocket" but I can very much see would appeal to readers of mad cap friendship pairings like "Bird and Squirrel", and so forth.

Parent/Educator Review: Joe Pidgeon and Pluto Rocket continue their adventure to the moon. They are determined to make it look as though Pluto Rocket made her broadcast from the moon and not Earth (as her three dads would disapprove).

They discover you can make a place feel like home by focusing on who you’re with, not what is missing. Had a nice message about traveling to discover what is different in other areas. Also discusses niceness is likely in everyone.

It started off very funny with galaxy places of interest and the engineering of the rocket ship, but slowed in the middle. But did have grata messages weaved within.

As an educator, I struggled with some of the words, “explores” used as a noun was hard. And wouldn’t recommend for children learning English as a second language.

Review from three kids (ages 3, 6, 8): their favorite part (and illustration) is The Gassy Giants. They laughed and laughed. My daughter (6) also loved the purple colored dad and his taco love in the background. All three kids thought it was funny and all give it a solid 4 stars. Mom is more a 3.5.

Thank you @Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Pluto Rocket: Over the Moon. This story was a great continuation of the series. I am such a fan of the art and deep, vibrant colors. The characters are cute, the story is simple and easy to understand. This will be a nice addition to our graphic novel collection.