This book is about two aliens named Zig and Wikki who lost their spaceships and while on earth their friendship is in trouble! As they are on their adventure back home, they go through a big cow farm and get to learn about ecology!

I definitely remind this book for 3-4 graders. I think it is pretty simple read with picture, but will catch their attention the best This book will help kids bring great imagination and fun memories when reading this book.

I really enjoyed the way this book is written. It is a comic book and tells the story of two alien friends, one of whom has taken a fly as a pet but soon realizes it needs to return to Earth because it needs it's ecosystem to survive. The aliens learn about the rest of the ecosystem on a farm when they are returning the fly. I think this book could be used in a variety of ways but I think the most clear option would be in a unit on ecosystems. I could see using this book as an introduction into ecosystems. ( )

Zig and Wikki learn about the ecosystem and cow poop. ( )

I reviewed the first Zig and Wikki last year, when I was first starting to focus on adding more nonfiction to my easy reader section. Since then, I've added a lot of nonfiction - the most popular being the National Geographic early readers. While Zig and Wikki aren't as popular as these, the first book circulates frequently. Zig and Wikki and Benny and Penny are the most popular of the TOON books I've added to the library.

So how does the new Zig and Wikki measure up? Zig is worried about his pet fly, collected at the end of the last book. According to Wikki's information, flies are part of the earth's ecosystem and need to be there to survive. So Zig and Wikki take a trip back to earth, ending up on a farm. They learn about flies, dung beetles, cows, and how they all work together.

The art follows the same format as the previous story, with a combination of simple panels and dialogue bubbles interspersed with Wikki's definitions and information, shown in unbordered panels. The same natural tones are still used with a strong realism in the drawings and some photography and diagrams in the informational sections.

Of course, there are plenty of jokes about cow patties and snide comments from Wikki, who is jealous of Zig's fly friend and exasperated by Zig's habit of getting too caught up in his exploration to notice important things - like when a cow eats their spaceship!

Verdict: Funny and factual, this title will appeal to kids on a number of levels. I think this series will continue to be one of TOON's most popular offerings and I highly recommend it, especially if you are working on adding more nonfiction to your easy reader collection.

ISBN: 9781935179153; Published February 2012 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased for the library