At times you need a dose of earthy yet otherworldly humor, which Dalmartian supplies in abundance. But it also provides a heartwarming view into the practice of hospitality — in this case, as it applies to an alien.
While a human named Stephen lies sleeping, extraterrestrials land their spaceship in his backyard and start carefully collecting samples of twigs and leaves. They look quite a bit like dalmatians, except for their green markings and ability to stand upright and walk on their hind legs.
When they suddenly have company in the form of an awakened Stephen, they race back to the mothership ... and accidentally leave one of their own behind. What is Stephen to do but invite the forlorn creature inside and give it a tour of the house?
The bizarreness of the situation has already been building humor, but now it sets in for real with author and illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins' droll commentaries on life with dogs. Stephen and the dalmartian "disagree" about sleeping arrangements, with the dalmartian doing his best to take over Stephen's pillow. Eventually they settle on the dalmartian sleeping belly-up, stretched across the foot of the bed. In the morning, the dalmartian refuses the "delicious breakfast" — in a dog-food bowl — provided for him by his host. Their next compromise is Stephen's offering of a piece of bacon from his own plate, received by the dalmartian with tears of joy.
Cummins' awareness of life with dogs is unrivaled, and she plays up all the essential aspects, including a funny scene in which the dalmartian considers it shocking when dogs at the park make "their business everybody's business." Meanwhile, boy and alien-dog are bonding. So what is the dalmartian to do when his alien colleagues return to retrieve him?
Amid the humor, genuine emotions of lonesomeness and loyalty come through. The four-to-eight-year-old readers for whom this book is written can get a feel for the unexpected pleasures of inviting a stranger into your home. This book is a real keeper — and, you will be glad to know, it has a happy ending.
