Close Modal

Breaking News: Alien Alert

Illustrated by David Biedrzycki
Look inside
Hardcover
$17.99 US
9.31"W x 11.38"H x 0.41"D   | 18 oz | 26 per carton
On sale Apr 03, 2018 | 32 Pages | 9781580898041
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile 580L | Fountas & Pinnell O
Bears in space! The bears from Breaking News: Bear Alert and Bears to the Rescue are back, and this time they're extraterrestrial.

When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the truth: Why did aliens snatch up these animals? (Hint: It's someone special's birthday!)
In space, no one can hear you party. Punctuating his story with special news reports complete with crawl feeds, Biedrzycki returns to the form that served him so well in Bear Alert (2014) and Bears to the Rescue (2016). Here, our three bear heroes find themselves unexpectedly sucked into a UFO along with a strange assortment of wildlife as well as farm and zoo animals. The action then cuts between the experiences of the startled creatures and the frenzied Channel 3 News reports for the people back on Earth. When at last the aliens land and discharge their guests, it becomes clear that these space denizens are more akin to Close Encounters of the Third Kind folks than Independence Day meanies: All the disembarking creatures sport goody bags from a birthday party that was truly out of this world (as memorialized on the rear endpapers). Rather surprisingly, the TV-news format feels fresh as ever, and Biedrzycki knows how to use its storytelling tropes to the book's best advantage. His Adobe Photoshop illustrations keep the action hopping and include such contemporary touches as smartphones and chyrons even as old-fashioned test patterns and a predigital TV (with cable box atop) make an occasional appearance. Considering the real-world 24-hour news cycle, these ursine antics amid the stars make for oddly comforting reading. 
Kirkus Reviews


Chad Newsworthy and the News 3 crew from Bear Alert (2014) and Bears to the Rescue (2016) are backwith a new scoop. This time, according to eyewitnesses, woodland, farm, and zoo animals have beencarried off by a spaceship. Most of the story focuses on the television coverage, including brief interviewswith experts and involved individuals. A couple of quick glimpses of the bewildered captives are insertedbetween clips. After a day of much brouhaha, the spaceship reappears and the animals descend the loweredwalkway carrying party accoutrements. Chad declares, “We are not the only party animals in theuniverse!” and all is well. Faux photos featured on the end pages show that the shindig was a seven-yearoldalien’s birthday party. The crisp computer-generated illustrations range from brightly coloredtelevision images to dark, atmospheric night and space scenes. Although the humans dominate the story,the adorable animals are the true stars—one wishes there were more party scenes and less news coverage.No matter, it’s on to the next news cycle.
—Booklist
David Biedrzycki is the author and illustrator of the Breaking News series, the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, and the Me and My Dragon series. He has been creating illustrations for book publishers, advertising agencies, magazines, and design firms since 1980. His art has graced the cover of KidSoft magazine, New England Aquarium billboards and children's software packaging, such as "The Amazon Trail" and "Odell Down Under." David has collaborated with children's author Jerry Pallotta on The Beetle Alphabet BookThe Boat Alphabet Book, and The Freshwater Alphabet Book. He grew up in Pennsylvania and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife and three children. View titles by David Biedrzycki
GOOD MORNING.

Now for a News 3 Special Report. We go to Chad Newsworthy, reporting live from Hundred Acre Park.

Good morning, everyone! And what a strange morning it is! According to eyewitnesses, last night an alien spaceship snatched up bears, moose, rabbits, and squirrels from this very meadow.

This half-eaten carrot is a sure sign that some of these creatures were taken away right in the middle of dinner. A scout troop was camping in a nearby field and saw the whole thing." 

(ALIEN ALERT: PLEASE SEND PHOTOS OR VIDEOS OF ANY EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY TO CHANNEL 3 NEWS.)

Girls, what exactly did you see?

"They were lifted . . . all of them . . . into the spaceship . . . "

"It happened right behind us! We totally freaked out! IT WAS AWESOME!!!"

"They took my stuffed bunny."

(ALIEN ALERT: IT APPEARS ALIENS CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVE AND STUFFED ANIMALS.)

And it wasn't just our farmer friends. Down the road, a farmer told us this:

"Darn aliens carried off our cow Bessie, our goat Billy, and Li'l Piglet. Our chickens are so scared, they've stopped laying eggs."

"If I see those aliens, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

(BREAKING NEWS: EGG SHORTAGE REPORTED AT LOCAL GROCERY STORES. PIGS SEEN FLYING.)

About

Bears in space! The bears from Breaking News: Bear Alert and Bears to the Rescue are back, and this time they're extraterrestrial.

When a UFO beams up Baby Bear and abducts the family, the human world goes crazy. Hilarity and chaos ensue as scouts, scientists, street vendors, and the mayor try to put their own spin on the story. Intrepid but bumbling reporter Chad Newsworthy covers it all, searching for the truth: Why did aliens snatch up these animals? (Hint: It's someone special's birthday!)

Praise

In space, no one can hear you party. Punctuating his story with special news reports complete with crawl feeds, Biedrzycki returns to the form that served him so well in Bear Alert (2014) and Bears to the Rescue (2016). Here, our three bear heroes find themselves unexpectedly sucked into a UFO along with a strange assortment of wildlife as well as farm and zoo animals. The action then cuts between the experiences of the startled creatures and the frenzied Channel 3 News reports for the people back on Earth. When at last the aliens land and discharge their guests, it becomes clear that these space denizens are more akin to Close Encounters of the Third Kind folks than Independence Day meanies: All the disembarking creatures sport goody bags from a birthday party that was truly out of this world (as memorialized on the rear endpapers). Rather surprisingly, the TV-news format feels fresh as ever, and Biedrzycki knows how to use its storytelling tropes to the book's best advantage. His Adobe Photoshop illustrations keep the action hopping and include such contemporary touches as smartphones and chyrons even as old-fashioned test patterns and a predigital TV (with cable box atop) make an occasional appearance. Considering the real-world 24-hour news cycle, these ursine antics amid the stars make for oddly comforting reading. 
Kirkus Reviews


Chad Newsworthy and the News 3 crew from Bear Alert (2014) and Bears to the Rescue (2016) are backwith a new scoop. This time, according to eyewitnesses, woodland, farm, and zoo animals have beencarried off by a spaceship. Most of the story focuses on the television coverage, including brief interviewswith experts and involved individuals. A couple of quick glimpses of the bewildered captives are insertedbetween clips. After a day of much brouhaha, the spaceship reappears and the animals descend the loweredwalkway carrying party accoutrements. Chad declares, “We are not the only party animals in theuniverse!” and all is well. Faux photos featured on the end pages show that the shindig was a seven-yearoldalien’s birthday party. The crisp computer-generated illustrations range from brightly coloredtelevision images to dark, atmospheric night and space scenes. Although the humans dominate the story,the adorable animals are the true stars—one wishes there were more party scenes and less news coverage.No matter, it’s on to the next news cycle.
—Booklist

Author

David Biedrzycki is the author and illustrator of the Breaking News series, the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, and the Me and My Dragon series. He has been creating illustrations for book publishers, advertising agencies, magazines, and design firms since 1980. His art has graced the cover of KidSoft magazine, New England Aquarium billboards and children's software packaging, such as "The Amazon Trail" and "Odell Down Under." David has collaborated with children's author Jerry Pallotta on The Beetle Alphabet BookThe Boat Alphabet Book, and The Freshwater Alphabet Book. He grew up in Pennsylvania and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife and three children. View titles by David Biedrzycki

Excerpt

GOOD MORNING.

Now for a News 3 Special Report. We go to Chad Newsworthy, reporting live from Hundred Acre Park.

Good morning, everyone! And what a strange morning it is! According to eyewitnesses, last night an alien spaceship snatched up bears, moose, rabbits, and squirrels from this very meadow.

This half-eaten carrot is a sure sign that some of these creatures were taken away right in the middle of dinner. A scout troop was camping in a nearby field and saw the whole thing." 

(ALIEN ALERT: PLEASE SEND PHOTOS OR VIDEOS OF ANY EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY TO CHANNEL 3 NEWS.)

Girls, what exactly did you see?

"They were lifted . . . all of them . . . into the spaceship . . . "

"It happened right behind us! We totally freaked out! IT WAS AWESOME!!!"

"They took my stuffed bunny."

(ALIEN ALERT: IT APPEARS ALIENS CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVE AND STUFFED ANIMALS.)

And it wasn't just our farmer friends. Down the road, a farmer told us this:

"Darn aliens carried off our cow Bessie, our goat Billy, and Li'l Piglet. Our chickens are so scared, they've stopped laying eggs."

"If I see those aliens, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

(BREAKING NEWS: EGG SHORTAGE REPORTED AT LOCAL GROCERY STORES. PIGS SEEN FLYING.)