I found the book, “First Graders From Mars” to be very enjoyable to read. I liked this book for a few reasons. I thought the illustrations were funny and displayed true feelings. The illustrations are of Martians of all shapes and sizes. Nergal is the main Martian in this book. His emotions are explained through the illustrations, such as the emotion of his face when he is sad and his body language when he is disappointed. The next reason why I liked this book was because I enjoyed the way the author developed the characters. The characters in the book had similar behavior and characteristics to elementary aged students. Like Nergal, many students struggle with certain things that other students may excel in. These students struggle with a low self-esteem. In the book, it showed Nergal’s Dad stating positive and helpful thoughts. Nergal said to his Dad, “I am not a good runner!” Nergal’s Dad gave him a hug. “That’s okay,” he said. “You are a great hopscotcher!” The main idea of this book is that not everyone is great at everything, but everyone is good at something. Even though Nergal didn’t win the race, he tried his best and that’s all that really matters. ( )

Nergal doesn't want to participate in his class' space race because he did so badly last year, and he's very nervous and upset about it. When he runs away from school and explains it to his parents, they tell him he doesn't have to be good at everything, just to try new things. He gives it a try and isn't the best, but that doesn't matter- we don't have to be the best to try things. ( )