Marshmallow Martians: Show and Smell:

Marshmallow Martians #1

by Deanna Kent, Neil Hooson (Contributor)

Meet the Marshmallow Martians: a group of curious aliens who can't get enough of planet Earth!

In this adventure, the Martians--along with their space cat, space dog, and marshmallow robot assistant--learn about something called "show and smell." (Does that sound right? It sure doesn't smell right!) They go in search of Earth's smelliest smells to bring back to their home planet, Moop. Where will they find the best smells? An amusement park, of course!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Humor, Picture Books, Fantasy

72 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid start to an early graphic novel series. 3.5 stars!

Marshmallow Martians: Show and Smell follows several otherworldly marshmallow like creatures as they complete an assignment by visiting Earth. During their visit, they make it their goal to capture a variety of "Earthly" smells. There is a touch of humor in this one that will capture the attention of younger readers. I think that there are graphic novels for younger readers that are stronger than this one, but if you or a younger reader in your life loves vibrant art and a good time, this is one you might be interested in picking up.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of Marshmallows aliens from Mars are super excited that they get to use a special portal and visit Earth. They ask the computer what are the best things to bring back from Earth and it glitches. It says “show and _ell”. They decide that means they should bring back the most amazing smells from Earth to share with their friends. But will the Martians gather what Earthlings consider the most amazing smells?

This definitely appeals to the silly and the gross factor that delights young readers. Gathering smells from things like onions, stinky shoes, and more will have kids going “ewww!” but smiling at the same time. The vibrant illustrations in a fun cartoon style will also appeal to young readers. This has multiple chapters but has minimal text thanks to the graphic novel format so it’s a pretty quick read.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: Made up Martians, humans shown have a variety of skin tones.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: A little bit of a gross factor with the smells they collect, but it doesn’t go overboard and venture into vomit or poop, just burps.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Brightly colored artwork takes readers to Mars to meet the Marshmallow Martians. They want to come to Earth and explore. When one of them surprises the others with a portal, they decide to retrieve the smelliest smells on Earth. Readers will enjoy their methods and the humorous ways they get their aromas. Joy is a constant theme for these beings. Kent created a light hearted book for early to mid elementary level readers. This is a shorter graphic novel that will delight them and challenge them. Don't miss the hint for book two in the final panel.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deanna Kent has written with illustrations by Neil Hooson this first book in a new graphic novel series written for younger readers. Central to the story is a group of alien creatures called Marshmallow Martians from the planet Moop. In this first story, the MMs head to Earth with a mission to collect smells. Looking for some of the smelliest smells, the gang heads to a carnival. The reader gets to see how the smells are captured and brought back to Moop. The book is written in nine short chapters with graphic panels on each page. Its appeal and level may be best for young readers. The book announces the next title Earth School for readers to anticipate as they read this series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marshmallow Martians get sent to Earth through a portal to learn about Show and Smell! They want to learn about the smells - like onions and cheese and farts, so they are delivered to an amusement park. They collect the scent of smelly shoes, find out you have to cut onion to release their aroma and learn what makes a burp, but can they discover the stinkiest smell?

Martians interacting with Earth kids - and the kids don't freak out. This might be quite a fun series. Show and Smell is Book 1, and I suspect the appeal is solidly lower elementary. I loved the art lesson at the back and the sneak peak to book 2. Hooson's illustrations are clever adaptations of colorful marshmallows.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Planet Moop, four brave and curious marshmallows can’t wait to learn all about earth. They search the intergalactic database for things from earth that they can gather during a visit and show off, but a slow wi-fi signal returns incomplete data: SHOW AND _ELL. Never fear, Squishy, Snug, Woof and Fuzz can surely figure out the missing letters and bring back plenty of super stinky things from planet Earth for SHOW AND SMELL?!

This funny (and stinky) early reader graphic novel is just right for the ready-to-read crowd.

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute graphic novel about Martian Marshmallows who get confused and call a their mission to Earth “Show & Smell” instead of “Show & Tell” when there is a glitch with the Marshmallow “G.L.O.W. They travel to earth to find and bottle the best smells on Earth. This story brings a lot of joy and fun to the reader. The illustrations were bright and colorful. I liked how it was a flip story/expedition, where the “aliens” come to us to learn. young kids will love this.

[Kay S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one looked just so cute! I saved it in my last batch of reading because of just how cute it was. I was so disappointed … Did I just not get it? I don't expect much substance out of early graphic, but after having read some of the others this year… this one just didn't do it for me.

[Michael Beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for beginning readers. It has a seven-year-old's sense of humor. It is a good source of vocabulary building. And the story leads readers to start making inferences in a serious way, though the book is the furthest thing from serious.

[Kamila Mullen · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTH did I just read? I get this is for kids, but I am a mom of two and would not give this to my kids to read. There is so many other better options for kids to read and have fun reading over this trash.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different. There are marshmallow martians, and their robot friend helps them visit Earth. They think "Show and Tell" is "Show and Smell." They collect gross smells at an amusement park. Too much potty humor for me to let my daughter read it.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precious early graphic reader!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story and colourful characters! My kiddo loves this book! It’s always a frequent pick at story time!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a silly story that my students and I enjoyed. It made for a quick, fun read and we agreed that we would read the sequel when it comes out!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might appeal to younger readers but not a strong graphic novel.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remeber reading this earlier but upon reread I moved it downa star. I like the wordplay ans kids willlike the irreverance. Stillnot my favorite of these series.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable and hilarious graphic novel book for younger kids. I enjoyed the fun learning story and the cute characters. I love the how to draw one of the characters at the end of the book.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun but why were they called Martians when they weren’t from Mars?

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Marshmallow Martians are headed to earth to collect the stinkiest smells!

There is some mention of poops and farts but otherwise, the language is ok.

[Fahula · Rating 3 out of 5]

My students enjoyed the cute characters, alien humour, clever word play, and burp and fart nonsense - right up their alley at the primary level. The vibrant illustrations are engaging. In a livestream author visit with this personable pair of authors, my students enjoyed their enthusiasm about sharing their process in terms of both writing and illustrating. The livestream introduced the kids to drawing techniques, including how to add expressions to their characters. The team’s website and YouTube videos offer several of these types of talk and how-to’s including ones that spark the imagination for writing ideas for young viewers.