Man on the Moon (a day in the life of Bob)

Man on the Moon: (a day in the life of Bob) by Simon Bartran
2002

     Bob gets up everyday at six o'clock, has breakfast and heads to the rocket launchpad to go to work.  Bob works on the moon. He's the moon's custodian, making sure its surface is spotless and ready to be visited by curious tourists everyday.  He gives them guided tours and tells them all about the moon.  "Sometimes people ask him about aliens, and Bob explains patiently that there aren't any."  After all the tourists have left, Bob does a final check and heads back to Earth.
     Okay, so aside from the fact that Bob has a super cool job going to the moon everyday, you can tell by the text that it's a pretty simple premise with deadpan text.  But believe me, this book is a blast.  The magic of Man on the Moon: (a day in the life of Bob) lies in the illustrations.  Simon Bartran wrote it and also illustrated it and made a perfect dialogue between the two: while the text is straightforward and bland, the illustrations are witty, entertaining and hilarious.  While Bob insists there're no aliens anywhere, we can see them everywhere, in every page.  My son was laughing hysterically, finding aliens and making fun of Bob's obliviousness.  Great random library pick (I love when that happens...when a book just seems to call you from the library shelves...pick me!)