Lights on Cotton Rock

Late one night, Heather sneaks out of her house, into the woods and down to Cotton Rock. She loves the idea of going into space and visiting the stars, but most of all she wants to meet an alien. Sitting on the rock and signalling into the sky with her torch, her dream comes true when a friendly alien arrives in its multicoloured spaceship. But they soon have to say goodbye and although Heather goes back to Cotton Rock many times, the alien never comes back… Until one day, many years later, it does – and then Heather must decide whether or not her place really is among the stars.

This quite grown-up picture book veers towards graphic novel territory with its atmospheric illustrations, wordless sections, and pages where the story is told in individual panels. It’s a heartfelt story and a story of adventure and discovery and figuring out the things that matter and that make a difference. A book where the pictures can be pored over and offering lots of opportunity to think about the nuances of the story and feed readers’ imaginations.