As an English teacher, I’m expected to give a book review in front of the entire school to promote the love of reading.

Of course, Sensei will cunningly get his students to do it on his behalf, under the guise of ‘self-development’.

So, his lucky student selected ‘The Way Back Home’ from the basket of class library books. The cover page itself looked whimsical. I then flipped through the pages. Oliver Jeffers wrote a charming picture book about friendship and teamwork, with irresistibly cute illustrations to boot.

The protagonist was simply named ‘the boy’. Perhaps names are unimportant because the other character was a Martian. Such a lovely premise for the story. Inquisitive kids will surely ask if there are aliens out there in the solar system. This book strives to tease out their imagination.

The boy flew an aeroplane he had found in his cupboard and arrived on the Moon, only to find himself stranded. There, he met the Martian, who was similarly stuck on the Moon. They became fast friends and helped each other to get out of the predicament they were in.

I will resist telling you how the story ended because there are only a few pages and you can finish it quickly or watch a video version on YouTube. (Yes, I showed my class the video. Sensei moves fast like a cheetah. 🐆) I think that if you have enjoyed reading ‘The Little Prince’, you should enjoy this one as well. Both have similar themes - meeting someone foreign, facing challenges, and forming a beautiful friendship.

Since I will have to spend three weeks on this book as I work hard to extract thoughts and feelings from nonchalant teenagers whose default mode is I Don’t Know, I’m thrilled that my student selected this book. It’s simple enough, yet profound much.