In the hours before his brother is born, eight year old Joe has an unusual visitor, Mika, who falls out of a spaceship and lands upside down in an apple tree in Joe's garden. Hens, dinosaurs, an astronaut and a white rabbit all play their part in this magical story in which the encounter between Earth-boy and alien opens up the wonders of the universe. Tender and enchanting as The Little Prince and with the same classic quality, HELLO? IS ANYBODY THERE? confirms Jostein Gaarder as an exceptional writer for children. Sally Gardner's lively pencil drawings on almost every page make this a delightful package.

In this book about the wonder of life by the author of Sophie's World, eight-year-old Joe is about to become a big brother. His mother is in labour at the hospital when he looks outside and sees a little boy hanging upside down in an apple tree. It's Mika, who has just fallen out of a spaceship. Mika is from Eljo, where children hatch out of eggs and life in general is quite different from what Joe knows. Mika and Joe become instant friends and spend the day discussing everything from dinosaurs and gravity to the origins of life on Earth. The next morning Mika is gone, but Joe has a new-found appreciation for the wonders of the universe--and a baby brother!

Illustrated with whimsical line drawings--and framed by thought-provoking questions: "Can animals think?"; "what would you say if you had a visit from another planet?"--Hello? Is Anybody There?challenges readers to look at the world afresh, much in the manner of The Little Prince.

A magical story by the author of the international bestseller, 'Sophie's World'.

In the hours before his brother is born, eight year old Joe has an unusual visitor, Mika, who falls out of a spaceship and lands upside down in an apple tree in Joe's garden. Hens, dinosaurs, an astronaut and a white rabbit all play their part in this magical story in which the encounter between Earth-boy and alien opens up the wonders of the universe. Tender and enchanting as The Little Prince and with the same classic quality, HELLO? IS ANYBODY THERE? confirms Jostein Gaarder as an exceptional writer for children. Sally Gardner's lively pencil drawings on almost every page make this a delightful package.

Jostein Gaarder is the author of SOPHIE'S WORLD, a huge bestseller in over 40 countries. He was born in Oslo in 1952 and lives there now with his wife and two sons.