The novel Greetings From Planet Earth, which takes place in 1977, is about a boy, Theo, whose father goes missing during the Vietnam War. Theo has a vivid childhood memory of being awakened by his dad in the middle of the night to watch the first man walking on the moon. As he grows up without his father, Theo develops an interest in the study of the moon.

Graphic illustrator Istvan Banyai did a front cover image that shows Theo as the man walking on the moon; on the back, there is a hovering helicopter in Vietnam. The two images contrast each other in both topic and color. Banyai combined retro and contemporary art styles to make the cover images compelling.

Author Barbara Kerley named each of the section openers in the book for seas on the moon. Using this element, Banyai illustrated each opener as a spread showing the moon, with a close-up map of the sea named. Other graphic elements, such as lunar-textured endpapers, the trim, fonts and front-matter design were chosen to complement the book’s subject and Banyai’s style.

Friendly, approachable text for preteens.