A review by luthien3720
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: The Classic Illustrated Storybook, by

4.0

This sweet storybook accomplished something I never thought possible: it made E.T. adorably cute. I first saw the movie when I was around 7-8 years old, and while I liked it and watched our VHS tape several times during my childhood, I was always rather afraid of E.T. (though the flying bikes and final scene made the movie worth the scares). This book would have helped me a lot. Here, the illustrations are beautifully done, giving everyone huge round expressive eyes, and featuring breathtaking backgrounds. The story is streamlined to suit the shorter format: it skips the psychic connection between E.T. and Elliott, E.T.'s death/recovery, and all the family drama. The focus is on E.T. and Elliott. It makes the government officials/scientists who try to take E.T. away a little less scary (as a child, the adults in the hazmat suits keeping E.T. and Elliott apart scared me worse than the alien), but they're still the villains. This is a lovely companion book to my copy of the Home Alone storybook and I look forward to next year's release in this series, Back to the Future! Maybe Ghostbusters or Jurassic Park next, or the Princess Bride, Karate Kid, or Voyage Home?