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First Graders From Mars #2
The Problem With Pelly
A stellar new story in Shana Corey and Mark Teague's irresistible Martina chronicles--perfect for beginning readers.
A special visitor is coming to Pod 1! Everyone is excited. Except for Pelly...she may have been normal on her native Phobus, but now that her family lives on Mars, she's feeling desperately different. Why does she have to have fluffernobbin when all her Martian podmates have tentacles? And what in the galaxy will the special visitor think of her?
With their signature wit and warmth, Shana Corey and Mark Teague remind anyone who's ever felt like an alien that their differences can also make them special.
A special visitor is coming to Pod 1! Everyone is excited. Except for Pelly...she may have been normal on her native Phobus, but now that her family lives on Mars, she's feeling desperately different. Why does she have to have fluffernobbin when all her Martian podmates have tentacles? And what in the galaxy will the special visitor think of her?
With their signature wit and warmth, Shana Corey and Mark Teague remind anyone who's ever felt like an alien that their differences can also make them special.
32 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 26, 2022
Pelly used to live on the planet Phobos but now her family lives on Mars. On Phobos, Pelly and her family looked like everyone else, but here on Mars she's not. Her embarrassment gets to the point where she doesn't even want other people to see her mom. Not wanting to be different, Pelly tries to look like everyone else on Mars by covering her flubbernobbin on her head to make them look more like the tentacles that everyone else has. But when she does that no one can understand what she's saying because her voice comes out of her flubbernobbin. Not minding her unintelligble speech, Pelly goes to school happy, because she looks like everyone else now and theirs a special guest singer coming to her class today. Pelly is in for a surprise as she discovers that this amazing opera singer has a flubbernobbin too!
I enjoyed the lesson in this book about identity. In schools/communities that are particularly homogeneous, being different can be tough. I'm sure there are kids who can identify with this and would be encouraged by this story.
I enjoyed the lesson in this book about identity. In schools/communities that are particularly homogeneous, being different can be tough. I'm sure there are kids who can identify with this and would be encouraged by this story.
February 28, 2025
Cute book about an alien who learns to accept her differences.
February 7, 2017
Pelly gets teased at school for her fluffernobbin. All the other kids have tentacles on their head. Pelly decides to try and be like the others, but a visit from an opera star helps Pelly realize it's better to be herself, and it is ok to be different.
Deals with something all kids will deal with at some point or other. Offers a great conversation opener for kids about differences and teasing. Kids will also probably like the delivery with the funny martian vocab and the creative scifi setting.
Deals with something all kids will deal with at some point or other. Offers a great conversation opener for kids about differences and teasing. Kids will also probably like the delivery with the funny martian vocab and the creative scifi setting.
April 7, 2016
We picked this book up from our public library.
This is episode 2 in the series of First Graders from Mars. Me and my son read book 1 where we met Horus and of course Pelly was introduced to us as being the new alien in town.
In this episode you read about Pelly and how she thinks she is weird, her family is weird. It doesn't help that another alien named Tera is a bully. Who likes to stay mean things. Me and my son both enjoyed how Horus stood up to Tera for Pelly. My son doesn't like bullies and kept letting me know he would give that alien a wedgie for being mean. While Pelly and her family have fluffernobbin's on their head she eventually learns that being different is a good thing and this lesson comes to her from the diva that is coming to their classroom.
Not everyone wants to be the same even though it may seem that way, but with everyone being different it shows that everyone is unique in their own special way.
This is episode 2 in the series of First Graders from Mars. Me and my son read book 1 where we met Horus and of course Pelly was introduced to us as being the new alien in town.
In this episode you read about Pelly and how she thinks she is weird, her family is weird. It doesn't help that another alien named Tera is a bully. Who likes to stay mean things. Me and my son both enjoyed how Horus stood up to Tera for Pelly. My son doesn't like bullies and kept letting me know he would give that alien a wedgie for being mean. While Pelly and her family have fluffernobbin's on their head she eventually learns that being different is a good thing and this lesson comes to her from the diva that is coming to their classroom.
Not everyone wants to be the same even though it may seem that way, but with everyone being different it shows that everyone is unique in their own special way.
September 21, 2011
We've read three of the four books in the First Graders From Mars series of books by Shana Corey and Mark Teague. They are crazy and funny and still manage to teach a lesson and we've enjoyed them all. We are looking forward to reading the last book, but wish there were more.
This tale shows how it can be a good thing to be different and that trying to fit in with the crowd doesn't always work out. With tenticles and fluffernobbins being the highlighted differences in this tale, children can understand the concepts of different races, ethnicities and cultures in an objective and humorous way.
This tale shows how it can be a good thing to be different and that trying to fit in with the crowd doesn't always work out. With tenticles and fluffernobbins being the highlighted differences in this tale, children can understand the concepts of different races, ethnicities and cultures in an objective and humorous way.
February 10, 2012
PK-1
From Publishers Weekly
The space age series continues with First Graders from Mars Episode 2: The Problem with Pelly by Shana Corey, illus. by Mark Teague. Pod 1 is expecting a visit from a famous Martian opera singer, and pals Tera and Pelly draw pictures to decorate the classroom. "Your family is weird," Tera says, eyeing Pelly's family portrait; with "fluffernobbins" on their heads instead of tentacles, Pelly's family is unusual. But the appearance of the fluffernobbined diva helps Pelly to accept his differences
This is really a cute entertaining story and I would use it as a lead in to talking about planets, using this one for Mars.
From Publishers Weekly
The space age series continues with First Graders from Mars Episode 2: The Problem with Pelly by Shana Corey, illus. by Mark Teague. Pod 1 is expecting a visit from a famous Martian opera singer, and pals Tera and Pelly draw pictures to decorate the classroom. "Your family is weird," Tera says, eyeing Pelly's family portrait; with "fluffernobbins" on their heads instead of tentacles, Pelly's family is unusual. But the appearance of the fluffernobbined diva helps Pelly to accept his differences
This is really a cute entertaining story and I would use it as a lead in to talking about planets, using this one for Mars.
February 21, 2016
Pelly (Horus' friend from Book 1) isn't a typical Martian 1st grader because she's actually from the moon Phobos. This didn't bother her until her martian classmates start making fun of her fluffernobin (which she has instead of tentacles). A famous opera singer is coming to the class, and Pelly really wants to make a good impression, so she tries to disguise her fluffernobin as tentacles to horrible results. But as it turns out, the famous singer has a fluffernobin too and Pelly learns that being different isn't so bad.
Great illustrations.
Great illustrations.
September 24, 2014
A weird, but cute story about how it's okay, even special to be different.
January 11, 2015
first graders from mars episode 02 theproblme with pelly by shana corey is a learning to appreciate your self, an early reader for children, was in a classroom library
July 7, 2015
Gotta say that this book didn't hold my interest. I found it unexciting and that it dragged on. Not sure where the kidlets would find it entertaining.
January 13, 2017
Expat/TCK: Pelly is from another planet, and feels weird for being different from the "normal" martians until she discovers that different means special.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews