Oliver Jeffers Review: The Way Back Home

Oliver Jeffers Review: The Way Back Home is a fantasy story written for young children. The story features many fantastical events that are enjoyably absurd and whimsical.


I think just about all the rules of physics are broken, and it can be fun and revealing to ask young children their views on the events depicted.


In the story, a boy finds an aeroplane in his cupboard, if you please, and takes it on a test flight. The plane rises higher and higher and higher till the boy is flying in outer space. Which is quite a feat, as the plane has an open cockpit and the boy is exposed to the...er...elements. But it's ok, because the boy is wearing a leather jacket, a scarf, and goggles to protect him from the cold.


While happily flying in outer space, the inevitable happens; the boy's aeroplane runs out of petrol! He is forced to make a landing on the moon. This presents a problem, as the boy has no means to fill his petrol tank.


Meanwhile, a little, green Martian boy has problems of his own. His spacecraft cannons into the moon because of engine trouble. The boy and the Martian meet up and, despite initial shyness, become friends. They formulate a plan to get their respective machines off the moon and flying again...