What if aliens were too small to be seen, if books were no longer read, if we were being studied? These scenarios are the basis of some of the original science fiction stories in Explorer, the second in Trifolium’s Tales from the Wonder Zone series.

Like the first book, Stardust, this one has five stories. Three deal with aliens: ones who visit us but are smaller than a snowflake, ones we visit but cannot wake up, and ones who study our ecology. The other two tales deal with our possible future: on a moon mining colony and in a time when paper books are banned.

All the stories are simply told and should be easy for kids to read on their own. The complexity of ideas in the stories varies more. “The Snow Aliens” and “Moonfuture Incorporated” are straightforward and will appeal to younger readers than the other three. “By Its Cover” is the most complex story with its enigmatic scientist/librarian Dr. Lewis, but “The Word Unspoken” will probably be the most popular one with its protagonists exploring a haunted alien city.

All the stories have an element of science in them. “Rain, Ice, Steam” carries an ecological message through the alien who is studying our polluted rivers. “Moonfuture Incorporated” has the weakest scientific premise. Science fiction must be believable, and even kids will have trouble believing in the undiscovered colony of children living on the moon.

Each tale is illustrated with single- and double-page illustrations by Jean-Pierre Normand, who also did the striking cover. His strength, however, lies in depicting aliens and their worlds; his humans are bland and characterless.

As C. J. Cherryh says in her introduction, science fiction is about a “sense of wonder.” The best of these stories capture that sense, and the series is a good introduction to the genre for younger readers.