Note: Beside the review below, that at KirkusReviews.com (contemporary to publication, undated online) is negative; that by Stephanie Loer The Boston Globe 1979-11-18 pA8 is positive. (Largely on the same grounds it seems to me: "delightfully anthropomorphic" animals, or "type-cast" ones; humor and satire, or failure of the same. --Pwendt 2018)

Synopsis:

• "People have evacuated the Earth and fled to Mars, leaving behind rubbish and animals. Five animal friends must strike off on a hazardous journey from the north of England to London with a curious animal named Stanley. Together they must find out what Stanley is and why he is so special." --summary, WorldCat library records of the Mammoth ed. (1990, 1999) (Their destination is the London Zoo.)
• "Throughout, the travelers display both their indigenous virtues and foibles and many human traits. Lively clearly enjoyed, and so will the reader, exploring museums, libraries and factories from the viewpoint of inquiring, but blessedly ignorant, minds. The book founders, though, as the animals' intelligence arbitrarily waxes and wanes to fit the convenience of the plot." --Stephen Krensky The Christian Science Monitor 1979-05-14 pB7