Please help!
I am trying to locate my son's favorite children's (about preschool to
third grade) book for his own son, but the problem is we do not
remember the name.
The book began : "It came from outer space to have a look around, and
to meet the natives, who were not especially friendly."  The favorite
section in the book is when it said "Calm down, beeped the thing!" 
Can you help???

Your book is "Space Case," by Edward Marshall (ISBN: 0803780052).

"Space Case 
 by Edward Marshall... 

Synopsis: 
A thing from outer space lands on Earth on Halloween night and joins
young Buddy McGee as he goes trick-or-treating. The next day the space
case accompanies Buddy to school, where it helps him out with a
forgotten homework assignment. Ink and watercolor illustrations
accompany the text.

Synopsis: 
When the thing from outer space visits earth, it is taken first for a
trick-or-treater and then for a robot.

First Line:
It came from outer space to have a look around and to meet the
natives, who were not especially friendly."

Powells Books
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-0140547045-0

Here you'll find a selection of online merchants who offer the book for sale:

Addall.com
http://www3.addall.com/New/submitNew.cgi?query=0803780052&type=ISBN

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "It came from outer space to have a look around"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22It+came+from+outer+space+to+have+a+look+around

I hope this helps! If this is not the correct book, or if a link
doesn't work for you, please request clarification; I'll be glad to
offer further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

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Request for Answer Clarification by food4health-ga on 18 Jul 2004 13:20 PDT

Thanks so much for trying to help me!
I am hesitant primarily for one reason:  The copyright date (listed in
the Powells link) says 1995 and later.  My son is now 28 years old, so
if 1995 is an original publishing date, that can not be the book.

Also,one more small item .... if the phrase "Calm down, beeped the
thins!" is included in the book, & I would feel that much more certain
that this is it.

Any thoughts???

food4health

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Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Jul 2004 13:38 PDT

"Space Case" was originally published in 1980:

"Space Case...
 Publisher: Dial Books; (September 1, 1980)"

Amazon.com: Space Case
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0803780052 

Here you'll find text from the book:

The Daushai Audraiar: Space Case
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/98/hoffmann/spacecase.html

"Calm down, beeped the thing" is definitely in there. I think you can
be quite certain that this is the book your son enjoyed when he was a
child.

~pinkfreud

pinkfreud-ga is the best of the best!
The help was very much appreciated. Thanks so much.