YA book re: trip to Mars, 2waring "vegetable"-like alien races, telepathy

[rwc]

I'm trying to find a book I read as a child/young adult in the mid-70's.

The book involved a father (or grandfather?) building a spaceship behind his house. The father and two children (boy and girl) took a trip to Mars where they encountered two alien races at war with each other. The alien races were vegetable-like; one (good?) was short and squat , and the other (bad?) was tall and thin, cucumber-like with tentacles. The aliens communicated with the humans and with each by telepathy.

I borrowed the book from the public library in our small town in upstate NY. The book had illustrations; I can still picture the spaceship and the aliens. I would guess it was written in the late 50's or 60's, probably before manned missions to the moon.

I know this probably sounds like dozens of other books, but maybe someone else out there read it and remembers... Any help will be appreciated.

[Rob B]

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet?

[rwc]

Thanks for the reply. Based upon several of reviews I read on the "Mushroom Planet" (and others in the same series), I'm sure its not the book that I'm thinking of. I hope someone else may have an idea...

[Erebus]

Could be a Heinlein YA book, but I can't think of a title right now...