The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot
Schwartz and Wade/Random House
Age 3-5, 5-8
40 pages
written by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mark Fearing
Synopsis from Random House:
GREEP BOINK MEEP! The three little aliens are happily settling into their new homes when the Big Bad Robot flies in to crack and smack and whack their houses down! A chase across the solar system follows in this out-of-this-world version of the classic Three Little Pigs tale. Margaret McNamara (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) and Mark Fearing (The Book that Eats People) have created a humorous and visually stunning story that kids will adore—and that will introduce them to the planets and the solar system. The endpapers even include a labeled diagram of all the planets.
Sure you’ve heard the three little pigs and the big bad wolf story. Most kids probably know it off by heart, or at least the huffing and puffing part. The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot brings a more futuristic tone to the fairy tale. Robots and aliens are just cool in kids books, at least according to my kids.
Like the wolf with his huffing and puffing, kids will love the robot with its GRIMP BOINK MEEP. It’s just fun to say and repeat. Like any evil robot, he has more hitech ways to destroy the little aliens homes: robotic, super swining arms; crushing, ripping claws, and a triple blaster (my personal favourite). You don’t need me to tell you how the story ends.
The book’s inside cover also has an outline of all the planets in our solar system, in the order they appear (no Pluto). My son loved figuring out which planet he thought the little robots choose for their individual homes based on the illustrations and descrptions used within the pages. A subtle way to reinforce the planet names and order. Some elements of the the big bad robot’s words were used as illustrations in the book too, making his presence seem that much bigger and louder. My two youngest really enjoyed The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot and although they knew the story this was based on, the treatment and characters brought a whole new life to the tale.
You can add The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot to your personal library by visiting your local book store or visiting Random House. Visit our Kid’s Books section for other great book recommendations. What are you reading with your kids?
I have to thank Cassandra from Random House for my review copy.