Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon

Title: Robot Zombie Frankenstein!
Series: Robot and Robot, book #1
Author & Illustrator: Annette Simon
Genre: Children's Books, Picture Book, Pre K - Gr 1
Publisher: Candlewick
Date: April 24, 2012
Length: 40 pages

I got this book from the library

Perfect for high-energy story times, this cumulative tale is a madcap mash-up featuring robots, shapes in motley amalgamation, and . . . pie!
Squares, rectangles, ovals, triangles, and other colorful shapes are sorted and arranged into - two robots! But why stop there? Shape by shape, costume by costume, Robot and Robot play a game of oneupmanship that zips, zooms, and whirrs from friendly to hilariously out of control in nanoseconds. Robot Zombie? How about Robot Zombie Frankenstein? Can you handle Robot Zombie Frankenstein Pirate? What could be next? Where will it all stop? When the race makes a surprise (and delicious) turn, Robot and Robot are happy to be plain old robots - and buddies - onceagain.

Description from Goodreads

Robots, Zombies, Frankensteins, OH MY! But that's just the beginning. There are disguises, space invaders, and pie! This fun and fast-paced story was a treat! My kids loved this exuberant and silly book. I was surprised how frequently they picked it up, explored the pictures, retold the story, or made up a completely new one.

What I liked

Fun details: The geometric illustration style is deceptively simple. There are great details in the pictures that my kids loved pointing out. My personal favorites: the zombi 'costume' showed a pink square of brain, and the green robots hand was just sitting on the ground in every page. I actually cackled when I noticed it. Even the end papers are great. My daughter liked to pretend it was a giant computer console, she "typed" on and literally said, "beep, beep, bloop!" as she went a long.

Exuberance: The one-upmanship was always friendly and over the top. Young readers are going to be tickled by the silly costume combinations that come out of left field. My son doesn't like learning to read (I understand the struggle) but he really enjoyed reading this with me and we've added some of the words to his sight word list.

courtesy annettesimon.net

What didn't work for me

What are you talking about? This is perfection!

Rating: 5

This is a great read aloud, even if it only has 68 words! Its a fun but fast book for parents trying to fit in some story time with the kids. The great illustrations, fun details, and general wackiness also allows for exploration and discussion that really extend the Robot Zombie Frankenstein! experience.

This is a super fun book that can be used for several educational and craft activities. I especially like tying an art project to a book because it allows for a very relaxed conversation and surprising book connections while students are focused on something else. Simon has a free printable Robot Zombie Frankenstein FUN KIT and other ideas can be easily found on Pinterest.

What types of stories do you like to read to your children? This one is right up my ally, I love books that I can be loud and silly with. Have you read this book before? What did your kids think of it?