Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Robot Zombie Frankenstein!

Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon.  Candlewick Press, 2012

As a child of a certain decade, I remember ColorForms.  I see there is a anniversary edition of the toy available.  There is even an app for iThing users.  I hold the original version of the toy develops a sense of shape and color.  Young imaginations were enhanced and fine motor skills are enhanced as the plastic shapes were carefully peeled and applied to the shiny surface.

Annette Simon's mixes that same spirit of creativity with her imaginative use of shapes, vivid color and popular themes. The end papers offer a menu of the shapes that will be deployed in what at first seems a very simple narrative.  Robots made up of squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, circles and crescents morph into zombie robot, then Frankenstein robot then pirate robot.  Add in a pie and a fork and there is an opportunity for the two robots to share some delicious pie.

There are so many ways to use this book in a school library or classroom or art class.  Shape identification, colors, build your own robot, friendship, sharing, collage are just some of the ways I can envision using this title.

This is going in my Go bag for this new school year. What a deliciously entertaining book.

1 comment:

annette simon said...

Aw, thank you, Miss BookMoot.