Happy Birthday, Frankie [Library Binding]

Sarah Weeks (Author), Warren Linn (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

A professor tries to assemble Frankenstein's body parts so that the monster can enjoy his birthday cake, with unexpected results.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Shoes, screws and mechanical hands lie scattered across the endpapers of this picture book, which posits a do-it-yourself Frankenstein. The monster-making kit comes in a big cardboard box, accompanied by instructions ("Screw elbow (A) to (B) to arm.... glue zipper (C) to head assembly"). As a scientist tries and fails to put the parts together, clever collage illustrations reveal the misbegotten results: "The leg bone's connected to the... Oh, dear. The arm bone's connected to the... Nope." At last, Frankie is complete; his blue skull is zippered, his eyes and nose are in place and his corrugated-cardboard limbs swivel properly. Unfortunately, he blows out his birthday candle with such gusto that he disassembles his creatorAthe book ends with an image of a puzzled Frankie with a wrench in hand. Held together by glue, gesso and a few photocopied rivets, debut illustrator Linn's asymmetrical paint-and-cut-paper monster recalls Henrik Drescher's sinister clip-and-paste images. Weeks (Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash) keeps the narration to a bare minimum and lets the pictures do most of the storytelling. Kids will relish the goofy use of a favorite song, and they'll appreciate the brio of Linn's postmodern high jinks. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3 Deep within his laboratory, a scientist attempts to assemble a Frankenstein-like monster. As he fumbles through several false starts and ungainly constructions, he mutters parts of that old song, "the leg bone's connected to ." Finally completed, the monster is presented with a birthday jack-o'-lantern. The force of Frankie's breath as he blows out the candle, however, blasts the doctor to pieces, leaving the monster to reconstruct his creator. Linn's paint and paper-collage illustrations feature a scientist with a triangular nose and gap-toothed grin reminiscent of David Shannon's protagonist in No, David! (Scholastic, 1998). The layout is confusing and busy, much like the doctor. Children may enjoy the concept of the scientist who doesn't know which body parts go where, but the illustrations are too cluttered to pick out exactly what mistakes he is making. The spare text is adequate, but after the rollicking rhythm of Weeks's Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash (HarperFestival, 1998), this one lacks flair. A serviceable Halloween offering that doesn't quite come together. Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Laura Geringer Book (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060285222
• ISBN-13: 978-0060285227
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,373,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Weeks is the author of Oggie Cooder, So B. It, Jumping the Scratch, and the Guy series. She lives in New York City, where she practices charving at least once a fortnight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Uncle Warren!, October 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Frankie (Hardcover)

Aside from the fact that my uncle illustrated this book (go Uncle Warren!) How could you not love this book? It's a great children's story with beautiful, modern and colorful illustrations.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a Halloween birthday, October 30, 2006

By 

Sarah Sammis "Avid BookCrosser" (Hayward, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Frankie (Hardcover)

My son enjoys the repetition of the story. On each page the scientist attempts to assemble the pieces in the box. He has many failures before he finally succeeds. The illustrations by Warren Linn really makes the book funny.