The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot [Hardcover]

Margaret McNamara (Author), Mark Fearing (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2011 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARGARET MCNAMARA is the author of How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, called "illuminating" by Family Fun magazine and recommended as "a first-purchase consideration" by School Library Journal. She is also the author of the popular Robin Hill School early reader series, one of which, The Pumpkin Patch, was awarded the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award-Gold. She lives in New York City.

MARK FEARING has created award-winning editorial cartoons, animated shorts that have appeared on Nickelodeon and G4, and was a production manager for Walt Disney Television Animation. He is also the illustrator of The Book that Eats People by John Perry, called "irresistible" by Publishers Weekly and a "hilariously dark story" by School Library Journal. He lives outside Portland, Oregon. Visit him at MarkFearing.com.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375866892
• ISBN-13: 978-0375866890
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 0.3 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret McNamara is the pen-name for a children's book editor and literary agent. She is the author of more than two dozen books for young readers. Many of the ideas for her books come from her daughter's school days, or her own. Margaret and her family live in New York City, and spend as much time as they can during the summer in Maine.

The author says, "I chose the name 'Margaret McNamara' because it was my maternal grandmother's name. The real Margaret McNamara grew up a very long time ago in County Clare in Ireland, and she was one of the few girls in her village who could read."

Author Margaret McNamara is now at work on the Fairy Bell Sisters, a series of chapter books about Tinker Bell's Little Sisters, who live on an island not far from where you are right now. She's also finishing "The Apple Orchard Riddle," another book about the characters in "How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin," who this time solve a riddle. You can find out more about Margaret at her website, www.margaretmcnamara.net, which will be coming soon.



[Author photo by sdp.photography]

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun book - great for my 4 year old boy January 6, 2012

By DK

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's a revision of 3 little pigs told in the alien robot genre. My son enjoys it, and it's a fun book to read to him (once or twice). The pictures are clever. The story is okay. I think the setting (robots and aliens) is it's strongest draw. There really isn't anything new in terms of a message (brick beats, straw and sticks) and there is a "children leaving home" sort of thing going on that is confusing for the target age of the audience (actually, I don't think I get it either). It's a good book, just not a great one. Maybe a better borrow than buy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar Spin on the Three Little Pigs December 10, 2011

By Kimberly Lynn

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I collect retellings of fables and fairy tales, and The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot is a stellar spin on the Three Little Pigs. Remember the menacing wolf in the original tale:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

Children's author Margaret McNamara replaces the big bad wolf with the BIG BAD ROBOT. I'm also a space enthusiast, so this modern version caught my eye. The big bad robot attempts to crack and smack and whack down the doors of three little aliens' homes comprised of a shiny space rover, a passing satellite, and the third one made of stardust, solar panels, and a telescope:

"Little alien! Little alien!" bleeped the Robot. "Pull over! PULL OVER!"
"Not by the wheels of my trusty space rover!" cried Bork bravely.
"Then I'll crack and smack and whack your house down!" meeped the Robot.

LOL!

Young readers and space enthusiasts, like me, will enjoy this fun romp through our solar system. The text is quite clever and the illustrations are a riot.

McNamara + Fearing = Two thumbs up!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Little Pigs in Outer Space March 5, 2012

By David Williams

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A delightful retelling of an old standby (Three Little Pigs) with amazing graphics that will keep a grandkid on each side of you enthralled for thirty minutes if you read each page slowly and let them point out the characters. Good lighting makes the graphics jump off the page. As stories go this one will tend to 'rev up' the four to six year-olds instead of lend to a 'nod-off effect'. Finishing with a few pages of Babar will bring back the calm and the Sandman. Purchased from 'Amazon'.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Comparing Stories. December 7, 2011

By Robert Love

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like this book because I use it for teaching comparison and contrast with my third grade class. I read "The Three Little Pigs" one day and this book the next day and conmpare them. I found as I read this book, I could use it in other subject areas like Science. Since the story of this book transpires in our galaxy, I could compare the planents in our solar system. I could also talk about revolving and rotating. I found many useful things I could do with this book.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An OK Retelling of Three Little Pigs with Lovely Illustrations. October 28, 2011

By D. Campbell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

These days the retelling of fables and fairy tales to update them with current science, or events, is very popular. Though, to me, it's beginning to get tedious and some of the variations aren't so clever. Author McNamara does have some good moments in The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot, but there are some equally lame moments too. It might be good as a fun read-aloud when kids are learning about the solar system simply because of the superior illustrations and that the atmosphere of the outer planets are discussed as reasons to either live or not live there.

Three little aliens, Bork, Gork, and Nklxwcyz (How is that pronounced? I haven't the foggiest, your guess is as good as mine), are told by their mama that it's time for them to leave the home planet and find a planet of their own. With warnings to be on the lookout for the Big Bad Robot, that likes to chew up little green aliens, the trio sets out in search of a planet for each to call home. Since they live on Mercury, the first planet they happen to come across is Venus, which is declared "too hot" and then, of course, Earth, which is deemed "too crowded". The first planet claimed is Mars which is easily identified by the space rover located on it. Each planet is claimed or rejected in the same order they are from the sun.

Nklxwcyz, the smart pig, I mean alien, "found everything he needed to make sturdy walls" on his planet of Neptune. Materials include solar panels, stardust, and a telescope. I think most people can guess this is about the time the Big Bad Robot makes an appearance. Yet, I'm still stumbling over how to pronounce Nklxwcyz and I'm beginning to dread seeing it in print on the page. I can't imagine how it would be for some poor kid to have to pronounce it.... Why do some authors subject their young readers this type of word pronunciation torture?? Why not just name the third alien another variation of ork? Or perhaps a common name well known to kids?

The illustrations are really good and give a nice outer space feel and it's obvious that attention was paid to planetary accuracy and detail. The aliens are child-like and not frightening but have enough weird alien features to make them interesting. The colors and shading are superior and appealing throughout the book.

Overall, I like it mostly for the illustrations, and how it could be used as a read-aloud while kids are learning about the solar system. As far as standing on its own as a retelling of the Three Little Pigs, it's simply OK. So, consider the context in which you, or a child, may be reading this book and if it's worth having to pronounce Nklxwcyz numerous times. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars What I thought! May 29, 2013

By Larkin Feeney

Format:Kindle Edition

I like this book I would recomed it to my smaller brother, I like sience and even though not all of it was real I enjoyed it.

4.0 out of 5 stars A futuristic take on The Three Little Pigs April 3, 2013

By dlivtx

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My 2 year o,d loves robots so I got him this book hoping he would like it. He loves it. The illustrations are of high quality, and the story is a creative take on the classic Three Little Pigs story. I enjoy reading it to my toddler even though he wants me to read it over and over. I like how it gives little tidbits of information about the planets in the solar system too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! March 8, 2013

By Kim M. Olson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book for any child who likes robots or stories about space. My 4 year old grandson giggles every time I make the silly sound for the name of one of the little aliens in the story (the author cleverly used a combination of unpronouncable consonants, no vowells, for one of the character names) which results in a funny sound everytime you come to his name in the story. The story line is a clever spin off of the Three Little Pigs (substituting little aliens for the pigs, and a big, bad robot for the wolf) so children who are familiar with that first will appreciate this even more. It was a big hit and I highly recommend it for the under 7-ish set.