The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot

This boisterous galactic retelling of "The Three Little Pigs" pits resourceful pea-green alien children against a skyscraper-size robot. Siblings Bork, Gork, and Nklxwcyz live with their mother "in a snug, cozy crater on a tiny little planet." When their home " too crowded," the kids head into the solar system to seek new abodes. Two-eyed sister Bork finds an unmanned rover on a red planet ("Awesome!"). Her one-eyed brother Gork boards a satellite spinning around a ringed planet ("Whee!"). Three-eyed Nklxwcyz prefers a planet with "thirteen moons, and refreshing breezes." Soon the Big Bad Robot chases Bork to Gork's home; recalling their mother's advice to "stick together," they fly to Nklxwcyz's brick house. Fearing's (The Book That Eats People) collages lend a down-to-earth feel to the interplanetary action. McNamara (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) is faithful to the original story, down to the climactic chimney, but has bountiful fun along the way (" 'Little alien! Little alien!' bleeped the Robot. 'Pull over! Pull over!' "). This is no astronomy class, but readers can guess the unnamed planets by description, and they'll have fun pronouncing Nklxwcyz. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 3--With its broad humor and a knowing wink to folktale conventions, this delightful reworking of "The Three Little Pigs" has potential to become a crowd-pleasing favorite. When Mama's cozy house in a crater on Mercury grows too crowded, she sends her three little aliens out into the universe to find a planet of their own. She warns them to stay together and watch out for the big, bad robot: "And call me every once in a while." The youngsters strap on their jet packs, bypassing Venus ("Too hot"), Earth ("Too crowded"), and meteors. When pigtailed Bork spies a shiny space rover, she ignores the warning to stick together and settles on Mars. One-eyed Gork is smitten with Saturn's rings. It is left to sensible Nklxwcyz to travel on until he reaches Neptune, where he builds a safe, sturdy home. And just in time, too, for with "Greep Boink Meep Peeedily Deeep Ork Eep," the Big Bad Robot is on his way. Fearing's hand-drawn cartoon illustrations rendered digitally with collage techniques offer bug-eyed, green aliens and an enjoyable mix of science and playful details. An author's note refers readers to NASA's website for more facts about the solar system. This lively, well-told twist on a classic tale will capture the hearts of a wide audience.--Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA