| Individuality -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Monsters -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Families -- Fiction. |
| Families -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Fiction. |
Available:*
Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids/Juvenile | Picture books | Book | E SCHAEFER | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Frankie Stein comes into the world on a bright, sunny day. He's not at all like his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein. They're scary looking. He's cute. They try to make him look like them. They can't. But he does end up being scary--just in his own way! Kevan Atteberry's digital illustrations lend a hand to this family-friendly story perfect for a Halloween read aloud.
Author Notes
Lola Schaefer is an author, teacher, speaker and writing consultant who is passionate about helping children learn the tools of writing so they can express themselves.
Lola is the author of more than 200 books for children including picture books, easy readers, classroom books and informational texts. Her book Frankie Stein, published by Marshall Cavendish in 2007, was awarded the Children's Choice Book Award in 2008 and the Mockingbird Award in 2009.
As an educational consultant, Lola has worked in dozens of schools across the country. She shares effective classroom strategies on writing workshop, the craft of writing, and genre structures. Lola offers demonstration lessons, as well as general presentations on craft mini-lessons and the art of writing. She is the author of ten Scholastic Professional Resource books for teachers that focus on strategies to improve student writing.
Lola lives with her husband Ted in the mountains of north Georgia. (Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Frankie Stein is nothing like his monstrous, green-skinned parents. Instead, he is cute, with a pink face and golden hair. In an effort to make him more like them, Mr. and Mrs. Stein "made faces at him" and "shouted BOO! and "GOTCHA!" To give him a more frightening facade, they paint his blond hair blue, cap his first white tooth with green, and place green "bump stickers" all over his face. Still not finding their child terrifying enough, they teach him to walk stiffly and groan. When that doesn't work, they describe the horrifying attributes of their relatives. In the end, little Frankie discovers his own way of being scary, which frightens even his parents. Purples and greens dominate the illustrations, emphasizing the cartoony creepiness of the Stein house. While little Frankie resembles a round-faced toddler, his parents are reminiscent of, as their last name suggests, Frankenstein's monster. Children are certain to find amusement in this charming story, which also subtly teaches them the importance of individuality. It is certain to be a favorite around Halloween.-Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With his creamy skin and blissful smile, Frankie Stein seems a delightful baby. In the Munsters-like premise, however, his evident normalcy worries his parents, a green-skinned Frankenstein's monster and his Bride. " `Oh my,' said his mother. `He's... cute.' " Frankie soon sprouts "a lock of sun-gold hair" and a clean white tooth. He practices lurching, but "his walk was more of a bounce." His doting parents tint his hair a lurid violet, apply fake warts to his face and outfit him in clunky black shoes-ever mindful of their rogues' gallery of candlelit family portraits-but to no avail. A transparent, goofy ghost and lavender rat smilingly observe the unsuccessful makeover, accenting the sitcom humor. Schaefer (Loose Tooth) capably sets up debut illustrator Atteberry's visual punch lines, while Atteberry casts the tale with slightly bland computer-generated caricatures. Given the predictable gags, the roundish yellow typeface appears undersize and weak on the page; otherwise, the book makes the most of its cartoonish comedy without tilting into anything remotely scary. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein are delighted when their baby, Frankie, is born, but it soon becomes apparent he's . . . different. Unlike his frightening parents, he's cute. The Steins try to work with what they have. They paint Frankie's hair purple, decorate him with warts, and teach him the patented Frankenstein walk. But eventually it becomes clear that they can't make him scary. Then, in an amusing turnaround, Frankie figures out how to be scary all by himself. Kids will chuckle at the sprightly story, but they will also appreciate the message about being yourself. The glossy graphic-style artwork, executed in Adobe Illustrator and Photo Shop, takes every opportunity to find the sly aside: an umbrella stand in the shape of a monster's foot; a rogues' gallery of portraits on the wall; a skeleton-headed jack-in-the-box. The laugh-aloud ending, in which Frankie redeems himself by horrifying his folks with hugs and smiles, is highly satisfying. Good anytime, but a fun Halloween choice.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2007 Booklist