LILLIPUT 5357

“Bippity Zippity Beep Beep Beep.” Every morning robot Lilliput 5357 wakes up at eight, winds himself and goes out to play. One day, big, bad bully robots with bad attitudes storm the playground. These baddies literally break up Lilliput’s friends. Now where will he play? He hops into his Rocket Racer and zooms off in search of a new playground. The dump is too stinky, and the carnival is too spooky. Thank goodness, the friendly Astro Guys appear in their flying saucer and send Lilliput to a wonderful planet full of robots ready to play. Adults might find it a bit disconcerting that Lilliput’s reaction to the decapitation and dismemberment of his playmates is, “Where am I going to play now?” However, storytimers will adore this onomatopoeia-filled paean to retro wind-up toys. The digitally manipulated photographs, created by an international team of artists, are mixed with brightly colored Japanese characters on white backgrounds for an eye-catching treat. Prepare for repeated readings and I-Spy-type audience participation. (Picture book. 2-6)