Watch Out for Wolfgang

May 1, 2009
K-Gr 2-Mother Robot has three sons. Rod is big and yellow with a clock in his stomach. He makes his mother proud. Slick is a blue creature on a wheel. Dudley is green, rusty, and odd. One day their mother sends them out into the world with enough resources to acquire their own factories, big and strong enough to keep Wolfgang the Recycler at a distance. He wants their parts for enhancing himself. Rod buys a factory and cleans it up. Slick builds a steel castle. Dudley orders 12 truckloads of mud and happily nestles down into the oozing pile. Wolfgang tricks Rod into opening the door and dismantles him on the spot. He uses Slick's vain streak to gain entrance to his castle and breaks him down for parts. Dudley invites him in, and Wolfgang becomes trapped. After he sinks, his parts start floating to the top. Dudley rebuilds his brothers from the parts and makes a car from Wolfgang's remains. The reunited family goes for drive at the end, but it's clear from the picture that not everyone is assembled as they were before. Illustrations are done in mixed media, mostly in a collage style, and have a clunky, metallic look to them. Boys will like this retelling of a children's classic."Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI"

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