In this picture book, an alien learns about the sights he finds on Earth. Simple, partially-rhyming text, with the repeating question, "Zot, wazzzzz dot?" is accompanied by computer-generated illustrations. The alien is on a farm and uses the decoder to help him learn about the items he encounters. Readers can try to guess what the alien is using the decoder on as those items appear as shadows. When the alien supposedly has returned to his planet, he is shown still on Earth driving a farm truck to town. The story is a fun way to introduce some basic vocabulary and develop prediction skills. Readers will like the alien's adventure. Laura D'Amato, Library Media Specialist, Berea, Ohio Recommended—Library Media Connection
Blip, an adventurous and curious young extraterrestrial, arrives on Earth to explore the unfamiliar (to him) terrain with Zot, a device that detects and identifies objects. For example, when Blip encounters a pink mud-splattered mound with a curlicue tail, Zot cautions, "Blip, stop!" "Zot, wazzzzzdot?" Blip asks. Zot projects a silhouette, giving listeners a chance to guess wazdot before Zot announces the results on the next spread: "PIG!" This pattern is repeated four more times (crates of "VEGETABLES!" are a challenge), with each stop revealing more about where on Earth Blip is. Young children will quickly figure out he's on a farm; what gives the concept heft is the funny rhyming story that emerges. Blip's wide-open eyes and friendly smile telegraph that he comes in peace. His inexperience reflects preschoolers', and they'll get a kick out of knowing more than this blue visitor with the oversize football-shaped head. There's an ill-fated joyride on a tractor, then a reckoning when a grown-up alien and four Blip-size pals (who first appear on the front endpapers) arrive in their own spaceships. Everyone does some chores until it's time to blast off. Only where's Blip now? In a final endpaper spread (mostly on the left), we see Blip behind the wheel of a truck, headed off to explore a new frontier. Watch out town, here come Blip and Zot, boldly going where no alien has gone before. kitty flynn—Horn Book
Robot extraterrestrials encounter a farm on Earth. A family of bots, each carrying a handy digital device called a Zot, head away from their mod-looking single-occupant space vehicles to explore the moon. All, that is, except Blip, who spies Earth and heads there instead. Staccato rhyming text covers Blip's exploration, with his Zot warning him each time he's about to encounter something new. " Blip, stop!' / Zot, wazzzzzdot?' " Broad visual cues, which at first only show parts of the whole, let kids in on the fun-they'll know that muddy pig by its curly pink tail. Blip encounters boxes of fresh, crunchy vegetables, three aggressive chickens, a dairy cow and more. Each new discovery reveals more of what is obviously a farm. After Blip drives a tractor-with predictable results involving a tree stump-the mother bot arrives, looking quite displeased. His Zot summarizes all that Blip has encountered (Slack shows the farm denizens in silhouette above their heads), and the bots happily explore. Mother collects her explorer for departure-but where is Blip? Driving Sunnyland Farm's veggies to town, of course. Slack's digital paintings couple stylized, sharp-edged images and a wild color palette of magenta, chartreuse, blue and orange to convey an ET's-eye view of familiar toddler icons. Good, silly fun wrapped in crisp graphics. (Picture book. 2-4)—Kirkus
PreS-Gr 2 Blip, a big-eyed, big-eared blue alien child, makes an unplanned detour to Earth during a class trip. He lands on a farm and learns to recognize a number of animals, vegetables, and farm implements. Blip's Zot, a hand-held device that resembles a cell phone with a retro-styled radar antenna on top, helps to identify a pig, vegetables, cranky chickens, and a milk-squirting cow with a refrain of "Blip, stop! Zot, wazzzzzdot?" Eventually, Blip's teacher appears to reunite the wayward alien with its class, though by the end, Blip and Zot are off on another adventure. The simple text will be great fun for storytime, with children joining the repetition and identifying objects by their bold shadow forms. The digitally painted illustrations are colorful and engaging, with the curious Blip peeking and hopping through the pictures. The only oddity is the quirk of having the story begin on the dust flap and endpapers, so readers who flip past the title page will be confused as to exactly what is happening. An entertaining addition to read-aloud collections. Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC—SLJ
07/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—Blip, a big-eyed, big-eared blue alien child, makes an unplanned detour to Earth during a class trip. He lands on a farm and learns to recognize a number of animals, vegetables, and farm implements. Blip's Zot, a hand-held device that resembles a cell phone with a retro-styled radar antenna on top, helps to identify a pig, vegetables, cranky chickens, and a milk-squirting cow with a refrain of "Blip, stop! Zot, wazzzzzdot?" Eventually, Blip's teacher appears to reunite the wayward alien with its class, though by the end, Blip and Zot are off on another adventure. The simple text will be great fun for storytime, with children joining the repetition and identifying objects by their bold shadow forms. The digitally painted illustrations are colorful and engaging, with the curious Blip peeking and hopping through the pictures. The only oddity is the quirk of having the story begin on the dust flap and endpapers, so readers who flip past the title page will be confused as to exactly what is happening. An entertaining addition to read-aloud collections.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC
2014-05-14
Robot extraterrestrials encounter a farm on Earth.A family of bots, each carrying a handy digital device called a Zot, head away from their mod-looking single-occupant space vehicles to explore the moon. All, that is, except Blip, who spies Earth and heads there instead. Staccato rhyming text covers Blip's exploration, with his Zot warning him each time he's about to encounter something new. " ‘Blip, stop!' / ‘Zot, wazzzzzdot?' " Broad visual cues, which at first only show parts of the whole, let kids in on the fun—they'll know that muddy pig by its curly pink tail. Blip encounters boxes of fresh, crunchy vegetables, three aggressive chickens, a dairy cow and more. Each new discovery reveals more of what is obviously a farm. After Blip drives a tractor—with predictable results involving a tree stump—the mother bot arrives, looking quite displeased. His Zot summarizes all that Blip has encountered (Slack shows the farm denizens in silhouette above their heads), and the bots happily explore. Mother collects her explorer for departure—but where is Blip? Driving Sunnyland Farm's veggies to town, of course. Slack's digital paintings couple stylized, sharp-edged images and a wild color palette of magenta, chartreuse, blue and orange to convey an ET's-eye view of familiar toddler icons.Good, silly fun wrapped in crisp graphics. (Picture book. 2-4)
