Isaac (age 11): "Oh No" is illustrated by Dan Santat.
Gracie (age 9): Dan Sanitizer.
Isaac: And it is written by...
Gracie: Chuck Duckerman!
Isaac: Written by Chuck Duckerman?
Gracie: HA hee hee heehee! No - That's what I think the robot's name should be. Chuck Duckerman.
Dad: "Oh No" is written by Mac Barnett.
Gracie: Macaroni Barnett!
Dad: Great.
Gracie: Dan Sanitizer and Macaroni Barnett.
Lily (age 7): This is a weird and wacko book. But the people that made this book are smartypants, because they could build this story.
Isaac: They have crazy imaginations.
Gracie: They are crazy... in a good way.
Isaac: "Oh No" is about this girl who builds a super hi-tech robot.
Gracie: Chuck Duckerman.
Isaac: Robot. She makes the robot for a science fair. It wasn't that hard for her to win first place because this is what she was up against -- "Cup of Dirt." "Just Hamsters." And a little teeny volcano. Those were the other entries, so she creamed them.
Gracie: If I entered a Science Fair, I'd probably do something about aerodynamics.
Dad: Do you even know what aerodynamics is?
Gracie: Flying.
Dad: Wow - you know a big word. Where'd you learn that big word?
Gracie: I made it up.
Dad: You didn't make it up.
Gracie: Well, then where did I hear it?
Dad: I don't know - that's what I asked you.
Gracie: I would make a replica of a model of a plane.
Dad: So you wouldn't just make a model plane? You'd make a replica OF a model of a plane?
Isaac: Ha ha!
Gracie: Or I could just do a project on cows.
Dad: Aerodynamics... or cows.
Gracie: I could teach people how to dissect cows.
Dad: Wow. This has nothing to do with the book. Let's get back on track...
Gracie: Has Macaroni Barnett ever dissected a cow?
Dad: What happens to the robot?
Isaac: It escapes. It was a science project catastrophe.
Gracie: The robot has a laser eye and super claw. The robot's name is Chuck Duckerman. And Chuck Duckerman starts destroying the world.
Lily: If kids are afraid of lasers, they shouldn't read this book.
Isaac: The robot also has hypnotizing-dog-power. The robot made dogs think they were robots destroying the world -- little teeny chihuahuas dressed up with hats. If I could control a dog's mind, I would make it Riverdance.
Lily: So then the girl made a giant frog to defeat the robot, and the giant frog saved the world.
Isaac: She turned a little frog into a giant monster frog with a machine. With a Froginizer. A Grow-inator-inator. The Biginator.
Gracie: The giant frog destroys Chuck Duckerman.
Isaac: But now she has to make another thing to stop the frog. I don't know what's going to stop it... but I'm going to make it.
Dad: So, that's the storyline. What did you think of the illustrations?
Isaac: The pictures remind me of a movie. An old scary movie. It looks like Godzilla! I bet they were trying to make it resemble an old Godzilla movie.
Dad: Have you ever seen an old Godzilla movie?
Isaac: I'm just guessing.
Dad: How do you even know who Godzilla is? I suppose it's just part of our cultural make-up. Everyone knows Godzilla.
Lily: Yes. He's a giant monkey.
Dad: That's King Kong.
Lily: Oh.
hypnotized puppies dressed as robots, by Lily
a new giant robot to defeat the giant frog, by Isaac
make a fly grow giant with the Biginator machine...
but... that might not work...Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Published, 2010: Hyperion
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