The book Zombie In Love by Kelly DiPicchio is a perfect book for young children because they are just coming out of the phase of despising the opposite gender and realizing they are not that bad as they begin to develop crushes. All children believe different is a bad thing and this text does a great job shooting down the negative connotations as it shows that even though the zombie was different then the rest of his classmates and stood out he realized at the end that there were people like him so he did not feel left out anymore. The illustrations by Scott Campbell through out the story such as the scene where Mortimer goes to the funeral home to pick out a suit and then at the dance when Mortimer and Mildred smiled appeals to a child's humor as it keeps them interested in the piece of writing. It was only a matter of time before the Zombies invaded the picture book section in the library! Introducing Mortimer the Zombie and his quest for love. Summary:Mortimer is undead and unhappy. He has tried everything from taking dance lessons, passing out chocolates with worms, real hearts, and even walking his dead dog at the park to win a date for the Cupids ball. Nothing has worked, and he even lost a few parts along the way. Finally, he takes out a clever ad in the newspaper (Cue the undead version of "Escape" by Rupert Holmes) as a last ditch effort to get a date. Will love prevail? Will he finally meet his perfect brainless match??Review: Zombie in Love is a funny and clever book about finding love in all the wrong places. Mortimer is creepy but not too creepy. The muted watercolor illustrations keep the characters from being overly gross or graphic for younger children. Plus, who can resist all the smiling little worms in hats?! I love all the word play within the story and think that this will be a fun read aloud for a classroom and library. It works well for a Halloween or Valentine theme and something that all ages can appreciate. Ages:5 and up to be safe. Zombies might be a bit too scary for the preschool crowd.
What do You think about Zombie In Love (2011)?
One of my new favorite picture books!
—giesellejoyce
