Most folks will probably remember the classic book Pat the Bunny as a wholesome, pristine sacred text of childhood whimsy and good, clean fun.
Most folks are in for a rude awakening.
The new parody Pat the Zombie, by Aaron Ximm and Kaveh Soofi, explores the darker side of the timeless activity book by swapping the adorable bunny for a blood-spattered zombie counterpart. Messed up in the best possible way, Pat the Zombie is the literary equivalent of candy, if candy could be made out of human flesh. Pick it up for a buddy or for yourself and you're basically guaranteed five minutes of squicky hilarity.
For those whose relationship to the original Pat the Bunny has been fragmented by the passage of time, a quick primer: The children's book, first published in 1940, is a collection of activities for young kids. In its pages, early readers can feel "Daddy's scratchy face" (a.k.a. sandpaper), look in a mirror (a reflective bit of fabric) and, of course, pat the bunny, whose fur always struck me as surprisingly, perhaps distressingly, authentic. Pat the Zombie follows the framework of its source material pretty faithfully, but applies a liberal coating of viscera to the usual fun and games. An example: Instead of touching Daddy's scratchy face, Pat the Zombie readers get the chance to touch Daddy's putrefying face. They'll also tag along as the book's main characters, Judy and Paul, read their survival manuals, play a rather grisly game of peek-a-boo, and investigate Mommy's now-dormant grey matter. The hands-on elements of Pat the Zombie are the book's strongest features--everything with which you can interact beyond the text has a satisfying haunted-house edge. The FX, especially for the bunny-zombie itself, are pretty creepy despite their lo-fi, old-school kid's book feel.
Pat the Zombie would be a solid exercise in tactile zombie antics in and of itself, but its close adherence to the original text adds a slice of nostalgia and a welcome dash of corrupted innocence to the final product. The book's pretty short--you'll no doubt breeze through it in ten minutes or so, depending on the strength of your stomach--but it will definitely make for a great gift or surprise for a friend. We all have a zombie lover in our lives these days.
Sum... ology: A great chance to get up close and personal with the undead menace. The perfect balance of "Aww..." and "AHH!"
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