Little Robot

We just received this book in the mail, the morning of its official release, thanks to Amazon pre-order. The kids were thrilled! Boys and girls ages 4-12 gathered around and poured over the picture and stories together, and then took turns reading it individually.
Since they are big fans of Hatke's Zita series (see [[ASIN:1596434465 Zita the Spacegirl (Zita the Spacegirl Series)]]), the kids are excited to read all of his graphic novels.
As a mom, I love that the pictures and stories draw the kids into books and inspire them to read.
I asked the children what they thought of the book:
"I really liked it. The setting (bridge and river and mountains) reminded me of my town. There's not many words, but I really enjoyed it." -- boy, 12
"I really like it too, even though it's probably more for younger kids. The pictures were fun." -- girl, 11
"A girl finds a robot but he wants to play with other robots like him. So he leaves her...I like the robot that fixes stuff. He fixes up all the other robos. I think it's silly... I like silly." -- boy, 8
"The bridge looks like Virginia's bridge." -- boy, 5
"Yeah, I like it. I like everything. It's about a girl and a robot." -- boy, 4

The best Hatke for beginners, story telling on par with the Owly and Wormy series, but with Hatke's ability to turn serious without turning scary and explore some harder themes. Great for teaching social-emotional awareness, perspective, bravery, loss, and sacrifice, but with light enough of an ending that you're still sending your kid to bed happy. Good as a read along a few times before you start letting them go on their own. One of the building blocks of the Hatke universe, that does a lot of world building that establishes where MIghty Jack's earth is, and how magic and technology interact.

"It makes me happy. I want to read it EVERY day." -Honor, age 4.

A very cute story of a little girl and a robot. Very few words, so after a few times through, my daughter can "read" it by herself. The story is told mostly through pictures, and follows both the girl and the robot over the course of their friendship. A lot of emotions are packed in, so it opens up a lot of discussion about facial expressions and what they mean: "He looks angry" or "She looks sad." I'd highly recommend it for the preschool / early elementary set who are figuring out all those emotions and expressions.

This was our single book purchase of the year after reading over a thousand books this year (my son is 3.5 and he loves reading it all by himself). It's got an ethnically diverse female lead into STEM without making it into a big thing. It's just dramatic enough to really get my 3.5 year old on his toes, and it's sweet and adorable and just wonderful. It's gone viral in our books for littles book group. Hatke's other book, Julia's House for Lost Creatures is also amazing. This author is the bees knees.

Little Robot tells the story of a lonely girl with a knack for mechanics who befriends a lost robot. Their friendship is put to the test by the factory retrieval robot and other characters.
The artwork feels nostalgic with lots of robots and robot parts of course as well as an interesting mix of trailers, junkyards and nature. It is expressive and beautiful.
There is Very little text in this book. The artwork panels tell the story with a few dialogue balloons in it. Much of this "dialogue" is nonsense words from the robots.
The friendship between the girl and robot is the central theme, but the book touches on loneliness, differences, death, and the chase is adventurous and dangerous. You can even use this book to highlight the importance of trades and teaching your children how to use tools and fix things.
With 133 pages, this graphic novel is perfect for ages 4 to 10 to read on their own, though older ages can appreciate it. The robots and adventure storyline are especially appealing to both boys and girls. I personally love the strong female lead who happens to be a little girl of color. If your child likes the bravery of Moana or the robots of wall-E, this will be a win for them.
Highly recommended, and we will be looking for other Ben Hatke books.

My whole family loves this book. I got it for my kindergartener, who wants to read longer books like his older siblings. So much of this story is told through the illustrations that he is able to read it independently. It is a charming story with beautiful artwork.

This book has no words, so my 6 year old didn’t love that. This would be a great resource in an elementary school classroom. I plan to use it with my 10 year old this summer and have her “write” the story to March the picturesz

Little Robot is a surprisingly powerful and effective story. Being written for kids does not stop the story from weaving a slight darkness throughout it, it is easy to see themes of child neglect and abuse, as well as some themes about race and the desire to belong.

But I cant say for certain what Ben Hatke intended.

The best way I can describe it is that it is "impacting" and it is really sturdy. This is the kind of book you will want to read again and again to try and pick up on all of the subtle aspects too the story.

When I read it I was honestly quite shocked by the slightly dark edge it had, but it reminded me a lot about how childhood is often one of the saddest times of our lives, and how sometimes people will willingly put themselves in an abusive situation just to feel like they belong.

And the book shows how we can hurt people we love through a lack of understanding. The book causes a lot of thinking, and that is one of the best things that any work of science fiction can do.

One night, a large truck trundles over a bridge, on its way to deliver robots. An unexpected bump jars open the door and out plunges a box into the river. The next day, a precocious five year old girl, armed with her tool belt and wrench runs across the robot in the woods. When she presses its button, the robot comes alive. Though the two can't communicate with words, they quickly develop their own language and become friends. Unfortunately for the new friends, danger is on the way. Once the factory discovers one of the robots is missing, a big bad robot is sent out to retrieve the little robot. Will the friendship be ruined when the robot is recaptured?
What I Liked:
*This was my first experience with a Ben Hatke book, and can say I was impressed. What sets this book apart are the gorgeous, detailed and colorful illustrations. The book has minimal words, and the dialogue that is present is simple and easy to understand. This is a book you can share with young readers because it is a read designed to use your imagination while making up dialogue based on the pictures. Both my four and six year old were enraptured with the book, and they both loved the pictures.
*As an adult, I found there were times when I wanted more explanation, but that didn't bother my kids. They had no trouble latching on to the story and understanding what was going on. This is a terrific read for preschoolers and for those who are just starting to read.
*The illustrations are not to be missed. They are full of color and detailed. It wasn't hard to make up your own words based on the picture. Definitely a very visual read, perfect for younger readers.
*The book is all about making a new friend, who is different. I liked the message behind the story, and I liked watching the friendship evolve. A lovely, upbeat book.
*The ending is sweet and cute, and it will make you smile.
And The Not So Much:
*There was a scene in the book when the girl and the robot run across a dead squirrel. I am not sure why the author included that in the book, it wasn't really relevant to the story, and I didn't like having to stop and discuss it with my kids.
*This is a bit of a spoiler.... there is a scene where the big bad robot who is out to hunt down the missing little robot, appears to eat a cat. Don't worry this is done off scene, there aren't pictures of it or anything, just some sounds that imply the cat is eaten. I thought this might disturb my kids, so I glossed over it. Thankfully, at the end, the cat is okay.

The Little Robot is a delightful read for beginning readers, or readers of any age who like colorful illustrations and using their imagination. This is a book with minimal dialogue, instead it is all about coming up with your own words based on the pictures. It is easy to follow and enjoyable for kids of all ages.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

We have around 200-300 for toddlers and kids , and this is the number one. My daughter who is 2 years old, was able to stay focus until the end of the book with me ! It’s more than 140 pages ! That’s incredible. The story is perfect ! And it’s picture based so you create your own narrative. Awesome