Robobaby

Starred review from June 15, 2020
Robo-parents Diode and Lugnut present daughter Cathode with a new little brother--who requires, unfortunately, some assembly. Arriving in pieces from some mechanistic version of Ikea, little Flange turns out to be a cute but complicated tyke who immediately falls apart...and then rockets uncontrollably about the room after an overconfident uncle tinkers with his basic design. As a squad of helpline techies and bevies of neighbors bearing sludge cake and like treats roll in, the cluttered and increasingly crowded scene deteriorates into madcap chaos--until at last Cath, with help from Roomba-like robodog Sprocket, stages an intervention by whisking the hapless new arrival off to a backyard workshop for a proper assembly and software update. "You're such a good big sister!" warbles her frazzled mom. Wiesner's robots display his characteristic clean lines and even hues but endearingly look like vaguely anthropomorphic piles of random jet-engine parts and old vacuum cleaners loosely connected by joints of armored cable. They roll hither and thither through neatly squared-off panels and pages in infectiously comical dismay. Even the end's domestic tranquility lasts only until Cathode spots the little box buried in the bigger one's packing material: "TWINS!" (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.) A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy. (Picture book. 5-7)

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Starred review from July 6, 2020
The plot of Caldecott Medalist Wiesner’s latest gives his artistic gifts a new challenge: rendering machines as living beings. A robot family welcomes an assemble-it-yourself baby robot but can’t get it running properly until their daughter comes to the rescue with her trusty toolkit. Shapely architectural lines form the metallic family—willowy mother Diode, stout father Lugnut, small daughter Cathode, chubby baby Flange, and dog Sprocket—and an illuminated floor lights the family from below, giving the spreads a warm glow. Energy tightens as the adults try to build the malfunctioning robobaby (“Thanks, Cathy,” says Diode, screwdriver in hand, “but this is a mother’s job”). Relatives come to visit (“Aunt Gasket!”), and robotechs arrive to snag the rocket-propelled baby with a net (“He needs a complete overhaul”). As the chaos intensifies, trying to work out which parts belong to which robot becomes its own visual puzzle. Against the how-things-work mayhem, smooth fields of color, streamlined panel artwork, and fastidious speech bubble typography make every spread elegant. Ages 4–7.

Starred review from August 1, 2020
Preschool-G *Starred Review* The robot community from the app David Wiesner's Spot make their picture-book debut in this new sibling story. Cathode (Cathy) meets her new baby brother, Flange, when he arrives in a box?some assembly required, of course. Dad Lugnut is totally flummoxed by the directions; Cathy offers to help, but Mom Diode is sure she can manage. When her efforts fail, they call in Uncle Manifold and, later, the Robotech support team. In each case, Cathy reminds everyone about the software updates that need installing, but no one listens. Eventually, with help from her pet Sprocket, Cathy manages to put things right. "Case closed," declares the Robotech team, until Cathy discovers a robo bonus baby on their doorstep. Wiesner's precise watercolor illustrations bring these automatons to life, imbuing each with a distinct personality. Most sport hues of yellow, orange, and gray (often set off against blue backgrounds), and while they are mechanical, their humanlike hands and expressive faces convey a wide range of emotions. The art combines full-bleed spreads with smaller framed panels, and the text is conveyed in speech bubbles. Each illustration is complex, as well, featuring numerous intricate details and comical asides for caregivers ("Your soup is delicious." "I toast the zinc.") With humor, pathos, and relatives galore, this will have wide appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)