Horn Book Review
A boy and a robot befriend each other, even though they each fail to comprehend the other's functionality: when Bot's switch is turned off he appears sick to Boy, and when Boy falls asleep Bot assumes Boy has malfunctioned; the inventor helps Boy and Bot understand one another's needs. Yaccarino's vibrant gouache illustrations with cartoon figures skillfully relate the story's touching arc. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
he thinks there's something wrong with Boy. With pleasing parallel structure, Bot brings Boy home and tries to revive him with oil and by reading aloud an instruction manual. He wonders if putting a new battery into Boy will solve the problem, but an inventor suddenly appears and shouts, "Stop! That is a boy!" The shouting awakens Boy, and then the inventor drives him home. Throughout, Yaccarino's stylized gouache paintings heighten the text's humor, but their greatest contributions come in the final, nearly wordless spreads depicting the two wide-awake friends' happy, ongoing companionship. Perhaps these closing scenes anticipate more stories to come about these friends, since, as Boy and Bot would say, it's "affirmative" that this book will be a hit. (Picture book. 3-6) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
