RoboBaby

First Title Value for Searching:

RoboBaby

Personal Author:

Wiesner, David

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm.

Genre:

Humorous fiction.

Summary:

Excited by the arrival of a new baby, a family of robots is nearly undone by technical difficulties until big sister steps in and repairs the situation.

Subject Term:

Robots -- Juvenile fiction

Infants -- Juvenile fiction

Siblings -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction

Audience/Lexile:

GN 330 L

Publication Info:

Boston ; New York : Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2020]

Subject:

Robots -- Juvenile fiction

Infants -- Juvenile fiction

Siblings -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction

Humorous fiction.

Brothers and sisters

Sibling relations

Sisters and brothers

SAILS ISBN:

9780544987319

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Norton Public Library	JE WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Acushnet Library	JJ WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Attleboro Public Library	PIC WIESNER,D	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... East Bridgewater Public Library	WIESNER 2020	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Elizabeth Taber Library	JE WIS	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Fall River Main	E WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Fiske Public Library	JJ W	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	JJ WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hanson Public Library	WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lakeville Public Library	J PIC WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	JJ FIC WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mattapoisett Free Public Library	JP WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Bookmobile	J PIC WIESNER	BOOKMOBILE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Howland-Green Branch	J GGPIC WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Wilks Branch	J PIC WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	JP FAMILY WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Pembroke Public Library	JE WIESNER, D.	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Plainville Public Library	J WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rehoboth - Blanding Free PL	W	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	WIESNER -- (PICT)	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rochester - Plumb Library	E WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	JJ WIESNER	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Somerset Public Library	W I E	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Swansea Public Library	C/P WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wareham Free Library	JP WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West Bridgewater PL	EZ WIESNER, DAVID	EASY READERS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westport Free Public Library	JE WIE	PICTURE BOOKS	Searching... Unknown

In this hilarious gem from triple Caldecott winner David Wiesner, it's big sister to the rescue when a new baby is delivered to a family of robots and the adults are flummoxed by technical difficulties.

A new baby's arrival is a big moment in any family, even a family of robots. Award winner David Wiesner captures the excitement and fanfare when baby Flange appears--as a crate full of components. The adults bungle the process of assembling Flange, with catastrophic results. Big sister Cathy, with her handy toolbox and advanced knowledge of robotics and IT, hasn't been allowed to help, but in the ensuing chaos she calmly clears up the technical difficulties and bonds with her new baby brother. A shout-out for girl scientists and makers, Robobaby is an eye-opening and engaging blend of the familiar and the fantastic.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Sept.)

Horn Book Review

In his latest picture book told with comics panels, Wiesner (Mr. Wuffles!, rev. 9/13) presents a new-baby story; the twist here is that the family in question are robots. The recently delivered robot baby requires assembly, but no adult can quite seem to get it right. Big sister Cathode continually offers her assistance but is either ignored or refused. An ensemble cast joins in, adding to the disorder. All control is lost after an uncle's unnerving decision to modify the still-inanimate baby with rockets ("I made some improvements") results in a gloriously chaotic spread of the supercharged infant rocketing around the house. Finally, young Cathode saves the day, calmly and correctly assembling her sibling. The dialogue-and-sound-effects text is succinct and nicely punctuates each humorous scenario; however, the luminous, intricately detailed, and endlessly pore-over-able illustrations are the story's driving force. Glowing floors, mirrorlike metallic surfaces, flaming rocket trails, and congratulatory balloons successfully coexist within the same image. A consistent floor-level perspective, lush color palette, and clever details (the family's address is "8700 Alloy Avenue, Crankshaft, FE 3.14159") further enhance the world-building. A concluding surprise signals that the robot family's baby troubles are far from over. Patrick Gall September/October 2020 p.78(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist 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.