Robotic Adventure: "Little Robot" by Ben Hatke

Sometimes it can be hard to make friends. People can be complicated. But robots--robots are simple. And, as it turns out, pretty good friends. In "Little Robot" by Ben Hatke, a little girl hesitates to make friends with other kids. As she's tinkering around in a junkyard, she comes across an adorable little robot that fell off of a delivery truck. They slowly become friends, working around a language barrier to do all sorts of things together. But what happens when a retrieval robot is sent from the robot factory to take the little girl's friend away? With beautiful pictures and limited text, this delightful graphic novel is perfect for anyone from kindergartners to fourth graders. Click on the link above to reserve a copy today.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Travel the Universe with Cinderella!

Do you like outerspace? Do you like fairy tales? Have I got a book for you! "Interstellar Cinderella" by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt takes the picture book fairy tale places it's never been before. 

"Once upon a planetoid,/amid her tools and sprockets,/a girl named Cinderella dreamed of fixing fancy rockets." 

In this tale, Cinderella spends time fixing household appliances, all the while studying to be a rocket mechanic. When the opportunity to attend the Prince's Royal Space Parade passes her by, Cinderella's fairy godrobot sets her up in a sweet space suit and she wins the prince's heart with her stellar mechanic skills. The Tomorrowland inspired retro-style illustrations delightfully add to the fun, rhyming text. This unique twist on an old tale will tickle the funny bone of any child, from preschool to third grade. Reserve a copy today by clicking on the link above.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

The Robots are Coming!

Robots are everywhere. We know they've been in factories for awhile , but now they're in your home as vacuums, toys, lawn mowers, or even a house sitter! As robots become more common, it's not surprising that they should show up more and more often in movies and books. If you're frightened by the idea of artificial intelligence, you can comfort yourself with some adorable robot picture books that are brand spanking new to the library. Click on the cover pictures to reserve a copy today.

"Robomop" by Sean Taylor

Robomop is a nameless bathroom-cleaning robot who aspires to bigger and better things. He dances in hopes that someone will take him to the circus, but all to no avail. One day, Robomop breaks and the Inspector of Public Restrooms replaces him with a brand-new Bio-Morphic Bellebot Cleanerette. Robomop thinks he is doomed as he sits in the garbage can, until the window cleaner shows up for work and is let go. What follows is a happy match-up for all. This book is funny and touching, with delightful retro-feel woodblock print illustrations. 

"Doug Unplugged" by Dan Yaccarino

"This is Doug. He's a robot. Each morning his parents plug him in to fill him up with lots and lots of facts. They love their little robot and want him to be the smartest robot ever."

One day, Doug spies a pigeon in the window, unplugs, and sets off into the city to learn in a whole new way. He discovers all about how the subway works, how loud some things are, and even how to play. This colorful ode to experiential learning is a fun celebration of life as Doug discovers that learning is more than just facts.

Both stories are great for the preschool and kindergarten crowd.

--Andrea W., H.Q.