Robot in Love

PreS-Gr 2—An adorable tale of love at first sight. The narrator, a dapper, bow-tie wearing robot, spots a striking stranger and is instantly smitten. Too shy to speak to her, the robot starts to malfunction and even has trouble entering sleep mode. Alas, the robot musters the courage and seeks out his shiny lady. Spoiler Alert: The robot's shiny love interest is a toaster, and McBeth's endpaper hearts morph into pieces of toast in illustrative perfection. The robot is an incredibly likable character. Additionally, its eyes have heart-shaped pupils when talking about his love, which add to his charm. The story itself is silly and chuckle-worthy. Big pink-laden pages contrast the black-and-silver robot, making the lively images pop. There is plenty of robot vocabulary, some of which might challenge some young readers, but the story and layout are easy to follow, and provide clues as to the robot's love interest for the keen eye. Older readers will appreciate small, humorous details, such as the robot snoring in binary code or its meeting with the toaster on Electric Avenue.