Review by Booklist Review
When Robot's heart is broken and cannot be fixed, he is sent to the scrap heap with other junked machines. He tries talking to the machines, but they don't answer him. The haunting line My heart was broken, you know highlights the difference between a damaged part and an emotional hurt. He feels like rubbish until a bluebird lands on him, and he offers her refuge. Given a new lease on life by his singing friend, he further aids her by transporting her to a warm place in the sun, but after the long journey, Robot's strength is spent. In the end, not only does Bluebird make a home for herself in Robot's heart but other birds perch on his outstretched arms as well. Colorful, folk-art birds on the endpapers draw readers in to this fairy-tale-like story. Whimsical illustrations, chock-full of interesting angular images and junkyard scenes, counter the almost-too-sweet nature of the story. The clear message of the joys and sacrifices of enduring friendship is reminiscent of Sara Varon's Robot Dreams (2007).--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A Tin Man-like robot with a broken heart finds purpose in one of two books this fall by Lucas (Halibut Jackson) to feature an ingenuous creature navigating an uncertain world (the other is Candlewick's Peanut, about a confused monkey). In a depersonalized factory, working robots attempt to fix what remains of the central character's heart--two springs and an open door--before sending him to the scrap heap with "all the other old machines." When snow falls, a bluebird lands on his shoulder, and the robot builds her a nest in the space where his heart used to be. Rejuvenated, the robot carries the bluebird south across industrial wastelands to rejoin her multicolored flock. In characteristically elaborate, warmly lit illustrations, Lucas uses sharp geometrical forms as the basis for his urban scenes; against this backdrop, the bird's more organic form is a welcome contrast. Even with a corny line or two, this book's genuine sweetness will easily win over readers.Ages 4-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-"There once was a Robot with a broken heart," begins this metaphorical story that's likely to appeal more to adults than to children. The other robots cannot fix him, so he ends up on the junk heap. A tired, shivering Bluebird (of happiness, perhaps?) comes along, prompting the Robot to shelter her and carry her South, until he breaks down. Respecting the Robot's dying request, the Bluebird makes a nest in his heart, "And the Robot stands there still.home every year to singing birds." Lucas's complex, fantastical illustrations are full of little details that will attract readers' attention. The Robot's home and junk heap are satisfyingly mechanical and futuristic-looking, and the passage of time is effectively portrayed through a series of four panels of the Robot in day, night, rain, and snow. The layout sustains interest through variety, including insets, full-bleed spreads, and the varying use of panels. Lucas uses color effectively to reflect the protagonist's emotions, with black and whites giving way to color washes after the bird's arrival. The economical text reads smoothly. Unfortunately, the message is heavy-handed and unlikely to speak to children. The lovely illustrations notwithstanding, most libraries can pass.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Lucas produces his most meditative work to date in a tale that reads like a mechanical improvement on Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince." When a robot's heart breaks unexpectedly he is sent to the scrap heap to wait out his days, until one cold night a bluebird lands on him. She can go no further on her journey south and takes up residence in the robot's empty chest. The robot offers her a permanent home there, and when she explains that she must travel south he offers to take her. The trip proves too much for the old robot, however, and when they finally make it, his last words to her are, "Make your home in my heart," which she does, along with her fellow birds. A quiet beauty permeates this old-fashioned story. The illustrations convey the robot's simple dignity, color, perspective and sequencing neatly choreographing the tale's emotional trajectory. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
