Review by Booklist Review
Dressed in a tux and red bow tie, Robot begins his day in his usual fashion unplugging from his nightly charge, munching a slice of bread, and heading out into the world. But as he walks down Electric Avenue, everything changes. He spots someone so beautiful and shiny that he can't get her out of his head. McBeth intentionally keeps her identity hidden for a comical reveal later in the story, focusing instead on Robot's reactions, which hit on the clichés of being in love, in a way designed to get kids giggling. He stops to smell a flower on a woman's hat; he joyfully leaps into a puddle and momentarily short circuits. The next day, he sees her again and, with hearts in his eyes, attests, My circuit board nearly jumped out of my chest unit. When he finally musters the courage to approach her, she's gone, and a panicked search ensues. Endearing and rendered exclusively in black, white, and red, Robot's cartoonish love story ends with a happily-ever-after that will send kids' laugh functions into overdrive.--Julia Smith Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
It's an ordinary day until Robot, dressed in a sharp tuxedo jacket and red bow tie, falls in love on Electric Ave.: "I had never seen anyone so beautiful. She was so shiny." Spare, comiclike sequences unfold in shades of light red, pink, white, gray, and black. Building anticipation, McBeth (Stegothesaurus) doesn't initially reveal Robot's beloved-but Robot's big, oval eyes and small mouth convey the depth of his emotions as he runs into traffic and walks into a puddle while thinking about her, then nearly malfunctions while readying himself to say hello. It turns out that Robot's true love is behind glass in a department store window, and readers are sure to be amused by the duo ice skating and enjoying a romantic dinner once her identity is divulged. However, Robot's approach to courtship-standing outside her window and all but yanking the object of his affection from her store display ("She said nothing. But she didn't have to.")-could use a significant upgrade. Ages 4-8. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
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. VERDICT A super-fun, sweet, and fast read-aloud for fans of robots, love, and toast.-Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia © Copyright 2019. 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 Horn Book Review
The robot narrator is in love ("I had never seen anyone so beautiful. / She was so shiny"). Readers don't learn who "she" is until book's end when the robot finally approaches its crush: a toaster in a shop ("She said nothing. But she didn't have to"). It's a good gag, with cartoony art that's a smidge limited in appeal by its valentine-card palette. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
McBeth's author/illustrator debut is an unlikely love story.Robot's routine dayunplug, eat a slice of bread, leave when its wristwatch beepsis interrupted when it sees her on Electric Avenue (yes, really). While readers aren't privy to her identity until the end, they do get clues: She's shiny, their connection is "electric," and their meeting spot seems to be a store window. Meanwhile, bowtie-and-business-suit-clad Robot's life is changed forever. It has hearts for pupils, it doesn't watch where it's going, it sniffs flowers and jumps in puddles (not recommended for robots), its "hydraulic limbs felt weak." It spends an evening making her some flowers out of old metal parts, but she's gone from their meeting place. Its robotic systems fail to detect her anywhere (though readers will laugh at the language used to describe this: "scanningnegative"). But then it gets an idea and runs back to the store, this time going inside, where it finds its own true love. Sure, she doesn't say a word and people give them strange looks, but Robot doesn't seem to care. "We have so much in common. We're both shy. We're both shiny. // We both love toast." The black, white, gray, pink, and red artwork is angular and stylized, suiting the high-tech subject matter, and McBeth has found a way to give a metal robot a heart and feelings through body language and facial expressions.A love story that's anything but robotic. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
