Robo-Sauce

Starred review from July 13, 2015
Is there an award for best gatefold ever? Then tell Rubin and Salmieri to get out their tuxes, because this book has the one to beat. Their premise is simple: a boy loves dressing up in a homemade robot costume and terrorizing his family (“robo-poke! robo-grab! robo-stomp!”). When the smooth-talking unseen narrator offers the kid a chance to become an actual robot by drinking the “Robo-Sauce” of the title, the boy can’t resist; he then uses the sauce to engineer a full-scale robot takeover, which includes the very book readers hold. A gatefold late in the story can be extended and wrapped all around the book’s façade, transforming it into a metallic, orange-accented “Robo-Book.” Grownups who hate fun may question the staying power—not to mention physical resilience—of the book’s novelty element. But rest assured that it’s a very funny story, too, as the narrator finds out that he’s inadvertently brought about a robot apocalypse. The Robo-Times’s critical assessment (as blurbed on the robo-story’s new back cover) says it best: “Beep Boop!” Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

August 1, 2015
The creators of Dragons Love Tacos (2012) and Secret Pizza Party (2013) serve up another heaping helping of silliness. A robot-crazy kid whips up a batch of Robo-Sauce, a magical concoction made up of a list of ridiculous ingredients such as "12 volts gluten-free kookamonga flakes" and "a sprig of sparkenfarfle." After pouring it over himself, he morphs into a robot and has a blast, at least until everyone skedaddles and he realizes that a rampage is "a bit more fun for the giant robot than it is for all the squishy little humans." Perhaps counterintuitively, Robo-Kid destroys the ROBO-ANTIDOTO that would have restored him to squishy humanity, opting instead to launch a vat of Robo-Sauce at his family. Ultimately, he turns everything into a robot, including his friends, his dog, and finally, the book itself! Following the instructions provided, readers can pull out and attach a special silver dust jacket, and ROBO-BOOK is born! This slim silver volume contains a brief story starring the new robo-family and features a QR code leading to an interactive website. The engaging art, wry narrative voice, and surprise ending make for a winning combination. An abundance of absurdity that will entertain boys and girls of all ages. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-A boy and his dog dress up in robot costumes and proceed to annoy everyone with "ROBO-POKES," "ROBO-STOMPS," and "ROBO-GRABS." Tired of these antics, his family leaves the scene, and the narrator tries to convince the boy how wonderful life would be if he were a REAL robot. The narrator gives him the ingredients to "ROBO-SAUCE," a magical elixir that changes humans into robots, and the boy makes and drinks it. He is transformed into ROBO-KID and goes on to blast his way through the town. After much destruction and fear is fomented, the narrator acknowledges that life was actually better when the boy was a human and not scaring everybody. Alas, when the ROBO-ANTIDOTO recipe is destroyed, the robot instead turns everything and everybody into a robot. Rubin and Salmieri, creators of Dragons Love Tacos (Dial, 2012) and Those Darn Squirrels (Clarion, 2008), have joined forces again to bring another quirky tale to life. The stylized cartoons are quite clever and engaging, an appealing mix of retro pen and ink drawings, fun typography, and touches of neon orange. The book even has shiny, foldout pages that transform the cover from ROBO-SAUCE to ROBO-BOOK. Unfortunately, the art is stronger than the storytelling. VERDICT While the concept is fun and will appeal to many children, the action feels stilted and there is little humor to be found. Only for the most avid robot lovers out there.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2015
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* Do you love robots? Do you wish you had a magic formula that could turn ordinary things and even people into robots? We could do it if only we could locate some plaxico powder, gluten-free kookamonga flakes, and a few other special ingredients. An unseen narrator (or maybe the dog) encourages a young boy dressed up as a robot to dream big. The boy mixes up some Robo-Sauce, then transforms himself, his family, his house, and his friends into robots. With brilliantly inspired design, the book then urges readers to activate the Robo-Story, and a gatefold illustration the size of four regular pages unfurls. Easy, step-by-step instructions lead readers to wrap that long page around the book, andvoilathe whole thing has been transformed into a shiny Robo-Book. In beeps and boops, the last few pages tell the story of the victorious robot uprising! The illustrations are rendered primarily in scratchy, childlike scribbles in muted earth tones with explosive bursts of fluorescent orange Robo-Sauce. As a tribute to the unpredictable power of imagination, this book will inspire potential young engineers to think outside the (cardboard) box. Libraries may need to reinforce the foldout page, but the paper engineering will work even if a cover is attached, and the energetic story is certainly worth the extra effort.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)