Robot Zot!

by Jon Scieszka

illustrated by David Shannon

Reviewed October 13, 2009.
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2009. 40 pages.
Starred review

Here's another book I got to hear the authors themselves read at the National Book Festival. Okay, Jon Scieszka did the reading, but David Shannon did some awesome sound effects.

Jon Scieszka enjoyed reading the book so much, I can't help but like it. When I brought it home, I still enjoyed it, and I think it will be an outstanding pick for Storytime -- plenty of great sound effects, nice drama, and inside jokes to point out in the illustrations.

The book opens with Robot Zot in his spaceship looking out at earth, ready to conquer.

But then as Robot Zot enters an earth building, ready to conquer, we see in the pictures that he turns out to be only a few inches tall.

He enters an earth kitchen and believes the appliances are enemy robots which he must conquer. Indeed, he conquers them.

But then a large sinister monster (the television set) offers a challenge in the next room. And in the children's room he sees the bot of his dreams -- a little girl's toy cellphone. He must save her from the evil guardians (dolls).

Throughout the book, we hear of Zot's bold conquests from his perspective, while the big, bold pictures tell another story of a suburban household with plenty of appliances and a curious dog, who ends up getting blamed.

Tremendous fun, and will definitely be featured at my next Storytime.