Raybot and Weebot

April 15, 2017
Mechanical Raybot enjoys a peaceful, orderly life in the junkyard--until the arrival of diminutive Weebot, who hardly ever powers down. Echoing, no doubt, the experience of older sibs of the flesh-and-bone variety, Raybot's initial delight at having a new playmate turns to dismay and exhaustion as Weebot--sounding like R2-D2 ("BEEP BOOP") but looking rather like a microwave perched atop a unicycle--zooms about indefatigably spilling paint, popping a soccer ball, stranding a kite in a tree. "Raybot tries to teach him the rules and how to play nice, but Weebot sometimes ruins things." Having finally succumbed to the understandable impulse to leave Weebot in a crate by the side of the road, though, Raybot discovers that things just aren't the same...and so welcomes the return of the rubber-tired tyke ("WAY BOT!") with open arms. Readers will have to have met Raybot's bird and dog, respectively Puppy and Parrot, in Raybot (2016) in order to get the joke about their names, and it's hard to see how one rusty car set amid broad, rolling fields of flowers and closely trimmed grass qualifies as a "junkyard." Still, Watkins crafts his robots with expressive faces and postures to underscore the episode's emotional currents. A cozy cybernetic variation on a popular theme. (Picture book. 4-6)

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October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-After making some friends in his previous book, Raybot is back and about to receive a new family member. When Weebot (a robot who looks like a TV set on a unicycle) arrives, Raybot is delighted. Here is someone who is energetic and fun. But this also means that there is no downtime, and a lot of messes, too. What is a robot to do but try to "return" his little brother? Raybot's actions reflect the thoughts of many children who find a sibling's actions annoying. He also comes to the same realization that they usually do. Without Weebot around, Raybot misses him. As a visual reminder of their contrasting personalities, the older bot is painted in orange and red stripes, while Weebot is primarily blue. Even though the story itself is told by Raybot, Weebot does have a voice. Children will enjoy every "Bap Bop" and "Bee Bop"; sticking with the theme of the little bot's messy creativity, the dialogue looks like it was stencilled on in yellow paint. The illustrations were made in a combination of oil paint, ink, and pen. VERDICT Raybot and Weebot stand as a nice reminder to siblings about why they should appreciate one another.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

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July 1, 2017
Raybot is happy when he and best friends Puppy and Parrot (from Raybot) are joined by Weebot, a tireless little robot. Predictably, Raybot soon finds Weebot annoying and wishes to be rid of the youngster; equally predictable: he then misses Weebot and wants him back. There's nothing new about this new-sibling story; the well-rendered pen-and-ink and oil-paint art, though generic, may hold viewers' interest.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)