Really.isn't it Slim who provides the voice of reason and discernment in the work? Think about it. Hankins's read-aloud stamp all over it.Īnd that professor.we'll let's just say that we have big plans for him when we talk about Slim from John Steinbeck's classic. Oh.a boy voice? A robot voice? A professor's voice? You know this one has Mr. My hands-down favorite scene from BOY + BOT is when the friends share and post their drawings of one another toward the end.

BOY + BOT puts this out there in such a simple manner, that I want my Room 407 Readers to see how it works at the picture book level before we take it to the ranch. We will extend the conversation to talk about how each attempts to meet the perceived 'needs' of the other and how this might help or hinder the individual within the relationship. We'll be pairing this one up with John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN this fall to talk about the individuals who make up a symbiotic relationship or friendship. Ame's book is too much fun to miss as part of your 2012 reading year. The epitome of what we might call THE One Book/Four Hands book for an approach to reading and reading aloud with younger readers. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories featuring robots, as well as to fans of Yaccarino's colorful art. Robots seem very popular right now in the picture-book world, and Dyckman's story takes the childhood fascination with these mechanical men and uses it to highlight the role of friendship in bringing together people with very different backgrounds and outlooks. I found it quite charming, with a heartwarming tale of two very different friends who must learn about and accept one another's differences, and fun illustrations done in colorful gouache. Luckily his inventor intervenes, and all ends happily, as Boy and Bot realize that they are different kinds of creatures, but can be friends nevertheless.īoy + Bot was Ame Dyckman's picture-book debut, although it is the fourth title from her that I have read. Becoming convinced that Boy is malfunctioning, he attempts to repair him as he would a fellow robot. Bot, in the meantime, becomes concerned when his power is turned back on, and he finds Boy asleep.

But when Bot's power switch is flipped off, Boy imagines that his unresponsiveness indicates that he is unwell, and he tries to help him as he would if the robot were human. A little boy meets a robot in the woods and the two enjoy a day of games together in this sweet picture-book from author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Dan Yaccarino.

Boy and Bot by Ame Dyckman