Little Robot by Ben Hatke

 

The opening scenes of this graphic novel or toon are wordless. We see a highway, trucks and then move in closer to see one truck in particular. A carton falls off the truck when it goes over a bump in the road. The box falls off a bridge and into the river below. The wordless scenes continue into Chapter One. A young girl climbs out of the window of a trailer house. She plays at the park and then heads down to the river where she has stashed her toolkit. She finds a carton and when she opens it, she discovers something very surprising - a robot! He's been slightly damaged from the fall out of the truck so the girl, remember she has set of tools, sets about some repairs and before too long the little robot, who looks a little like R2D2 is up on his feet and able to walk. 

Meanwhile back at the factory the computer sensors ring out alarms because one of the units - UNIT 00012 - is missing. The orders are to locate and recover.

I hope this plot is making you think of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

Of course, things are heading for a showdown. The sinister robot charged with finding UNIT00012 is coming. The little girl has truly made a special friend so what will happen when the retrieval robot arrives? Problem solving, ingenuity and true heroism are at the heart of this story. Oh, and there is a lot of 'boom', 'zom', 'clink', 'clang', 'chonk', 'pling', 'ploop', and 'jonk' to enjoy along the way as well as lots more robots!

This delightful, nearly wordless graphic novel portrays a kid with gumption enough to take on big business and smarts enough to advise the factory’s fix-it robot on repairs even though she just might be too young for kindergarten. Despite having little material means and few human connections, this kid creates life in the inanimate and fosters community where none could exist before. Girl power at its best. A sure winner!  Kirkus Star review

This is not only a sweet and wonderful book about friendship, though – it’s a great maker space selection! This is a little girl who’s comfortable with a tool belt and she tinkers with a robot! What' cha Reading?

Blurb: When a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods, she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time. Now, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it's all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day!

This is not a book an Australian school library could ever add to their collection which is such a dreadful shame. Here in Australia this book, with only 135 pages, costs over AUS$45. Why oh why?

In 2016 Little Robot won Will Eisner award (Considered the “Oscars” of the comic book industry, are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at Comic-Con International: San Diego. Named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of “The Spirit” and pioneer of the graphic novels), the Awards are given out in more than two-dozen categories covering the best publications and creators of the previous year):

2016 Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8): Little Robot, by Ben Hatke 

2023 Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis, by Julie and Stan Sakai

Other 2023 entries for ages up to 8 years:

Beneath The Trees: A Fine Summer, by Dav (Magnetic Press)

Fox + Chick: Up and Down: and Other Stories, by Sergio Ruzzier (Chronicle Books)

Grumpy Monkey Who Threw That? by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang (Random House Studio)

Hey, Bruce!: An Interactive Book, by Ryan Higgins (Disney/Hyperion)

Here is the full list of past winners:

2012 Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)

2013 Babymouse for President, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)

2014 Itty Bitty Hellboy, by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani (Dark Horse)

2015 The Zoo Box, by Ariel Cohn and Aron Nels Steinke (First Second)

2016 Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (First Second)

2017 Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, by Ben Clanton (Tundra)

2018 Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)

2019 Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW)

2020 Comics: Easy as ABC, by Ivan Brunetti (TOON)

2022 Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis, by Julie and Stan Sakai (IDW)

2023 The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! by Mo Willems (Union Square Kids)

Here are some other books (graphic novels) by Ben Hatke:

Herman's holiday by Tom Percival

Herman's Holiday is the second book about this special pair of friends.  Take a look at Herman's letter which is a book I discovered exactly one year ago.

Herman's holiday has such important messages:

• We are all different
• Not everyone likes the same thing
• Sometimes you need to consider another point of view
• Kindness is important

Herman and Henry decide to take a holiday but their funds are low.  They settle on a camping trip. Herman is a born camper. He takes all the right gear and he even knows how to keep his donkey moving in the right direction.  Henry has the opposite experience.  When they arrive at their camping spot they each compose a postcard to send home.

Herman writes

"Dear Uncle Harold

We're having an AMAZING time camping!

Henry's really getting into the swing of it.

He even went for a swim last night.

What fun!"

Henry writes

"Dear Aunt Winifred,

Have you ever been camping?  Well,

if you haven't, DON'T, it's AWFUL.

I'm cold, soaking wet and bored.

PS Can you please post me some hot chocolate, I forgot to bring any."

Herman finally notices that Henry is not having a great time.  His solution is kind, ingenious and utterly perfect.

One special feature of this book is the 'real' postcards that you can lift and read. Take a look at the author web site.  The publisher site has a set of activities to use with this book.  This video shows you how to draw Herman.  Here is a detailed review.

Night Sky Dragons by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham illustrated by Patrick Benson

I have finally picked up a few books from the 2015 School Magazine Bookshelf selection.  These never disappoint and Night Sky Dragons is no exception.

This is the third book in a series by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham. I adored Mysterious Traveller and Cloud Tea Monkeys by this talented writing team.

For each of these explorations of culture, travellers and the power of the individual, Walker Books have selected a different and wonderful illustrator. Cloud Tea Monkeys was illustrated by Juan Wijngaard, Mysterious Traveller is illustrated by PJ Lynch and now with Night Sky Dragons we have the award winning Patrick Benson.  It is important to mention the illustrations because these books are not quite picture books and not quite novels.  The measure 19cm X 23cm which for me is a perfect size to give these books some prominence in the library collection.

If you enjoy Nigh Sky Dragons you should look for The Kite Fighters, The firework maker's daughter and for an older reader A Single Shard.

The setting for Night Sky Dragons is Medieval Mongolia.  Yazul lives on the silk road in a place of refuge called a han.  "Within the han's high walls travellers and merchant caravans found shelter.  A place to rest and trade. A place of safety, too."  Yazul's father is lord of the han but the loss of his wife has made him aloof and stern.  Yazul finds comfort through his special relationship with his grandfather and the kites they make together but when Yazul shows his latest creation to his father things turn sour.  His father bans the making of more kites and sends Yazul to work as a servant in the kitchens.  One afternoon bandits arrive chasing a small group of traders.  The traders rush into the han minutes ahead of the bandits and the gates are firmly closed but now a siege begins.  The people are trapped inside with no access to water and food supplies that are rapidly disappearing.

How will Yazul, his grandfather and a kite or two save the day?  Will this change the relationship between Yazul and his father?  How does this all connect with the magic of fireworks?  You need to read Night Sky Dragons where all will be revealed.

Kirkus describe this book as dazzling and heartwarming.  You can read the first chapter.

Here is a wonderful description of the bandits :

"The bandits, perhaps fifty or sixty of them, had reined in their horses just beyond the range of arrow-shot.  Fierce men with beards greased into rat-tails, swords sheathed on their backs, bows handing from their saddles, quivers of arrows close to their knees.  They sat silently on their horses, watching, while the dust settled around them.  Then they slowly circled the han, studying it. Looking for its weaknesses."