From Publishers Weekly
Kitschy art brightens a tired tale that begins as Mom delivers a classic ultimatum: Phil can't leave the dinner table until he finishes his vegetables. "I hate vegetables!" the boy exclaims, sticking out his tongue with displeasure. "I bet if I had a robot he would eat those vegetables at my command!" Thrilled by that possibility, he imagines a series of wide-bodied, fearsome robots that willingly do his homework, feed the dog and attend school in his place ("Why, he could even kiss my Aunt Louise!"). Yaccarino (Carnival; Bam Bam Bam) punctuates nearly every statement with "Hey!," "Boy!" and even "Yessiree!" This approach mildly juices up Phil's narration, but the volume's main appeal comes from the quirky sci-fi illustrations. Yaccarino's characters appear distorted, as if seen through a fish-eye lens; the narrator's smile stretches across his oblong face toward his tiny ears. The hulking robots, painted in simple red, blue, purple or green, have stiff tin-can shapes and obedient personalities straight out of a 1950s B-movie. Ages 2-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3?Ordered to finish his brussels sprouts, a nauseated Phil wishes he had a robot to do the deed. Come to think of it, the robot could take his bath, do his homework, make him king of the playground, and even master of the universe! Yaccarino's illustrations are slightly rougher and paler than those in Eve Merriam's Bam, Bam, Bam (Holt, 1995), but just as visually emphatic, featuring large areas of a single color with supple, curved borders, plus a succession of stylized robots that look like towering water heaters. The promise of dessert as a reward brings Phil back to Earth in a hurry: "Like I always say, if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself!" he proclaims grandly, chowing down on a huge piece of cake. The boy's flight of fancy may be less imaginative (and gross) than that of Henrik Drescher's The Little Boy Who Ate Around (Hyperion, 1994), but it should nonetheless please any child faced with a similarly unpleasant chore.?John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
