Robot Zot! [Hardcover]

Jon Scieszka (Author), David Shannon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009 | Age Level: 3 and up

From the minds of Scieszka and Shannon comes a tale of a quixotic robot determined to conquer the earth. The only problem is that the earth he lands on is a suburban kitchen and he is three inches tall. Robot Zot, the fearless and unstoppable warrior, leaves a trail of destruction as he encounters blenders, toasters, and televisions. But when he discovers the princess...a pink cell phone...his mission takes a new course. Robot Zot must learn how to be a hero - in the name of true love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—This book has everything that kids like: robots, heroics, humor, action, a little bit of destruction (inanimate objects only), and even a touch of romance. Robot Zot crashes into an alien environment (the suburbs), battles with fearsome kitchen appliances and a challenging transmitter (TV), and rescues the Queen of all Earth (a toy cell phone) before zooming off "to distant galaxies to bravely save more days." The text's rhythm is a bit odd, moving back and forth between prose and rhyme, but the short declarative sentences will make it approachable for early or reluctant readers, and the melodrama keeps it fun. Shannon's crazy, action-filled illustrations can be a little confusing, but also contain so much humor (including jokes that are absent from the text) that children will be happy to stick around and decode them. The bold, funny, over-the-top text and art are the perfect complement to one another. Seemingly inspired by sources such as Star Wars and Toy Story, the most important message of this lighthearted tale is that reading really is fun.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL END

About the Author

Jon Scieszka is the creator of Trucktown and the author of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, the Time Warp Trio series, Caldecott Honor Book The Stinky Cheese Man, and many other books that inspire kids to want to read. He has worked as an elementary school teacher and is the founder of a literacy initiative for boys (www.guysread.com).

David Shannon has written and illustrated numerous award winning picture books including Duck on a Bike, the Caldecott Honor Book No David!, How I Learned to be a Pirate, and Good Boy Fergus. He is also one of the collaborative illustrators in Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series.  David lives with his wife and his daughter in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416963944
• ISBN-13: 978-1416963943
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon Scieszka was born in Flint, Michigan on September 8th, 1954. He grew up with five brothers, has the same birthday as Peter Sellers and the Virgin Mary, and a sneaking suspicion that the characters in his Dick and Jane reader were not of this world. Those plain facts, plus his elementary school principal dad, Louis, his registered nurse mom, Shirley (who once took Jon's Cub Scout den on a field trip to the prenatal ward), Mad Magazine, four years of pre-med undergrad, "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show", an M.F.A. in Fiction from Columbia University, Robert Benchley, five years of painting apartments in New York City, his lovely wife Jeri Hansen who introduced him to Molly Leach and Lane Smith, Green Eggs and Ham, his teenage daughter Casey and almost teenage son Jake, ten years of teaching a little bit of everything from first grade to eighth grade, and the last twenty years of living in Brooklyn...are just some of Jon's answers to the questions, "Where do you get your ideas?" and/or "How did you become a writer?" I don't know, just because, none of your beeswax, and flapdoodle poppycock and balderdash are some more of Jon's answers to questions you can imagine on your own. Jon met up with Lane Smith around 1986 or so, and nothing has been the same since. Their first book, the wiseguy fairy tale retelling, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! was initially rejected by most publishers as "too weird" and "too sophisticated". Published by Viking in 1989, The True Story has now sold over a million copies, been translated into ten languages, and been called a "classic picture book for all ages". Jon and Lane's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1992) took the world of the picture book a few steps further. Goofing with the conventions of fairy tales and even being a book, The Stinky Cheese Man became a household word, sold another mess of copies in multiple languages, offended a few purists, and still managed to win a Caldecott Honor medal. Math Curse (1995) further stretched the notion of what subjects make good picture books, selling more books faster than either 3 Little Pigs or Stinky Cheese, and winning a whole slew of awards --all for a book full of mathematics.More recently, Jon and Lane have resurrected fables (in the smart, funny, and a little bit wicked way Aesop would have wanted them) in their latest collaboration, Squids Will Be Squids (1998). No telling where they might take the picture book next. Someone once wrote, "Jon Scieszka has forever changed the face of children's literature." And while there is still some confusion over exactly who that someone was, and whether children's literature does, in fact, have a face, most would agree-from The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! to Squids Will Be Squids, since Scieszka put pen to paper, children's literature sure has been...different.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All: Conquered, September 25, 2009

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robot Zot! (Hardcover)

Fred and Ginger. Abbott and Costello. Cheech and Chong. Famous pairings have flourished throughout history, and it's a proud person who can put their finger down and say, "I was there when it started. I remember the beginning." So as you sit in your comfy little chairs surfing the web, take a moment in breathe deeply and commit to memory this moment in history. When Jon Scieszka and David Shannon made a picture book together at last. Oh, I know they've worked together before. But the Trucktown series, while sure to ably subdue any truck obsessed ankle biter you encounter, is the work not just of Scieszka and Shannon but a host of other talented fellas as well. So I've always kind of suspected that if you separated Shannon and Scieszka from the pack and isolated them for a specific amount of time they might, just might, be able to come up with something really cool. Enter Robot Zot. He's brave. He's determined. He fits snugly in the palm of your hand and he's about mark the first instance of a Shannon/Scieszka solo pairing. Can you feel the love?

The heart of a lion. The eloquence of a Tarzan. The body of a mildly rusted cell phone. "Robot Zot - Wham Bot! Robot Zot - Bam Bot!" Robot Zot has come to earth and he is intent upon invading. "No one stop Robot Zot. Robot Zot crush lot." That's how he talks. After crash landing in a backyard, by the time Zot's standing in the kitchen with his phaser in hand it's pretty clear that he's not much bigger than a dustpan. And around every corner lurk enemies. Dispatching the appliances and television one by one ("He is glorious. He stands victorious.") Zot meets a small cell phone toy that, by his reckoning, is clearly The Queen of All Earth. It's love at first sight. A daring rescue ensues, but before he is able to leave Zot will have to face his toughest enemy of all.

Zot works because he's very much that small boy play acting heroism while causing mild to extensive damage around a home. Zot has no peripheral vision. What he wants he goes for, and he gets to be the hero of his own story too. I like that Scieszka makes it pretty clear that whenever you hear extensive praise of Zot ("Robot Zot - Hot Bot!") it's in quotations. Meaning he's saying it about himself. Meaning he's narrating the epic saga of his own life. Zot's every little kid who has ever imagined that the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and backyard contained whole unseen worlds where threats and dangers lurked around every corner. Who will save us all? The littlest guy, that's who!

Illustrator David Shannon is best known at this point in time for his David series. In those books he let his thick paints and loose style conjure up the sheer chaotic madness that hides within each determined little boy. Robot Zot also has this free, loose, wild energy but it goes a slightly different route. Since we are dealing with a determined little robot, Shannon takes advantage of that great metal equalizer: rust. It's everywhere. On the cover you can see the paint on the words "Robot" and "Zot" looks like it has been scraped off a little, revealing shiny silver metal beneath. Thick paints are crosshatched to reveal bald spots on Zot's armor. Best of all, that idea of a little boy playing that you get from Sciezka's words is perfectly replicated in Shannon's imagining of Zot. Zot is basically David, only a little older, a little smaller, and with rectangular teeth rather than triangles.

Uneven front teeth. Who in their right mind would ever imagine the comic possibilities of uneven front teeth? They're what keep Zot from ever looking all that competent. Really, the moment when he seems in the most control is when you're viewing him from the back. Otherwise the teeth are conveying to you the fact that in spite of his manly stance, this little robot hasn't a clue what he's doing. From the replica of what appears to be Saturn balancing on his head to his oddly sympathetic little expressions, Shannon has this character well in hand. When he sees "the Queen" for the first time Zot's knees lock, causing his feet to turn inward in that jolt of first love. When he's scared, his already wobbly knees grow tighter together and his uneven teeth sort of hang over an open mouth. It's funny that you can instantly feel so sympathetic towards a guy who, not three pages before, was blowing up and knocking down every innocent appliance in sight.

In the art of this book Shannon invokes all kinds of classic space comics and sci-fi flicks. Zot mimics a classic villainous pose when he stands gazing down upon the puny earth, mere moments before he has it in his grasp. I suppose that with his early super villain-like status it's even more amusing that (A) he is pocket-sized and (B) he in fact is the hero of this story. At the same time, I was impressed by the silent two page spreads, different angles on the story, and moments when all you can see are exploding television sets, our heroes nowhere in sight. The images here are a shot of adrenaline to the eyeballs. Never stopping, never resting, always funny, always fine.

Shannon works in some nice visual gags as well. Best Pal Bot, the sidekick and observer of Zot's suburban carnage, is in almost every scene and is well worth seeking out. I am thinking of the moment when Zot leaps to attack a blender, eggbeater, and coffee pot. Best Pal Bot looks at the reader, eyelids closed enough to give us a kind of "Oh, really?" look. There are lots of little moments like this. In fact the final gag is so subtle that it could easily take ten to twenty readings before a parent figures out what Shannon's done. At first it seems as if Zot, Bot, and Princess are flying against a star-studded night, a yellow moon nearby. Next shot, they've crashed into a cantaloupe truck. That nighttime sky was just a painting, and the Attack Ship is now firmly lodged in the center of a couple of very broken and evidently juicy cantaloupes.

All this is well and good, but what I really want in a picture book is something I can read aloud to a room of shrieking preschoolers. Something that is gonna hook `em, grab `em by the nose, and not let go until I've stopped talking. I need a book that gives the old one-two punch. ONE - The words are bouncy, rhythmic, and allow me to do a couple silly voices if I want to (caveman/Frankenstein speech patterns are welcome). TWO - The folks I'm reading this book to can see it across a room. Big colors, bright pages, but with enough action and adventure to shake up the angles and views when at all possible. Needless to say, I'm not exactly left wanting after reading Robot Zot. Sort of born to be performed, this book.

In a lot of ways Robot Zot reminds me of the Traction Man books by Mini Grey. In both cases you have a kind of narration going on about a hero who battles household goods with fortitude and bravery. In the case of Traction Man that narration seems to be coming from the boy who plays with him. In Robot Zot it's coming from the hero himself. I suppose this isn't the first time the idea of alien invaders coming to earth only to find that they are tiny has occurred. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy made swift use of it, I believe. But it is certainly the first time I've seen such an idea make its way into a picture book format where, I think you will agree, it most certainly belongs. A magnificent readaloud. A fine and funny book. A recognizable metaphor even. I agree with the book on this one. "Robot Zot! - never fall. Robot Zot - conquer all!"

1.0 out of 5 stars Painful prose, October 4, 2010

By 

Kristi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robot Zot! (Hardcover)

There is no doubt that Jon Scieszka can create characters and concepts that interest the preschool set. It is a shame he delivers them in such painful prose. Some of it rhymes, some doesn't. Some is confusing, some is downright unintelligible. While the concept for this story is humorous and compelling, the end product is just weird, grating and disappointing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Silly fun for 5 yr old boys!, September 20, 2010

By 

Patent Mom (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robot Zot! (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have gotten the plot summary pretty well, so let me just say, this is a great book for any kid who likes silly things and pretending to bash things (i.e., any boy ages 4 and up). My 5 year old son and 3 1/2 year old daughter want to hear this over and over, and he actually can read the simpler sentences. They also appreciate and giggle endlessly over the absurdities in the pictures, especially the ones where you see how tiny robot Zot is as he strolls through the kitchen (he's not much higher than a dog dish). The pictures are what really makes the story (although the lines are even funny by themselves: "Zot is not joking. Zot is never joking" "What is Zot? Chicken Bot?" "Zot says what he has never said"). My kids love seeing how Zot thinks the toaster, coffeemaker, etc., are enemies to be destroyed . . . and how the owner comes down all confused to see his toaster smoking, and how the dog gets blamed in the end. It reminds them of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 1, when he arrives and does not understand what the toys are, the room is, etc. Great fun!