Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Rating: 5 stars

I love a good list.  And at this time of year, there are plenty of them.  And as my friends and family know that I'm a serious book-lover (well, actually, I'm seriously goofy a lot of the time), any list that is close to "Best Books of 2012" finds its way to my inbox.

This book was on the list at goodreads.com.  We've checked it out a handful of times before; it definitely earned its title of being one of the best children's books of 2012.  I love the simple story, but I really love the illustrations by one of my favorite illustrators, Dan Yaccarino.

A boy and a robot find each other and, oblivious to their differences, instantly hit it off.  As they roll down a grassy hill, the robot's switch turns off; the boy realizes he must help him.  So the boy helps him in boy-ways: gives him applesauce, reads him a story, tucks him in.  But the robot doesn't wake up until his parents peek in on him and accidentally switch on the robot's switch.

"Want-to-play-tomorrow?" asked Bot.  And the friends did.

And then the robot sees the boy "turned off" (a.k.a. asleep in bed), and the robot realizes he must help him.  So the bot helps him in bot-ways: he gives him oil, reads him an instruction manual, and brings him a spare battery.

After the boy wakes up, they see each other in a new light.  they now realize their differences, but they still hit it off.

The pictures reflect the story: sweet, simple, whimsical.  The story and the illustrations--oh gosh the whole book--just gets under my skin in the best way.

This is a book worth buying!