Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Crazy-silly robot tale activates blasts of robo-mayhem.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
A young boy makes himself a robot costume but longs to be a real robot. The unseen narrator supplies the secret formula for ROBO-SAUCE (with fictional ingredients such as "plaxico powder" and "gluten-free kookamonga flakes") that does the trick. But things get out of control when he activates a Robo-Sauce Launcher that shoots the neon-orange goo onto his parents and sister, and they become robots -- and then the family dog, their house, and friends. Then it's "Activate Robo-Story," and readers must turn the book upside down to read how that story comes. There are instructions on how to fold the pages properly to create that new "Robo-Book with a shiny foil cover.
Is It Any Good?
This wacky story of robot domination has the exuberant look and feel of a story two kids might come up with with a pencil and notebook paper at the back of a classroom. The grown-up boys who created it let their imaginations run wild and take things to their logical (?) conclusion, showing what happens when you get Robo-Sauce all over everything. You could change your family and the world forever!
As you can see on the metallic-looking cover of the Robo-Book, even the author and illustrator got turned into robots. Their names are listed as "Android Rubot" and "Salmatron 5000." Parents may need to help kids with the folding of those pages; diagrams are provided.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about robots. Why are we so fascinated by them?
Robot technology is in lots of things now: phones, cars, TVs. What's fun about the boxy old-style robots like the ones pictured in this book? Is it more fun to imagine robots such as those than the kinds in our devices?
If you could be turned into a robot, what would you look like? Draw a picture of your robot self.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Daniel Salmieri
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Robots
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial
- Publication date : October 26, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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