November 1, 2024
In this simple concept book, eager kitties scramble to design and build a wind-driven robot. Confronted with a table full of craft supplies, the "twitchy team" of furballs scrambles to gather cardboard boxes, cones, tubes, and wheels and then assemble the "motley mix of materials" into a working robot. In the lively cartoon illustrations, Harney's cute, big-eyed kittens dangle various items, some of which are outlined in red and labeled "square," "rectangle," "circle," or "triangle," and then try to fit them together in various ways. Their first effort results in a jumbled, nonfunctional "CATawampus," but a bit of practical reconstruction that adds rollers to the bottom and a triangular sail on the top leads to a zooming "robot rumpus." It all culminates in a mighty "Crash!" that leaves furry students and bits of bot scattered hither and yon. "But does it matter? NO! These creators are ready to...turn robot into rocket!" In an afterword that seems to be addressed as much to slightly older readers as the "out-of-the-box" teachers to whom this outing is dedicated, the author explains the differences between two- and three-dimensional shapes; among suggestions for follow-up activities, she also provides instructions for a potato battery--a useful but somewhat random inclusion. A vision of STEM education as a free-wheeling rumpus.(Informational picture book. 5-7)
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January 1, 2025
Preschool-Grade 2 More is more in Stephens' zany, math-based picture book. The subtitles tell it all. Is it ""A Catastrophe Tale"" of a STEM competition to build a robot, in which the energetic feline competitors make explosive mistakes, bounce back from challenges, and show persistence? Yes! Is it ""A Story of Shapes,"" in which the cats hold up various objects sporting outlines of circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles with a few misplaced shapes for readers to call out? Also yes! The text is clever, with subtle wordplay. Harney's illustrations capture and add to the busyness and energy of the story. Each page is full of kitties, robot-building materials, and occasional extras, such as chalkboards or poofs of glitter. The four spreads that introduce the shapes are less chaotic, embedding basic shapes into the larger story and giving readers the opportunity to test their identification skills. Surprisingly for the setting, only two-dimensional objects are introduced. An entertaining concept book that will shape up to be a hit with kids.
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