Review - Ducks!

Ducks!
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by T. L. McBeth
Date: 2020
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A duck who wanders away from the rest of the flock must find the way back.

Ducks. Ducks? NO DUCKS!

Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city--footprints, feathers, eggs--but no ducks. Will Duck's feathered friends finally be found?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I might when I first started.

I picked it up because I've enjoyed Deborah Underwood's books in the past. A writing credit for this seems a stretch, though, because the majority of the text consists of "Ducks?" and "No ducks." The illustrations are very simple, but they work.

This is almost a wordless picture book, but it manages to tell a story. A duck is distracted by a butterfly, and when it looks around to find its friends, they're all missing! It then proceeds to search for the missing ducks, only to be thwarted with lookalike clues that lead it momentarily astray. Will the duck ever find its friends?

Very young children will probably appreciate the duck's predicament and its attempt to find its feathered friends. I can see this being a bit tiresome as a read-aloud title (especially if done repeatedly), but it's so simple that even pre-readers can flip through the book themselves and get the gist.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - Robot in Love

Robot in Love
by T. L. McBeth
Date: 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

When a shiny, beautiful stranger catches Robot's eye, he knows she's the one. He thinks about her all the time. He even makes her a gift. But will he be able to keep his circuits from overheating and work up the courage to talk to her? T. L. McBeth's Robot in Love spins a funny and heartwarming story of love—perfect for sharing at Valentine's!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

WARNING: Minor Spoilers! To read this review with the spoilers hidden, check it out on Goodreads.

Aside from a few clever lines, this book doesn't have a lot going for it. The plot is too simple, the robot engages in criminal behaviour, and the illustrations are kind of boring.

One day, a robot wakes from a charging cycle, has some toast (wait... what?), and goes out. He spots a lovely "lady" on the street and proceeds to fall madly in insta-love. Every day, he goes and stares at the object of his affection. Eventually, he makes her a gift, but when it comes time to give it, she's disappeared! (We then learn that the "lady" is a toaster, and she's been put at the back of the store because she's just a display model and not for sale.) The robot steals his "girlfriend", and then they proceed to act like a couple. The robot claims they have a lot in common (including a love for toast).

So this is teaching kids that it's okay to stalk. It's okay to steal. And it's okay to marry a toaster. (Isn't that the excuse some bigots use when they argue against same-sex marriage?) The whole premise is just weird, and while some of it makes sense, a lot of it doesn't. Why is the robot so enamoured with a toaster? Yeah, sure, they both love toast. But why does a robot love toast in the first place?

Nah... this just isn't for me. Not everything has to be about love and romance. Trying to force those qualities on inanimate objects is just bizarre.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5