Spacebot

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The book has many laugh-inducing pages for independent readers, listeners, and viewers School Library Journal
Rollicking and joyous. Booklist (starred review)
Silly, quirky...Make space on shelves for this one. Kirkus Reviews

When a mysterious visitor arrives in the night from outer space, its up to the family dog to determine if theyre friend or foe. This rhyming read-aloud by award-winning author-illustrator Mike Twohy will surprise and delight young readers.

One quiet evening, a dog is settling down inside his familys house when a strange rumbling emerges from the sky. Electric energy surges and makes everything start to vibrate, including the family dog. When he darts outside to investigate, a UFO appears. Beep! Beep! Is it friend or foe Over the course of the night, the dog might just make an unexpected friend in this story about seeing things from others points of view and unlikely friendship.

Reviews

Outtasight! An extraterrestrial lands in the night. Strange beeps and a blazing light awaken household appliances. The house glances skyward as does the family pup, who'd been snoozing in the doghouse. The light turns out to be a UFO, out of which strolls a metallic, robot dog with a glowing red nose....This silly, quirky tale's simple rhyme scheme reads and scans well; minimal text and lots of white space permit focus on characters and action. The cartoon illustrations are lively, energetic, and expressive, and readers should enjoy the escapades of both appliances and pup. Make space on shelves for this one. -- Kirkus Reviews * 3/1/20 *
Two dogsone real, one roboticstar in this visitor from outer space frolic by Geisel Honor Book author Twohy. On a starry summers night, a yellow canine sleeps half out of his doghouse. A bunch of round eyes can be seen in one of the human houses windows. The eyes belong to the Brave Little Toaster-esque kitchen appliances, all of them up because they sense something strange is coming. A distant light turns into a big yellow meteoroid that lands in the backyard. In classic 50s B moviestyle, a UFO touches down, and a visitor descends the ramp. Its a very shiny robo-dog, who greets the appliances, ignoring the excited dog....The focus here is on the dogs feelings: fright, joy, feeling left out and let down, and then more joy at finally being included. The rhyming textwith usually no more than four-to-six exclamatory words per double-page spreadand often-explosive action, boldly rendered in watercolor and felt pen, make this a great find for early readers. Rollicking and joyous. -- Booklist *Starred Review* * March 2020 *
When a UFO descends from an inky sky to land in a dogs backyard one night, the yellow pup believes it has found a new friend: the robot that trots out is canine-like, though its snout does feature a mysteriously glowing red ball. But the robot couldnt care less about its earthly counterpart (Can we play/Walks away); its looking for the homes bevy of instantly familiar electronic appliances....Twohys cheery, buoyant space oddity taps into fantasies of inanimate objects coming to life, while the couplet-based text offers emerging readers simple but rollicking rhymes that encourage word recognition. And even the doggy gets its zero-gravity day (or rather, night) thanks to a parting gift. -- Publishers Weekly * 3/30/2020 *
What if a creature from outer space resembled one of our favorite pet animals A distant light in the night sky, loudly beeping as it approaches Earth, brings a scary sight to a pup in his backyard doghouse in this fun and funny tale. Out from the landing UFO comes a space dog....Twohys comical drawings are both simple and richly expressive, beautifully expanding the economical rhyming text. Feeling very left out, Pup does eventually get his own special opportunity. VERDICT For general purchase, the book has many laugh-inducing pages for independent readers, listeners, and viewers. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston -- School Library Journal

Author Bio

Mike Twohy is a Geisel Honor Awardwinning author and illustrator of several books for children, includingPoindexter Makes a Friend,Outfoxedabout whichThe Horn Book said, story time audiences will howl with laughter, Wake Up, Rupert!, and Mouse and Hippo, which theSchool LibraryJournalcalled a story time hit. He has been a longtime contributor of cartoons toThe New Yorker. He lives with his wife, cats, and yellow Lab in Berkeley, California.