by Ame Dyckman; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
Boy + Bot is a story of unlikely friendship. The concept is not new, but the effectiveness
of Ame Dyckman’s simple text makes her story a treat for children and adults
alike.
“A boy was collecting pine cones in his wagon when he met
a robot.”
Right away we learn that this is the sort of boy
who is happy loading up his wagon with pine cones, and he lives in the sort of
place where pine cones are abundant. It’s
also the sort of place where stray robots crop up (because, as it turns out, it’s
the sort of place where reclusive inventors live in castles somewhere up the winding
road). A story-world in fourteen words.
Quite matter-of-factly the boy and the robot become friends, and in two ensuing episodes one or the other of them is incapacitated (the robot
is accidentally powered off; the boy falls soundly asleep), prompting his
companion to attempt a rescue. These
parallel episodes are as poignant as they are amusing; each character is
distressed for his friend and tries earnestly to help, but each is hopelessly locked
into his own conception of ailments and remedies. Their efforts are well-meant but futile. In
the end the inventor straightens things out, the two friends are delighted at
each other’s recovery, and we are assured that many happy adventures follow.
One one level, Boy + Bot is a sweet, and very simple,
story for small children. It’s fun to
read the robot voice and look at the silly ways the two friends interact. At the same time, Ame is showing us something profound – the possibility that friendship can triumph over disparity.
We grownups are great skeptics, great cynics. We need to read this story for our children,
and for ourselves.
