Little Bot and Sparrow

"One day Little Bot wasn't needed anymore. He was thrown out with the garbage." That's all Parker (The Little Snowplow) has to say about his droid's backstory as he shows Little Bot tumbling through the air and landing unceremoniously on Earth, suggesting extraterrestrial origins. A bird named Sparrow spots the robot, whose face is an oversize monitor with doll-like features, and decides he "needed to be taken under her wing"; she schools him in the joys and pitfalls of life on Earth (Little Bot learns the hard way that "robots shouldn't fly"). Parker chronicles the relationship between quirky master and student with velvety textures and idyllic settings that make the incongruous robot even more adorable. Then winter comes and Sparrow must leave. Little Bot doesn't try to stop her or extract any promises of returning or lasting friendship; their time together has been enough. It's a moment of profundity and emotional ambiguity that may surprise and even sadden readers, but the discussions this story will spark should prove as rewarding as the happiest of endings. Ages 3-6. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2--When a motherly Sparrow sees a discarded Robot, a friendship begins. In the spring, Sparrow teaches Robot how to have fun outside. In the summer, she shows him how to be curious (but safe). And before she has to fly south in the fall, she teaches him how to live without her. The warm illustrations capture the beauty of the changing seasons, during the day and the night, and the power of friendship. At the end of the tale, Robot is seen doing two things he thought impossible--dreaming and flying--all made possible because of Sparrow. The differences between a metallic robot and a feathery sparrow show friendships can happen between any two individuals. VERDICT A sweet additional purchase for friendship storytimes.--Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, Alta., Canada