And the Robot Went . . .: A Cumulative Tale with Sound Effects About Animal Builders for Children

by Michelle Robinson, Sergio Ruzzier (Illustrator)

Starting with a box of parts, the Nosy Fox, the Bear in a Blazer, the Blue Gnu, and other remarkable builders assemble the Robot, step by step. Each stage of the process has its own sound effect, and the growing list of sounds is repeated in every spread. Young children will happily Click, Clang,  and Tappa Tappa  along and relish the surprise ending of this winsome cumulative tale.

Genres: Picture Books, Robots, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Science Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

When I'm not up to my knees in nappies, I write children's books. I also spend a fair amount of time eating chocolate. I try to write funny, read-aloud books that parents will enjoy as much as children - after all, if you have to share the same stories umpteen times, you may as well enjoy them.
I hope you like my books enough to read them umpteen times. Thank you - Michelle.

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Wonderful for fans of cumulative rhymes who have patience. I found it mostly boring, though the theme is sweet.

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cumulative story (a la "I know an old who...") about a variety of animals and people who find a robot and do various things to it. The illustrations are softly colored and can get a little busy. But they're especially clever when it comes to the cameo of each character as the story gets longer. "The Nosy Fox looked in the box, the Eager Beaver pulled the lever, the Wicked Witch flicked the switch..." etc. etc. On each page the character is shown in a different angle/pose, so the images stay fresh. The sound effects are exciting and fun.

EDIT: 7/26 -- I added a star after a storytime where a boy basically read the whole book along with me. He was really into it. And they all really liked the end.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

The true sign of success: Berry wanted me to read this one over and over and over. At one point I picked up another book and she removed it from my hands and shoved this one back in them. Ha!

Everyone tries to help the robot put itself back together, but they’re missing a key component (See what I did there?). The format is a rhyme that builds on itself in a really cool way. This would be a fun way to introduce memorization of verse.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes a village to build a robot.

[Clare Rossetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a box arrives at the farm and when opened it was full of parts. A group of characters including a nosy fox and a witch pull out parts and put them together and create a robot. This is not the end of the story as a child finds a key and uses it to animate the robot. Great sequence story for storytelling time filled with rich detail and quirky characters.

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what I thought of this book when I read it. But after I set it down and went to do other things, I found at the repetitive phrases had stuck with me. This book is cute and just the right kind of silly, plus it's got a robot!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A box of cogs, parts, and dials arrives and produces a lot of involvement of tinkering, turning, twisting, flicking, and pulling from a crew that knows just what to do. And when it's all done, the robot went...

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the repetition and rhyme and the fun robot sounds

[Jocelyn Brame · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent cumulative story with a surprising ending. Features a bear in a blazer who fires a laser.

[Aliza Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cumulative story with rhyme and funny animals who build a robot. Keep in mind The author is a British so be sure to rhyme "lever" with "beaver".

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny! Cute! Fun to read aloud! Hooray!

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitious rhyming and robots. What's not to love?

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only real quibble with this book is "The eager beaver pulled the lever."

I'm going to have to pronounce it "lee-ver" for it to rhyme properly.

Boo.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe.Some. Lots of noises to make together. Weird ending, but that's fine.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the Robot Went by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2017. $17.00. 9780544586529

CONTENT: G

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In this rhyming picture book, several animals and people find the pieces of a robot in a box. As each one adds something to the robot, the story builds on itself.

The illustrations are nice to look at, and the repetition and rhyming are designed to appeal to a younger audience. What took it from ADVISABLE to OPTIONAL was the ending, however, which leaves only one creature smiling and all the others frowning. The downer of an ending was entirely unnecessary, and I know my students would point it out if I read it aloud and many would find the characters' sadness distressing.

Reviewed by Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Betsy Ellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fun book a group of animals find a robot in pieces in the box and work to put him back together.

This book is both a good book to read aloud and also a good book to read with a new reader giving them the chance to be part of the reading process. With my 5 year-old I was having him guess at rhymes and also sound out the sound words and he enjoyed hamming those up. The story was original and the illustrations were a feast of things to look at. We spent a lot of time with this book and will definitely be reading it again.

My only criticism is I found the end a little sad -- the robot went on his way. I know it works with the recurring theme of the book and all, but my son - who am I kidding - I wanted the robot to stay and play!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I have to say that I love Sergio Ruzzier's illustrations and this book certainly does not disappoint. The story is about a box of robot parts. Different critters try to make things work but are not successful until a young girl comes along with the key.
The story is cumulative so all of the lovely sounds and motions are repeated as different parts of the robot are added. The author states that she wanted to write a book that would be fun for both parents and children to share and I believe she has accomplished her goal.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nosy Fox opens a box with a robot head inside and all his friends help bring the robot to life. Cumulative text and lots of silly robot noises make this book one that will be asked for again and again. It will be a fun game to remember the noises as each is added. Older children might use the pictures of the friends on each spread to help them participate in telling the story. And the Robot Went..., by Michelle Robinson, is a memorable participation story for ages 4 - 8.

[BlackhamBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess this is called a "cumulative" story ... where the phrases are repeated and added on. Ala the 12 Days of Christmas repetition. Silly rhymes with accompanying illustrations. I could imagine this as a read-aloud, with the surrounding children jumping in at the repeated parts and sounds. It was cute. The ending was surprisingly abrupt ... in a cute and clever way that adults would probably appreciate more than children.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Various characters work on a robot in this cumulative picture book which could easily lend itself to audience participation by giving a motion to each line. For example, "the Noisy Fox looked in the box" could be a motion of looking or opening hands, the "Eager Beaver pulled the lever" could be a bent arm extended down, etc. It would be fun to finish with everyone doing the robot!

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each animal character does something to the robot which responds with a clang or a bang or a zippity sound. But none of the actions work, until the child comes along and takes control. Soon the robot is working like it should. Like The House That Jack Built, this story builds and repeats every action that came before.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Nosy Fox looked in the box, and the Robot went..."

After Nosy Fox opens the box all the other animals try and help put the Robot together but Robot doesn't seem to be working. Until "me" comes along with just thing to help Robot work. This is a fun book with cumulative text and adorable illustrations.

[Kalynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book recommended to me by our music teacher, who loved the combination of robotics and sound. I loved it for the onomatopoeia, the rhyme, and the repetition similar to "The House that Jack Built". I also enjoyed how each movement, or action, had a robot reaction, which is good for teaching cause and effect, among other science concepts. Grade level-wise...I would say preK-2.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combining robots, robot parts, and sound effects?

What a winning concept for this book: I'll bet those picture book readers will long remember names for robot parts like:
* Laser
* Lever
* Switch

FIVE STARS for the delightful-and-accessible text for the story, courtesy of Michelle Robinson.
Also for the lighthearted-yet-precise pictures by Sergio Ruzzier.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a lot of fun for classrooms to read together. The robot makes lots of sounds, each one different based on the action done to it, and it encourages participation through the onomatopoeia in the story. I wanted the end to be a little more robust, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of "Drummer Hoff Fired It Off," which is one of my favorite childrens' books. A box arrives with parts inside, and it takes a Nosy Fox, an Eager Beaver, and other characters to figure out how to assemble it.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rhyming, somewhat tongue twisty tale shows a variety of characters interacting with a robot. Nobody seems to really get how to make the robot work.

Preschoolers and toddlers who like robots may enjoy this one.

[Paige intheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cumulative story

[Kelly]

Clear Ruzzier illustrations, which give the book a welcoming feeling. Somehow the robot is getting built, but the book doesn't explain that part, so that's kind of confusing.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cumulative story of a robot who needs some help from those around it.