It’s a good bet that AI couldn’t have produced a better picture-book introduction to AI.
A kid explains artificial intelligence’s pros and cons to a robot.
This graphic novel–style picture book begins with a city-dwelling youngster (pink skin, jug ears, unkempt brown ponytail) receiving a package containing a pint-size robot. The automaton announces, “Greetings. I am ERO, also known as Evil Robot Overlord. Please place me on my charging base so I may destroy all human beings.” This is not what the child was expecting (“Wait, what?”). The robot’s destructive imperative even extends to the kid’s dog, Jellybean; per ERO, “This Jellybean serves no purpose, but uses resources. It stands in the way of my world domination.” The child takes Jellybean out for a walk and proceeds to explain to tag-along ERO that, while artificial intelligence has its uses—they pass someone in a wheelchair using a phone to map accessible routes—it also has drawbacks: “Sometimes when machines get really good at things, people lose their jobs.” McCullough wrests humor from the serious subject matter (ERO detects a “skin abnormality” that turns out to be someone’s tattoo); meanwhile, Medeiros’ cartoonish Procreate art manages to inject humanity into this vaguely futuristic universe. McCullough’s approach to her topic is reassuring: While AI may be unstoppable, the book suggests that the kid, a stand-in for humankind who tells ERO that the two camps must work together, has the upper hand. (Here’s hoping.)
It’s a good bet that AI couldn’t have produced a better picture-book introduction to AI. (information on AI) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781464258404
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle.
Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms.
“Sometimes I’m the rain cloud / and sometimes I’m the rain.” Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson’s rhyming verses evoke images of their own: “Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze,” though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning (“In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields”). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including “Collection” as a step in the process; “The Science Behind the Poetry,” which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson’s full- and double-page–spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color.
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58469-615-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
