ARLO

A robot leaves the assembly line for the natural world.

This offbeat hero’s journey begins with a description of a typical day at the factory where pink-cheeked, multi-armed ARLO (“Automated Robotic Line Operator”) works. He and 11 slightly smaller robots “power up, juice joints, grease gears, and rattle to the assembly line,” where he “katinkers six tools at the same time.” He’s the only robot who uses break time to tinker; his inventions garner interest from the little robots but stern resistance from the apparently managerial “big bots.” ARLO adores his factory work, but “his bolts buzz for something…more.” When a storm leaves a hole in the factory wall, ARLO catapults into an exciting world of flowers, frogs, and trees—but no charging station. After successfully figuring out how to recharge himself with a little help from the natural world, he surmounts more obstacles before returning to his factory home, where all the little robots have been powered down. He tinkers until the little robots are functional. Together, they rebuild and improve their environment—and re-create some of ARLO’s newest inventions, which now reflect the natural world. Once the large bots have been repowered, will they grant permission for ARLO’s changes? Gholz’s lively text is peppered with the sounds of imaginative robotic language and onomatopoeia, well matched by Haley’s art, which effectively portrays cute, round-eyed robots, drab factory conditions, and colorful, comical nature scenes.

Quirky, thoughtful, and fun.