Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover

by Cece Bell, Cece Bell (Illustrator)

Overview

Rabbit’s carefully planned visit with Robot doesn’t work out exactly as he imagined in this offbeat tale about two comically mismatched friends.

Rabbit is excited: his friend Robot is coming to spend the night! Rabbit has left nothing to chance and has drawn up a list of all the things they will do. First off is making pizza, but Robot only likes nuts and bolts and screws on top (good thing he has magnetic hands). Next on the list is watching TV, but the remote is missing, and Rabbit is panicking! Will Robot find a logical (and rather obvious) solution to the problem? Number three is . . . uh-oh! Why is Robot lying down instead of playing Go Fish? And what is that message reading "BAT" printing out from a slot on his front? New readers who like silly stories will race through this funny adventure about a rabbit who likes to be in control and an obliging robot who calmly keeps their friendship humming.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763668754
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/11/2014
Series:	Candlewick Sparks
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	0360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Cece Bell is the author-illustrator of three picture books about Sock Monkey as well as Bee-Wigged and Itty Bitty. She lives in Christiansburg, Virginia.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Meet the newest odd couple in the early reader section: fussy, compulsive Rabbit and overly logical Robot. . . .Bell’s crisp, cheery cartooning adds visual punctuation and elaboration in all the right places, and she handles moments of both calamity and reconciliation with aplomb. Delightful.
—Publishers Weekly

An engaging, well-paced story, told with simple (but not too simple) vocabulary is tough to write, but Cece Bell has nailed RABBIT AND ROBOT: THE SLEEPOVER. Let’s hope it’s the first of a series.
—BookPage

Editorial Reviews

Meet the newest odd couple in the early reader section: fussy, compulsive Rabbit and overly logical Robot. . . .Bell’s crisp, cheery cartooning adds visual punctuation and elaboration in all the right places, and she handles moments of both calamity and reconciliation with aplomb. Delightful.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The light ridiculousness of a machine and animal hanging out together provides plenty of yuks (Rabbit tops his pie with carrots and lettuce; Robot prefers bolts and screws), and Bell breaks up the easy-reading text with warm, goofy cartoon illustrations. Kids will welcome these new besties to their early-reading rotation.
—Booklist

Make way for another endearing, odd-couple pair of friends in beginning-reader land...A good choice for those ready to launch into more advanced texts.
—Kirkus Reviews

Hilarious details such as Rabbit telling Robot to turn down his Volume Knob anytime he yells, and the sight of Rabbit and Robot both wearing Rabbit-shaped pajamas–Robot forgot his and had to borrow a pair–will attract the adoration of early chapter-book readers, who will undoubtedly hope for more from this duo
—School Library Journal

The large font, simple, short sentence structure, and numerous attractive illustrations make this accessible for readers who are beyond Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series but not quite ready for lengthier chapter books. There’s plenty of humor, both in the text and the crisp and simply composed digital illustration.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

An engaging, well-paced story, told with simple (but not too simple) vocabulary is tough to write, but Cece Bell has nailed RABBIT AND ROBOT: THE SLEEPOVER. Let’s hope it’s the first of a series.
—BookPage

From the Publisher

Meet the newest odd couple in the early reader section: fussy, compulsive Rabbit and overly logical Robot. The book’s four chapters, written almost entirely in dialogue, correspond to the plan for the friends’ eagerly anticipated sleepover: make pizza, watch TV, play Go Fish, go to bed. But it’s a list Rabbit generated without consulting his friend, so negotiations—delicate and otherwise—are the order of the day. The uni-wheeled, iPhone–shaped Robot wants to play Old Maid in addition to Go Fish; Rabbit insists it’s “not on the list.” Robot doesn’t like the veggies that Rabbit offers as pizza toppings, and insists on taking apart Rabbit’s furniture to get his favorite topping, nuts and bolts. But while Rabbit’s hair-trigger temper and Robot’s Vulcan mien seem like a recipe for disaster, each strong personality is willing to bend just enough—and even indulge in some comic self-reflection. Bell’s (Itty Bitty) crisp, cheery cartooning adds visual punctuation and elaboration in all the right places, and she handles moments of both calamity and reconciliation with aplomb. Delightful. Ages 5–8. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

What happens when a rabbit and a robot decide to have a sleepover party? In this humorous story, young readers will enjoy reading about the adventures of Rabbit and Robot over the course of a single evening. This book includes four stories that are perfect for children who are just moving beyond picture books. Rabbit invites robot for a sleepover. Rabbit has everything planned—a complete list of activities which include making pizza, watching TV, playing Go Fish, and going to bed. What could be more perfect? Once Robot arrives, he wants to add Crazy Eights to the list. Robot hates vegetables and wants to put nuts and bolts on his pizza. Later in the evening, Rabbit and Robot decide to watch TV together. But they cannot find the remote control! While they are in the middle of a card game, Robot falls asleep. Rabbit discovers his friend's batteries are running low. By the end of the evening, Rabbit is ready to fall asleep, but Robot has some data to share with his friend. Young readers will enjoy these humorous stories about an unusual friendship. Reviewer: Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph.D.

Children's Literature - Suzanna E. Henshon

K-Gr 2—Rabbit has his sleepover with Robot perfectly planned; he has even made a list of the night's activities: make pizza, watch TV, play Go Fish, go to bed. Unfortunately, Rabbit didn't plan on a few circumstances, such as Robot's preference for nuts and bolts on his pizza, which he procures by dismantling Rabbit's table and chairs, or the temporary misplacement of the remote control. Robot tries to remedy each situation to a degree. He lays out a blanket on the floor for a picnic supper, though Rabbit's table and chairs are never repaired. He also finds the remote control, bizarrely located in Rabbit's ear. In the end, it's Rabbit who helps Robot by replacing his failing batteries with new ones. The story has a few loose ends, but hilarious details such as Rabbit telling Robot to turn down his Volume Knob anytime he yells, and the sight of Rabbit and Robot both wearing Rabbit-shaped pajamas-Robot forgot his and had to borrow a pair-will attract the adoration of early chapter-book readers, who will undoubtedly hope for more from this duo.—Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, Madison, WI

School Library Journal

Make way for another endearing, odd-couple pair of friends in beginning-reader land. Rabbit takes a cue from forebear Toad and makes a list to plan his time with, not Frog, but Robot. According to his list, their sleepover includes plans to make pizza, watch television, play Go Fish and go to bed. Unlike Lobel's heroes in Frog and Toad Together, these friends do not lose their list, but tension ensues when Robot tries to add additional items (games of Old Maid and Crazy Eights) to the list. Even when they follow through on making pizza, Robot wishes for unorthodox toppings (nuts, bolts and screws) and ends up finding them by dismantling Rabbit's furniture. Rabbit is then reasonably worried about where they will eat their meal, but Robot has the good idea to spread a blanket on the floor and have a picnic. Similar scenarios ensue in subsequent chapters, with ample humor to augment the storytelling. The vocabulary, however, includes a few too many reaches for brand-new readers, and while the digital typeface used in parts of the text may evoke Robot's voice, it may prove distracting to not-yet-fluent readers. A good choice for those ready to launch into more advanced texts. (Early reader. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews