My Teacher is a Robot

by Jeffrey Brown

Overview

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Jedi Academy books comes an imaginative picture book about a kid whose creative outlook has everyone at school seeing the world through new eyes. Perfect for fans of The Adventures of Beekle and The Most Magnificent Thing.

Fred does not want to go to school because it's boring. Especially since he thinks his teacher is a robot. If only Fred could imagine a way for his day to be more exciting...

An inventively funny picture book that celebrates the boundlessness of a child's imagination and celebrates the teachers, families, and friends who get wrapped up in their fantastic worlds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553534535
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/25/2019
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	32
Lexile:	GN510L (what's this?)
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jeffrey Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Wars books, including Darth Vader and Son and the Jedi Academy series. He is also the author of the middle-grade Lucy and Andy Neanderthal series. Jeffrey lives in Chicago with his wife and sons.

jeffreybrowncomics.com

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2019

In this anecdotal tale, Brown (the Lucy & Andy Neanderthal series) steps out of the Stone Age into the flamboyant realm of a boy’s imagination. Fred grumps that everything his dry, no-nonsense teacher says is “robot talk,” and the boy’s boredom propels his imaginings into overdrive: a spider dangling from the ceiling morphs into a gargantuan arachnid, a clump of dirt on the rainy playground springs to life as a “mud monster,” and a history class on ancient Japan becomes a lesson on dinosaurs as several commandeer the classroom. When it’s time for a writing test, Fred carps, “I bet we aren’t even allowed to use our imaginations!”—but of course his flips into high gear, continuing to find evidence of teacher-as-robot until the final bell. Brown’s vivid, glossy cartoons drolly interject Fred’s whimsical daydreams into the classroom. Ages 3–7. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for My Teacher is a Robot:

“Brown’s madcap comics-style book, with dialogue in speech bubbles, lets Fred’s thoughts run wild, with spiders, dinosaurs and mayhem visiting the classroom.” —The New York Times Book Review

"An entertaining romp through the mind of a child who refuses to settle for boring."  -Kirkus Reviews

“Sure to be a hit because of the large, colorful illustrations…. A great pick for a read-aloud to first and second graders who will understand the concept of not wanting to go to school but enjoying it anyway.” —School Library Journal

Praise for Lucy & Andy Neanderthal:

A Junior Library Guild Selection
A New York Public Library's Best 50 Books for Kids 2016 Pick
A Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best 2016 List Pick
A 2016 National Parenting Product Award-winner
Debuted at #14 on the Indie Early & Middle Grade Bestseller List

"Kids will learn a great deal about the Neanderthals while laughing their way through the story. Brown demonstrates a depth of knowledge of the subject, with a few winking anachronisms." -School Library Journal

"Lucy & Andy are Stone Age rock stars!  I loved this book!" -Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series 

"Jeffrey Brown returns from a galaxy far, far away to bring us a whole new slew of kid-friendly characters! Just beware of mammoth dung!" -Keith Knight, author of Jake the Fake and The Knight Life

"Every kid will love to go back in time with LUCY & ANDY!" -Judd Winick, author of Hilo: The Boy Who Saved the World

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

K-Gr 2—Fred thinks school is boring and is convinced that his teacher Mr. Bailey is a robot. As the school day starts, Fred is already unhappy until he spots a spider during math. He suddenly envisions a giant spider taking over the class. Fred's class ventures outside for recess but the rain cuts their playtime short. Fred thinks its because Mr. Bailey will short circuit. During history class, Fred is excited because he wants to learn about dinosaurs. He finds they are learning about Japan and decides not to participate. After lunch, Mr. Bailey says he's going to test them. Fred interrupts him saying he thinks Mr. Bailey is going to assign numbers to his classmates so he can keep track of them when he turns them into robots. Mr. Bailey is really just testing their writing skills and Fred is finally happy they get to write about what they want. When his dad comes to pick him up, he asks Fred about his school day and he says it was boring. Readers can see he is really smiling, thinking about the story he created. This picture book is sure to be a hit because of the large, colorful illustrations. The characters look modern, and Fred's futuristic vision of the classroom is fun to contemplate. VERDICT This is a great pick for a read-aloud to first and second graders who will understand the concept of not wanting to go to school but enjoying it anyway.—Amy Lukich, Tinley Park Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2019-05-08
In this graphic-novel-style picture book, Fred seeks to add excitement to a boring "robot" teacher's school day.

Fred's bedroom wall is plastered with drawings of robots, dinosaurs, and planets; the rug is covered with toy dinosaurs, and a model robot made of recycled materials sits on the floor. At the kitchen table, Fred's mom, dressed for the office, says goodbye as Fred's eyes roll. Fred looks warily at Mr. Bailey after being dropped off at school by Dad, who pushes Fred's baby sibling in a stroller. "Class is SO boring. Everything Mr. Bailey says is robot talk!" While the other students work out their math problems, Fred spots a spider. On the next spread, the spider is shown as the size of the classroom, and Fred leads the class in excited spider talk. At recess, Fred and friends run around as superheroes, battling mud monsters. Thus also pass history and lunch, with the illustrated school scenes seamlessly representing the world of Fred's imagination even as Fred complains about Mr. Bailey's lack thereof. The day's climax is a test—creative writing becomes a wordless spread filled with robots, swords, characters in medieval garb, dinosaurs, and unicorns. The vivid illustrations feature strong lines with the look of carefully colored marker-style shading in bright hues. The classroom is racially diverse; Fred is white, the teacher is black. A child named Miriam appears to be gender nonconforming, and another uses arm braces.

An entertaining romp through the mind of a child who refuses to settle for boring. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

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