Arno and the Mini-Machine

by Seymour Chwast, Seymour Chwast (Illustrator)

Overview

A prescient and humorous tale of a boy's futuristic life gone haywire with the interruption of ... nature.

GO BACK TO YOUR CLASS, says the MiniMachine.
The brightly moving thing flutters into Arno's hand. It feels warm. Attached to a foot is a label, reading: BIRD.

Two hundred years in the future, Arno's pre-programmed, machine-controlled day takes an unexpected turn when nature intercedes. Arno wakes each morning when his personalized "MiniMachine" tells him it's time. The MiniMachine squawks at him all day: "Eat your Instant Mealtime," "Wait for the school jet," "Go to your electric tuba lesson," "Do not step off the Power Path"..... But Arno's curiosity and a little yellow bird lead Arno off his pre-programmed track. "Go Back to Your Class!" squawks the MiniMachine with increasing alarm. Arno's mischievousness will delight young readers. And Seymour Chwast's illustrations, including his Seuss-like mechanical inventions, are both charmingly old-fashioned and presciently futuristic. A gentle corrective to our infatuation with electronics, Arno and the MiniMachine is a sweet reminder of the joy of nature and following one's own path.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609808808
Publisher:	Seven Stories Press
Publication date:	09/24/2019
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

SEYMOUR CHWAST is an American graphic designer known for his diverse body of work, and lasting influence on visual culture. Born in 1931, in New York City, Chwast was a founding partner with Milton Glaser of the celebrated Push Pin Studios, where he remains the director. His designs and illustrations have reinvented posters, record covers, ads, animated films, and logos, and have been exhibited in galleries and museums all over the world including MoMA, Cooper Hewitt, and Smithsonian Design museums. He is the author of over thirty books for children including, most recently, The Pancake King (Princeton Architectural Press), four graphic novels, and several typefaces, and has twice been named by the New York Times as among the best illustrators of the year. Chwast is the recipient of the AIGA Medal. He lives in New York City with his wife, the artist Paula Scher.

Editorial Reviews

"For over half a century, Seymour has been creating small graphic miracles. His skill in combining a unique drawing skill with brilliant typography is unique in our professional practice and a whole lot of fun to look at."
--Milton Glaser, graphic designer

“If there were more of Seymour Chwast's wit and humor in the world that we live in today the prospects for the future would be as bright and colorful as in Arno’s world 200 years from now.” 
--Steven Heller, co-chair SVA MFA Design

"Seymour Chwast is a master of drawing and storytelling, wryly observing our lives with humor and wisdom, reminding us, with the lightest touch, what is important in this world of ours."
--Maira Kalman

"This is more than a wonderfully illustrated children’s story about a boy who befriends a bird and prevails over the future electronic order. It is a most beautiful work of art for both young and old."
--Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry's


"Stylized, highly entertaining cartoon artwork ..... A cautionary tale for our automating times."
--Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2018-07-24

Two hundred years from now, young Arno gets bossed around by his personal, wearable MiniMachine automaton. Until he doesn't.

Everything is regulated in Chwast's futuristic tale. Arno wakes up in his bed in Happy Family Complex Number 88, just one of 5,183 families living in the bubble-domed, fully automated complex. His personal MiniMachine barks commands at him. "Get up." "Put on your tan jumpsuit." (All the boys wear tan jumpsuits; girls wear blue tops and red jumpers.) "Wait for the school jet," which in Chwast's stylized, highly entertaining cartoon artwork looks like a helicopter made out of a shoe box—hokey futurism. At school, the robot teacher takes the racially diverse class (Arno is white) on a field trip to the Zoo Garden, where one display is our current age, when "there were many kinds of animals and trees and flowers all over the world." Arno is smitten by a bird (conveniently labeled) and sneaks it under his cap. Meanwhile, Arno's MiniMachine continue to make demands: "Play baseball with your friends"—but Arno remembers the bird, which has hurt its wing, so Arno brings it home and cares for it. Arno ignores his MiniMachine until it blows a fuse and Arno is able to enjoy bird song instead. The social commentary is plain as day; whether kids are able to overlook the Jetsons-style doodads to see it is another matter.

A cautionary tale for our automating times. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews