Build a Robot! (Maker Comics Series)

by Colleen AF Venable, Kathryn Hudson (Illustrator)

Overview

Inside this volume of Maker Comics, First Second's DIY comic series, you'll find step-by-step instructions on how to construct six different robots!

The family toaster is preparing to take over the world with an army of evil robots, but he needs your help to build them! Several obstacles lie in his path: your homework, a pesky little sister, and even a dastardly kitty cat. Just follow his instructions to build a series of robots, and world domination is within reach!

With Maker Comics: Build a Robot! written by Colleen AF Venable, featuring illustrations from Kathryn Hudson, you can create a bunch of (non-evil) robots of your very own! All you need are a few everyday items you can find lying around the house and some simple components you can order online. With the easy instructions in this book and you can build a robot that can move on its own, sound an alarm, and even use a sensor to respond to the outside world!

Follow the easy step-by-step instructions inside this book and you can make these robots!

Brush bot
Art bot
Scare bot
Noisy bot
LED throwie
Remote controlled car bot

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250152169
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Series:	Maker Comics Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,050,852
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Colleen AF Venable is an author, designer, and maker. Her books include the YA graphic novel Kiss Number 8 (illustrated by Ellen T. Crenshaw), the quirky counting boardbook One More Wheel (illustrated by Blythe Russo), and the graphic novel series Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye (illustrated by Stephanie Yue).

Born and raised in Mississippi, Kathryn Hudson graduated from The Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia with a Master's degree in Illustration. She is a character lead for Warner Bros. Animation's DC Super Hero Girls. She now lives with her husband and two cats in Atlanta, Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2021

In this DIY comic, fire engine red Toaster 2, the “most advanced robot ever created,” addresses readers directly, inviting them to help it take over (er, “save”) the world: “You are smart! You have opposable thumbs!” Beginning with facts about robotics’ history (“Robots! Totally Not Evil! A Timeline”), T2 next walks readers through eight increasingly difficult robot tutorials, showing readers how to avoid obstacles that may detract from T2’s plans—lantern-propelled markers assist with homework, electric toothbrush–powered brushbots scrub the bathroom clean, and a hamster ball noisybot attempts to distract a pestering younger sibling. Venable (Katie the Catsitter) presents each invention with clearly listed supplies and comprehensive step-by-step instructions, balancing technical nonfiction elements and safety advice with an entertaining fictional narrative. Relevant explanations (“A Lesson in Glues!”) and information about notable inventors, largely white men, appear occasionally. Hudson’s clear art facilitates the building process, though the panel layout is sometimes confusing, and the two East Asian characters are visually stereotyped. Accessible inventions and back matter instructions on starting a robotics club give readers tools to steep themselves in robotics in this Pinky and the Brain–flavored comic mash-up. Ages 9–13. (Mar.)■

Publishers Weekly

"Venable presents each invention with clearly listed supplies and comprehensive step-by-step instructions, balancing technical nonfiction elements and safety advice with an entertaining fictional narrative." —Publishers Weekly

"Hudson’s full-color illustrations are lively; together with Venable’s patient and thorough directions, they should encourage young readers to take the plunge into making their own bots." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2021-01-27
A fun how-to manual for aspiring roboticists.

This most recent installment in the Maker Comics series (tagline: “the ultimate DIY guide”) weaves a narrative around six robotics projects of varying difficulty. Toaster 2, a tomato-red appliance who proclaims itself the “most advanced robot ever created,” speaks directly to readers as they follow his lighthearted adventures navigating the perils around his family’s house. It creates an artbot to tackle pesky homework assignments, a scarebot to fend off “your” annoying brother, and three versions of a carbot to move the slumbering family pet, Katty the Destroyer. Each project has a detailed supply list with helpful suggestions of where to procure the more-obscure components and easy-to-follow, illustrated instructions. The robots range from simple designs composed of packing tape and magnets to more sophisticated schemes utilizing breadboards and coding. Venable intersperses engaging factoids throughout the guide on various topics, including the history of glue, a timeline of robotics, and an overview of the computer language Arduino. Hudson’s full-color illustrations are lively; together with Venable’s patient and thorough directions, they should encourage young readers to take the plunge into making their own bots. Also included is a step-by-step guide to starting a robotics club, helping to move any builder’s love from the page to a group. T2’s family is interracial: Dad and “your brother” present Black, and Mom and “your little sister” have Asian features. Both of the latter have offputtingly stylized eyes, and Mom’s hourglass figure and hairstyle skate close to stereotypes of hypersexualized Asian women—a shame, as her textual character development is terrific.

A (mostly) confidence-inspiring guide for young creators. (Graphic nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews