Review by Booklist Review
A tousle-haired little boy is helping his three robot friends get ready for bed: Brush your rotors 'round and 'round. / Clean your shields . . . and power down. After some sudsy, puddly high jinks in the bathroom, everyone is settled in for the night the boy in a bed, the robots on a tiny metal bunk. But just when it seems everyone is asleep, the robots wake the boy with a boisterous BEEP! BEEP! and a litany of tiny complaints. Over and over again, the robots wake him with more requests until, finally, they ask for a story, which puts the boy to sleep. Parents will recognize this familiar bedtime routine, and little ones will chuckle over the cheery, toddlerlike robots' antics. Rocco's luminous illustrations are rich with glowing lights, lifelike depth, and saturated color, and his retro-futuristic robots are alive with vivid expressiveness. Tarpley's lilting couplets are a joy to read aloud, and the repeated interrupted refrain of three little robots are . . . will surely delight kiddos listening in.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This book accomplishes two important goals: it's wonderfully entertaining, and it gives parents a well-deserved opportunity to tell their offspring, "Welcome to my world." A responsible-looking boy is trying to get his three robot charges-who, like their human counterparts, are full of beans at bedtime-to go to sleep: "Three little robots, time for bed/ Time to dim your infrared." Every time the boy thinks he has ushered them into slumberland, with the goal of getting some shut-eye himself, a new obstacle pops up ("Is something wrong?" "I need my coil!"/ "My sensor aches!" "I want more oil!"). When peace finally prevails, Tarpley (Ten Tiny Toes) and Rocco (Blizzard) offer another twist, best summed up as "Who's tucking in who?" The rambunctious robots will win readers' hearts from the title page, when they swing from a light fixture and bounce on the sofa. But the human hero is equally appealing: dressed in dadlike striped pajamas, he has clearly had an excellent role model when it comes to be being a loving and put-upon authority figure. Ages 3-6. Author's agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. Illustrator's agent: Rob Weisbach, Weisbach Creative Management. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A boy tries desperately to get his three robots to sleep. He leads them into the bathroom for rotor brushing and shield cleaning and finally settles them and himself into bed. But just as the snappy rhyming text suggests the robots are fast asleep, a page turn repeatedly indicates otherwise. "BEEP! BEEP!" bleep the robots as they report "sensor aches," the need for a light and more oil and a coil, and problems with a loose belt or tight bolt. Finally, in utter frustration, the boy issues an ultimatum: "No more blipping!/Blinking-boinking!/Winking-w-hirring!/Squinking-oinking!" Of course, they ignore him with a last request: "a bedtime story." Then no more sounds ensue, for the robots have "finally put/their boy to sleep." The illustrations, created with pencil, watercolor, and digital paint, greatly extend the text. The chaotic bathroom spread shows a robot entangled in toilet tissue as another overflows the sink with bubbles and toothpaste and a third sprays water well beyond the bathtub. The boy first rests with a wary eye on the troublemakers, yawns in hopeful anticipation of quiet, and finally lies spread-eagled in exhaustion. Alert readers will notice that a mouse, which has its own bed in the room, joins in the antics from start to finish. VERDICT A delightful tale of bedtime role-reversal that sharp youngsters will appreciate.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Opening endpapers set the stage for the evenings events as a pajama-clad boy desperately chases after three retro robots. A turn of the page reveals, through title and art, that its time for bed. The boy guides the bots through their nighttime ritualsBrush your rotors round and round. Clean your shieldsand power downand with everyone successfully tucked in (Quiet at last, not a peep), it seems as if the boys mission is accomplished. But thenBEEP! BEEP! The robots are awake and stalling for time: My sensor aches! I want more oil! The tired boy remedies the bots woes, then finally reaches his limit and throws a Seussian fit: No more blipping! Blinking-boinking! Winking-whirring! Squinking-oinking! Undeterred, the robots rouse the boy again, this time to ask for a bedtime story (3 Little Robots), which puts their boy to sleepleaving the robots to resume their gleeful race throughout the house. Tarpleys rhyming text is embellished by Roccos mixed-media illustrations, with their individualized settings (Roccos eye for detail gives each room in the house a unique atmosphere), dynamic lighting, and distinctive characterizations (including a helpful, unsung mouse). Spot-on page turns and seamless transitions from straight narration to speech balloons encourage audience participation. This engaging and playful bedtime story will leave few children feeling powered down. patrick gall(c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A tricksy and playful rhyming robot bedtime story that will power down the little ones.As nighttime approaches, a little boy gathers his three little robots to take them to bed. He guides them through his pre-bedtime routine of tooth-brushing, toilet use, and bathing, and then they stroll toward the bedroom. Once they are tucked into bed, the room is finally silent and the text reads, "Quiet at last, not a peep. Three little robots are..."but then the page turns, and "BEEP! BEEP!" Throughout the night those words are constantly repeated as the boy tries mightily to find new ways to make his three little robots fall asleep. Tarpley's rhymes and wordplay will drive children to join in. The watercolors and digital painting used by Rocco bring life to the characters and help convey both the energy of the unruly robots and the boy's frustration while he struggles to get his robots to sleep. It's interesting to note that here the protagonist works out his sleeplessness through his robots instead of stuffed toys, as in many other picture books, showcasing the influence of technology on today's bedtime routines.The short and rhyming text, along with its colorful illustrations, makes this book a great read-aloud for robot or pajama storytimes as well as bedtime lap reading. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.