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Robot SMASH!
Here’s a book about a robot who likes to ... SMASH! He’ll smash the usual things, like flowers and soda cans, but that’s just the beginning. This smash-happy guy crushes everything from pirates, ninjas and zombies to Brussels sprouts and all-talk radio. Whatever it is, he’ll gleefully SMASH it to smithereens. One day, he finally meets something he doesn’t feel like a stylish, super-smashing girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks. Instantly, he’s smitten. But while he’s deep in daydreams about their robot romance—SMASH! The oblivious girl robot crushes him flat. It might just be the beginning of a perfect relationship. Minimal text and retro-style 8-bit illustrations lend this story the characteristic feel of an old video game, with each smashed object yielding a bright burst of pixels. Joyful destruction takes center stage in this fun, unique play on what it means to suffer your first crush.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2015
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Stephen W. Martin
17 books26 followersSTEPHEN W. MARTIN is the author of Robot Smash!, Charlotte and the Rock and Stewart's Best Pen. He has also written for Frederator's Bravest Warriors and the Netflix series Trash Truck. Stephen resides in Los Angeles, California but misses Newfoundland.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 20, 2017
Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
This robot with big weighted hands likes to SMASH! He'll smash anything but one day he meets someone who loves to SMASH as much as he does... a girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks.
Perhaps my nephew was the perfect audience for this book... he was attracted right away by the retro 8-bit style art and I have to say that I was too! The story does get muddled near the end when he starts crushing on the girl robot as the art was not well thought out here... and really the story is quite quirky for such a young reader!
The message is rather bizarre? Or shall I say non-existent? I didn't mind that the boy robot found a kindred spirit in the mega girl robot who also loved to smash but why love? This is a VERY young preschooler book and we are trying to get them to think about relationships of love already?! And did the boy robot stop smashing after this? Or did they smash together? Why not a story about friends? Or even about crushes that don't go anywhere... (why would this MEGA SMASH girl robot want small little boy smash robot? This would even have made a better exploration for a child then what was shown!)
The things boy robot smashed were also quite adult in nature... talk radio? I think they were WAY over a child's head. It is still a cute and fun book... the art is particularly attractive! My nephew and I hung over the book and admired several pages... like the pixelated ninjas and pirates who attacked boy robot! It's just not a book that I would EVER read again...
I would LOVE others books in this style that is clearly very attractive to boys and the giggle proponent of the SMASH over and over again was high! Let's just not get so ridiculous trying to push adult ideas on a child! I totally gave 3 stars for the art style and NOT the story...
BOTTOM LINE: Boy robot meets girl SMASH robot...
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
This robot with big weighted hands likes to SMASH! He'll smash anything but one day he meets someone who loves to SMASH as much as he does... a girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks.
Perhaps my nephew was the perfect audience for this book... he was attracted right away by the retro 8-bit style art and I have to say that I was too! The story does get muddled near the end when he starts crushing on the girl robot as the art was not well thought out here... and really the story is quite quirky for such a young reader!
The message is rather bizarre? Or shall I say non-existent? I didn't mind that the boy robot found a kindred spirit in the mega girl robot who also loved to smash but why love? This is a VERY young preschooler book and we are trying to get them to think about relationships of love already?! And did the boy robot stop smashing after this? Or did they smash together? Why not a story about friends? Or even about crushes that don't go anywhere... (why would this MEGA SMASH girl robot want small little boy smash robot? This would even have made a better exploration for a child then what was shown!)
The things boy robot smashed were also quite adult in nature... talk radio? I think they were WAY over a child's head. It is still a cute and fun book... the art is particularly attractive! My nephew and I hung over the book and admired several pages... like the pixelated ninjas and pirates who attacked boy robot! It's just not a book that I would EVER read again...
I would LOVE others books in this style that is clearly very attractive to boys and the giggle proponent of the SMASH over and over again was high! Let's just not get so ridiculous trying to push adult ideas on a child! I totally gave 3 stars for the art style and NOT the story...
BOTTOM LINE: Boy robot meets girl SMASH robot...
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
April 17, 2015
LOVE the girl robot smashing him. SMASH. HA.
May 24, 2015
I liked the illustrations but beyond that...
Read
May 3, 2021Here's a book about a robot who likes to ... SMASH! He'll smash the usual things, like flowers and soda cans, but that's just the beginning. This smash-happy guy crushes everything from pirates, ninjas and zombies to Brussels sprouts and all-talk radio. Whatever it is, he'll gleefully SMASH it to smithereens.
One day, he finally meets something he doesn't feel like smashing: a stylish, super-smashing girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks. Instantly, he's smitten. But while he's deep in daydreams about their robot romance -- SMASH! The oblivious girl robot crushes him flat. It might just be the beginning of a perfect relationship.
Minimal text and retro-style 8-bit illustrations lend this story the characteristic feel of an old video game, with each smashed object yielding a bright burst of pixels. Joyful destruction takes center stage in this fun, unique play on what it means to suffer your first crush.
One day, he finally meets something he doesn't feel like smashing: a stylish, super-smashing girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks. Instantly, he's smitten. But while he's deep in daydreams about their robot romance -- SMASH! The oblivious girl robot crushes him flat. It might just be the beginning of a perfect relationship.
Minimal text and retro-style 8-bit illustrations lend this story the characteristic feel of an old video game, with each smashed object yielding a bright burst of pixels. Joyful destruction takes center stage in this fun, unique play on what it means to suffer your first crush.
May 4, 2018
Concept très intéressant au départ, mais qui s'essouffle très rapidement, car ne mène finalement nulle part. Par contre, cet album, par sa forme répétitive (et un peu imprévisible à la fin), et par son graphisme évoquant les meilleurs jeux vidéo des années 80, saura sûrement faire rire les enfants et leur faire passer du bon temps!
December 16, 2023
I really didn't enjoy this book at all. The illustrations look like an old, fuzzy video game. The robot smashes living things. I didn't appreciate the violence. While I don't think violent videogames cause people to do real life violent things, there is plenty of scientific evidence out there that it does alter your brain in negative ways and cause you to be less empathetic.
March 6, 2023
"Robot Smash"
If you read the Title, then you essentially already read the story. The robot like to smash things, and proceeds to smash different items. That is it. It is boring, repetitive, and ultimately lazy writting.
If you read the Title, then you essentially already read the story. The robot like to smash things, and proceeds to smash different items. That is it. It is boring, repetitive, and ultimately lazy writting.
September 23, 2017
Ha! I did not see that twist coming.
Short and weirdly sweet most young children will read this over and over again.
Short and weirdly sweet most young children will read this over and over again.
April 3, 2018
Look out Hulk, this robot is on a mission to smash whatever he can. It is a cute story and pretty easy for young readers.
December 17, 2015
I was going to give it 3 stars but I changed it to 4 when I saw that other people gave it 1!
It was cute. The story wasn't particularly mindblowing but the pixelated art is super adorable. I loved how our little robot fantasized about the lady smashy robot riding around on a bike with him in the basket!
It was cute. The story wasn't particularly mindblowing but the pixelated art is super adorable. I loved how our little robot fantasized about the lady smashy robot riding around on a bike with him in the basket!
April 9, 2016
It didn't take many pages before my preschooler and I noticed the recurring pattern in this book. Robot likes to smash. Introduce new object, robot smashes it. Introduce another new object, robot smashes that as well. Repeat for a long time. Introduce female robot who also likes to smash, and...the result is probably not what you think.
April 23, 2015
I laughed out loud when I read this one. Not only are the illustrations adorably pixelated, but the story that is told with surprisingly few words is quite entertaining. My son would've loved these when he was 3-4. Actually, he would probably still get a kick out of it at age eight, almost nine.
May 14, 2015
Why do these robots use the human construct of gender? Why do they willfully destruct the things they love - each other, their city, their puppy? Why would anyone write a boy-meets-girl romance for a children's book? Seriously, have you MET a child?
May 30, 2015
I get the gimic of making the illustrations video game-like, but it was too hard to make out what was happening in their thought bubbles. I mean, you get the gist, but it just didn't really work for me.
July 2, 2015
The pixelated pictures were an eye-sore for me, but maybe younger kids will appreciate it. Not much in plot other than a lot of smashing going on. I can only imagine what would happen after story time if I read this to my son when he was younger. SMASH!
July 16, 2015
When genre-filmmaker, Stephen Martin (who has a knack specializing in blood, gore and whimsical storytelling), writes a children’s picture book, you can be certain that it is going to be a bit off the wall. And with a name like Robot SMASH! he stays true to his calling.
October 14, 2014
From Dot:
***
From Judy:
***
***
From Judy:
***
January 15, 2016
From brussels sprouts to puppies, Robot loves to smash! Is there anything that can distract him from his smashing? Reviewer 9.
June 4, 2015
Anyone who grew up with those pixelated 80's computer games will probably adore this book. It's really cute!
June 24, 2015
i loved this book! so fun and cute! Boys will love the smashing girls will love the pink robot. so much fun!
August 24, 2015
Canadian author
July 21, 2016
Robot Storytime
Age: 0-2
2015
Age: 0-2
2015
April 22, 2015
A bit too violent for a picture book.
May 8, 2015
Predictable and not at all interesting.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews