Stop! Bot!

by James Yang

In this picture book mystery, a little boy out for a walk with his family stops to show a building doorman his new "bot": "I have a bot!" Only he doesn't have it for long, because it floats up out of his hands like an escaped balloon. "Stop! Bot!" Springing to action, the kind doorman runs up to each floor of the building to try and catch it—along with the help of each floor's resident. But while everything looks normal at first, every floor (and resident) is a little more wacky and unusual than the last! Musicians, baseball players, zoo animals, and finally a very large monkey all play a part—but will they rescue the Bot before it's too late?!

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Robots, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2019

About the author

James Yang is an award-winning artist and designer, and the author of Stop! Bot!, the winner of the 2020 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. His follow up book, A Boy Named Isamu , is the APALA 2022 Honor Title Picture for Asian American literature . He uses pencil sharpeners, pens, and a computer--which is an electronic machine--in his studio. James Yang grew up in Oklahoma, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

STOP THAT BOT! Great art!

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Rear Window meets Wes Anderson meets Richard Scarry"? Um... okay. I'm sure that's what every parent is looking for in their children's picture books.

This is a very simple concept book that I've actually seen done better before... a long time ago. In this iteration, a boy loses his "bot" (it's really more of a drone) as it flies upward next to a skyscraper. As the doorman goes chasing upward, various residents of the building are shown trying to help. Most of the "help" is rather ridiculous (there's everything from ten-foot-long utensils to a giraffe), and the ending--a nod to another old story--actually makes the most sense. It's somewhat amusing, but the story is fairly thin and obviously intended for very young readers. The main appeal of this book will probably be looking at what's going on in the various apartments as the doorman goes chasing after the bot.

So where have I seen this done better? In Peter Newell's The Rocket Book , which I read earlier this year. In that book, a boy lights a rocket in the basement of a tall building, and as it goes smashing up through the various floors, each tenant's reaction is described in jaunty rhyme. Newell's book was written in 1912, and there are some dated bits, but I far prefer to it Yang's simplified version. Perhaps Stop! Bot! would be suitable for younger children until they can better appreciate The Rocket Book. Stop! Bot! isn't bad; it's just a little too sparse and simple except for the youngest of readers.

[Robbi C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the perspective of this book as each page led us up and up and up the side of the building and there was always something interesting to see along the way. Lots of opportunities to talk about what you’re seeing even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the plot. Lol. It was a fun little read.
But ultimately, I am left with so many questions. 😂
Where is the bot’s body?
Is it flying or floating?
Why do all these residents in the apartment have extra big or extra long objects they use to try and catch the bot?
Wait...we aren’t gonna even address the superhero cat, the alien, or King Kong?! 😳😂
Are these kids in the same family? They clearly are not good at holding on to things?
Is that a balloon of the superhero cat?
Why is superhero cat not doing anything super to get the bot and balloon back?
Did they get the balloon? It looks like it’s still floating on the end page.
See...so many questions. 🧐

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Theodore Geisel Award, the retro illustrations were a lot of fun in this story about a remote control bot floats/flies away from a boy.

[Savannah Cone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A child loses control of a flying bot and a diverse group of apartment residents try to stop it. It floats all the way to the top of the building as the tenants try creative and funny strategies to stop the bot to no avail. The bot finally reaches the top and there is an ingenious rescue.

Genre: Picture Book (Young Readers). Awards: Geisel Award. Audience: 4-5.

A. This is an Easy-to-Read book because the sentences are short and easy to read as they are in big, white letters in black speech bubbles. Also, the illustrations depict emotive faces and perfectly pair with the words.
B. Yang uses digital art with a focus on lines which brings the eyes up—the same way the flying bot is moving. Everything has a feeling of upward movement.
C. Practice beginning to read skills. It is set up to be an Easy-to-Read book and a child would find it engaging and approachable as a book to practice their reading skills.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awww. A young child is so excited to have a bot. But then his bot floats up and gets stuck in what appears to be a large apartment building. Everyone has a plan for getting the bot back down, but ultimately it's a simple trick of distractions. There's a funny little surprise ending, too! The cheery, colorful illustrations are bright and inviting, however, I could not find out how they were created.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute Drone robot flies up to the top of an apartment building, and the neighbors try to help rescue it, with each floor;

Good humor and a Funny Ending!!

Super cute illustrations, deserving of the Geisel Illustration Award!

[Kacey Lundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple. Bright, fun art on every page. Quite silly. My three year old loves this book we got from the library. She wants to read it every night! There aren’t many words on each page, but we usually stop and talk about the art on each page (lots of fun things in all the windows!).

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, primary picture book. My grandkids loved the picture clues though out the story and begged me to read it again. I really enjoyed this book!

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did some of those things fit in those apartments? A silly book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story, with a building of people each sharing their own gift to help rescue an escaped bot.

[Kirsten Stelt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be fun and playful, and encouraging of readers to help another person out. Lending a helping hand is important for children to understand. However, I thought the theme could be more present throughout the book. I also found the book to be short, definitely for a younger child (maybe 5-9 year olds?)

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one presents a simple problem. Others step up to help. It's cute.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just okay. Definitely for a younger audience. Clever, out-of-the-box idea for solving a problem.

[Peyton Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an exciting picture book for kids. This book would allow for great classroom discussion of what is seen in the illustrations. This would be an easy read for students who are just learning to read due to the short and simple sentences.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy loses his bot as fit floats up farther and farther. Together a cast of characters tries to get bot to come back down. Great early reader book to build vocabulary.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those that enjoy playing with drones might appreciate this funny story of a Bot that flies out of control. A little boy stops to show his Bot to the doorman of an apartment building, but then loses control and the Bot gets away. The doorman and all the tenants in each of the windows of the tall building do their best to get ahold of it, until there's a bit of a surprise ending. The humorous illustrations and the awesome characters will make this a favorite on the bookshelf.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are wonderful in this book and I love how it isn't a "normal" size! It's a tall and skinny book since there is a skyscraper in it. I do wonder what kind of management there is in that apartment building, though, since all those animals are allowed to live in it! LOL

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but not my favorite Geisel winner.

[Halie Korff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for this award because it is such a well rounded book, first it is about a robot that lost his bottom after getting up from a swing. Then it takes him on a whole journey to get his bottom back, where he had many people help him, most that used his bottom for something for themselves but it didn’t work out. In the end he got his bottom back after people were using it to make a sand castle, and countless others used it for odd things. He was happy and did a dance with all the people that used his bottom and were happy he got it back, then swore he would never lose it again… With an image of him back on the swing leaving behind his whole arm.
So this book meets the criteria of the award in terms of being a great combination between the story line and the illustration working with them through it, as well as the images children will also be able to infer and create their own thoughts based off of them. It is so important in beginner reader books that if children don’t know a hard word or are struggling to read a line that they can look around and know what's going on and be able to connect the two. That is something this book did so right. There is room for imagination and creativity and then my favorite part at the end I can picture reading it to my students and them having an “oh no” moment when they see Bot left his arm behind.
When it comes to my own review of the book it is award aside a good children's literature book, it has solid colors for children to know the characters, boxy images that children could even drawl. It is a book children can connect with all around. I also enjoy it because of the characters it has in it and the robot is even different from everybody else but it brought no light or attention to that. The book also contained a variety of page setups leaving it interesting to the eyes at all points from just a page image to double page spreads, also containing just a cut out of Robot at one point to express the seriousness of the situation.

[Serena Kolocin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Stop! Bot!" by James Yang is a book of science fiction. It has won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and is intended for children ages two through five. This book is about a child's robot flying into the air and various people trying to catch it for him, and it keeps flying higher and higher. The young boy takes his robot to what appears to be an apartment building, and he releases it into the air. When it was supposed to come back down, it did not, where the title "Stop! Bot!" comes into play. I only rated this book three stars because I feel as though it does not do Dr. Seuss justice. Although this book is intended for younger readers, it almost feels too juvenile. The people in the apartment complex are trying to catch it using items that would not work in real life (which is why this book is science fiction) and does not end in a satisfying conclusion. Despite the literature being juvenile, the illustrations are the shining point of this book. It is colorful, goofy, and almost retro-looking, and that gives in to the juvenile nature. You can see the man running up the stairs trying to catch the bot, as well as the different people in the building reaching for it with items like a giraffe, a plant, etc., and eventually, the thing that catches the bot is shockingly, bananas. The illustrations are the saving grace for this book, and for the images alone, I would read this to my students, especially if they wanted to read a book about a robot-this would be the one I would grab. I believe this would be something they would grab too, the colors are very appealing and children love robots.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, with stylish, graphically strong illustrations and an appealing concept - a child loses hold of his ‘bot’ which floats upwards just outside the windows of a skyscraper as a dedicated doorman pursues it and interested neighbors attempt to help with whatever idiosyncratic elements come to hand (trombones, carnivorous plants, a giraffe). But as handsome as the illustrations are and even despite the tall narrow design of the book, somehow the story doesn’t gel visually or emotionally. The eye is distracted, and bounces around, indicating bad design. The bot doesn’t seem very interesting, why is it so helpless? I have loads of kids interested in robots but I think they would find this one a total dud. The boy who lost the bot is left far below, so doesn’t provide an emotional anchor. The neighbors are plain useless, if well meaning. When the whole cycle starts again It neither amuses or interests me. Mostly I hope the pathetic parents at least tip the doorman very well. The two stories I want to see are the doorman recounting his ludicrous day to his partner when he gets home and the story behind the creature, we only know by its feet, who captures the bot. Lots of missed opportunities that remind me of Tom Hanks in Big asking of a much touted toy, why is that fun?

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2020 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.

The occupants of a high rise in the city look out their windows to see a remote controlled robot flying by out of control. Several try to help the doorman catch it for the little boy, but they are just too late, until it is finally caught.

Using many of the same conventions and tricks as he did in Bus! Stop!, James Yang turns this book on edge and shows a tall, colorful skyscraper inhabited by a diverse group of people. One-sentence of simple text is shown in a black bubble/box in each two-page spread, with difficult words easily decoded by looking at the illustrations. The font American Typewriter is used. Most sentences end in exclamation points, making this useful to teach beginning readers how to read this type of sentence. Yang's digital artwork adds much to the humor of this story of a runaway robot. His choice to use a cutaway view of the doorman running up/down stairs only once is brilliant.

Recommended for Toddlers-grade 1.

[Savannah White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story begins with a child's excitement about getting a bot. However, the happiness is short-lived when the remote-controlled toy escapes its wireless tether and begins an ascent up the side of a skyscraper. However, the joy is short-lived as the remote-controlled bot breaks free of its wireless link and starts to climb up a skyscraper. The building’s door attendant launches a race to recover the bot, and everyone helps. There are many attempts to retrieve the bot who is depicted as a red rectangle with arms, a propeller, and a face. The bot is attempted to be retrieved using a variety of ridiculous tools. As the bot makes its way to the top, where an unexpected hero waits, each double-page spread unveils a new level of the skyscraper and more graphic tricks. The story ends with the bot being retrieved, but a balloon being lost the same way. The text is minimal and simple in this story, making it an easy read for young children.

[Jaime King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it showed a sense of community between an entire apartment building. The little boy loses his bot, so everyone in the apartment building teams up together to try and find it for the little boy. This could teach young readers that helping others is important. The doorman in this book tries his very best to help the little boy. He even exchanges bananas for the bot to a gorilla. This shows that there are still good people out in the world that are willing to help. It is so rewarding to help other and young children need a book that shows helping other and the effects of it. I also related to this book. I related to it because one time I was stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, but a older gentlemen took the time out of his day to one and change my flat tire. Simple deeds like this still shows hope in humanity.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop! Bot! won the Geisel Award in 2020. This is a short story where a little boy has a bot and it is flying up the side of the building, and the people in the building are trying to stop to bot to give it back to the little boy. This is a fun story for younger students, and I think the strengths of this book would be the illustrations. The illustrations kept my attention during the book, and draw in any reader, I would imagine. The illustrations are bright with color, the background is geometric, there are fun characters trying to grab the bot. I think the teacher could use this book with younger students and have the kids do an art project that go along with the book. They could try to mimic the styles, the colors, the way the characters are drawn, and so on, in their own picture they choose to draw.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I recall, this book won an award recently and for early readers, I can completely understand. The language is extremely simple but there is so much discussion and inferring that can happen on each page that I could see where early readers would want to read this book over and over. In kindergarten and first grade when we are starting to ask readers, "How do you know that?" to begin their knowledge of inferring, this would be a great book for them to be able to point to concrete evidence. And finally, for early writers, the ending so wonderfully lends itself to writing their own story that can be based on the first, for those who struggle with ideas or create a completely open-ended opportunity for those whose imaginations run wild.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the sidewalk in front of a tall building, a little boy’s bot is rising up the building, seemingly out of control. As it passes the various floors the residents all try different things to try to catch it.

Graphic novel style dialogue makes this early reader engaging and fun. The illustrations are colorful and whimsical, and the shape of the book, tall and skinny, gives the reader great perspective. I loved the woman with the huge bouffant hairdo and the doorman chasing the thing is delightful. A perfect shared read with lots of things to look at and talk about. 2020 Geisel Medal winner.

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[Kathryn Summerfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Geisel Award
Stop! Bot! by James Yang is about a robot that can fly and it is flying outside up an apartment complex and people who live on each floor are trying to stop the robot out their windows. The robot turns out to be a child’s toy and the residents of the house were not trying to break the robot, they were trying to help the child get his robot. Some points of interest are the illustrations because the illustrations are really cool because they are showing the different ways people are trying to get the robot down. Teachers could use this book in the classroom to show the importance of illustrations

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple story executed well. This bot is basically a drone that looks like a robot head.

The bellhop of a funny apartment building is running up the stairs to try and catch this bot and we get to see some wacky characters. My favorite characters are the Giraffe, that won me over. Use a giraffe and it's like an immediate extra star, the beehive hair lady. That gave me a good chuckle and the Venus Flytrap lady. They were all good quirky characters. What great about the fun artwork is that each pages goes a few more floors up, so we can still see the heads of the people from the last page.

Creative use of the actual book. Well done.