Bots and Bods: How Robots and Humans Work, from the Inside Out

by John Andrews

What do humans and robots have in common? Find out in this intriguing illustrated nonfiction book that encourages kids to discover their inner robot.

Bots and Bods is an illustrated guide for kids looking to explore anatomy and technology and how they're related. How do we both move or sense the world? How does robot intelligence compare to our own? Middle-grade readers will find these answers and more among the four An accessible guide with exciting illustrations, fun facts, and special feature spreads about robots in the real world explains why “bots” can sometimes do a better job than “bods” and vice versa.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 2, 2021

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

This is John^Andrews, where ^=space.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The comparisons between robots and bodies is fascinating! Explanations are given for how parts are similar, yet different. I learned a ton, and I've marked certain pages to go back and explore more. I like how there are things robots do better, and things humans and animals do better. For example; robots are good at walking, but not running. Wonder why? You'll have to check out Bots and Bods!

The illustrations are modern, colorful, and appealing. There are diagrams throughout the book helping to explain structures and other scientific parts. The way the text and information is displayed is easy to read. I enjoyed looking at the pictures and thinking about all the cool facts.

I recommend this book to people interested in how bodies work and for those who are curious about robots. You can skip around and read the parts that interest you most- or jump in at the beginning and read the whole book.

I don't have a lot of students check out books on how the body work and this could be a way to help spark their curiosity about the body and robots.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was quite an interesting little read, if rather niche. It's a book that sort of engages in comparative biology, highlighting what makes the human form so unique and interesting, and putting it alongside any relevant kind of robot equivalent. So we get a lesson on the structure of the human skin, and then get it compared with the exoskeleton of a robot. We see how our arm, leg, and ankle joints and more are formatted, and then how robot forms might get optimised in similar or very different ways. The book also, luckily, if a little social-engineeringly, shows us what might happen if we combine the two – as we have been doing since the first pacemaker, and suchlike equipment. So at any one time we might be glorying in the future of search and rescue drones, or spider-like droids for use on other planets, or learning about the human digestive system, or getting used to medical use of nanobots and prosthetics – we're on the cusp of going off into a right jumble of subjects many times, but things just about hang together. Even self-driving cars and other automations get featured, and while the book does have a kind of 'you will get used to this' hectoring, I can see that it will also inspire copious diverse interests in multiple STEM subjects. I still think this is a bit specific and narrow, even if it is on two very diverse paths, but I also think this well worth commending to educators out there; it's pitched very well at a nine-to-thirteen sort of audience.

[Pegah Ouji · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a non-fiction book for children that explains in a simple and comprehensible language the similarities and differences between human beings and robots. My four years old ask me often about robots but the explanations in my head were complicated and not easy to share in a way that's easy to understand. In that light, I really appreciated this book and had a great time reading it with my son.

I think though that this book, while very informative on the robot side, does not do justice to explaining the human phenomenon. At times it sounds as if eventually robots will be just like humans, will have skin, will generate their own broken parts, and make decisions. I understand that this is a heated topic these days but I would have liked to see some more light shed on subtle aspects of human beings and what makes us unique.

[Sally Wilsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is more for middle school children than younger ones due to the terms. This is a really good book because not only does it go into detail on what goes into making and operating a robot but also the human anatomy. It tells the different jobs that robots can do that we can not. I like that it stresses that robots only do what human program them to do and that humans have free will. It does delve into the role robots will have later down the road like they will look like humans more than metal. My favorite part was Robots and Us the Future because I can see it becoming a reality. The illustrations in this book were very detailed and informative and liked all the fun facts and experiments.

[Ethan Hu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bots and Bods promises a fascinating look at the parallels between humans and robots, but ends up delivering a shallow, overly simplified overview that feels more like a pamphlet than a deep dive. The illustrations, while colorful, lack the detail or originality to hold attention, and the “fun facts” and prompts often come across as generic filler rather than sparks for curiosity. Instead of inspiring awe or offering fresh insights into robotics and human biology, the book settles for surface-level tidbits that quickly fade from memory—a missed opportunity for something truly engaging.

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bots and Bods is a perfect mentor text when teaching #nonfiction - I love how it has all of the text features and each section is written in multiple structures. Preorder now for a March release! Then check out ELA Everyday on Instagram for some nonfiction lessons you could use with this title!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review for this book will appear on CBCA's www.readingtime.com.au