کارگاهِ وندل

by Chris Riddell (Illustrator), مهرداد زمردیان (Translator)

آیا تا به حال چیزی اختراع کرده‌اید یا اصلاً دوست دارید این کار را انجام دهید؟ جواب موش بامزه و کوچولوی داستان «کارگاه وندل» به این پرسش‌ها یک «بله» محکم است.

وِندِل کوچولو هر روز لباس کار یک‌سره‌ی آبی‌رنگش را می‌پوشد، راهی کارگاه شلوغ‌وپلوغش می‌شود، آچارها و ابزارهایش را برمی‌دارد و شروع می‌کند به اختراع کردن؛ اما وندل دقیقاً چه‌چیزی اختراع می‌کند؟ چه سؤال خوبی! وندل کوچولوی باهوش هر روز ساختن چیزهای مختلفی را امتحان می‌کند. یک روز قوری آهنگی بزرگی می‌سازد که خودش می‌تواند چای داغ داغ بریزد. روز دیگر یک نان‌تست‌کن درست می‌کند که می‌تواند راه برود، اما فقط یک ایراد کوچک دارد: این نان‌تست‌کن به‌جای گرم کردن نان‌ها آن‌ها را آتش می‌زند!

کریس ریدل تصویرگری و نویسندگی کتاب «کارگاه وندل» را آنچنان خوب انجام داده که «فایننشال تایمز» درباره‌ی او می‌نویسد: «کریس ریدل درهم‌ریختگی‌ها را با جزئیات فراوان به تصویر می‌کشد و حتی کوچک‌ترین پیچ‌ومهره‌ها را نشان می‌دهد.» و «آبزِروِر» نیز درباره‌ی او می‌گوید: «کریس ریدل یکی از بهترین نویسندگان معاصر است.»

Genres: Picture Books, Robots, Childrens, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2007

About the author

Chris Riddell was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was an Anglican priest and a member of the ANC. The family moved to England in 1963, when Riddell was one year old, and he spent his childhood in a number of different locations, as his father moved between parishes. Both of Riddell's parents continued to be active in the anti-apartheid movement.

Chris Riddell is an internationally acclaimed writer and illustrator whose many awards include the Nestlé Gold Award and two Kate Greenaway Medals—the most prestigious prize for illustration in the UK. He is the creator of more than one hundred books for all ages, including the immensely popular series the Edge Chronicles and his latest chapter book series, starring the irrepressible Ottoline Brown, which School Library Journal called "exceptional." Chris lives in Brighton, England, with his wife and three children where he invents his amazing characters in a very tidy shed in his yard.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wendel the mouse was a brilliant inventor, working ceaselessly to improve upon his creations. Not everything he made turned out quite as he intended, of course, but he was always willing to start over. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to throw his mistakes on the rubbish pile, rather than trying to rebuild them. Imagine his dismay, when his ultra-efficient Wendelbot tosses him out, in the process of tidying! Can Wendel retake his workshop? Will his experience teach him the value of reusing...?

An original picture-book adventure from Chris Riddell - whose artwork can also be seen in the immensely popular children's fantasy series, The Edge Chronicles - Wendel's Workshop was an enjoyable book. As always, the illustrations were delightful, with both mouse and robots - from the endearing Clunk to the frightening Wendelbot - shown in expressive detail. The message of reusing is there, but never overwhelms the story. An entertaining tale, that will be particularly popular with young robot lovers, I think...

[John of Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading a lot of political crap,and this book is a great break from Jane Mayer and the whole CNN,MSNBC,CBC gang.Yes you too Fox news.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it with robots? They seem to attract some of our best storytellers and illustrators. Further - you might expect that picture books featuring robots running amok would also convey a message about over-reliance on technology, or abuse of resources, or PUT DOWN THE NINTENDO YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING OUTSIDE... but most of them don't. Or if they do, the message is soft-pedaled, as it is in Wendel's Workshop. Nothing worse than getting hammered over the head with a message when all you're trying to do is share 32 pages of picture book with your overscheduled kid. I SAID PUT DOWN THE NINTENDO.

Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book to readers aged 5+. Wendell the mouse is a very untidy inventor. His inventions are flawed, but after building the perfect robot to help him things go from bad to worse. This book highlights many important themes for children such as accepting others as they are and sustainability. Exuberant illustrations by the author make this book a fun read.

[Robin Rowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me laugh-out-loud! Indeed, I'm sure any young-reader who has an underlying love for robots and creativity will strongly admire Wendel. Fantasy, entertainment and fun at its very best Take me there!

[Sanja_Sanjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny, witty, beautifully illustrated story with a great message.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendel's Workshop is a great story based around a mouse called Wendel who loves inventing things. He makes lots of robots that don't always turn out as he likes so he throws them away but one day he makes a robot too good at cleaning and it throws him away.

This is a really fun story that the children really enjoyed. It is nice to see how Wendel comes up with all the robots and the trouble he finds himself in. The Wendelbot shows that things don't always go to plan but it's fun to see how Wendel deals with the troublesome robot that just too good at its job.

The illustrations are very detailed and show just how busy Wendel is when he's inventing things. The children's favourite pictures were the last few pages and seeing the new area Wendel creates. This is also great to show how we can sometimes be too wasteful and there are often uses for things that we see as rubbish and that they could be saved. This is a great story, the children liked seeing Wendel and all the robots he creates and there is a lovely message behind the story to never give up and make use of what you have.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wendel was an inventor. Sometimes his inventions worked perfectly, and sometimes they didn't. When they didn't, Wendel just threw them away and started again."

Due to his endless inventing, Wendel's workshop becomes a huge mess. So, he invents a robot to help him clean up. However, his first robot, Clunk, doesn't quite get the idea of how to clean. So, Wendel throws him on the scrapheap and starts over. His 2nd robot, Wendelbot, is too good at cleaning up and soon chucks Wendel onto the scrapheap for his untidiness. This is when Wendel meets up with Clunk again. And together, they figure out what they must do to stop Wendelbot.

Cute.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checked this out of the library because I like Chris Riddell’s illustrations in the Rabbit and Hedgehog series, and I want to practice my drawing by copying some more of his work. I was impressed by the story as well. It was an original plot, with a bit of action. Seems a great one for kids who like to tinker and invent things, especially if they like robots. I think this would particularly appeal to boys.

[Lucije · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, first things first - it is a book for kids so don't expect an elaborate, inventive, original plot. You will not get it. What you will get, on the other hand, is a wonderful little book full of cute illustrations that your kid will love and you will enjoy. What more is there to wish for on mere 32 pages?

I loved it, my daughter did too!

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendel learns that just because something doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time or exactly the way he wants it to be doesn’t mean it’s not useful. At first he throws out many things into his scrap heap, but through a series of events (involving a very tidy robot) he learns that all those things in the scrap heap can be turned into imperfectly wonderful things. That’s a message I like.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. A fantastic tale about robots. My only wish is that it was bigger as it would be a great read for a group storytime but is too small to share as a group. So, I'd say, fantastic one on one read.

[Sarah Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about a very clever, yet untidy mouse whose inventions don’t always go to plan. Beautiful illustrations that brilliantly capture the characters’ personas. Children might like to do some inventions of their own based on this story- what would they have their robots do?

[Happy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my two-year old and it was fun explaining to her the roles of robot in our lives. Hahahaha We hope to reread this when she is bit older and understand the importance of tidying and making use of things instead of throwing it out.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, quick, easy read. I liked the artwork. The story was fun and I liked how Wendel's goal initially backfired when he made the Wendelbot. The conclusion of the book felt just right.
I would probably recommend this to others.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I checked this out because I enjoy Chris Riddell's art but unfortunately I found this story kind of boring. The illustrations were cute though

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is an often quoted favourite in our family - fun illustrations and a cute story ... with a good underlying message

[Ain Ashura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and funny :)

[Nicoleta]

Problema facerii patului altfel rezolvată. Și la ce bun atâtea umbrele oricum?

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick adventure!

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moral not lost too adults, but too much of a nothing story to get the children’s interest for long.

[Isaiah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

[Veera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suomeksi Veetin verstas

Chris Riddell on yksi mun lemppari kuvittajista.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gift for Wes (4) from Oxford!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-released as Wendel and the Robots

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book of learning, introspection.... Who am I kidding everything has its uses and sometimes it is better to fix and adjust than to throw away. Some of the most amazing drawings that have me hooked every time. Learn from mistakes as you will grow as a person because of it and sometimes change the world.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This silly story was my oldest son's favorite for quite a while. I give it 5 stars for the story and art that totally captured my son's imagination.

Wendel is an inventor who produces a lot of imperfect creations that end up on the scrap heap. He also doesn't like to clean up, so he focuses his skills on creating a robot to clean for him. His creations are imperfect in a couple of different ways - one of those ways being more catastrophic than the other. In the end, he learns about the right amount of tidiness (cleanish, but not too clean), and the value of imperfection.

The boys are 9 and 12, and it's been some time since we've read picture books together. My oldest son re-discovered "The Dangerous Alphabet" by Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimly at the beginning of May and asked me to read it to him. Now we're revisiting all of our favorite picture books. I love well written and/or illustrated children's books, and hope the boys are never to old for stories with pictures.

This book qualifies as part of my Year Of Visual Art initiative. I'm a long time admirer of Chris Riddell's work. He has a lovely whimsical style with excellent attention to detail and pleasing color palettes. While reading this last night, the boys pointed out some of their favorite details in one of the full page pictures near the end of the book (the re-use of Wendelbot after his fateful demise). I had to agree - it was very well done!

[Inderpreet Uppal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for 5-year-olds and my son just loved it. He made me read it from cover to cover at least a dozen times. He had borrowed it from the school Library and we thoroughly enjoyed the book. The cover itself is a big plus. The creative and beautiful illustrations are really attractive.

The story has all the elements to enthrall little readers. Inventions, robots, a few glitches and a good lesson, in the end, makes Wendel's Workshop a memorable book. The inventor Wendel is so busy with his work and inventions that he like most small children forgets to tidy as he goes. Just dumping stuff and scraping what he finds useless.

When he invents Wendelbot and thinks the robot is perfect, that's when the trouble starts. The robot with his cleanliness instinct sets out to cause major trouble for Wendel. The inventor learns his lesson when he finds himself in a tight spot and his old inventions come to his rescue.

The book comes with a few lessons in cleanliness, organizing, and caring for our things. As well as the story which is easy to read and funny, the pictures add to the overall reading experience. The illustrations and the detailed pictures of various robots are a true delight for my son. I too enjoyed the storybook. We are going to read more books by the author.

This book, Wendel's Workshop is a perfect read for the vacations since each page has so much to read, learn and discuss. Even the crazy Wendelbot is a bit of fun!

[McKenna Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a super cute book about a great mouse inventor named Wendel. He loved to create things, so much so that he never had time to clean up or do anything else. To solve his problem, he made a robot named Clunk to clean up his place while he worked. Clunk tried so hard to please Wendel, but he just couldn't do it quite right. Wendell got tired of Clunk messing things up, so he threw him down the garbage chute and started over. He names his new robot the Wendelbot. Wendelbot cleaned everything perfectly. He tidied and tidied until it was too much. He started crushing things to make them smaller and neater. He finally came after Wendel, so he had to jump down the garbage chute to save himself. In the junkyard he ran into clunk again, and they worked together to invent and defeat the Wendelbot.

I loved this story. The pictures were adorable, and I really liked the plot. It taught that friends should be loyal even if things aren't going exactly how you want them to at the time. This was a very cute book.

I could use this as a read aloud over friendship. I really think little boys would like the robot aspect of it.

[T Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those great children's books where the adult can enjoy it as much as the child does. Wendel is wonderfully human and naming his super-tidying robot after himself gives Wendel's character a bit more depth than you'd expect. I've read it to kids ranging from preschool to 2nd grade and they all enjoyed it. The pictures are full of great details and play a pivotal role in the story.

If you're familiar with Help Me Get Ready to Read by Susan Marx and Barbara Kasok you'll appreciate the way the author has used onomatopoeia and type face that accentuates it. There are also lines where there are just small changes in the text, which gives a chance to talk about what those little changes mean. And with the younger kids the faces give a great chance to talk about what the characters are feeling.