The Bad Birthday Idea

K-Gr 2—Ben doesn't like to play dolls with his sister. His favorite toy is a robot, so Alice requests a Roboy 2000 for her birthday, figuring that if she has a robot too, her brother will play with her. Ben is astounded. A robot like that should be his! Just before her birthday party, he is told to place the box with the Roboy 2000 on the present table, but instead he unwraps it and takes the toy out. The radio-controlled robot zips around the room and crashes into the wall. Ben panics and hides the broken gift in a chest before the guests arrive. After all items are opened, Dad notices that the family's present is missing, and Mom asks Ben to get it. The guilty boy reluctantly reveals the smashed toy. He feels bad about ruining his sister's birthday, so he presents his own robot to her. Alice is pleased and asks if he'll now play with her, and Ben promises that he will. The title ends with all the partygoers having fun. Illustrations, which vary in size from vignettes to full spread, are done using graphite, gouache, and colored pencils. The party is shown in all its appropriate messiness. This is a book with a moral that readers can't miss.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI