Love, Z

by Jessie Sima, Jessie Sima (Illustrator)

Overview

From the creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes the story of a young robot trying to find the meaning of “love.”

When a small robot named Z discovers a message in a bottle signed “Love, Beatrice,” they decide to find out what “love” means. Unable to get an answer from the other robots, they leave to embark on an adventure that will lead them to Beatrice—and back home again, where love was hiding all along.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481496773
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	12/18/2018
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	196,867
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jessie Sima is the author and illustrator of bestselling picture books, including Not Quite Narwhal; Love, Z; Hardly Haunted; and more. They grew up in a small town in southern New Jersey and now write and draw in a creaky house in New York state. When not making books, Jessie can be found reading graphic novels, watching scary movies, and playing outside with dogs. You can visit them online at JessieSima.com.

Jessie Sima is the author and illustrator of bestselling picture books, including Not Quite Narwhal; Love, Z; Hardly Haunted; and more. They grew up in a small town in southern New Jersey and now write and draw in a creaky house in New York state. When not making books, Jessie can be found reading graphic novels, watching scary movies, and playing outside with dogs. You can visit them online at JessieSima.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/12/2018
Z, a robot with a boxy head, pincer arms, and kind, yellow eyes, discovers a message in a bottle that’s “too smudgy to read,” but ends, “Love, Beatrice.” The robot seeks out the meaning of the two words, but the robots in its family cannot compute its meaning. With a paper hat atop its head and a bindle over one shoulder, Z journeys via cat-helmed boat through a narrow waterway, meeting a beaver, a turtle, and a crow feeding its chicks: “Love is sharing your food, even when it’s delicious,” the crow says. A friendly baker shares her definition of love, and children on a playground have their own ideas: “Love is lawn gnomes!” and “Love is wishing on a star!” The varying definitions don’t add up for Z, who worries about understanding love’s meaning. Characteristic illustrations by Sima (Not Quite Narwhal) playfully juxtapose friendly, angular robot characters with sunny meadows and cozy residences. Love, the robot finally learns, can be many different things—and sometimes it’s closer to home than one realizes. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"A good springboard for kids and their caregivers to talk about what love means to them." - Kirkus Reviews

"A gentle, uplifting adventure about love’s many incarnations." - Booklist

*** "Love, the robot finally learns, can be many different things—and sometimes it’s closer to home than one realizes." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

12/01/2018
PreS-Gr 3–A young robot named Z finds a message in a bottle signed "Love, Beatrice" and is determined to find Beatrice, hoping she will help reveal the meaning of this mysterious word: love. Along the way, Z encounters many people and animals, none of whom are Beatrice, but they all are happy to help Z figure out the meaning of love. "Love is sharing your food even when it's delicious" says the crow. "Love is wishing on a star" says a child at recess. "Love is lawn gnomes!" says another. Absolutely none of these answers compute for Z. Just when Z is about to give up, they finally meet Beatrice and she explains that "love is difficult to explain" but that "you'll know it when you feel it." With a little help from the other robots, Z finally understands. They find their way back home, where love was waiting all along. Sima's cheerful, digital illustrations radiate warmth as they depict adorable Z's journey. This sweet and humorous story reminds readers that love can be found in familiar things like a bedtime story, a night light, and a goodnight kiss. VERDICT This tender and entertaining story is recommended for all libraries.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2018-09-17

A young robot learns what love is.

Out playing, Z finds a message in a bottle, but all that's legible is "Love, Beatrice." Z asks the older robots what "love" is as they help the young one through the bedtime routine, but: "DOES NOT COMPUTE." So Z sets off to find both Beatrice and the meaning of love. Journeying in a boat that's captained by a cat, Z asks everyone they meet. But the crow's, baker's, and school children's ideas of love don't help Z understand. As night falls, the duo sail to an island. Who should live there but Beatrice, an old woman who thinks about her answer as she and Z bake cookies, play chess, and dance: "It's warm. And cozy. And safe. You'll know it when you feel it." Just as Z is ready to power down, the worried older robots arrive. And as they read a story, leave a light, and give a good-night kiss, Z finally has a word to go with the feeling that's been there all along. Sima's robots are gray 3-D shapes with oval glowing eyes, elongated or nonexistent noses, and line mouths. Their emotional expressions are limited to what their mouths and articulated arms are doing. The spring-bright colors surrounding the metal robots keep the book from feeling too heavy. Beatrice presents white; the other humans are notably diverse, including one child who uses a wheelchair.

A good springboard for kids and their caregivers to talk about what love means to them. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews