There's a Robot in My Socks

by Meredith Rusu, Martín Morón (Illustrator)

Overview

Beep, boop, bop! This robot won't stop!

Jamie has a robot in her socks that makes sure things go just right! But when a trip to Grandma's house messes up Jamie's routine, will her robot start to fritz and fight? 

Filled with catchy rhymes and lively illustrations, this Mighty Moods story is the perfect read-aloud for parents and kids who might discover they have robots that get nervous about change—and that's okay! 

The "Mighty Moods" series is a delightful collection of picture books that explores the many ways children express big emotions. 

First Place, Picture Books, Fall 2024 BookFest Awards

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780829457094
Publisher:	Loyola Press
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Series:	The Mighty Moods Series , #2
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	578,106
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Meredith Rusu is a children’s book author specializing in titles based on television and movies. She has written more than one hundred books from preschool to young adult for brands such as LEGO, Disney/Pixar, Peppa Pig, American Girl, and Star Wars. She is also the author of The DATA Set chapter book series under the pen name Ada Hopper. Visit her author website: www.meredithrusu.com

Editorial Reviews

07/08/2024

Rusu continues her Mighty Moods series, after There’s a Yeti in My Tummy, with this charming tale of a young girl trying to maneuver through life when things just don’t go according to plan. Jamie has a special friend—a robot in her socks, who “makes things go just right and always gets things done her way.” That includes making sure Jamie gets the right plate at mealtime and never has to take a barefoot nap, but all that efficiency comes at a cost: when life throws Jamie the curveball of spending the day with her Gram, who isn’t quite in sync with her robot friend, it turns out to be a lot messier than either Jamie—or her grandmother—expect.

Rusu perfectly captures the black and white thinking of childhood, as Jamie insists that nothing at her Gram’s house is the way it should be: the princess soap is all wrong, her stuffed animal didn’t make it into the car, and—gasp!—Gram has the nerve to serve cookies on the wrong-colored plate. But there’s a deeper message here, too, and adult readers will relish the valuable lesson that a little grace can go a long way. When the day turns south, Jamie’s grandmother is understandably frustrated, but she soon realizes that she and Jamie have quite a bit in common; in Gram’s own words, “I have a robot too, you know. She comes out when I’m stressed.”

That small attempt to connect immediately sparks with Jamie, and young readers will be delighted when a big, drippy ice cream cone is the answer to “turn this day around.” Morón’s muted, intricate pencil sketches compose the bulk of the illustrations—allowing plenty of space for readers to hunt for small, humorous details—but brightly hued graphics are also sprinkled throughout for added fun. This is a cheerful reminder that “life’s better with a little mess.”

Takeaway: Playful depiction of how to handle life’s curveballs (and robots!)

Comparable Titles: Matthew Burgess’s The Undbudgeable Curmudgeon, Barney Saltzberg’s Beautiful Oops!.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

Rusu continues her Mighty Moods series, after There’s a Yeti in My Tummy, with this charming tale of a young girl trying to maneuver through life when things just don’t go according to plan. Jamie has a special friend—a robot in her socks, who “makes things go just right and always gets things done her way.” That includes making sure Jamie gets the right plate at mealtime and never has to take a barefoot nap, but all that efficiency comes at a cost: when life throws Jamie the curveball of spending the day with her Gram, who isn’t quite in sync with her robot friend, it turns out to be a lot messier than either Jamie—or her grandmother—expect.

Rusu perfectly captures the black and white thinking of childhood, as Jamie insists that nothing at her Gram’s house is the way it should be: the princess soap is all wrong, her stuffed animal didn’t make it into the car, and—gasp!—Gram has the nerve to serve cookies on the wrong-colored plate. But there’s a deeper message here, too, and adult readers will relish the valuable lesson that a little grace can go a long way. When the day turns south, Jamie’s grandmother is understandably frustrated, but she soon realizes that she and Jamie have quite a bit in common; in Gram’s own words, “I have a robot too, you know. She comes out when I’m stressed.” That small attempt to connect immediately sparks with Jamie, and young readers will be delighted when a big, drippy ice cream cone is the answer to “turn[ing] this day around.” This is a cheerful reminder that “life’s better with a little mess.”

Takeaway: Playful depiction of how to handle life’s curveballs (and robots!)

-BookLife Review

In Rusu’s picture book, a young girl’s visit to her grandma’s goes wrong at every turn thanks to an obsessive compulsiveness that manifests as an imaginary robot friend.

The narrator, a young redheaded girl, wears robot-themed socks every day and, in doing so, imagines a red robot companion constantly by her side: “My robot is AMAZING! / She makes things go just right / and always gets things done her way / from morning until night.” The robot is very particular about routines, which becomes problematic when the girl has to spend a day at her grandma’s. Grandma has the wrong type of soap, the wrong toys, and the wrong color of plate for the cookies: “I sneak a look at the pile of treats / on a blue plate by the sink. / BZZT. BOOP. BRRRR.‘NO! NO! NO!’ / ‘WE ONLY USE THE PINK!’” Will Grandma find a way to placate Robot and salvage the visit? Rusu and illustrator Morón tell a cute and relatable story, depicting not only the girl’s “difficult” behavior but also the condition that underlies it—expressed by way of the oversized, exaggeratedly emotive robot. Morón’s pen-and-ink images capture the protagonists’ personalities as well as the incidental action against uncluttered backdrops.

A sweet and playful yet serious story.

-Kirkus Reviews

This delightful and relatable-for-all-ages book follows a little girl navigating her day with her grandma. Her "robot" represents her desire to keep everything familiar, just the way she is used to. But as she and Grandma continue to spend time together, she learns that things don’t always have to be perfect to be wonderful. A heartwarming story that teaches kids that it’s okay to want control, but it’s also okay to let go and try new things.
— Michelle Park, Emmy Award-Winning Broadcast Journalist and Content Creator

This little girl doesn’t cope well with changes to her routine or the systems she uses to navigate her world, expressing it all through the robot that lives in her socks. Her mum understands her, but her granny has to learn to work around her resistance when they spend a day together.

Another touching and helpful book for young readers that deals with difficult feelings and what to do with them.

- Edelweiss Reviewer

From the Publisher

2024-07-02
In Rusu’s picture book, a young girl’s visit to her grandma’s goes wrong at every turn thanks to an obsessive compulsiveness that manifests as an imaginary robot friend.

The narrator, a young redheaded girl, wears robot-themed socks every day, and in doing so imagines a red robot companion constantly by her side: “My robot is AMAZING! / She makes things go just right / and always gets things done her way / from morning until night.” The robot is very particular about routines, which becomes problematic when the girl has to spend a day at her grandma’s. Grandma has the wrong type of soap, the wrong toys, and the wrong color of plate for the cookies: “I sneak a look at the pile of treats / on a blue plate by the sink. / BZZT. BOOP. BRRRR.‘NO! NO! NO!’ / ‘WE ONLY USE THE PINK!’” Will Grandma find a way to placate Robot and salvage the visit? Rusu and illustrator Morón tell a cute and relatable story, depicting not only the girl’s “difficult” behavior but also the condition that underlies it—expressed by way of the oversize, exaggeratedly emotive robot. Morón’s pen-and-ink images capture the protagonists’ personalities as well as the incidental action against uncluttered backdrops. Rusu’s text is rhythmically awkward at times and derives little benefit from being enslaved to an ABCB rhyme pattern. Nonetheless, the book deftly conveys its message and will pull young readers along.

A sweet and playful yet serious story.

Kirkus Reviews