Cookiebot! (A Harry and Horsie Adventure). Katie Van Camp. Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew. New York, NY: Harper & Bray/Harper Collins (Distributed in Canada by HarperCollins Canada), 2011. 32 pp., hardcover $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-197445-8. Subject Headings: Robot-Fiction. Cookies-Fiction. Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 3-6. Review by Inderjit Deogun. ***½ /4 Reviewed from f&g's.

excerpt:

There was only one problem. For some reason, Mom had placed the cookie jar way up high, too high for Harry to reach.

But as always, Horsie knew exactly what to do.

So Harry found his toolbox and got to work.

And of course Horsie helped.

"Wrench."

"Hammer."

"Spatula."

Once the sprockets were secure and the speed control was set, Harry's invention was finally finished.

And they called it ... COOKIEBOT!

Harry and Horsie are hard at play building a city out of blocks when gurgling stomachs interrupt them. The time has come to find a snack. When Harry decides that only cookies will do, he is faced with a dilemma: How is he going to reach the cookie jar? The answer comes in the form of an invention, namely Cookiebot.

      In Cookiebot!, Lincoln Agnew dares to veer away from the retro-comic approach of the original Harry and Horsie. Instead, Agnew employs double-page spreads that illustrate the enormity of Harry's invention and adventure. Agnew's palette of primary colours remains intact, as does its effectiveness in giving the story an out-of-this-world appeal. The use of vignettes cleverly encapsulates Harry and Horsie's wild city adventure.

      Katie Van Camp transforms a seemingly ordinary dilemma into an extraordinary adventure. Any young reader will easily relate to the pursuit of a delicious snack. In Cookiebot!, Van Camp's use of sounds throughout the story brings the mechanics of Harry's tribulations to life. Also, the repetitive nature of her text lures the reader forward. Cookiebot! is an action-packed ride that expertly exhibits the wonders of a boundless imagination.

Highly Recommended.

Inderjit Deogun, of Toronto, ON, is currently pursuing a career in publishing with a particular interest in children's literature.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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