AlphaBot

Even the youngest robotocists will love flipping the flaps to create their own robot—while exploring a simple A to Z roundup of robotics terms.

Found your circuit-board head? Your voice-control torso? Your hydrojet feet? Hooray! You’ve made one of the 729 mix-and-match robots that are possible with this innovative flip-flap book. Alongside the bright and cheery illustrations of robot parts is a basic alphabetical listing of terms—from android to gears, neural network to program, wheels to Z-drive—and a basic definition of each. With a concealed spiral binding and sturdy card stock pages to hold up to enthusiastic flap-turning, AlphaBot is full of appeal for young robot lovers, preschoolers who love machines, and anyone looking for STEM books for the younger set. Back matter includes a brief explanation of the three key abilities of robots: to sense, think, and act.

Vicky Fang is a former children’s product designer at Google, where she invented such things as cars that can talk to each other, robots you can build at home, and games you can play with your voice. She now writes and illustrates children’s books, many of which have a STEM focus. She is the author of Invent-a-Pet, the I Can Code series of board books, and the Layla and the Bots chapter book series, as well as the author-illustrator of the Friendbots easy readers. Vicky Fang lives with her husband, two sons, and one pet rhinoceros beetle in Mountain View, California.