Book Review: Robbie the Robot Vacuum and His Big Adventure

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

Move over, Brave Little Toaster! There’s a Roomba coming through.

Robbie is a Roomba. He’s got a great house and great people, and he feels appreciated for the cleaning he does. It doesn’t hurt that he absolutely loves doing it either.

But there’s a whole world out there. Not to clean—but to explore.

Robbie the Robot Vacuum and His Big Adventure follows Robbie as he ventures out of his front door. And what does he see there? A collection of kids’ favorite things: playgrounds, ducks, and even a great big excavator. It’s a story about adventure, seeing new things, and meeting new people, but it also makes sure that kids know that it’s easy to get distracted when you’re out there and that you’ve got to “pay more attention when doing things [you’ve] never tried.”

It’s a learning lesson, sure, but it never loses track of its sole purpose: showing kids through lovable characters and illustrations that there’s a world out there that can be truly wonderful. The lesson about paying attention is only one page, and yet it covers so much ground. It tells little people that adventures are great and you should take them (when your parents tell you that you can of course), but that you should always be aware of your surroundings.

The Brave Little Toaster was one of my favorite children’s stories when I was growing up, and so much of it was due to personification of the character. I mean, a toaster? A metal appliance brought to life? This time, it’s a robot vacuum! An acting, reacting, moving, regularly present object in so many kids’ living rooms. It may already be fun for them to talk or play with theirs at home, and this book gives him such a fun, brave personality that it could bring even more liveliness and creativity into their lives. If there’s a Roomba and a toddler in your house, this is an awesome book for you.

The rhymes are smooth and easy to read aloud, so it’s a good fit for your littlest ones. Some of the rhymes might be a little oversimplified, but that also adds to the simplicity with which parents can read it. The illustrations are vibrant and alive and match the tone of the book precisely. There are things to giggle at on the page, like the duck getting scared at the pond, and details for kids to pay attention to, like the color change in the sky at sunset.

And of course, Robbie must return home at the end of it. He can’t wait to get back to cleaning and helping out his appreciative family. This book would be a stellar addition to both libraries and your bookshelf at home, especially if you’ve got a Roomba zooming around your kids’ mountain of blocks at home.

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of Robbie the Robot Vacuum and His Big Adventure by Sara Biggs! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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