A CASE OF THE ZAPS

A young robot experiences the system malfunctions associated with anxiety.

Pi is a young robot who loves all the usual things young robots on Robot-Earth enjoy: sipping DW-40, spending time with their Parental Units and friends, and playing music. Unfortunately, their imagination kicks into overdrive when their teacher announces an upcoming field trip to Olde Silicon Valley, and their excitement turns into a case of the dreaded Zaps. Feeling afraid, overheating, and running on low batteries, Pi tries and fails to carry on as usual until they crash. A hard drive–to–hard drive conversation with Mother-Board and Father-Board prompts a trip to the doctor for some advice, which helps Pi on their field trip and beyond. With their expressive blue and yellow face, Pi is a charming young protagonist who provides a welcome introduction to the normality of the Zaps—or nerves—along with some coping mechanisms and words to boot up a conversation with friends or caretakers. While many of the puns, real-world references, and computer terms may be lost on a young audience, the story and accompanying backmatter—a note from the authors on coping with anxiety and a list of resources—will be helpful add-ons to any system update. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A solid selection to spark up a dialogue on anxiety.