Books to Play With: Robomop

Robomop by Sean Taylor

He’s a robot who cleans. He’s slightly dented, but hard-working. When a brand-new Bio-Morphic Bellebot Cleanerette takes over, Robomop seems obsolete, until he’s offered a new life. Edel Rodriguez’s retro illustrations give it a second-chance feel. Penguin, $17. Ages 5 and up.

1. Build your own Robomop. 

Use items around the house; cover cardboard boxes with foil or use tin cans for a body. Fold construction paper for arms, and use bottle caps for eyes and steel wool for robot hair. 

2. Have a clean-off. 

Come up with a list of cleaning criteria and then judge each other’s skills. Who washes, sloshes, rubs, scrubs, slops, and mops the fastest? Who gets it done without missing a single spot?

3. Dance!

Try the clean-up songs “I Don’t Wanna Clean Up My Room” by Art Sirota, “Clean Up Robot” by Mark D. Pencil, and “In the Box” by Eric Herman. Make up your own small dance moves the way Robomop does.

4. Find more robots.

Play Machinarium (Amanita Design, $10), a beautifully rendered point-and-click puzzle game, or check out Clink by Kelly DiPucchio, another robot book that explores the idea of second chances.