The story opens with Block, a purple cube with a sensor, sitting alone and watching other shaped robots play in front of the school. Along comes Blink, a blue sphere who is scanning the ground with their sensor. Blink says they are scanning for gold and Block follows along, although they dampen Blink's enthusiasm every time they find a "treasure". Finally, Blink finds a penny and makes a wish and it comes true - Blink has a new friend, Block!
A page at the back explains what a robot's sensor is and how it is used. This is a fairly typical "odd couple" early reader, with one bumptious and enthusiastic character and one dour and more restrained personality, becoming friends in the end. Simple, colorful illustrations and basic panels show the two shaped robots against a green and blue background with minimal details. The robots show human emotions with their eyes, mouths, and eyebrows.
The book opens with an explanation of how to read comics and other cartooning basics. It explains panels, gutters, tiers, different kinds of word balloons, and which direction to read in. One thing I appreciate about I Can Read is they include a Guided Reading Level on the back, as well as their own level, which helps me organize all my early readers from multiple publishers. This one is a J, which, incidentally, is one way you can point out to caregivers who think comics are "easy" that they are actually much more challenging than most early readers and so have a higher reading level.
Verdict: With more and more comics being created for younger readers, this is an excellent filler series for voracious, or reluctant, young readers who are working their way up to chapter books and more challenging fare. Recommended.
ISBN: 9781544456553; Follettbound edition published July 2021; Purchased for the library
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