Wendell’s Workshop by Chris Riddell

Wendell was very busy inventing things, so he didn’t have time to clean up his workshop.  When it finally became too untidy to bear, Wendell invented a robot named Clunk to help him.  Clunk did the housework, but in such a way that it made an even larger mess.  So Wendell threw him down the rubbish chute.  Wendell created a second robot to help clean.  This robot looked a lot like him, so he called him Wendelbot.  Wendelbot was great at cleaning, but too great.  Finally Wendel himself was the only untidy thing left, until Wendelbot threw him down the chute.  Wendel found Clunk there and they devised a plan to stop Wendelbot in his quest to tidy the world.

Riddell has created a robot picture book that has a great story yet resists being too wordy or complex for young children.  The book reads aloud very well, filled with great sound effects, wonderful big booms, and plenty of clutter.  It is a story that all children will relate to happily whether they love robots or not.  Riddell also laces his story with plenty of humor, which is carried directly into the illustrations.  Wendel himself is very cute and fuzzy, a wonderful contrast to the hard surfaces of the robots.  The detail of the illustrations is delightful, from the rolling screws to the intriguing depths of the rubbish pile. 

This is a picture book with lots to love plus robots!  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

You can also check out a video of the book being read aloud on YouTube.  It’s a bit blurry, but still offers great glimpses of the illustrations: