Varon, Sara. Robot Dreams.
New York: First Second, 2007. 208 p.
Sara Varon’s seemingly simple graphic novel Robot Dreams is well of deeper meaning. Her cartoonish illustrations of fresh faced animals spanning these wordless pages grab children of all ages. This story of an unlikely friendship quickly becomes much more.
Dog wants a friend so he orders a mail order robot, some assembly required. Robot fits right into Dog’s life. They travel together to the library, watch movies, and go to the beach. Robot makes the mistake of playing in the water then lying in the hot sun all day. When it is time to go home, Robot is immobile. Dog feels bad but it is getting dark and he must go home without his friend. Robot has a dream during his first night alone. His dream is a realistic account of the day’s events except he does not play in the water. After Dog has fun swimming, Robot and Dog gather their belongings and go home together. Robot’s first dream focuses on regret. If he would have made one different choice his entire life would be different. Dog dreams that night too. He recalls leaving Robot alone and is stricken with grief. The following day Dog will return and repair Robot’s ailments. The beach has been closed for the season and Robot is stuck inside, rusted within the prison of his own shell. A few rabbits find Robot on the beach and he quickly daydreams that they will save him and he can triumphantly return home. The rabbits only vandalize him and take one of his legs to plug a leak in their canoe. Another of Robot’s dreams has proven futile. In the meantime, Dog has tried to make new friends as the season change. The Duck family is nice, until the fly south. The Anteaters play with Dog in the snow, until they return home for a meal…of ants. The meal does not sit well with Dog. A Snowman friend is very reliable, until spring. Buried beneath snow Robot’s dreams have a hopeless quality. He envisions escaping his fate only to find Dog has moved on to new friends. In the dead of winter, Robot no longer dreams of his past mistakes or future hopelessness. He finds solace in complete fantasy, choosing to frolic in a temperate zone with a life sized flower as his companion. When spring arrives, Robot melts and is collected by a scrap seeker. Thrown in the junk yard, Robot is undone. Dog has a faint hope that he can rescue Robot come summer, but he can only find a piece of his broken leg. Dog finally gives in and orders a new robot. Dog’s new friend is delivered, as Robot is delivered himself. A mechanical raccoon thinks Robot is a gem and uses his pieces to perfect a radio he is building. Robot can now once again move, dance, play music, and most importantly has a friend. Dog learns from his mistakes too. His new robot friend will not be swimming. Robot and Dog finally have an encounter at the end of the book. Robot sees Dog and his new friend on the street. When Robot’s worst nightmare becomes real he acts with maturity. He turns on his music and sends it Dog’s way. Dog does not see Robot, but he hears his tune, and finds it is stuck in his head.
Varon uses this tale to touch on the nature of friendship and what give and take means from the people we love. It was easy to gloss over the surface of this novel as many kids may do and only understand the first layer. At least it is a story about cute animals that act like people. But the more I read the book the more I interpreted Varon’s work. The music scene at the end is so touching. Not the music, but Dog’s enjoyment of the music is the unconscious memory of those who have affected us in a positive way. Varon’s story shows that we cannot predict the course our lives will take, or regret our mistakes. Life will run its course and in most cases, positive outcomes will appear from negative situations. This is a book suitable for all ages, but one that will just get better over time.
5Q 4P
6 and up.
The cover art sets the tone for the illustration style and introduces the two main characters. I like this cover because Dog and Robot never ride in a boat together, but if they had the story would have had a different outcome. It is an appealing cover, but does not hint that there is a deeper story inside.
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