THE SADDEST LITTLE ROBOT

Soft Skull launches its children's imprint with this heavily illustrated—and preachy—title, also the children's book debut for author and artist. Dome City is an Orwellian nightmare, a would-be robot utopia in which a strict class system keeps everyone in their place: the Halobots get all of the luxuries, the Guardbots lay down the law and the lowly Drudgebots do all the work. Playing the Big Brother role is the omnipresent Father Screen, who reminds the workers that nothing exists outside the dome but horror, and who reiterates their slogan, "Happy Robots Produce Happy Fruit." Enter Snoot, a sad-sack Drudgebot who ventures outside the dome, only to find a world of beauty. He also learns of the quest for the Shard, a missing piece of a nebulous gem that will give Father Screen the power he needs to take over the world. Gage boils down complex social issues into simplistic conflicts, and despite occasional moments of charm, such as Snoot's interaction with a caterpillar that is on its way to becoming a butterfly, readers will probably feel as if they've been given a lecture—and not a very good or fair one, at that. Otoshi's art shares the edgy look of graphic novel illustration; but the energy it injects into the volume cannot salvage the story line. Ages 8-up. (Nov.)