Extreme Sports

Children's Literature - Hazel Buys

The Academy Awards have a sister organization, the Robot Hall of Fame at the Carnegie Mellon Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robots have long been a part of the entertainment industry. A robot first appeared in the 1927 film "Metropolis" and, since coming into their own as distinct characters on film and in television in the 1950s and 60s, they have entertained, frightened and performed heroic actions to the delight of their human audiences. The word "robot" is attributed to Czech writer Karel Capek and first appeared in his play RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots), written in 1920. The development of computer games and other gaming systems furthered the evolution of robots as characters in stories and plays. Some robots even star in their own movies as seen in "I, Robot," "WALL-E" and the cyborgs in the Terminator movies. Parker condenses complex information into two-page spreads, each spread presenting an aspect of the entertainment industry, and the robots associated with it, with clarity and imagination. Detailed captions accompany color photographs and expand on the information in the text. Sidebars in contrast colors present interesting information on specific aspects of the robots. This book, part of "Robot World" series, concludes with a glossary, a list of further reading, a list of websites and an index and is recommended as a resource in upper elementary or middle school classes on robotics and the role of technology in society. Reviewer: Hazel Buys