School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Wendel the mouse is so busy inventing that he doesn't always clean up after himself. His logical solution is to invent a tidying robot he names Clunk. Unfortunately, Wendel's inventions don't always work as well as they should, as readers see from Clunk's well-intended attempt at storing the teacups in the sock drawer. Clunk is sent to the scrap heap as Wendel invents the second iteration: Wendelbot. The problem is that Wendelbot is so filled with a red-eyed, single-minded tidying purpose that Wendel finds himself added to the scrap heap right next to Clunk. Now, Wendelbot seems poised for world domination! Wendel must figure out a way to stop him. Maybe Clunk and all of the discarded pieces and parts in the scrap heap aren't so useless after all. In this charming rerelease of 2010's Wendel's Workshop, UK Children's Laureate Riddell reminds readers that they shouldn't be so quick to discard that which is flawed. VERDICT The appealing illustrations and cute story line make for a pleasant diversion for independent readers and a strong selection for classroom read-alouds.-Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Untidy Wendel, quick to toss his less-than-perfect inventions down the garbage chute, creates an overzealous tidying-up robot that tosses Wendel onto the scrapheap. Reusing his castoff junk pile, Wendel constructs an army of robots to combat the crazy cleaner and learns the value of recycling (through the green message seems tacked on). Engaging and elaborate illustrations animate a host of kooky robots. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Young Wendel is a mouse and an inventor. Like many an inventor before him, he creates a robotic creature to save him from cleaning up after himself. Wendel is an unintentionally thoughtless slob: a slob because he throws his failures on a metastasizing junk pile, thoughtless because one of those failures is a sweet, well-meaning if inept, lantern-jawed automatonClunk by namethat, rather alarmingly, is dumped in the rubbish chute. When Clunk's replacement, Wendelbot, a blockheaded anal-retentive, runs predictably amok, giving Wendel a taste of the rubbish chute, it is Clunk and an appealingly ragtag gang of ready-mades fashioned from the scrapheap by Wendel that convince Wendelbot to self-destruct. Riddell nimbly plays on readers' sympathies for emotionally vulnerable, snaggletooth robots, but that is about it as far as the story line goes, which fails to display any of the inventiveness Wendel would expectno fun twist, nothing clever or resourceful built from scant means. The artwork, however, doesn't disappoint, with its busy, sure-handed line and snappy coloring. A pretty face, undeniably, but void of hidden depths. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Wendel, a hardworking inventor mouse, sometimes invents so much he forgets to sleep, and whenever a doodad doesn't work, he just tosses it aside. To handle the scrap heap, he invents a robot, names it Clunk, and sets it to work tidying up. But when Clunk makes a few mistakes, Wendel sends the robot to the junk pile and invents a bigger, badder cleaning robot, the Wendelbot. This one goes on a psycho cleaning jag and whisks Wendel right out of his workshop. Reunited with Clunk, Wendel invents an army of messy-minded robots to blow a gasket in the Wendelbot. In the end, Wendel learns that broken things demand mending, not trashing. Riddell fuses a gently twisted sensibility with his trademark finely wrought pen work and displays a winning sense of scale, filling some pages with multiple vignettes and others with full bleeds to punctuate the drama. Super fun, with tons to look at and a helpful but understated message, this picture book is ideal for solo readings, where the intricacies of the artwork can be fully appreciated.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
