I was reading up a storm the other day and found an online reader copy (due late September 2024) called, The Girl and the Robot Heart. It is a terribly lovely story that is not easy to read or to view. It is not a one time read, but a multiple time read where you need to break things down. First read the text, then read the art and finally the two together (or whichever order you would like to do). And though set at Christmas, it is a great anytime book.
Neal Hoskins includes the full text at the end, with each page previously having a different section. The language is straightforward but has a surrealness to it. The fun, fantastic, creative and clever illustrations tell a tale as well as compliment the text. Monika Vaicenaviciene created illustrations that are delightful, but deceptively, simple. They have a lot going on, yet there seems to be a lot of “white space” on the page as well. The afterwards by the author and illustrator are important to read as well.
As any book, this is an experience book. However, the experience here goes deeper than just “like or not” and really digs deeper into the subject that is being discussed. The idea of The Heart plays a role that is up for interpretation, but also pretty obvious as our robot character looks like it should have a little girl, a lion, scarecrow and a little dog, too, with them. The overall theme makes it for adults just as much as kids, if not more so. Know your reader/listener, and know this could make a lovely gift for an adult for almost any occasion.