Roto and Roy: Helicopter Heroes

by Sherri Duskey Rinker, Don Tate (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From the bestselling author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Sherri Duskey Rinker, and with illustrations from award-winning illustrator Don Tate comes a thrilling and educational fire rescue adventure. Perfect for fans of the Construction Site series, PAW Patrol and Thomas & Friends. Join Roto and Big Roy Thunder on their brave mission as they save the day.

Meet Roto and Roy, helicopter heroes and the stars of a rip-roaring rescue adventure series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherri Duskey Rinker and award-winning artist Don Tate.

When a dangerous forest fire burns out of control, helicopter Roto and pilot Roy are ready to fly to the rescue! They're braver than brave, tougher than tough, and nothing will stop this firefighting crew from completing their mission.

From Sherri Duskey Rinker, bestselling author of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series, and award-winning illustrator Don Tate, this action-packed series starter will have kids cheering for two awesome new heroes—and imagining how they might save the day themselves!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316534963
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Series:	Roto and Roy , #1
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	354,609
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sherri Duskey Rinker is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site; Steam Train, Dream Train; Mighty, Mighty Construction Site; and Construction Site on Christmas Night. Her newest bestsellers in the Construction Site series include Construction Site Mission: Demolition! and Three Cheers for Kid McGear! Sherri lives with her husband and two sons in Illinois, and she invites you to visit her online at sherririnker.com.

Don Tate is the award-winning illustrator of Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters and Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, and the creator of William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad, among others. Don lives with his wife and son in Austin, Texas, and he invites you to visit him online at dontate.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/08/2021

When a lightning strike results in a canyon fire, the job of extinguishing it is tailor-made for green-eyed helicopter Roto (“fueled and ready, brave and strong./ Her shiny wings are tough and long”) and brown-skinned human pilot Roy, who is the very model of broad-shouldered bravery (“With fists on hips, and massive height,/ Big Roy Thunder blocks the light”). With a “Whup-Whup-Whup-Whup-Whup!” the two rise into the air; Rinker’s (Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site) brisk, bouncy rhymes and Tate’s (William Still and His Freedom Stories) crisp, curvilinear digital cartoons vividly chronicle the duo’s firefighting heroics. The copter’s hose sucks up thousands of gallons from a nearby lake and releases them on the inferno in a centerpiece scene that offers a worm’s-eye view of water hitting the flames. In a crowd-pleasing finish, two vertical spreads depict Roto and Roy rescuing a stray dachshund trapped at the cliff, then returning home to Hangar One (the happy pup sits on Roy’s lap as he steers the copter), where “The flying duo is now three.” It’s the ideal story for any reader who yearns for straight-up selfless heroism from people and vehicles alike. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

01/14/2022

PreS-K—Told in rhyming couplets, this is a thrilling tale of an out-of-control fire, starring dark-skinned Roy Thunder and his green-eyed sidekick, Roto the Helicopter. A lightning strike in a canyon sparks an inferno that the pair have been called upon to quell. Bright cartoon illustrations reveal how Roto uses her long hose to suck up water from a lake to quench the blaze. Though the team has to swing between the lake and fire 10 times—the illustrations depict their path—they are victorious in extinguishing it. When the pair are heading home after completing their task, they observe a small dog in a precarious position, so they work together again to perform another heroic feat. Large digital illustrations set off sound words and onomatopoeia that add even more life to the exciting tale and increase the read-aloud quotient. Images appear in a variety of sizes. VERDICT Reminiscent of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Duskey Rinker's story of a human and a machine as a superhero team will be entertaining to youngsters.—Maryann H. Owen

School Library Journal

2021-12-03
No wildfire stands a chance when Roy Thunder and his helicopter, Roto, take to the skies.

Firefighting pilot Roy, whose race is ambiguous, is a superhero in every way. One morning, after a lightning strike sparks a wildfire in a canyon, Roy and Roto—who is anthropomorphic with green eyes—set off together to fight the blaze. Their strenuous mission involves using a hose to draw up water from a lake and flying for hours “through the high winds, smoke, and heat.” Although it takes filling Roto’s tank with water 10 times to put out the conflagration, the heroes prevail. However, just when all seems safe, they spot a petrified puppy precariously close to a cliff’s edge. In a daring air rescue, Roto hovers and Roy rappels to the ground to reach the forlorn animal. Job complete, the pair head back to Hangar One, where they receive a true hero's welcome. This engaging, rhyming picture book looks and feels like a large comic book. The cartoonlike illustrations are action-packed and divided into panels on several spreads. Like classic superhero comics, there is plenty of onomatopoeia, inviting audience participation. During the air rescue scene, the layout changes to horizontal orientation twice, a move that will surprise and delight readers. When read aloud, the book does feel a bit long.

A fun friendship story for young readers fond of brave exploits, helicopters, comics, or any combination thereof. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

An Amazon Best Book for Ages 6-8

"The ideal story for any reader who yearns for straight-up selfless heroism from people and vehicles alike."—Publishers Weekly

"A fun friendship story for young readers fond of brave exploits, helicopters, comics, or any combination thereof."—Kirkus

From the Publisher