A prescient and humorous tale of a boy’s futuristic life gone haywire with the interruption of … nature.
GO BACK TO YOUR CLASS, says the MiniMachine.
The brightly moving thing flutters into Arno’s hand. It feels warm. Attached to a foot is a label, reading: BIRD.
Two hundred years in the future, Arno’s pre-programmed, machine-controlled day takes an unexpected turn when nature intercedes. Arno wakes each morning when his personalized “MiniMachine” tells him it’s time. The MiniMachine squawks at him all day: “Eat your Instant Mealtime,” “Wait for the school jet,” “Go to your electric tuba lesson,” “Do not step off the Power Path”….. But Arno’s curiosity and a little yellow bird lead Arno off his pre-programmed track. “Go Back to Your Class!” squawks the MiniMachine with increasing alarm. Arno’s mischievousness will delight young readers. And Seymour Chwast’s illustrations, including his Seuss-like mechanical inventions, are both charmingly old-fashioned and presciently futuristic. A gentle corrective to our infatuation with electronics, Arno and the MiniMachine is a sweet reminder of the joy of nature and following one’s own path.
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