Ricky Ricotta, a small mouse, saves a giant robot from his evil creator, Dr. Stinky, and in turn, the robot protects Ricky from the bullies at school and it saves the city from Dr. Stinky's plan to destroy it. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

"Some day something BIG will happen, and you will find a friend," his father tells Ricky, a lonely mouse whose diminutive stature makes him a target of bullies. Mr. Ricotta is only partially right: Ricky does find a friend, but nothing of consequence happens in this slim volume--the first in a series. The book features the same "flip-o-rama" technique (readers flip certain pages back and forth, creating the effect of animation) as do Pilkey's Captain Underpants titles. Unfortunately, both the artwork (which looks suspiciously like Pilkey's) and the plot lack the wry bite and comic energy of that earlier series. Evil Dr. Stinky McNasty creates an enormous robot that refuses to obey a command to stomp out Ricky's hometown of Squeakyville. When the mad doctor tries to punish his uncooperative invention, the tiny mouse comes to the defense of the giant robot and it follows him home. Ricky's new "pet" bests the bullies, wows Ricky's class at school and manages to foil Dr. Stinky's attempt at revenge. Pilkey's tale may well give timid or bullied kids a shot of reassurance, but its humor falls as flat as Dr. Stinky's attempt to destroy the city. In eight adventures scheduled to follow, Ricky's robot battles creatures from other planets. Ages 6-10. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 2-4-In an accessible, highly illustrated format, Pilkey writes an adventure story with great appeal to lonely little guys everywhere. Ricky Ricotta is a nice mouse who is the victim of daily bullying. He longs for a friend, but is still waiting to find one. Luckily for Ricky, a mad scientist, Dr. Stinky McNasty, has created a giant robot that he is planning to use to rule the world. The robot refuses to destroy the city and Ricky stops McNasty from hurting it. Soon the robot and the mouse are great friends, and Ricky no longer has to worry about bullies. McNasty seeks revenge by turning Ricky's classroom pet lizard into an evil monster, but the robot defeats it and puts the villain in jail. Ontiveros's black-and-white cartoons have lots of activity, and the two "flip-o-rama action scenes" add to the fun. Instructions for drawing the robot and lizard monster are also included. With barely more text than a long easy-reader, this title will be a heaven-sent choice for kids with reading difficulties. And, they'll be thrilled to discover that this is just the first in a planned series.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

1. Ricky	5
2. The Bullies	9
3. Dr. Stinky McNasty	15
4. The Giant Robot (in Flip-O-Rama)	21
5. Ricky to the Rescue	37
6. Ricky's Pet Robot	45
7. Ricky's Giant Robot Helps Out	49
8. Back to School	55
9. Show-and-Tell	59
10. Dr. Stinky's Revenge	65
11. The Big Battle (in Flip-O-Rama)	71
12. The Electro-Rocket	93
13. Justice Prevails	99
14. Back Home	101
How to Draw Ricky's Robot	106
How to Draw the Monster	108

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.