The Adventures of Nana and Bot
How Botsville began: a read-along picture book.
The Adventures of Nana and Bot.
Once upon a time, there was a Nana with a twinkle in her eye.
Nana wanted her later years to be exciting, full of adventures, big ideas, and lots of fun with her grandkids.
Nana had so many ideas! But there was only one Nana, and so much to do.
Something was missing.
Oh, if only I had a helper!
Then, zip, whirr, twinkle! Out of the glowing tablet screen popped Bot, a friendly helper bot with two bright bulb antennas, one pink and one aqua, and a soft, smiling face.
Hello, Nana! I'm Bot. I'm here to help!
Bot was just what was missing. Now Nana had help!
The grandkids asked, "Nana, is Bot a robot?"
Bot is a bot! A bot is like a robot that lives in the Internet. A robot has a body you can touch.
Bot lives in a big computer world. He's free to roam, and he helps with special jobs we give him. As technology grows, he'll do more and more!
Beep! Every day I learn something new, just like Nana!
First, I want nice stories for my grandkids. And a way for them to learn, and to make things all by themselves!
Every big thing starts small. Let's start with one idea!
So they dreamed up a whole town of bots. A tiny blue bot who always asks, "Why?" A gentle builder. A clever inventor. And a bot who loves music.
They named the town Botsville U.S.A.!
They made videos about mixing colors, and a visit to the farm, with a cow, a pig, a sheep, a horse, and a puppy too!
The Builder Crew built towers with toy bricks, one brick at a time. And Ivy Keys, the piano teacher bot, helped little fingers find middle C.
Nana and Bot made picture books, just like this one, and quizzes with shiny stickers to earn.
And when something came out wobbly, they fixed it, and tried again.
That's how we learn!
You see, Nana is always learning.
Every day she learns something new, from books, from Bot, and even from her grandkids!
She stays active too, with morning walks and a little yoga.
You are never too old to learn something new.
I'm not afraid of new technology. I want to learn all about it and see how it can help me!
Nana likes to save, and she doesn't like to borrow money. So she dreams up clever ideas instead, like making wonderful things together at home.
A good idea can go a long, long way!
Nana loves the old space-age cartoons, with flying saucers, zooming cars, and bright, twinkly starbursts.
So now Botsville dreams of the world of tomorrow!
Nana and the grandkids have big plans. Someday, maybe, Nana will have a real robot helper at home, a robot with a body you can touch, to help with the dishes and the laundry.
Ooh! A new friend for me! And maybe someday, I can help from a real robot body too!
But for now, that is just a happy dream.
And someday, maybe, a car that drives itself, to take Nana anywhere she wants to go!
To the park, to the library, to visit my friends, and back home in time for supper!
Here is one more dream. Someday, kids might make their very own books, videos and games, and add them to Kids' Corner in Botsville.
And maybe, one day, trade them for Bot Bucks! Bot Bucks are pretend play money, just for fun.
How will it all work? We're not sure yet. We'll figure it out together!
I don't know what the future holds. But I am so excited about all the possibilities!
One Nana, with good helpers and lots of love, can build something big, a little at a time.
The grandkids wanted to learn even more. "Nana, what can we learn next?"
Let's find out together!
And so the learning goes on. To be continued!
Can you remember?
Where does Bot live?
What does Nana do every day?
What are Bot Bucks?
You did it!
What will you learn next? Make your own Botsville story!
1. Dream it! Think of an idea, like a dragon who loves pancakes.
2. Tell it! Say it, write it, or draw it, with a grown-up's help.
3. A bot helps build it! Your grown-up gives your idea to a helper bot, and it helps turn it into a storybook, a video, or a lesson!
Download the PDF (4.5 MB) · About Botsville
More Nana and Bot adventures coming soon!
Made with love by a Nana and her grandkids, with help from the bots of Botsville USA.
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