A talented robot girl named Betty experiments with building her own mechanical friend.Betty lives with her "parental unit," depicted as an ENIAC-type computer with a giant screen, and her little brother, Toby. Betty is shaped like a person, with a separate head, long arms and legs, and human-style facial features, but she doesn't come across as a visually compelling main character. Toby looks like a round barbecue grill with short appendages and a large mouth in a perpetual grin, and he has more personality. As Toby is still a baby, he can speak only in single sounds and can't be much of a friend to Betty. She builds her new friend from a toaster supplemented with an engine and a recorded voice. When the toaster friend malfunctions and chases Betty, Toby intervenes, proving his worth to his big sister. She upgrades Toby with parts from her previous project, resulting in a new and improved brother who can now run, jump, talk, and make toast as well. A subdued palette of gray, peach, and green fails to create an energetic atmosphere, and the story's language is rather stilted. Despite these drawbacks, a female character with robotic engineering skills will be a welcome addition in many classrooms and library collections.You go girl—use those mechanical skills. (Picture book. 4-8)