Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots

　　在這本有趣的書裡，作者Michael Rex觸及了童書很少面對的一個話題：該如何分辨客觀且可證明的「事實」與不可證明的「觀點」之間的差異呢？

　　在一群機器人朋友的幫助下，Rex為孩子們清楚解釋「事實」和「觀點」之間的不同。舉例來說，藍色的機器人有兩隻機器手臂，而金色機器人有四隻機器手臂，這是你可以很清楚看出的事實。但當他們一起跳起舞來時，你卻很難能證明「誰的舞步最酷？」因為「酷不酷」是一個觀點，而不是客觀的事實，每個人都可能會有不同的看法。那麼，我們到底該如何分辨「事實」和「觀點」呢？有時候，我們需要更多資訊來確認。「事實」可以被證明是否為真實，然而「觀點」是我們的感受或想法，而不能被證明。

　　當綠色與黃色機器人在爭論哪種冰淇淋最好吃的時候，一個小小的爭執就可能引爆Twitter上一系列的冰淇淋戰火。還好，經過一連串的學習，機器人學會尊重彼此的意見，而孩子在這本書裡學會的這種「新技能」，更能讓他們在這個假新聞或不實網路言論充斥的環境下學會分辨，以保護自我，並彰顯一個重要的價值觀：傾聽彼此的觀點並捍衛事實，是世界上最好的美德之一！

 

　　A hilarious, timely conversation about the differences between facts and opinions, by the creator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight Goon

　　Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? It can be a hard thing to understand. Some things are facts--like the number of robots in this book. Other things are opinions--like which robot would make the best friend, or which robot dances best. And sometimes to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, you need to wait to get more information--that's because facts can be proven true or false, and opinions are things you feel and believe--but that you can't prove.

　　Mike Rex introduces young readers to the very important distinction between facts and opinions, and he reminds us that it is nice to listen to one another's opinions, and to stand up for the facts!

　　* “Charismatic robots populate this primer for kids growing up in an era when facts are considered debatable and opinions are oft expressed loudly and without empathy. Rex tackles a very serious topic infrequently addressed in kids' books: how to tell the difference between provable facts and far-less-provable opinions. To do this, Rex employs a handful of colorful and chatty robot pals who run through enough examples to make the distinctions clear. . . . Via a series of reboots, the robots learn how to respect opinions and engage in compromise. It's a welcome use of skill-building to counter an information landscape filled with calls of ‘Fake news!’ and toxic online discourse. . . . Perhaps most importantly, Rex's robots demonstrate that in the absence of enough information, it's perfectly fine to wait before acting. Vital information for young media consumers; it couldn't be timelier.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

　　“'Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion?' Rex (Eat Pete!) creates an essential picture book for the times, with a cast of digitally rendered robots as his eager-eyed, rambunctious object lessons. . . . He offers more tips. Listen to other opinions, reboot the dialogue, and find common ground. Rex and his robots ultimately make a fun, cogent argument for informed and civil conversation. These robots could teach grown-ups a thing or two.”—Publishers Weekly

　　“What a good idea! Show little ones how to tell facts from opinions—and do it with robots! The digital artwork features jaunty, colorful robots who bring up various topics and ask if they are fact or opinion. The colors of robots? That's a fact. . . . Which robot is more fun? That's an opinion. There are even questions, readers are shown, that can't be answered because more information is needed. The engaging robots, the simple text, the clean, crisp pages, and, of course, the question-and-answer format that gives young ones the chance to think and decide for themselves. . . . Parents, teachers, and librarians will find lots of uses for this, and even those working with somewhat older children can use it as a discussion starter.”—Booklist