R is for Rhino Reader

Grab a book, cuddle up, and let the reading begin! This is Rey the Rhino Reader, an original robotics project designed and programmed by Princeton University graduate Aneekah Uddin. Rey was part of a larger “Art & Robotics” exhibit on campus last spring.

As you can see from the set up below, Rey wears a camera on his head, which is in turn connected to a laptop. When you place a book in front of Rey’s nose, the program will scan the page and read the book aloud to you! Flip the page, and the story continues at your pace.

While the concept appears very simple, it turns out that programming a robot to read can get rather…complicated. I caught up with Aneekah to ask about her inspirations for this adorable project.

Hi Aneekah! Tell us a little about yourself!

Hi! I was born and raised in Montclair, NJ, and I recently graduated from Princeton (Class of 2024) with a degree in Computer Science and Theater. I love exploring new places, performing arts, and crafting—particularly metalworking and upcycling clothes. One of my favorite childhood book series was Cam Jansen!

How did this project begin?

In my final semester at Princeton, I participated in an Independent Work Seminar titled “Reimagining Robotics Through Art,” taught by Professor Radhika Nagpal. At the beginning of the semester, we explored how the origins of robotics have been influenced by colonialist and patriarchal frameworks, as highlighted by Professor Ruha Benjamin in her book “Race After Technology.” Inspired by these discussions, Professor Nagpal encouraged us to reimagine a future of robotics that challenges these frameworks by centering arts and creativity. As an actress, scriptwriter, and dancer, storytelling is fundamental to my understanding of art. For my project, I aimed to create something both functional and subversive of colonialist and patriarchal norms, while celebrating my love for storytelling. This led to the creation of Rhino Reader!

Tell us a little bit about your philosophy on early literacy for kids!

Eighty-two percent of students eligible for free or reduced lunches do not read at or above proficient levels by fourth grade. I was among the fortunate 18 percent who did, thanks largely to my upbringing. My mother instilled in me the importance of reading from an early age. She read to me daily and, as I grew older, helped me practice reading, sounding out words, and tackling more challenging books. Her dedication was instrumental in my development of English skills and my eventual acceptance into a leading university. However, not every child has the privilege of having a parent who can read, who has time to spend, or who has access to resources. Studies have shown that this kind of support can significantly transform a child’s trajectory. All children should have access to the opportunities and resources they need to develop strong literacy skills from a young age.

What was the most difficult or unexpected part of this venture?

Reading children’s books is challenging! It’s even more difficult for a robot because there’s often no clear “order” to the text. Words can be arranged across pages in unconventional shapes, various fonts, and conflicting orientations. Distinguishing between line breaks and sentence endings isn’t always straightforward, and there’s the added complexity of onomatopoeia. For a robot, learning to read a children’s book is a significantly harder task than understanding a legal contract or research paper.

If you were a kid again, what book would you like the rhino to read to you and why?

Elephant and Piggy! These Mo Willems books are among my favorites, and I spent countless hours reading them to my younger siblings, who are five and six years younger than me. They hold a special place in my heart.

Say it with Sunflowers

What could be better then a big brilliant sunflower? Why, a sunflower that also shares good thoughts and positive messages with everyone! It’s a colorful craft project with a lot of heart, much like the author of this very special story time book.

We read Hubie by Barbara Valenza (Potato Publishing, 2021). Hubie is an unhappy horse who seems to attract bad feelings and problems. Overwhelmed, he shouts for help…and help arrives! A brilliant creature kindly explains that Hubie is a magnet, attracting both positives and negatives. She encourages him to learn from the negatives, and focus on the positives. Taking her lessons to heart, Hubie transforms his life from misery to joy.

Barbara Valenza has been featured on our blog before! Take a look at the wonderful story time and interview for her picture book, Little Lovedog’s Long Walk Home.

You’ll need:

  • 1 paper towel tube
  • 1 small box, bucket, cup, or flower pot
  • Construction paper
  • A butterfly template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

Our sunflower construction was very basic…a paper towel tube served as the stalk, and then we attached construction paper petals and leaves. If you’d like to add a little texture, use cardboard to create the sunflower’s face, then glue brown tissue paper fringes on it:

In the story, Hubie the Horse uses a dented bucket for his sunflower, so we snagged these cute mini buckets on Amazon. But a box, paper cup, or flower pot works just as well. We also added green crinkle paper around the sunflower’s base to steady the stalk. Now for the message butterflies!

Color and cut the butterflies from the template, then add a tag with a positive message on it. You can attach the message butterflies directly to the sunflower, or you can do what we did and turn them into magnets! Our magnetic butterflies attached to the metal buckets, but we also slipped paperclips on the petals for the butterflies to rest on. Gift a message butterfly to friends and family, and they can proudly display them on their fridges!

We also had a special surprise for our story time kids. Barbara Valenza famously sewed stuffed animals of her book characters (check out her Little Lovedog dachshund). Well, here’s Hubie, her awesome horseshoe magnet horse:

As a nod to her marvelous sewing skills, we had a drawing for a GIANT stuffed horse at story time. Here’s our happy winner…she was quite enamored, and her Dad emailed me later and shared that she insisted it sleep next to her that night.

This story time was full of love, laughter, positivity, joy, and delight. This was very intentional, as it was also a celebration of Barbara herself, who passed in February 2024. Hubie has a special place in my heart, and I was extraordinarily honored to share her final book with our community.

One last magical thing. Barbara’s husband Mark came to the event and brought copies of Hubie for every family! It was incredibly generous, and I very much want to thank him for coming and celebrating with us. Kids weren’t even waiting until they left the library to enjoy the story of sweet Hubie the Horse.

Simply Luminous

It’s beautiful, botanical, and inspiring…find your little light in the darkness with this lovely garden box illuminated with shimmering votive candles!

We read Just One Little Light, written by Kat Yeh, and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (Balzer + Bray, 2023). With its gorgeous colors and uplifting text, the reader is powerfully reminded that even in darkness, just one little light is enough to light the way. Have faith. Your little light will always lead you to the path of beauty and hope.

You’ll need:

  • 1 small box
  • Colored cellophane
  • Decorative flowers and leaves
  • LED votive candles
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction

We used 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 3″ cupcake boxes with window lids (if you’re using a regular box, simply cut a window in the lid). Next, cover the window with a piece of colored cellophane. Place votive candles inside the box, then finish by decorating the outside of the box with tons of paper flowers and leaves!

Once the kids garden boxes were finished, we hid them around the gallery, and kids went forth to find their own unique little lights! Note: we recommend writing the kids’ names on the bottom of the box, just to avoid confusion.

While this was a quiet and simple project, it was incredibly cozy and the kids absolutely loved it. Our story time can sometimes get a little raucous, so this sweet and mellow project was a delightful change of pace.

Did you know that Kat Yeh doesn’t just write picture books? Check out our interview with her about her middle grade novels The Truth About Twinkie Pie, and The Way to Bea. Also! Katie tested the recipe for Twinkie pie in the Pop Goes the Page blog kitchen. See how it turned out here! Mmmmmmm.

finished twinkie pie 3