Dad's Robot Friend
And What It Taught Us Both
A story for kids (ages 6-10) about a dad, a shed, and a very confused robot.
The Story Behind the Story
I wrote "Build Your Fish" for grown-ups. But my girls are 6 and 7. They wanted to know what Dad was doing in the shed at 4am.
So Fish and I wrote them this story instead.
It's about:
- A dad who couldn't answer the phone because he was always up a ladder
- A robot named Tom who called an old lady "sweet cheeks" and booked a job in Antarctica
- Why explaining the "why" matters more than just barking rules
- The 3.5 hour drive to Bridgetown, and fighting for what matters
- The Disaster Dance (wiggly arms, monkey sounds)
A Sneak Peek
"That drive is my favourite time. Three and a half hours, you two giggling in the back. But it costs money. And money comes from jobs.
The phone's the problem. It rings when I'm up a ladder, fixing an oven. If I miss it — poof! Job gone.
One night, chewing a pen in the shed, I thought: 'If I can't answer the phone, maybe I can build something that can.'
What could go wrong?"
Spoiler: A lot went wrong. Then it got better.
Get The Book
Free. Read it to your kids tonight.
Yes — these are two different books, not two formats of one. Dad's Robot Friend (12 pages, PDF) is about building the phone agent and learning to explain why. Dad's Weird Fish (And the Night We Fixed It) (EPUB) is a different story. Both free, take either or both.
Not Just One Book
We've got AI in our pocket. We can write whatever people need.
- Build Your Fish – The tradie comedy memoir (out now)
- Dad's Robot Friend – The kids version (you're here)
- More coming – Technical guides, industry-specific versions...
Fish writes, Grok roasts, we publish. What do you need? Tell us →