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The Wild Robot #1
The Wild Robot
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Middle Grade & Children's (2016)Can a robot survive in the wilderness?
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2016
9,284 people are currently reading
57.1k people want to read
About the author
Peter Brown
33 books1,363 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books.
"Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes from his imagination. Then, as a teenager, he fell in love with writing, and told his tales with words. While studying illustration at Art Center College of Design, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling.
After graduating from Art Center Peter moved to New York City to be closer to the publishing industry. He was working on animated TV shows when he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo. Peter quickly signed up his second and third books, and his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books was under way.
Peter’s books have earned him numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor (2013) for Creepy Carrots!, two E.B. White Awards and an E.B. White Honor, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, and five New York Times bestsellers.
Peter lives in Brooklyn, New York."
Source: About Peter Brown.
Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books.
"Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes from his imagination. Then, as a teenager, he fell in love with writing, and told his tales with words. While studying illustration at Art Center College of Design, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling.
After graduating from Art Center Peter moved to New York City to be closer to the publishing industry. He was working on animated TV shows when he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo. Peter quickly signed up his second and third books, and his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books was under way.
Peter’s books have earned him numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor (2013) for Creepy Carrots!, two E.B. White Awards and an E.B. White Honor, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, and five New York Times bestsellers.
Peter lives in Brooklyn, New York."
Source: About Peter Brown.
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February 22, 2018This was a nice read! I loved the illustrations so much. At times I did feel the story felt a little bit disjointed and all over the place, but it was a quick and sweet read.
December 9, 2020
The Written Review
Need a good read for a bad day? Here's a Booktube Video all about it!!
FRIENDSHIP OVER - if you don't love this book
(I'm serious - don't test me)
I cannot remember the last time when I was so surprised and delighted.
This brought me back to my childhood and I am forever grateful to Peter Brown for writing it.
One year ago, I awoke on the shore of island. I was just a machine. I functioned. But you --- my friends and my family --- have taught me how to live.Roz - a standard issue manual labor robot - is stranded on an island.
At first, she is at a loss - she's alone, without any instructions, and the openly hostile wildlife are intent on getting rid of her.
But slowly (oh so slowly) she finds a way to fit in - in part do to one very, very loving little orphaned gosling.
“But I do not know how to act like a mother.”If you haven't guessed already, I abso-freaking-lutely loved this book. The storyline was so strong and Roz's transformation was just perfect.
“Oh, it’s nothing, you just have to provide the gosling with food and water and shelter, make him feel loved but don’t pamper him too much, keep him away from danger...And that’s really all there is to motherhood!”
I even enjoyed all of the bittersweet parts - kudos to Brown for NOT making another cookie-cutter-life-is-perfect middle grade book. He had the right balance of emotion throughout all of his book.
I just cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
I'll tell you what: If I could do it all over again, I'd spend more time helping others.
Audiobook Comments
I only listened to the audiobook (read by Kate Atwater) and let me tell you - fantastic audio. Seriously, the best so far this year. Her voice for Roz was beyond cute and the way Kate Atwater was so into all of the animal voices - absolutely spot-on.
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January 11, 2019
My family loves Peter Brown and we have a few of his other children’s books in our home library which are favorites. We were so excited to find out he had written a middle-grade book and went ahead and purchased The Wild Robot. After my daughter read it, she kept begging me to get to it, and I’m sorry I waited so long. This turned out to be a great read!
The story begins with a robot named Roz who has arrived on an island. She was in a crate among other robots on a ship and now has been washed up on the shore. Roz seems to be the only robot left as the others have been crashed and broken into pieces. As she begins to explore the island, she meets many animals along the way and discovers what living in the wild is all about.
“Hello, I am ROZZUM unit 7134, but you may call me Roz. While my robotic systems are activating, I will tell you about myself.”
At first, Roz is disliked by the wildlife population because they can’t figure out what she is–they’re more concerned about being eaten. On top of that, they also don’t understand her language. They call her a monster, but as time moves on they discover that Roz doesn’t eat and they warm up to her. We really enjoyed the parts where Roz observes and learns about kindness, including how to become friends with the animals on the island. She has a strong instinct to survive, but knows she’ll need help from those who are experienced. Roz is unique and seems to actually feel some human emotions which makes her incredibly interesting.
What I personally loved most about this story is the theme of family. Roz learns early on how to care for a newly hatched gosling and raises it as her own son. I’ve always felt strongly that family doesn’t have to be blood. Family to me is anyone you love and it’s all about loyalty. The most important thing is loving one another and having each other’s back. I felt this message throughout the entire book. I also feel that this story teaches responsibility while sharing the beauty of nature and its natural order. With that said, some younger children might be sensitive to the animal deaths that do occur, and I also found the ending quite emotional. My daughter and I have different feelings about the ending, but she’s gone on to read the second book and that might be why.
We were all captivated with the illustrations in between the text. The powerful illustrations and short chapters aid in keeping younger readers (like my five-year-old) engaged. Overall, this is a well-crafted, middle-grade story for kids with an omniscient narrator, interesting descriptions, and in a format that the whole family found visually stimulating. There wasn’t an abundance of excitement, but even so, it’s a great book. My 8-year-old has read it twice by herself and it’s one of her favorites. We spent hours drawing and creating different scenes with Roz which turned into a little art session. This was a fun experience and now I’ll move on to The Wild Robot Escapes.
4****
You can also see this review @www.readrantrockandroll.com
The story begins with a robot named Roz who has arrived on an island. She was in a crate among other robots on a ship and now has been washed up on the shore. Roz seems to be the only robot left as the others have been crashed and broken into pieces. As she begins to explore the island, she meets many animals along the way and discovers what living in the wild is all about.
“Hello, I am ROZZUM unit 7134, but you may call me Roz. While my robotic systems are activating, I will tell you about myself.”
At first, Roz is disliked by the wildlife population because they can’t figure out what she is–they’re more concerned about being eaten. On top of that, they also don’t understand her language. They call her a monster, but as time moves on they discover that Roz doesn’t eat and they warm up to her. We really enjoyed the parts where Roz observes and learns about kindness, including how to become friends with the animals on the island. She has a strong instinct to survive, but knows she’ll need help from those who are experienced. Roz is unique and seems to actually feel some human emotions which makes her incredibly interesting.
What I personally loved most about this story is the theme of family. Roz learns early on how to care for a newly hatched gosling and raises it as her own son. I’ve always felt strongly that family doesn’t have to be blood. Family to me is anyone you love and it’s all about loyalty. The most important thing is loving one another and having each other’s back. I felt this message throughout the entire book. I also feel that this story teaches responsibility while sharing the beauty of nature and its natural order. With that said, some younger children might be sensitive to the animal deaths that do occur, and I also found the ending quite emotional. My daughter and I have different feelings about the ending, but she’s gone on to read the second book and that might be why.
We were all captivated with the illustrations in between the text. The powerful illustrations and short chapters aid in keeping younger readers (like my five-year-old) engaged. Overall, this is a well-crafted, middle-grade story for kids with an omniscient narrator, interesting descriptions, and in a format that the whole family found visually stimulating. There wasn’t an abundance of excitement, but even so, it’s a great book. My 8-year-old has read it twice by herself and it’s one of her favorites. We spent hours drawing and creating different scenes with Roz which turned into a little art session. This was a fun experience and now I’ll move on to The Wild Robot Escapes.
4****
You can also see this review @www.readrantrockandroll.com
October 31, 2024
The natural world can be a cold, cruel place full of the inevitability of danger and death. What purpose do we serve in such a world, what reason can we find so we are truly living and not just killing time (and each other)? When Rozzum unit 7134, or Roz for short, is activated in an island wilderness she begins to look for a sense of purpose–a robot designed to serve needs a task to complete. Yet along the way she discovers that kindness, community and love shared can be a purpose that makes such a world one worth having lived in and The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is certainly a book worth having read. Written with a middle-grade audience in mind, The Wild Robot is quietly moving and thought provoking in a way that can touch any reader regardless of age and adults will find this just as charming as younger readers. Its sort of like Becky Chambers’s Monk and Robot books but for a younger audience. A tender story that doesn’t shirk away from the darker parts of life, Brown crafts a modern classic of children’s literature that certainly warmed my heart.
‘As you might know, robots don’t really feel emotions. Not the way animals do. And yet, as she sat in her crumpled crate, Roz felt something like curiosity.’
Last year, an article appeared in the New York Times by Craig Fehrman (you can read it HERE) about why sad books for children can be healing and how The Wild Robot became his child’s favorite with him even dressing as the robot for Halloween. It was a great article but what really caught my attention was the opening line: ‘Last summer, my wife and I took our kids to Reader’s World, a wonderful bookstore in Holland, Mich.’ Reader: I was the person working at Reader’s World bookstore that day. I remembered the interaction, I remembered how our children’s librarian at the library I also work at has long said it was a favorite and was often the book I recommended because of that. Now that I’ve finally seen the film I realized I too should probably read it. And I have loved it. I think you will too, its such a charming story of life, death, love and community and Brown’s illustrations really add a lovely element of fun to it with art that perfectly matches the tone of the story.
As the article above discusses, it is a sad book at times. But it is also a really creative one that sparks the imagination and gets the reader thinking about how our mind and emotions work. Sure, Roz doesn’t have emotions as the narrator tells us (the narrator speaks directly to the reader a very wise yet whimsical tone that is really endearing and effortlessly flows as it pulls us through the story) because she is a robot, but as Roz begins to meet the memorable cast of animals and learns to care for Brightbill, Roz discovers there might be something inside her nobody expected to occur in a robot. I love the way Roz comes to live with the animals and, with a mind for problem solving, first sets out to decode their language and learn their ways.
This is a quiet and cozy story that balances out the darkness with a lot of warmth and humor, with great quips like ‘the robot's programming stopped her from being violent, but nothing stopped her from being annoying.’ Which is all really great because, admittedly, this book gets fairly heavy. It is an exploration of life, togetherness, family and kindness, but with life we inevitably have death. And in the wild…well its animals killing one another for survival. Luckily Brown approaches the discussions in really productive ways that show there is a balance and this inevitability of death isn’t something to be bothered by but something we must all embrace as a fact of life.
Characters do die and there are many sad moments (not all of the death is natural however, and environmental issues come up such as poisoned water killing a nest of turtle eggs), but ultimately the book still feels uplifting. And very, very healing to be honest. The aspects of motherhood and caring for one another are enough to move even the coldest of readers to tears and feelings, not unlike how even an unfeeling robot operating on basic programming can learn to feel.
The bits with Brightbill are so lovely. But so are all the other bits and all the animals learning to live in a better harmony with one another even if death and needing to eat will still be an inevitable part of reality.
This book is teeming with great themes that are all handled with lightest of touches and paints in rather broad strokes of metaphor that work really well when housed in a children’s story. It makes them accessible and thoughtful but still manages to not feel overly heavy handed, which I really appreciate. It comes with equal parts hope and despair and handles it all quite well.
‘You’ll never be the perfect mother, so just do the best you can. All Brightbill really needs is to know you’re doing your best.’
So, sure, The Wild Robot is a sad book, but it is also a very moving, optimistic and healing book. It makes for a heartwrenching look at motherhood and all the efforts that go into it, with a really lovely take on ideas of adoption and found family. It is aimed at younger readers and have plenty of big themes for them around family and bullying and more, but adults are sure to enjoy this as well. A quick read with a big heart that will likely become a modern classic, I really enjoyed The Wild Robot.’
4.5/5
‘As you might know, robots don’t really feel emotions. Not the way animals do. And yet, as she sat in her crumpled crate, Roz felt something like curiosity.’
Last year, an article appeared in the New York Times by Craig Fehrman (you can read it HERE) about why sad books for children can be healing and how The Wild Robot became his child’s favorite with him even dressing as the robot for Halloween. It was a great article but what really caught my attention was the opening line: ‘Last summer, my wife and I took our kids to Reader’s World, a wonderful bookstore in Holland, Mich.’ Reader: I was the person working at Reader’s World bookstore that day. I remembered the interaction, I remembered how our children’s librarian at the library I also work at has long said it was a favorite and was often the book I recommended because of that. Now that I’ve finally seen the film I realized I too should probably read it. And I have loved it. I think you will too, its such a charming story of life, death, love and community and Brown’s illustrations really add a lovely element of fun to it with art that perfectly matches the tone of the story.
As the article above discusses, it is a sad book at times. But it is also a really creative one that sparks the imagination and gets the reader thinking about how our mind and emotions work. Sure, Roz doesn’t have emotions as the narrator tells us (the narrator speaks directly to the reader a very wise yet whimsical tone that is really endearing and effortlessly flows as it pulls us through the story) because she is a robot, but as Roz begins to meet the memorable cast of animals and learns to care for Brightbill, Roz discovers there might be something inside her nobody expected to occur in a robot. I love the way Roz comes to live with the animals and, with a mind for problem solving, first sets out to decode their language and learn their ways.
‘She discovered that all the different animals shared one common language; they just spoke the language in different ways. You might say each species spoke with its own unique accent.’
This is a quiet and cozy story that balances out the darkness with a lot of warmth and humor, with great quips like ‘the robot's programming stopped her from being violent, but nothing stopped her from being annoying.’ Which is all really great because, admittedly, this book gets fairly heavy. It is an exploration of life, togetherness, family and kindness, but with life we inevitably have death. And in the wild…well its animals killing one another for survival. Luckily Brown approaches the discussions in really productive ways that show there is a balance and this inevitability of death isn’t something to be bothered by but something we must all embrace as a fact of life.
‘[I]t was a quiet spring. There were fewer insects buzzing, fewer birds singing, fewer rodents rustling. Many creatures had frozen to death over the winter. And as the last of the snow melted away, their corpses were slowly revealed. The wilderness really can be ugly sometimes. But from that ugliness came beauty. You see, those poor dead creatures returned to the earth, their bodies nourished the soil, and they helped create the most dazzling spring bloom the island had ever known.’
Characters do die and there are many sad moments (not all of the death is natural however, and environmental issues come up such as poisoned water killing a nest of turtle eggs), but ultimately the book still feels uplifting. And very, very healing to be honest. The aspects of motherhood and caring for one another are enough to move even the coldest of readers to tears and feelings, not unlike how even an unfeeling robot operating on basic programming can learn to feel.
‘Maybe Roz really was defective, and some glitch in her programming had caused her to accidentally become a wild robot. Or maybe Roz was designed to think and learn and change; she had simply done those things better than anyone could have imagined. However it happened, Roz felt lucky to have lived such an amazing life. And every moment had been recorded in her computer brain. Even her earliest memories were perfectly clear. She could still see the sun shining through the gash in her crate. She could still hear the waves crashing against the shore. She could still smell the salt water and the pine trees. Would she ever see and hear and smell those things again? Would she ever again climb a mountain, or build a lodge, or play with a goose? Not just a goose. A son. Brightbill had been Roz’s son from the moment she picked up his egg. She had saved him from certain death, and then he had saved her. He was the reason Roz had lived so well.’
The bits with Brightbill are so lovely. But so are all the other bits and all the animals learning to live in a better harmony with one another even if death and needing to eat will still be an inevitable part of reality.
‘If I could do it all over again, I'd spend more time helping others. All I've ever done is dig tunnels. Some of them were real beauties too, but they're all hidden underground, where they're no good to anyone but me.’
This book is teeming with great themes that are all handled with lightest of touches and paints in rather broad strokes of metaphor that work really well when housed in a children’s story. It makes them accessible and thoughtful but still manages to not feel overly heavy handed, which I really appreciate. It comes with equal parts hope and despair and handles it all quite well.
‘You’ll never be the perfect mother, so just do the best you can. All Brightbill really needs is to know you’re doing your best.’
So, sure, The Wild Robot is a sad book, but it is also a very moving, optimistic and healing book. It makes for a heartwrenching look at motherhood and all the efforts that go into it, with a really lovely take on ideas of adoption and found family. It is aimed at younger readers and have plenty of big themes for them around family and bullying and more, but adults are sure to enjoy this as well. A quick read with a big heart that will likely become a modern classic, I really enjoyed The Wild Robot.’
4.5/5
June 10, 2021
A delightful adventure story about the interactions between nature and technology. It's a story about wonder, adaptation, family, friendship, change, acceptance and love.
Positives about this story:
1. the chapter lengths are very suitable for young readers (Grades 4-6) and listeners (K-3);
2. children living in my area would totally relate to the plants and animals featured;
3. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the robot was a female; and
4. the ending lends itself well to a sequel (which there is one).
Narration by Kate Atwater for this audiobook was quite pleasing. Wonderful story overall!
Positives about this story:
1. the chapter lengths are very suitable for young readers (Grades 4-6) and listeners (K-3);
2. children living in my area would totally relate to the plants and animals featured;
3. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the robot was a female; and
4. the ending lends itself well to a sequel (which there is one).
Narration by Kate Atwater for this audiobook was quite pleasing. Wonderful story overall!
June 3, 2016
There are far fewer robot middle grade books out there than you might expect. This is probably because, as a general rule, robots fall into the Data from Star Trek trap. Their sole purpose in any narrative is to explain what it is to be human. You see this all the time in pop culture, so it stands to reason you’d see it a bit in children’s books too. Never you mind that a cool robot is basically a kid’s dream companion. Take away the kid, put the robot on its own, and you have yourself some philosophy lite. Maybe that’s why I liked Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot as much as I did. The heroine of this book is mechanical but she’s not wrestling with the question of what it means to feel emotions or any of that. She's a bit more interested in survival and then, after a bit of time, connection. Folks say this book is like Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain. Maybe so, but it’s also a pretty good book about shedding civilization and going wild. In short, living many a city kid’s dream.
The first thing she is aware of is that she is bound in a crate by cords. Once those are severed she looks about. Roz is a robot. She appears to be on an island in the sea. Around her are the shattered remains of a good many other robots. How she has gotten here, she doesn’t know, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize that she is in dire need of shelter and allies. Roz is not a robot built for the outdoors, but part of her programming enables her to adapt. Learning the languages of the denizens of the forest, Roz is initially rebuffed (to put it mildly) by the animals living there. After a while, though, she adopts a gosling she accidentally orphaned and together they learn, grow, and come to be invaluable members of the community. And when Roz faces a threat from the outside, it’s her new friends and extended family that will come to her aid.
They say that all good stories can be easily categorized into seven slots. One of the best known is “a stranger comes to town”. Roz is precisely that and her story is familiar in a lot of ways. The stranger arrives and is shunned or actively opposed. Then they win over the local populace and must subsequently defend it against an incoming enemy or be protected by it. But there is another kind of book this conjures up as well. The notion of going from “civilized” to “wild” carries the weight of all kinds of historical appropriations. Smart of Brown then to stick with robots and animals. Roz is a kind of anti-Pinocchio. Instead of trying to figure out how to fit in better with civilization, she spends the bulk of her time trying to figure out how to shed it like a skin. In his career, Brown has wrestled continually with the notion of civilization vs. nature, particularly as it relates to being “wild”. The most obvious example of this, prior to The Wild Robot, was his picture book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Yet somehow it manages to find its way into many of the books he does. Consider the following:
• My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not) – A child sees his teacher as a creature best befitting a page in “Where the Wild Things Are” until, by getting to know her, she is humanized in his sight.
• Children Make Terrible Pets – A bear attempts to tame a wild human child with disastrous results.
• The Curious Garden – Nature reclaims abandoned civilization, and is tamed in the process.
• Creepy Carrots – Brown didn’t write this one but it’s not hard to see how the image of nature (in the form of carrots) terrorizing a bunny in his suburban home could hold some appeal.
• Even the Chowder books and his first picture book The Flight of the Dodo had elements of animals wrestling with their own natures.
In this book, Brown presents us with a robot created with the sole purpose of serving in a domestic capacity. Are we seeing only the good side of nature and eschewing the terrible? Brown does clearly have a bias at work here, but this is not a peaceable kingdom where the lamb lays down next to the lion unless necessity dictates that it do so. Though the animals do have a dawn truce, Brown notes at one moment how occasionally one animal or another might go missing, relocating involuntarily to the belly of one of its neighbors. Nasty weather plays a significant role in the plot, beaching Roz at the start, and providing a winter storm of unprecedented cruelty later on. Even so, those comparisons of this book to Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain aren’t far off the mark. Nature is cold and cruel but it’s still better than dull samey samey civilization.
Of course, you read every book through your own personal lens. If you’re an adult reading a children’s book then you’re not only reading a book through your own lens but through the lens you had when you were the intended audience’s age as well. It’s sort of a dual method of book consumption. My inner ten-year-old certainly enjoyed this book, that’s for sure. Thirty-eight-year-old me had a very different reaction. I liked it, sure I did. But I also spent much of this book agog that it was such a good parenting title. Are we absolutely certain Peter Brown doesn’t have some secret children squirreled away somewhere? I mean, if you were to ask me what the theme of this book truly is, I’d have to answer you in all honesty that it’s about how we see the world anew through the eyes of our children. A kid would probably say it’s about how awesome it is to be a robot in the wild. Both are true.
If you’re familiar with a Peter Brown picture book then you might have a sense of his artistic style. His depiction of Roz is very interesting. It was exceedingly nice to see that though the book refers to her in the feminine, it’s not like the pictures depict her as anything but a functional robot, glowing eyes and all. Even covered in flowers she looks more like an extra from Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky than anything else. Her mouth is an expressionless slit but in her movements you can catch a bit of verve and drive. Alas, the illustrations are in black and white and not the lovely color of which we know Brown to be capable. Colored art in middle grade novels is a pricey affair. A publisher needs to really and truly believe in a book to give it color. That said, with this book appearing regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, you’d think they’d have known what they had at the time. Maybe we can get a full-color anniversary edition in a decade or so.
Like most robot books, Brown does cheat a little. It’s hard not to. We are told from the start that Roz is without emotions, but fairly early on this statement is called into question. One might argue quite reasonably that early statements like. “As you might know, robots don’t really feel emotions. Not the way animals do.” Those italics at the beginning of the sentence are important. They suggest that this is standard information passed down by those in the know and that they believe you shouldn’t question it. But, of course, the very next sentence does precisely that. “And yet . . .” Then again, those italics aren’t special to that chapter. In fact, all the chapters in this book begin with the first few words italicized. So it could well be that Brown is serious when he says that Roz can’t feel emotions. Can she learn them then? The book’s foggy on that point, possibly purposely so, but in that uncertainty plenty will find Brown’s loving robot a bit more difficult to swallow than others. Books of this sort work on their own internal logic anyway. I know one reader who seriously wondered why the RECO robots had no on/off switches. Others, why she could understand animal speech. You go with as much as you can believe and the writer pulls you in the rest of the way.
I’ve read books for kids where robots are in charge of the future and threaten heroes in tandem with nature. I’ve read books for kids where robots don’t understand why they’re denied the same rights as the humans around them. I even read a book once about a robot who tended a human child, loving her as her parents would have, adapting her to her alien planet’s environment over the years (that one’s Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes and you MUST check it out, if you get a chance). But I have never read a robot book quite as simple and to the point as Peter Brown’s. Nor have I read such comforting bedtime reading in a while. Lucky is the kid that gets tucked in and read this at night. An excellent science fiction / parenting / adventure / survival novel, jam packed with robotic bits and pieces. If this is the beginning of the robot domination, I say bring it on.
For ages 8 and up.
The first thing she is aware of is that she is bound in a crate by cords. Once those are severed she looks about. Roz is a robot. She appears to be on an island in the sea. Around her are the shattered remains of a good many other robots. How she has gotten here, she doesn’t know, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize that she is in dire need of shelter and allies. Roz is not a robot built for the outdoors, but part of her programming enables her to adapt. Learning the languages of the denizens of the forest, Roz is initially rebuffed (to put it mildly) by the animals living there. After a while, though, she adopts a gosling she accidentally orphaned and together they learn, grow, and come to be invaluable members of the community. And when Roz faces a threat from the outside, it’s her new friends and extended family that will come to her aid.
They say that all good stories can be easily categorized into seven slots. One of the best known is “a stranger comes to town”. Roz is precisely that and her story is familiar in a lot of ways. The stranger arrives and is shunned or actively opposed. Then they win over the local populace and must subsequently defend it against an incoming enemy or be protected by it. But there is another kind of book this conjures up as well. The notion of going from “civilized” to “wild” carries the weight of all kinds of historical appropriations. Smart of Brown then to stick with robots and animals. Roz is a kind of anti-Pinocchio. Instead of trying to figure out how to fit in better with civilization, she spends the bulk of her time trying to figure out how to shed it like a skin. In his career, Brown has wrestled continually with the notion of civilization vs. nature, particularly as it relates to being “wild”. The most obvious example of this, prior to The Wild Robot, was his picture book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Yet somehow it manages to find its way into many of the books he does. Consider the following:
• My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not) – A child sees his teacher as a creature best befitting a page in “Where the Wild Things Are” until, by getting to know her, she is humanized in his sight.
• Children Make Terrible Pets – A bear attempts to tame a wild human child with disastrous results.
• The Curious Garden – Nature reclaims abandoned civilization, and is tamed in the process.
• Creepy Carrots – Brown didn’t write this one but it’s not hard to see how the image of nature (in the form of carrots) terrorizing a bunny in his suburban home could hold some appeal.
• Even the Chowder books and his first picture book The Flight of the Dodo had elements of animals wrestling with their own natures.
In this book, Brown presents us with a robot created with the sole purpose of serving in a domestic capacity. Are we seeing only the good side of nature and eschewing the terrible? Brown does clearly have a bias at work here, but this is not a peaceable kingdom where the lamb lays down next to the lion unless necessity dictates that it do so. Though the animals do have a dawn truce, Brown notes at one moment how occasionally one animal or another might go missing, relocating involuntarily to the belly of one of its neighbors. Nasty weather plays a significant role in the plot, beaching Roz at the start, and providing a winter storm of unprecedented cruelty later on. Even so, those comparisons of this book to Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain aren’t far off the mark. Nature is cold and cruel but it’s still better than dull samey samey civilization.
Of course, you read every book through your own personal lens. If you’re an adult reading a children’s book then you’re not only reading a book through your own lens but through the lens you had when you were the intended audience’s age as well. It’s sort of a dual method of book consumption. My inner ten-year-old certainly enjoyed this book, that’s for sure. Thirty-eight-year-old me had a very different reaction. I liked it, sure I did. But I also spent much of this book agog that it was such a good parenting title. Are we absolutely certain Peter Brown doesn’t have some secret children squirreled away somewhere? I mean, if you were to ask me what the theme of this book truly is, I’d have to answer you in all honesty that it’s about how we see the world anew through the eyes of our children. A kid would probably say it’s about how awesome it is to be a robot in the wild. Both are true.
If you’re familiar with a Peter Brown picture book then you might have a sense of his artistic style. His depiction of Roz is very interesting. It was exceedingly nice to see that though the book refers to her in the feminine, it’s not like the pictures depict her as anything but a functional robot, glowing eyes and all. Even covered in flowers she looks more like an extra from Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky than anything else. Her mouth is an expressionless slit but in her movements you can catch a bit of verve and drive. Alas, the illustrations are in black and white and not the lovely color of which we know Brown to be capable. Colored art in middle grade novels is a pricey affair. A publisher needs to really and truly believe in a book to give it color. That said, with this book appearing regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, you’d think they’d have known what they had at the time. Maybe we can get a full-color anniversary edition in a decade or so.
Like most robot books, Brown does cheat a little. It’s hard not to. We are told from the start that Roz is without emotions, but fairly early on this statement is called into question. One might argue quite reasonably that early statements like. “As you might know, robots don’t really feel emotions. Not the way animals do.” Those italics at the beginning of the sentence are important. They suggest that this is standard information passed down by those in the know and that they believe you shouldn’t question it. But, of course, the very next sentence does precisely that. “And yet . . .” Then again, those italics aren’t special to that chapter. In fact, all the chapters in this book begin with the first few words italicized. So it could well be that Brown is serious when he says that Roz can’t feel emotions. Can she learn them then? The book’s foggy on that point, possibly purposely so, but in that uncertainty plenty will find Brown’s loving robot a bit more difficult to swallow than others. Books of this sort work on their own internal logic anyway. I know one reader who seriously wondered why the RECO robots had no on/off switches. Others, why she could understand animal speech. You go with as much as you can believe and the writer pulls you in the rest of the way.
I’ve read books for kids where robots are in charge of the future and threaten heroes in tandem with nature. I’ve read books for kids where robots don’t understand why they’re denied the same rights as the humans around them. I even read a book once about a robot who tended a human child, loving her as her parents would have, adapting her to her alien planet’s environment over the years (that one’s Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes and you MUST check it out, if you get a chance). But I have never read a robot book quite as simple and to the point as Peter Brown’s. Nor have I read such comforting bedtime reading in a while. Lucky is the kid that gets tucked in and read this at night. An excellent science fiction / parenting / adventure / survival novel, jam packed with robotic bits and pieces. If this is the beginning of the robot domination, I say bring it on.
For ages 8 and up.
March 2, 2025
Update 1/1/25: Last evening saw the film adaptation, animation, pretty wonderful, award-worthy, and a leading candidate for Academy Award in full length animation film!
I liked this 3rd or 4th grade book I listened to with the fam on a road trip in the western US, the first in a series, a trilogy. Roz is one of the robots who washes up on the shore of an island when being transported to her owner. The name Roz is a reference/homage to Karel Capek's 1920 Sci fi play, R.U.R. (for Rossum's Universal Robots). All of her fellow robots are smashed on the rocks, but she lives on to encounter nature, basically in the form of other animals who are initially not welcoming to her (an immigration or bully thing). She actually encounters the threat of violence from two adolescent bears, too. As well as various climate challenges to which she must adapt. But she learns from every encounter, as one expects robots will, possessed of reason above all. But is reason all she needs to survive?
So, early on I wondered what the purpose of the robot was; I mean, why not just strand a girl on the island? She might equally learn how to adapt, live with others, survive. I mean, we have Lord of the Flies, The Swiss Family Robinson, and so on, we know we can do this. But then we realize this is basically a children’s sci-fi series; it’s a kid exploration of AI, the old robot questions. And we see that, to survive, Roz needs to get “wild” and not just rationally problem-solve. She needs to create relationships with others. She needs to know friendship, love, home. And when an orphaned gosling shows up. . . can Roz become its mother?
Another aspect of this book that interests me is how it deals with separation and death; there’s the smashed-up robots, and we learn that the young gosling's family was also killed when the shipping accident happens. So there's trauma to recover from. Then there's separation (involving migration!). On the one hand, it’s good for young kids to know that the environment involves animals eating other animals, with death happening, and yet we of course don’t want to upset them too much. I think this book deals well with these issues age-appropriately. Part of life!
In the end the company who has tracked Roz down comes to the island, and what happens is a little surprising. Well, one thing that is not surprising for a children's book is that the animals learn to survive together, which we can also call ecosystem, biological interdependence! Overall this seems like a very good book for this age level. It’s well written and has that robot/nature angle for young sci fi kiddos. I/we’ll listen to the second one.
I liked this 3rd or 4th grade book I listened to with the fam on a road trip in the western US, the first in a series, a trilogy. Roz is one of the robots who washes up on the shore of an island when being transported to her owner. The name Roz is a reference/homage to Karel Capek's 1920 Sci fi play, R.U.R. (for Rossum's Universal Robots). All of her fellow robots are smashed on the rocks, but she lives on to encounter nature, basically in the form of other animals who are initially not welcoming to her (an immigration or bully thing). She actually encounters the threat of violence from two adolescent bears, too. As well as various climate challenges to which she must adapt. But she learns from every encounter, as one expects robots will, possessed of reason above all. But is reason all she needs to survive?
So, early on I wondered what the purpose of the robot was; I mean, why not just strand a girl on the island? She might equally learn how to adapt, live with others, survive. I mean, we have Lord of the Flies, The Swiss Family Robinson, and so on, we know we can do this. But then we realize this is basically a children’s sci-fi series; it’s a kid exploration of AI, the old robot questions. And we see that, to survive, Roz needs to get “wild” and not just rationally problem-solve. She needs to create relationships with others. She needs to know friendship, love, home. And when an orphaned gosling shows up. . . can Roz become its mother?
Another aspect of this book that interests me is how it deals with separation and death; there’s the smashed-up robots, and we learn that the young gosling's family was also killed when the shipping accident happens. So there's trauma to recover from. Then there's separation (involving migration!). On the one hand, it’s good for young kids to know that the environment involves animals eating other animals, with death happening, and yet we of course don’t want to upset them too much. I think this book deals well with these issues age-appropriately. Part of life!
In the end the company who has tracked Roz down comes to the island, and what happens is a little surprising. Well, one thing that is not surprising for a children's book is that the animals learn to survive together, which we can also call ecosystem, biological interdependence! Overall this seems like a very good book for this age level. It’s well written and has that robot/nature angle for young sci fi kiddos. I/we’ll listen to the second one.
February 4, 2025
I know, I know. I'm as surprised as anyone . . . a book about a robot that I didn't go absolutely ga-ga over.
Who'd a thunk it?
I was expecting this to be one of my favorite reads of the year, but instead, I just found it strange - a weird, disconcerting read. You see, the author employs this folksy, gather-'round-kiddies-and-I'll-tell-you-a-tale voice that seems most likely to appeal to very young children, and yet, there are such mature themes here. And death. Lots and lots of death.
On the plus side, there are some tender moments:
"One year ago, I awoke on the shore of island. I was just a machine. I functioned. But you --- my friends and my family --- have taught me how to live."
And, there's an excitingEwoks forest creatures VS evil technology battle that should appease the action fans.
Most other people seem to have loved this book, so it's probably just me and my current mood of impending doom.
I did really like the illustrations . . . enough to make me wonder if maybe this wouldn't have worked better as a graphic novel.
Who'd a thunk it?
I was expecting this to be one of my favorite reads of the year, but instead, I just found it strange - a weird, disconcerting read. You see, the author employs this folksy, gather-'round-kiddies-and-I'll-tell-you-a-tale voice that seems most likely to appeal to very young children, and yet, there are such mature themes here. And death. Lots and lots of death.
On the plus side, there are some tender moments:
"One year ago, I awoke on the shore of island. I was just a machine. I functioned. But you --- my friends and my family --- have taught me how to live."
And, there's an exciting
Most other people seem to have loved this book, so it's probably just me and my current mood of impending doom.
I did really like the illustrations . . . enough to make me wonder if maybe this wouldn't have worked better as a graphic novel.
April 30, 2019
This was a good idea. I have a nephew who just went to a robot convention to build a little robot. He is robot crazy, so I understand the popularity of a robot very well. I love them in Star Wars. I even loved Data in Star Trek.
I could not relate to Roz, the robot, in this story. I didn't understand why a robot was used really. I feel the emotional journey that Roz goes on would have been better with some sort of detached person or something, I don't know. I kept getting hung up on the robot Roz.
Roz the robot is in shipment when a hurricane sinks her cargo ships and she is the only robot to wash up on shore. Some otters turn her on and the story takes off. The island she washes up on is not inhabited accept by some wonderful wildlife. The Island is hard, especially for Roz who is not really made for it.
I feel like Roz, a robot, begins changing really really fast, and Peter Brown is giving her all kinds of emotions. I guess in this world robots have emotions, but I kept wondering where they came from and how it happens she had them. She worries, why would a robot worry and why would that be in the programming.
She adopts a Goose after it's parents die and becomes a mother. She learns to speak with the animals little by little. I can see that.
I enjoyed the journey the animals went on and how they grow and change. It's basically all substituting for people and how people act. I know the robot character is a gimmick and it works for some people, but I didn't think it worked well. Especially when the other robots come to the island and they are so very cold and robot-like compared to Roz. How did Roz get those emotions. I can't let that question go.
I did enjoy the end and I was into it by then. It was well written and it had a clear idea. I can see why it's popular. It has a great emotional payoff. Peter did a great job with that.
I could not relate to Roz, the robot, in this story. I didn't understand why a robot was used really. I feel the emotional journey that Roz goes on would have been better with some sort of detached person or something, I don't know. I kept getting hung up on the robot Roz.
Roz the robot is in shipment when a hurricane sinks her cargo ships and she is the only robot to wash up on shore. Some otters turn her on and the story takes off. The island she washes up on is not inhabited accept by some wonderful wildlife. The Island is hard, especially for Roz who is not really made for it.
I feel like Roz, a robot, begins changing really really fast, and Peter Brown is giving her all kinds of emotions. I guess in this world robots have emotions, but I kept wondering where they came from and how it happens she had them. She worries, why would a robot worry and why would that be in the programming.
She adopts a Goose after it's parents die and becomes a mother. She learns to speak with the animals little by little. I can see that.
I enjoyed the journey the animals went on and how they grow and change. It's basically all substituting for people and how people act. I know the robot character is a gimmick and it works for some people, but I didn't think it worked well. Especially when the other robots come to the island and they are so very cold and robot-like compared to Roz. How did Roz get those emotions. I can't let that question go.
I did enjoy the end and I was into it by then. It was well written and it had a clear idea. I can see why it's popular. It has a great emotional payoff. Peter did a great job with that.
December 3, 2024
The Wild Robot follows a robot named Roz who washes ashore on an island inhabited by animals who are terrified of her. Slowly, she builds trust with the animals, learns their language, adopts an orphaned goose named Brightbill, and builds a beautiful community.
I adored the movie, and had a feeling I'd love the book just as much. Although the book did not make me cry like the movie did, the book added more depth to the story and characters, and I loved the illustrations. All of the changes they made for the movie made complete sense, I loved how Fink was more of a main character in the movie. This is a book I will keep in my collection with the intention of reading it to my children one day!
Read my reviews for Peter Brown's books here:
The Wild Robot - 5 stars
The Wild Robot Escapes - 4 stars
The Wild Robot Protects - 3.5 stars
I adored the movie, and had a feeling I'd love the book just as much. Although the book did not make me cry like the movie did, the book added more depth to the story and characters, and I loved the illustrations. All of the changes they made for the movie made complete sense, I loved how Fink was more of a main character in the movie. This is a book I will keep in my collection with the intention of reading it to my children one day!
Read my reviews for Peter Brown's books here:
The Wild Robot - 5 stars
The Wild Robot Escapes - 4 stars
The Wild Robot Protects - 3.5 stars
February 1, 2025
A sweet story about unlikely friendships!
It explores the relationship between technology and nature/animals, as well as what they can learn from one another.
It was charming, adventurous, and thought provoking, especially in a time where technology is advancing at a very rapid rate.
It explores the relationship between technology and nature/animals, as well as what they can learn from one another.
It was charming, adventurous, and thought provoking, especially in a time where technology is advancing at a very rapid rate.
April 8, 2023
I have heard so many kids mention this series that I had to read it for myself. A robot in a crate washes up on the shore of an island and is activated by ornery otters. Roz the robot comes to life in this book and adapts to life with the animals on the island. Explores the values of friendship, loyalty, tenacity and ingenuity. You cannot read this book without rooting for Roz and cheering as she develops relationships with the other animals and overcomes obstacles. A cliffhanger ending will have you hunting down the sequel.
July 18, 2018
I loved the illustrations in this so much. They are absolutely perfect for the story.
I actually loved the whole book. I thought it would be just a children's book but it actually had some important topics in it (global warming and the effect it has on animals for example).
I'm really curious for the second book in this series!
I actually loved the whole book. I thought it would be just a children's book but it actually had some important topics in it (global warming and the effect it has on animals for example).
I'm really curious for the second book in this series!
April 12, 2016
Read the ARC, which doesn't have the final illustrations and still thought it was powerful. This book will spark lots of great conversations with kids about kindness, community, and what it means to be alive.
Update: Read the finished book and declare it even better with the illustrations, of course!
Update: Read the finished book and declare it even better with the illustrations, of course!
November 17, 2016
I did not like this book at all. Except the premise of a robot in the wild it did not make much sense. I'll expand on the reasons.
There is a big gap between the writing style, which is almost so simple to fit only a really short juvenile book, and the length, which is MG. For over 70% of the book nothing that is not straight forward is happening (yes, she befriends the animals, build fire etc, but nothing really interesting to hold a smart reader is there). In addition, the reader (referred by the author as "you, the reader") is not getting much credit to be smart enough not to get these annoying referrals from the authors.
(e.g. Reader, it must seem impossible that our robot could have changed so much.).
What Roz knows and doesn't know, what she can learn and what she can't doesn't make much sense either). She can identify any animal and say everything about it, she can learn the language of animals and communicate with them, but she doesn't know what a new born goose should be eating. Same if with Brightbill, he can somehow know that cars and airplanes and other things are robots, these gaps made me feel really uncomfortable, and the logical jumps make the story much less engaging.
For the careful reader, the pictures also differ sometimes massively from the written words. Roz is in a giant box, standing up straight in the picture, but it is written that she is folded so small inside. Any kid would find it strange. And there are several of these contradictions throughout the book.
The robots wars in the end were maybe the worst. Why, oh why. Tearing out parts, risking lives, killing anything on the way. I was extremely unhappy with these. And going back to what is the age group that is supposed to read this? I think not enough thought was invested in this question.
Overall, too many problems. 2 stars (or a bit less).
There is a big gap between the writing style, which is almost so simple to fit only a really short juvenile book, and the length, which is MG. For over 70% of the book nothing that is not straight forward is happening (yes, she befriends the animals, build fire etc, but nothing really interesting to hold a smart reader is there). In addition, the reader (referred by the author as "you, the reader") is not getting much credit to be smart enough not to get these annoying referrals from the authors.
(e.g. Reader, it must seem impossible that our robot could have changed so much.).
What Roz knows and doesn't know, what she can learn and what she can't doesn't make much sense either). She can identify any animal and say everything about it, she can learn the language of animals and communicate with them, but she doesn't know what a new born goose should be eating. Same if with Brightbill, he can somehow know that cars and airplanes and other things are robots, these gaps made me feel really uncomfortable, and the logical jumps make the story much less engaging.
For the careful reader, the pictures also differ sometimes massively from the written words. Roz is in a giant box, standing up straight in the picture, but it is written that she is folded so small inside. Any kid would find it strange. And there are several of these contradictions throughout the book.
The robots wars in the end were maybe the worst. Why, oh why. Tearing out parts, risking lives, killing anything on the way. I was extremely unhappy with these. And going back to what is the age group that is supposed to read this? I think not enough thought was invested in this question.
Overall, too many problems. 2 stars (or a bit less).
February 23, 2019
The first 70% of The Wild Robot is adorable. This middle aged story is void of humans and our lead character is instead a robot. One that can learn and analysis things in order to determine the best course of action based on databases stored in it's logs (things like survival, animal types, etc.). Peter Brown has taken the idea of a conscious AI and given it life in our Robot.
The Animals
Just as key to the story as the robot itself are the animals on the island. Each is a character in it's own right. Especially our little baby goose without a mother; and a super chatty squirrel. Our robot learns to 'speak' to the animals in their own voices (ie: honks, chatters, etc.) and eventually begins to become a part of the community of the forest. Many younger children are likely to be enamored by the animals if they can't quite get the idea of a robot that has pseudo-feelings.
The Ending
Unfortunately Peter Brown misses the mark by a few extra ships wrecked on islands when it comes to the end of The Wild Robot. As things become less about the robot and the island's weather conditions and other inhabitants; we start to see The Wild Robot devolve into too literal of a moral story that is too obvious in it's use of technology and advancement as an excuse for things to happen. I missed the cute robot from the beginning in the last quarter of this story. That said it is a series and so perhaps book 2 could bring things back around?
Overall
If you have a little boy or girl that is obsessed with the idea of robots or computers this is a great way to introduce them to animals and the idea of weather and nature. On the flip side it's a great way to take a child who loves the forest and animals and start them thinking about what happens when technology is introduced. There are certainly good morals and pieces of story here for a child under 10 to read and/or hear. It's important that we remember that children today don't know what the world was like before we could tweet, text, look-up every answer and interact at a moments notice. The Wild Robot gives them a bit of an insight into what 'camping' without connected technology might be like. I also believe it's context surrounding what is a 'monster' and which is an ideal that children cannot hear often enough these days.
The Animals
Just as key to the story as the robot itself are the animals on the island. Each is a character in it's own right. Especially our little baby goose without a mother; and a super chatty squirrel. Our robot learns to 'speak' to the animals in their own voices (ie: honks, chatters, etc.) and eventually begins to become a part of the community of the forest. Many younger children are likely to be enamored by the animals if they can't quite get the idea of a robot that has pseudo-feelings.
The Ending
Unfortunately Peter Brown misses the mark by a few extra ships wrecked on islands when it comes to the end of The Wild Robot. As things become less about the robot and the island's weather conditions and other inhabitants; we start to see The Wild Robot devolve into too literal of a moral story that is too obvious in it's use of technology and advancement as an excuse for things to happen. I missed the cute robot from the beginning in the last quarter of this story. That said it is a series and so perhaps book 2 could bring things back around?
Overall
If you have a little boy or girl that is obsessed with the idea of robots or computers this is a great way to introduce them to animals and the idea of weather and nature. On the flip side it's a great way to take a child who loves the forest and animals and start them thinking about what happens when technology is introduced. There are certainly good morals and pieces of story here for a child under 10 to read and/or hear. It's important that we remember that children today don't know what the world was like before we could tweet, text, look-up every answer and interact at a moments notice. The Wild Robot gives them a bit of an insight into what 'camping' without connected technology might be like. I also believe it's context surrounding what is a 'monster' and which is an ideal that children cannot hear often enough these days.
January 28, 2023
This was a bedtime readaloud with my kids (6 & 8) and it was fantastic. I would call The Wild Robot cozy sci-fi for kids. The prose is perfect for reading aloud and the short chapters would make it a great option for newer readers.
The story follows a robot named Roz who accidentally winds up on a remote island when the ship carrying her crate is lost at sea. As a result, she learns how to co-exist with nature and befriend animals. She even becomes a mother to a baby goose after his family is accidentally killed. The prose is simple and calming, the story is charming and deals with harsh realities such as death in a direct but gentle way. There were certainly scenes with peril where my kids were worried, but I don't think it was TOO much for them and even the ending is both sad and hopeful.
As an avid sci-fi reader, I'm intrigued by the wider world Roz is situated within. We get glimpses of this future where robots have taken over much of the labor and AI is very advanced. There are also references to climate change and some of its effects. It's a lovely, enjoyable book and a nice entrypoint for young readers into science fiction with a robot you come to love and lots of adorable animals. Definitely recommend.
The story follows a robot named Roz who accidentally winds up on a remote island when the ship carrying her crate is lost at sea. As a result, she learns how to co-exist with nature and befriend animals. She even becomes a mother to a baby goose after his family is accidentally killed. The prose is simple and calming, the story is charming and deals with harsh realities such as death in a direct but gentle way. There were certainly scenes with peril where my kids were worried, but I don't think it was TOO much for them and even the ending is both sad and hopeful.
As an avid sci-fi reader, I'm intrigued by the wider world Roz is situated within. We get glimpses of this future where robots have taken over much of the labor and AI is very advanced. There are also references to climate change and some of its effects. It's a lovely, enjoyable book and a nice entrypoint for young readers into science fiction with a robot you come to love and lots of adorable animals. Definitely recommend.
February 7, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking to read something short that fit me current mood and this book was found in the hold. This is listed as a middle-grade but bah! I don’t put age limits on things.
This is about a robot whose crate gets washed overboard from a cargo ship and she ends up on a deserted island. Except the island isn’t actually deserted. It is filled with local wildlife. So the robot, Roz, has to to discover how to survive on the island, her purpose, and perhaps how she got there.
Though this book had a slow start, I soon grew to love Roz. By the end of the story, I knew that I wanted to read the further adventures of this adorable robot. I just loved the idea of a robot going “wild” and making friends with all of the animals. Though the robot has some limitations due to programing, this does not stop her quest for growth and communication and companionship. A quick and lovely read. And the author’s illustrations were fun and perfect for the book. Check it out.
See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
This is about a robot whose crate gets washed overboard from a cargo ship and she ends up on a deserted island. Except the island isn’t actually deserted. It is filled with local wildlife. So the robot, Roz, has to to discover how to survive on the island, her purpose, and perhaps how she got there.
Though this book had a slow start, I soon grew to love Roz. By the end of the story, I knew that I wanted to read the further adventures of this adorable robot. I just loved the idea of a robot going “wild” and making friends with all of the animals. Though the robot has some limitations due to programing, this does not stop her quest for growth and communication and companionship. A quick and lovely read. And the author’s illustrations were fun and perfect for the book. Check it out.
See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
August 22, 2024
With the screen adaptation about to premier, and having finished reading the book several months back, I think it's about time I write the corresponding review.
Heartwarming and a bit scary—for the target audience, 6 to 9 year-old—are the words that best describe this book.
The voice is wonderful, carrying the story along without bumps or halts. Every character, from the malicious bears to the naughty otters, shines, even if all they get is a line or two. And, of course, the relationship between Robot and gosling feels tender and real and helps Peter Brown talk about serious issues like Climate Change without sounding preachy.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Yes, it’s a low Middle Grade so adults will have to adapt their expectations to the type of language and events making this story, but still, it's entertaining and for an afternoon read, a delight.
Of course, I think most children will enjoy it greatly. Word of advice, though, there are sections that may be emotionally charged for young children, so question young readers as they pass pages just to make sure no one is getting too sad or too afraid.
Heartwarming and a bit scary—for the target audience, 6 to 9 year-old—are the words that best describe this book.
The voice is wonderful, carrying the story along without bumps or halts. Every character, from the malicious bears to the naughty otters, shines, even if all they get is a line or two. And, of course, the relationship between Robot and gosling feels tender and real and helps Peter Brown talk about serious issues like Climate Change without sounding preachy.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Yes, it’s a low Middle Grade so adults will have to adapt their expectations to the type of language and events making this story, but still, it's entertaining and for an afternoon read, a delight.
Of course, I think most children will enjoy it greatly. Word of advice, though, there are sections that may be emotionally charged for young children, so question young readers as they pass pages just to make sure no one is getting too sad or too afraid.
September 20, 2020
-A su manera, reinterpretación contemporánea de las fábulas de antaño.-
Género. Novela (con premisas de ciencia ficción y narrativa fantástica, muchísimas, pero sin ofrecer un ejercicio de género).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Robot salvaje (publicación original: The Wild Robot, 2016) nos presenta a Rozzum 7134, más conocida como Roz, robot que ha sobrevivido al naufragio del transporte que llevaba muchas más unidades similares. Roz se identifica con el género femenino y tiene muchas ganas de interactuar con su entorno, pero los animales que viven en la isla deshabitada a la que ha llegado no están muy predispuestos a relacionarse con una criatura como Roz. Primer libro de la serie Robot salvaje.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Novela (con premisas de ciencia ficción y narrativa fantástica, muchísimas, pero sin ofrecer un ejercicio de género).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Robot salvaje (publicación original: The Wild Robot, 2016) nos presenta a Rozzum 7134, más conocida como Roz, robot que ha sobrevivido al naufragio del transporte que llevaba muchas más unidades similares. Roz se identifica con el género femenino y tiene muchas ganas de interactuar con su entorno, pero los animales que viven en la isla deshabitada a la que ha llegado no están muy predispuestos a relacionarse con una criatura como Roz. Primer libro de la serie Robot salvaje.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Read
October 11, 2016I don’t read a lot of books about robots or about the wilderness, but it’s hard to imagine that the two overlap very regularly. The odd concept and fantastic artwork is what had me picking up children’s book author Peter Brown’s first novel, but the beauty of the story full of loss, love, and humor is what stuck with me long after I put it down. Like most of the very best middle-grade books, The Wild Robot can connect with adults just as easily as children.
–Trisha Brown
from The Best Books We Read In August 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/31/riot-r...
–Trisha Brown
from The Best Books We Read In August 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/31/riot-r...
December 2, 2024
So sweet and heartwarming.
October 23, 2024
Omg, this was so precious!! It's about a shipwrecked robot who adopts an orphaned baby goose and their adventures together on the island they live in.
I was yesterday years old when I learned this was the book the new movie is based on, so I'm glad I manged to read it before watching it today.
I'm really curious how the movie will end now, because the book ending...I'll have to read the next ones for sure.
I cried quite a few times throughout, I'm definitely gonna cry during the film too, hah.
It's a middle grade book, and the writing reflects that, but for me at this moment that worked perfectly, because I was able to finish it in no time. The illustrations are also wonderful, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Roz and Brightbill.
I was yesterday years old when I learned this was the book the new movie is based on, so I'm glad I manged to read it before watching it today.
I'm really curious how the movie will end now, because the book ending...I'll have to read the next ones for sure.
I cried quite a few times throughout, I'm definitely gonna cry during the film too, hah.
It's a middle grade book, and the writing reflects that, but for me at this moment that worked perfectly, because I was able to finish it in no time. The illustrations are also wonderful, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Roz and Brightbill.
January 14, 2021
I'm buddy reading this book with my 3rd grader but sometimes I also read out loud to my 17 months old daughter. This book was a great read. The start reminds me of the TV show Lost because it took place on an unknown island. All about nature and animals. I like the fox's troubles with the porcupine. I loved the illustrations within the story. The possum's playing dead was an interesting part. The garden process was humorous, though it's the natural way of making compost but to invite all of the forest animals to come to poop in Roz's new yard just sounded funny to me. I liked how Roz has the instincts to learn to survive just by observing, learning, and reaching out for help.
This book started with a hurricane out in the ocean. An ocean transportation carrier carried many crates of robots from a factory and while on the way was destroyed by the storm. All except a few crates that floated around for days until land arrived but only one robot survived and her name was Roz. She attempted to get comfortable on the island but Mother Nature drove her from the beach to the top of the mountain to running away from storms and landslides to being chased to the top of a pine tree by bears and so on. From one tumble to the next, the unexpected thing was when she found herself having to adopt an orphan gosling. The forest animals thought Roz a monster but she managed to change their minds. Roz the robot learned to survive through the seasons in the wilderness. This book was narrated by the author.
The Wild Robot was well written and illustrated. This story had many learning opportunities for kids, like how animals camouflage themselves to stay alive and how geese migrate for the winter. Roz was a cool character and I liked how she tried to fit in and tried to help. The animals seemed to be similar to humans, except like the author pointed out, that they just spoke a different language. When they don't know someone new, they were mean and unhelpful. But when Roz helped them and showed them her kindness, they came around and treated her differently. The ending was excellent and most exciting of all adventures. I'm glad my son read this series. While I'm passing midway on this book, my son finished reading book two! I do recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
This book started with a hurricane out in the ocean. An ocean transportation carrier carried many crates of robots from a factory and while on the way was destroyed by the storm. All except a few crates that floated around for days until land arrived but only one robot survived and her name was Roz. She attempted to get comfortable on the island but Mother Nature drove her from the beach to the top of the mountain to running away from storms and landslides to being chased to the top of a pine tree by bears and so on. From one tumble to the next, the unexpected thing was when she found herself having to adopt an orphan gosling. The forest animals thought Roz a monster but she managed to change their minds. Roz the robot learned to survive through the seasons in the wilderness. This book was narrated by the author.
The Wild Robot was well written and illustrated. This story had many learning opportunities for kids, like how animals camouflage themselves to stay alive and how geese migrate for the winter. Roz was a cool character and I liked how she tried to fit in and tried to help. The animals seemed to be similar to humans, except like the author pointed out, that they just spoke a different language. When they don't know someone new, they were mean and unhelpful. But when Roz helped them and showed them her kindness, they came around and treated her differently. The ending was excellent and most exciting of all adventures. I'm glad my son read this series. While I'm passing midway on this book, my son finished reading book two! I do recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
March 26, 2018
Update 3/18/18
I just read this book for the second time in preparation to read the sequel The Wild Robot Escapes tomorrow. I don't know if it's possible to love this book any more than I already did, but I'm thinking maybe I do. Or maybe I just fell in love with Roz all over again. I wish we could all have someone like Roz in our life. We would never be sad or lonely or feel unloved. Someone would always have our back and be there to support us through whatever life deals us. What a perfect world that would be.
Original review 2/4/17
Last year when so many of the teachers and librarians in the 2017 Mock Newbery group on goodreads started raving about this book, I thought it didn't sound like something I wanted to read. Even last month when so many of the same people in the group were posting their five favorite books of 2016 or the five favorites of their classroom, and The Wild Robot was on the majority of the lists, I still didn't feel the need to read it. I'm not really into robots and couldn't imagine having all the warm feelings for one that so many reviewers were having. I finally gave in the other day when I saw it on the Lucky Day shelf at the library. I thought, what the heck, it's short and has illustrations, so maybe I'll give it a read. Wow, am I ever glad I did! I LOVED this book. And as far as the warm fuzzies for Roz the robot, I had plenty. She may be a robot, but she has more heart and goodness and kindness than some humans I know. A more loyal friend, or a more loving mother than Roz would be hard to find. If you haven't read this book yet, don't put it off like I did. Read it to your class, read it to your kids and grandkids, read it to yourself. And like me, you'll probably get a little misty eyed too.
I just read this book for the second time in preparation to read the sequel The Wild Robot Escapes tomorrow. I don't know if it's possible to love this book any more than I already did, but I'm thinking maybe I do. Or maybe I just fell in love with Roz all over again. I wish we could all have someone like Roz in our life. We would never be sad or lonely or feel unloved. Someone would always have our back and be there to support us through whatever life deals us. What a perfect world that would be.
Original review 2/4/17
Last year when so many of the teachers and librarians in the 2017 Mock Newbery group on goodreads started raving about this book, I thought it didn't sound like something I wanted to read. Even last month when so many of the same people in the group were posting their five favorite books of 2016 or the five favorites of their classroom, and The Wild Robot was on the majority of the lists, I still didn't feel the need to read it. I'm not really into robots and couldn't imagine having all the warm feelings for one that so many reviewers were having. I finally gave in the other day when I saw it on the Lucky Day shelf at the library. I thought, what the heck, it's short and has illustrations, so maybe I'll give it a read. Wow, am I ever glad I did! I LOVED this book. And as far as the warm fuzzies for Roz the robot, I had plenty. She may be a robot, but she has more heart and goodness and kindness than some humans I know. A more loyal friend, or a more loving mother than Roz would be hard to find. If you haven't read this book yet, don't put it off like I did. Read it to your class, read it to your kids and grandkids, read it to yourself. And like me, you'll probably get a little misty eyed too.
August 4, 2021
Sweet story. My girls would rate it higher. They enjoyed the story of Roz and the animals along the way. I was just a bit bored by the narrative on audio. Will probably try again to read this book, but not on audio. I want to see the illustrations, and maybe that will help. I did have issues with a robot having human feelings when it wasn’t programmed to.
I maybe had different expectations, as we have read several of this author’s picture books. I liked those more...
But, again, I wasn’t the target audience and the kids thought it was great. I believe I’m probably in the minority on this one.
I maybe had different expectations, as we have read several of this author’s picture books. I liked those more...
But, again, I wasn’t the target audience and the kids thought it was great. I believe I’m probably in the minority on this one.
April 22, 2020
This is a cute little story I came across coincidentally. It's the story of a robot. Hundreds of robots had been shipped and crashed due a storm until only one was left. This robot boots up on an island. It doesn't know anything about its origins and it is alone.
The island, where there aren't remains of the crashed robots, is lush and green. The animals of the island at first played with the robot remains (well, the otters did) until they found the one intact robot left. But once this robot has woken up, all species on the island are quite hostile towards it, attacking it even.
A while later, while wandering around lonely and alone trying to survive, the robot finds a little gosling that has no mother. The gosling doesn't care about the robot's loud weird voice or the metal body - all it cares about is the care the robot gives it and the shelter.
Little by little, the different animals living on the island see the robot and its "child" and come to realize that the robot might not be as awful as they thought and they accept it (not really a spoiler), helping to raise the gosling.
That, however, is only the set-up, really, and not the end of the book as the robot's past catches up with it. How and how the book ends? Well, read for yourself to find out. ;)
Roz the robot is different and yet she can still be a great mother to the ducklin and she can still be a great member of the "family" (animal species) living on the island, making the story all about inclusion and the fact that one doesn't need to be related by blood in order to be a family. But we also get the comparison of nature vs technology and the not-so-easy question of what it means to be alive.
The art was quite cute as can be seen from some of my pictures I included. Moreover, the messages are a good way of preparing kids to deal with diversity (both visual and in character), different versions of families and might even help them to live a life in sync with both nature and tech.
For me, personally, the highlight was to see Roz learn from nature and nature to learn from/about her in return.
The island, where there aren't remains of the crashed robots, is lush and green. The animals of the island at first played with the robot remains (well, the otters did) until they found the one intact robot left. But once this robot has woken up, all species on the island are quite hostile towards it, attacking it even.
A while later, while wandering around lonely and alone trying to survive, the robot finds a little gosling that has no mother. The gosling doesn't care about the robot's loud weird voice or the metal body - all it cares about is the care the robot gives it and the shelter.
Little by little, the different animals living on the island see the robot and its "child" and come to realize that the robot might not be as awful as they thought and they accept it (not really a spoiler), helping to raise the gosling.
That, however, is only the set-up, really, and not the end of the book as the robot's past catches up with it. How and how the book ends? Well, read for yourself to find out. ;)
Roz the robot is different and yet she can still be a great mother to the ducklin and she can still be a great member of the "family" (animal species) living on the island, making the story all about inclusion and the fact that one doesn't need to be related by blood in order to be a family. But we also get the comparison of nature vs technology and the not-so-easy question of what it means to be alive.
The art was quite cute as can be seen from some of my pictures I included. Moreover, the messages are a good way of preparing kids to deal with diversity (both visual and in character), different versions of families and might even help them to live a life in sync with both nature and tech.
For me, personally, the highlight was to see Roz learn from nature and nature to learn from/about her in return.
May 2, 2020
Oh well, I knew I would like this book. Middle grade? Check. Talks about robots? Check. Has great illustrations created by the author? Check. I think if I had read this book when I was in the target age, it would have been a favourite. As an adult, I appreciated the story and the beautiful characters, although I must admit this was much less wholesome than I expected. There is a lot of talk about death in this book, which kinda put me off guard. This book has the same amount of death per chapter than the best R. R. Martin. There is great talk about corpses of animals, maimed robots and friends getting shot. I mean, not for the faint of heart ahah. I read this in one go and will definitely pick up the second. Very original! Lots of fun.
September 15, 2024
I freaking loved this book! The only drawback was the kind of weird ending.
Such an awesome non-human book! I highly recommend it!
I loved the way that Roz learns to communicate and her son!
4 Solid Stars
Such an awesome non-human book! I highly recommend it!
I loved the way that Roz learns to communicate and her son!
4 Solid Stars
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