The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Does anyone else find chapter books with illustrations incredibly tempting? Well I do! I really, really do. So when this one started popping up all over instagram I just had to take a look. I mean, a chapter book by Peter Brown with some illustrations?! C’mon! If you are a fan of Peter Brown’s “Mr. Tiger Goes Wild” or “The Curious Garden” then you will probably love this one, even though it isn’t a picture book. It is beautifully and brilliantly written.
This book is about a robot named Roz who finds herself stranded on an island with no background memory of who she is or where she comes from, just an incredible programmed urge to survive. At first she observes her surroundings and it doesn’t take her long to realize that even though she doesn’t need to eat, she is terrible at “surviving” on her own. What is apparent, however, is that the animals of the island are fantastic at it. So, new plan, she observes the wildlife and eventually gathers up the courage to reach out to them for help. Seeing her as “unnatural” and intimidating because they do not understand her they reject her efforts until an unfortunate string of events leaves Roz caring for an orphaned gosling.
Gradually the animals see her as less frightening as they recognize her attempts to care for her new charge. They even rally around her and support her. They learn that they are need each other to survive and that everyone has something to offer. They find a wonderful balance and a harmounious way of living together. All this is threatened when Reco Robots arrive at the island to retrieve Roz and return her to the factory in which she was created. Will Roz have to leave the island? What will become of her gosling son? Will the animals come to the defense of an “unnatural” robot?
This book is simply written in a very intelligent way. The plot is also incredibly simple with very few events, yet it is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know more about Roz and what will become of her and her situation. It helps that Peter Brown makes Roz so incredibly likable in a way that she slips into your heart with such ease. You come to truly care about her. The struggles that she has aren’t just what they appear. This book is really just one ginormous metaphor for so many topics universally applicable to us all.
Through this journey Roz brings to question within the reader what natural really means. What characteristics come from instinct and which from the heart? How can you tell? What really is the difference between nature vs. nurture. She addresses the age-old concept that “we fear that which we don’t understand”. She teaches us the true meaning of love and sacrifice. She challenges the concept of family. She exemplifies that friendship is a give and take relationship. She shows that we truly are dependent on each other to survive. And her interactions with the wildlife instruct us on the wonderful power and purpose of a community. It really is a quick, brilliant read that is especially excellent for sparking discussion in older children. It is one that I would definitely recommend.
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