The Wild Robot (Volume 1)

I was inspired to read this book after my children enthusiastically devoured it in school, eager for the upcoming movie adaptation. I found it to be a masterpiece tailored perfectly for its intended age range. The narrative is engaging and uniquely told from the perspective of a robot and narrator, sparking fascinating discussions about anthropomorphism. While, as an adult reader, I encountered some pacing issues that caused me to stall halfway through, I recognize that this book is not intended for my demographic. My initial assessment remains unchanged: this is an excellent book for young readers, encouraging critical thinking and conversation. I highly recommend it for its ability to captivate and inspire kids! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A review from my 10 year old: This book is about a robot named Roz, short for Rozzum, a robot that was supposed to be transported to a factory but the ship was sadly sunken and she was washed up on a island. She had to learn to survive in a place that a robot would never be in. And she finds many different techniques to do so. The robot goes on many exciting adventures and gets lots of friends that you might not expect including her own adopted son who happens to be a duck named Brightbill whose family was crushed by an avalanche. She was living a happy life until her creators find out where she is and don't like that she is living in the forest. I think this book is about the interaction between nature and technology. On his blog Peter Brown wrote, “Back in 2008, while working on a picture book called The Curious Garden… I loved imagining scenes of nature living in surprising places. And that got me thinking about scenes of unnatural things living in surprising places” ([...]). The robot is a piece of technology but she can learn to live in the wild which makes me think that one of the meanings of this book is that people today can still stop pollution and destruction of the natural world. I also think that the author was trying to tell the readers that no matter who you are you can do anything. The robot was having trouble in the forest at first but she started to learn and get better by watching animals. I also think that the book is about not giving up. Even after all the animals were scared of her Roz kept trying to be friendly and finally became friends with all the animals. One amazing thing about this book is the artwork witch makes sense because Peter Brown was an artist before he was a writer. Another thing that I liked about this book is that it makes me feel sad but gave me hope that things will get better. The third thing that makes this book unique is that it has very creative ideas. In one of the scenes in the book Roz loses her foot to a bear and then cant walk. And then she asked the beavers to make her a new one out of wood. That is one of the many creative scenes in the book. This book was very good in my opinion. It was one of my favorite books I've ever read and i would very much recommend it. This book is creative, well written, and interesting. I think that it is a great book and think its definitely worth reading. I don't want to give away the ending but is very dramatic and emotional. Roz has to draw on all of her friendships and skills she has learned from them to survive.

Sorry for the spoiler alert, but I had to wait 3 days to get the next book as I wanted the paperbacks so I could pass them to my grandchildren. Wonderful book, great art and a lovely moral. I wish I could figure out how to talk to the animals around my house. Maybe someday. Although the deer do kind of listen to me when I tell them which plants they can eat.

I bought this book for my six year-old grandnephew. I always read the books that I buy my grandniece and two grandnephews. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve already told the six year-old that there are two additional books in the series and that I’m going to buy them for him and me.

I think the takeaway from this book is that just because you’re a robot, doesn’t mean you don’t have a heart. Roz has a huge heart.

Also, Roz goes out of her way to fit in. She analyzes what approaches have worked for her and which have failed. She learns the language of every animal she encounters. She ends up being beloved on the island. That’s a very powerful lesson for all of us. It’s contrasted very effectively with a group of robots who come to the island.

Whether you “believe” in robots or not, it’s a great read.

My grandson read this book last year in school. When we saw the previews of the movie, he got super excited! He told me the book was soooo good and that I had to read it before we watched the movie. So, I did. He was right. This was a good book with an original idea and plot line. It really made me think. Can a robot really learn and grow and develop strong friendships? Can a robot love others? There were so many lessons to be learned in this story - lessons about acceptance, friendship, family, helping others, and self-sacrifice. It did end on a bit of a cliff hanger, so I guess I’ll need to read the sequel to find out what happens. I am now officially ready to go see the movie with my grandson!