The Wild Robot - Peter Brown

Published by Little, Brown and Company: New York/Boston, 2016.

This book was lent to me by a student, which is the first time I've had that happen! Thanks, Savana!

I became interested in reading this story when I saw the first trailer for the upcoming movie version. That trailer, almost completely dialogue-free, seems to imply a beautifully animated and heart-warming story about a robot befriending wild animals and creating a home on a forested island, told entirely visually and musically. The book (as well as the second trailer) have a lot more dialogue in them, and although I can confirm that the story is a good one, I do also kinda want to see that dialogue-free arthouse animated film.

However, although I wanted a dialogue-free book, the book I did get was a sweet story, with some great messages in it. Roz is a robot that accidentally washes up on a small island after a shipwreck, and slowly adjusts to life on the island. To begin with, the local animals think Roz is a monster, but as the robot slowly learns the various animal languages and begins to interact with them, they learn that she is kind, and seemingly unable to do any violent acts.

The book doesn't shy away from occasional acts of 'wild nature', and Roz also accidentally causes a tragedy when she causes a small rockslide, which kills a family of geese. Remorseful, Roz discovers the one remaining egg and is able to raise the gosling, filling the role of mother for 'Brightbill.' This relationship has a number of moments that tug at your heartstrings, from Brightbill learning how to swim - while Roz, unable to do so, much watch from the shore - to the inevitable moment when Brightbill flies south for the winter. These moments seem logical, but unexpectedly, the book also includes moments when Brightbill and Roz discuss whether they are a family or not, and the difference between mothers who give birth and mothers who raise a child. 

It's very sweet.

The climax of the book introduces more robots, who come to the island to recover Roz. When the animals get wind of what is happening, they leap into action, and we see how much they truly have grown to care for their robot friend. A surprisingly melancholic ending fits well into the themes of the book, and also leave the door open for a sequel.

I really liked this, and am more likely to see the movie now I know the source material.

Though I still want that other film as well.

Completed 20 August 2024.

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