Current Book Review

The Wild Robot

Peter Brown (J Fiction)

“Hello, I am ROZZUM 7134, but you may call me Roz. While my robotic systems are activating, I will tell you about myself.”

A robot named Roz is washed onto a remote island after a hurricane rips her cargo ship apart. The sole surviving robot, Roz is accidentally activated and soon begins exploring the unfamiliar habitat and its inhabitants. As days turn into weeks, Roz begins adapting to her strange environment by learning the language of her fellow occupants and starting to understand the importance of trust, honor, and friendship. When she inadvertently becomes the caregiver to an orphaned gosling, Roz’s world becomes even larger as she experiences the joy that comes with being a mother, and the heartbreak it bears when it’s time to let go.

A beautiful and heartwarming story of family, acceptance, and sacrifice. Brown’s storytelling is first-rate as he takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, survival, and friendship. The heart of this story is the evolving relationship between Roz and her “son” Brightbill, the gosling she raises after a tragic accident robs him of his entire family. Roz receives some valuable advice from an old grey goose on how to act like a mother: provide food, water, and shelter; make him feel loved, but not TOO much; keep him safe; and teach him how to walk, talk, swim, fly, get along with the others, and look after himself.  “And that’s all there really is to motherhood.” Easy, right?

In addition to the countless lessons Brown teaches his readers throughout his book, The Wild Robot is a touching love letter to mothers everywhere. The happiness Roz feels when she sees her son making his first friend, the pride of seeing her son fly for the first time, the sadness of watching him fly south for the winter and the elation and relief and seeing him return, and the satisfaction of watching him go from an awkward gosling to a confident leader. Every single one of these instances are relatable to anyone who has raised a child and experienced all of the ups, downs, diagonals, and sideways that come from having the single most important and underrated job on the planet…being a mom.

The Wild Robot is a story that begins on the ocean and ends in the sky. What happens in between is an unforgettable lesson in selflessness, honor, courage, appreciating differences, finding your purpose, and the power of family. For a while, Brightbill struggles with having a robot for a mother, but after careful thought he finally says, “We’re a strange family, but I kind of like it that way,” to which Roz responded, “Me too.” Actor and activist Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” And for a while, a robot named Roz had a family made up of fur, fins, scales, feathers, claws, flippers, talons, and teeth. Predators or prey, they all came together in the end to protect one of their own. That’s what a family does, because family is everything.

Rating: 5/5

Share The Wild Robot with your class with our study guide: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Study-Guide-The-Wild-Robot-by-Peter-Brown-12986641