How to use this Page

The Wild Robot
By Peter Brown
Little, Brown & Company
$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

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.

On shelves now.

Source: Final copy sent from publisher for review.

Like This? Then Try:

• Iron Giant by Ted Hughes
• Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
• Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes

Display Comments Add a Comment

Rocket-Bye is one of the latest and greatest picture books from award-winning author, Carole P. Roman.

Add a Comment

Bedtime for Frances. Russell Hoban. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1960/1996. HarperCollins. 32 pages.

First sentence: The big hand of the clock is at 12. The little hand is at 7. It is seven o'clock. It is bedtime for Frances. Mother said, "It is time for bed." Father said, "It is time for bed." Frances said, "I want a glass of milk." "All right," said Father. "All right," said Mother. "You may have a glass of milk." Frances drank the milk.

Premise/plot: Bedtime for Frances is a classic picture book, a bedtime book too. It is the first book in a series starring Frances. Will she have an easy time going to bed?!

My thoughts: I love, love, love Bedtime for Frances. Frances is a badger that is finding it very difficult to sleep. She's had her glass of water. She's been kissed and hugged. She's got her teddy bear and her doll. But Frances imagination is too active to allow her to fall asleep quickly. She thinks there is a tiger in her room. No, a giant in her room. Oh no! There's a crack in the ceiling. What if something scary were to crawl out?! And what is that tapping on her window?! Her parents are kind and gentle--at least at first. But when these interruptions persist, well, her father gets a little grumpy. Frances finally embraces her father's message: every one has a job. It may be the wind's job to make noise; it may be the moth's job to bump into things; but her job is to sleep.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Add a Comment

Which five words best describe Twenty Yawns? Jane Smiley: Cheerful, colorful, loving, amusing, relaxing.

Add a Comment

Bedtime Blastoff! Luke Reynolds. Illustrated by Mike Yamada. 2016. Scholastic. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: A bed. A boy. His daddy. "Bedtime?" "Not yet!" A train…a conductor…His full-steam-ahead!

Premise/plot: A little boy isn't quite ready for bed yet. He and his dad have a LOT of playing to do…together.
My thoughts: I am so glad I didn't judge this book by its cover. I wasn't expecting to like it very much. But I gave it a chance and decided to go ahead and read it. The first few pages hooked me. It was GOOD. What did I like about it? The simplicity of the text. So much is communicated in just a few words. I liked the creative, imaginative play. I enjoyed the relationship between father and son. It was just sweet without being super-sticky sweet. And the illustrations may not have wowed me at first. I did appreciate the clues they provide.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Add a Comment

Johnny DePalma’s The Night Parade feels like it’s already a classic. This is an insightful coinage among the mythic figures that populate children’s stories, and it feels like the sort of thing the Brothers Grimm might have thought up.

Add a Comment

Nap-a-Roo board book makes sleepy time special for children and parents alike.

Add a Comment

REST and PLAY, by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis are two delightful books for newborns through two years old.

Add a Comment

Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues. James and Kimberly Dean. 2015. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Pete and the gang had a great day! They'd been at the beach. Surf and sun and tons of fun.

Premise/plot: After a super-fun day, Pete and his friends (Gus, Alligator, and Toad) decide to continue the fun into the night by having a sleepover at Pete's house. The fun does continue, but, they have to go to bed eventually, right?! Can Pete get his guests to quiet down and go to sleep?

My thoughts: I liked it. I like the earlier Pete the Cat books better, but, the newer ones are okay too. Do you have a favorite Pete the Cat book?

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Add a Comment

Duck in the Fridge. Jeff Mack. 2014. Two Lions. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Daddy, why do you always read me Mother Goose before bed?" "Well...it all started when I found a duck in the fridge."

Premise/plot: A young boy asks his dad, WHY, he always reads him Mother Goose every night before bed. Readers probably may not be expecting the explanation they get. Though the title itself is a good indication that the story may just get a little WILD. I won't say too much more because really this too-wild-to-be-believed explanation is more than half the fun of this one.

My thoughts: Did I like it? Yes and no. I'm not sure. Do I have to decide now?! Well, let's see. I liked seeing the dad as a little boy himself. And it was something to see how the story goes from slightly strange to completely BIZARRE in just a few pages. This is a pun-filled book, for better or worse. And it had its gloriously fun moments. I think this one is best shared one-on-one with a child. The text can get a bit busy, same with the art. But it was a spirited, quirky read. Did I like it? I'm still not sure!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Add a Comment

In In the Tree Top, Candide Jones and Steve Emery have captured the essence of Rock-a-Bye Baby and have taken the lyrics even further with a retelling of their own.

Add a Comment

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going To Sleep? Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson. Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. 2011. Two Lions. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy]

"Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, the day is almost done."
"Not yet, Mother, I still can see the sun."

And so the book begins. The oh-so-familiar sometimes-tense "struggle" to put a child--in this case a kitten--to bed. The mom (a cat, of course) gently reminds the kitty cat that it is almost bedtime, that it is time to take a bath, etc. The Kitty Cat isn't eager by any stretch of the imagination, but isn't defiant either. There are hundreds if not thousands of bedtime books out there--picture books about the nightly routine of getting ready for bed, of getting sleepy, etc. This one happens to star two cats. So if you like cats, or, if you love, love, love cats and happen to need a bedtime book, this one satisfies.

I like the rhymes for the most part. And I like the repetitiveness of it.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Add a Comment

Daytime Nighttime, by William Low, is sturdy and longer than average for lots of reading enjoyment, and the illustrations are beautiful and calming for bedtime.

Add a Comment

x

x

Black & White Nighty-Night

Written by Sarah Jones
Illustrated by Sarah Jones
Blue Manatee Press        4/01/2015
978-1-936669-31-8
12 pages           Age 0—3
x
x
“This unique concept book combines the ever-popular bedtime nursery rhyme with contemporary high-contrast illustrations, specifically designed with babies in mind. The youngest readers and their families will delight in the gentle story of an owl saying goodnight to barnyard friends as they snuggle into bed. Bold black-and-white illustrations will capture babies’ interest, as the soothing rhymes lull them to sleep.” [publisher]

Review
Which word do you use to tell a friend goodnight? Little Owlet has quite the repertoire: nighty-night, sweet dreams, sleep tight, doze, sleep soundly, and, of course, goodnight; six heartfelt bedtime-salutations, for six diurnal farm friends.  After hearing Little Owlet’s goodnights to her critter friends, and before closing their tired eyes and dreaming, young children will be ready to wish their own goodnights, “Nighty-night Mom. Night, Dad.”  

The simple rhymes in Black & White Nighty-Night are perfect for young children, as is the book’s size and shape. The thick and sturdy glossy pages are perfect for chubby little fingers to turn without tearing. Even a wet mess, after a plea of “One more drink, please,” will wipe off quickly. I would mention how fast blobs of fallen jelly and smears of peanut butter clean away, but Black & White Nighty-Night is most definitely a bedtime story.

As stars light the night, Little Owlet stretches her feathery wings and, with mom waving goodbye, flies off into the twinkling night sky. Not far away is the barnyard. Wherever Little Owlet is heading, she takes the time to say nighty-night to her friends.

“Sleep tight hen and chickies, lying in your nest.
“Doze, fluffy kitty cat, purring as you rest.”

The seemingly simply black and white illustrations are adorable. With a little effort and imagination, form meets function (Ms. Jones’ specialty), and a lifelong love of learning and books can take root. Help your child find objects by locating Little Owlet in each spread. Use different voices, such as a hardy “Moooo,” a squeaky “Oink-oink,” and a soft “Meow,” to familiarize your child with common farm animals (a cow, lamb, pig, chicken, cat, and . . . nope, not telling). Get those little fingers learning shapes by tracing the black-and-white outlined objects and animals. And, if all that is not enough, the momma animals have from one to five babies; a good start on counting to ten. Black & White Nighty-Night will be a hit with both toddlers and parents. (Reviewers, too.)

BLACK AND WHITE NIGHTY NIGHT. Text and Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Sarah Jones. Copyright © 2015 by Blue Manatee Press. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Blue Manatee Press, Cincinnati, OH.

Purchase Black & White Nighty-Night at Amazon—Book Depository—IPG—Blue Manatee Press.

Learn more about Black & White Nighty-Night HERE.
Meet the author/illustrator, Sarah Jones, at her website:  http://www.sarahluciajones.com/
Find more creative board books at the Blue Manatee Press website:  http://www.bluemanateepress.com/

Sarah Jones, artist, author, teacher, storyteller, and fellow Ohioan and holds an MFA from the University of Cincinnati and a BFA in Painting and Art Education from Miami University (Ohio). Go Bucks! Ms. Jones also wrote and illustrated the award-winning board books Orange, Triangle, Fox and Bunnies Near and Far (both reviewed HERE) Her second 2015 release, Lloyd Llama, will be reviewed soon.

AWARDS
2015 Mom’s Choice Awards – Black & White Nighty-Night
2015 Mom’s Choice Awards – Lloyd Llama
2014 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year – Baby Unplugged: Play
2014 Mom’s Choice Awards – Baby Unplugged: Play
x

Review Section: word count = 339

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

x

 

Filed under: 6 Stars TOP BOOK, Board Book, Children's Books, Favorites, Library Donated Books, Top 10 of 2015 Tagged: 2015 Mom's Choice Awards, barnyard animals, bedtime books, bedtime nursery rhyme, Black & White Nighty-Night, Blue Manatee Press, learning to count, little owlet, parent-child relationships, Sarah Jones, shapes, white-outlined animals

Add a Comment

This year, Sam McBratney’s timeless, endearing story of Big and Little Nutbrown Hare, Guess How Much I Love You, turns 20!

Add a Comment

Half Past Winter is an adorable tale of two bear cubs and their adventure to find winter’s first snow. They grow impatient in their den when no snow comes and decide to explore until they find snow.

Add a Comment

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, by Caroline Jayne Church, is a delightful board book that takes a childhood favorite nursery rhyme and sets it with beautiful illustrations of children around the world.

Add a Comment

Kids books are a fantastic mechanism to start the discussion with young readers on what is mindfulness and ways to incorporate it into lives.

Add a Comment

Jeffrey’s Darth Vader series was originally geared towards adults as it was about the experience of being a parent; however, parents shared it with their kids and now both adults & kids love the series. Goodnight Darth Vader was created with both audiences in mind.

Add a Comment

Ginger Nielson tells a soothing folktale set deep in the forest. When Little Bear asks, “Where did the stars come from?” Mother Bear leans in closely to share a Native American legend from “the far, far north.”

Add a Comment

A lyrical bedtime reverie; an open-only-at-night library run by a little librarian; a toddler’s pre-dawn escapades; and a kooky bedtime cruise: four new picture books help smooth the way from daytime activity to bedtime quiet.

Simona Mulazzani’s lush folk art in cozy nighttime colors lends a magical, drowsy atmosphere to Giovanna Zoboli’s The Big Book of Slumber, a large-format ode to the joys of dreamland. Translated from the Italian, soothing rhyming couplets are full of rhythm and repetition: “Mouse ate her apple and read her nice book. / Who else is sleeping? Just take a good look.” Appealingly drawn sleeping arrangements include some captivatingly out of the ordinary: Hippo sleeps on a sofa, giraffes in sleeping bags, and seals in armchairs propped up in the trees. (Eerdmans, 2–5 years)

Welcome to The Midnight Library, written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara, a friendly spot for animals from “all over the town” to “find a perfect book.” A little-girl librarian and her three owl assistants cheerfully bustle around the packed bookshelves, where small dramas are happily resolved alongside library business-as-usual. This dream of a library is designed with lots of reading nooks, comfy chairs, lanterns, and trees. The gentle story and vibrant compositions have an old-fashioned sensibility and simplicity that capture the enchantment of the middle-of-the-night goings on. (Roaring Brook, 2–5 years)

Hannah’s Night by Komako Sakai begins enticingly: “One day when Hannah woke up, she was surprised to find that it was still dark.” Hannah’s day holds all sorts of surprises — because it’s still the middle of the night. Everyone else is asleep, so she eats cherries from the refrigerator; then, emboldened, Hannah gleefully borrows all her sound-asleep sister’s best stuff and takes it back to her own bed to play with. Sakai is a master at capturing toddlers’ body language and expressions, and her brief text clearly telegraphs the freedom Hannah feels on this toddler-sized adventure. (Gecko, 2–5 years)

For those who’d rather embark on silly bedtime adventures, Thank You, Octopus by Darren Farrell is a hilarious nautical comedy of errors. “Bedtime, ahoy,” Octopus declares. His young shipmate isn’t thrilled. Doting Octopus knows that a warm bath, jammies, and a favorite story can help make the transition easier, and he’s prepared — in theory. He talks the bedtime talk, but his best intentions wildly miss their mark. A “nice warm bath” sounds lovely (“Thank you, Octopus”), but a page-turn shows Octopus and boy headed into a huge vat of egg salad. “Gross! No thank you, Octopus.” Farrell’s detailed cartoon illustrations cleverly foreshadow the antics. (Dial, 3–6 years)

From the June 2014 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

The post To sleep, perchance to dream appeared first on The Horn Book.

Add a Comment

This is a wonderful story for inducing pre-sleep yawns and transitioning toddlers and preschoolers from an active day into restful slumber.

Add a Comment

Andrew Zettler is an American illustrator, writer and cartoonist. He is a member of the New York Society of Illustrators, originator of the comic strip Half-Baked, author of The Teeniest Tiniest Yawn, and has illustrated children's books including Alphabet Olympics and Albert Acorn.

Add a Comment

Grow up with the Chickies in this adorable board book series! Cheep cheep cheep! What does it take to get the Chickies to sleep?

Add a Comment

4 Stars 
Monkey of the Month
by Adam Kramer / David Kramer
Schiffer Publishing
978-0-7643-4156-4
No. of Pages: 40    Ages: 2 to 7
................................................
Inside Jacket:  Bored with mundane birthday gifts, a young boy unexpectedly receives a most peculiar gift on his birthday one year—membership to the "Monkey of the Month Club."  Though pleased it isn't just a pair of socks, he is very confused by this odd gift, until, month-by-month monkeys and their primate cousins start appearing at his door.
........................

Monkey of the Month is adorable. If you have ever received a gift-of-the-month club membership, whether it be fruit, candy, flowers, or monkeys, you will enjoy this cute book.  I liked the colorful illustrations of each different monkey and their contribution to the boy’s household, not always to his mother’s delight.

You will not find a “message” in Monkey of the Month, but you will find loads of laughs,  plenty of giggles, and a few guffaws. Parents will not be bored reading this night after night. Told in rhyming verse, the monkeys arrive one-by-one each month and stay on to do whatever they arrived to do.  One cleans, another decorates, a third simply sits on his bu–chair watching television all day, eating, drinking and making a mess.

I think kids will adore the different monkeys and the effect they each have on the boy’s mother, who eventually has had enough.  But true to fashion, the story does not end with the last   monkey. No, there seems to be a series developing as the last creature rings the boy’s doorbell.

 …………………Monkey of the Month is a fun picture book that will become a favorite read-to-me book of the 2 to 8 year-old crowd.  Anyone who enjoys a picture book, whose only purpose is to entertain, will enjoy Monkey of the Month for its bright and humorous illustrations, exaggerated expressions, and quirky story of the imaginative birthday gift that is far from mundane.

………………………………..

Monkey of the Month

Author: Adam Kramer   facebook
Illustrator: David Kramer    facebook
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing   website
Releaase Date: July 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4156-4
Number of Pages: 40
Grades: Pre-K to 3rd

Filed under: 4stars, Children's Books, Library Donated Books Tagged: apes, bedtime books, birthday gifts, children's book, chimpanzee, gorilla, humor, monkeys, orangutan, picture books

Add a Comment