Peter Brown's "The Wild Robot" teachers' review

Brief description and distinctive features

Brief description of The Wild Robot

Six ROZZUM robots are washed up on the rocks of an uninhabited island. Five are broken apart on impact but the sixth, unit 7134, remains intact and is accidently activated by an inquisitive otter. Roz has no human to give her commands so her primary function is to survive. The animals on the island (the otters, beavers, foxes, deer, geese and other birds) see Roz as a monster and avoid her. She observes them closely and she understands she has to adapt to their ways and learn their language (there only seems to be one language). Roz accidently destroys a goose family, but one egg remained intact and when it hatches Roz adopts it with the advice of another goose called Loudwing, and names it Brightbill. The animals gradually warm to Roz and with the help of Mr Beaver creates a nest as a shelter and plants a garden with advice from Tawny the deer. Mother bear becomes a friend after Roz saves one of her cubs. Roz offers advice to the other animals on using fire and building shelters during winter and proposes a truce at dawn when little hunting happens. As Brightbill grows up, Roz’s place in the island community is strengthened. The beavers help her with a wooden foot replacement when one of her feet is damaged. When Brightbill goes on migration with other geese Roz continues to help the other animals and welcomes his return in spring.When an airship arrives on the island the animals are alarmed that the three combat robots( RECOS) are going to take Roz away. The animals defend her with clever tricks and traps and finally use one of the RECOS’ rifles to destroy the last remaining RECO. But Roz is damaged and knows she needs to return to her Maker to be repaired and that more airships will come. She leaves on another airship but plans to return to the island and her friends. 

Distinctive features of The Wild Robot

• Considers how technology and AI will affect our lives and the possibility of a beneficial co-existence between robots and animals in the natural world
• Explores animals and the way they see the world
• Third person narrative allows the author an all knowing perspective and greater control over the story and to explore perspectives from different characters
• Survival and resilience are key themes in the novel as robot Roz overcomes many challenges and adapts to the surrounding environment to remain functioning
• Family and friendship play an important role in the novel with Roz’s adoption of Brightbill, the young gosling survivor
• The novel explores what it means to be a parent, a member of a family, a member of a community and a machine
• Science fiction genre when it was first written in 2016 but today a robot like Roz is eminently possible
• A timeless fable as the novel is not too specific to one era
• Food chains and the harsh reality of life in the wilderness and the reality of the death of animals are treated sensibly
• A new edition of the novel (2024) features a cover from the 2024 animated film, directed by Chris Sanders and includes a colour insert with stills from the film and a Behind the scenes section in which the author/illustrator charts the changing way he imagined the robot.

Ways to use The Wild Robot in the classroom

Listen to the author and illustrator 

After watching the National Book Festival interview on YouTube between Kit Ballenger and Peter Brown the teacher could  select some sections to show to the class. The questions at the end by some young readers are very good. 

At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCLAg92vQ_c&t=1572s

Read Brown’s Craft of writing account 

Peter Brown’s blog contains a wonderful account of his craft of writing and how he came to  write and illustrate the novel. https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/the-wild-robot/

He says he wanted to tell a story about a robot who finds harmony in nature which ran against the more usual Science fiction trope of the robots rising up and destroying humanity. There are screen shots of his initial drawings, he references  other stories that have influenced him, he shows his story-mapping and the whole blog provides a fascinating insight into the creative process. He even shares his procrastinations and the rules he wrote for himself to get the writing started: 

• You’re not a poet, just tell the story plainly
• Keep Roz mysterious by writing in the 3rd person
• Make the chapters as short as possible 
• Write with symmetry and repetition, to mirror robots and nature
• Give the narrator a conversational voice, especially during slow scenes
• Understand the motivation behind each of Roz’s actions

He concludes with:

It took eight years, but I finally found an answer to the question that led me down this path. What would an intelligent robot do in the wilderness? She’d make the wilderness her home.

An exploration of this site would give students real insight into the process of creating, writing and illustrating a story.  

Focus on the chapter headings as a guide to the narrative  

Books with chapter headings are a key gift to readers. Readers can use the headings to predict what might happen. Some chapters are very short,  for example Chapter 10 is just a paragraph while Chapter 63 is the longest chapter in the book with nine pages and four illustrations. Before starting to read the book in class give students a quick look at the chapter headings and ask them in groups to predict what sort of events might happen in this book. Some headings may be a bit cryptic while others are straightforward. Then read pages 1-7 to the class to get them started.

Chapter headings

Characterisation

The main character, Roz, remains calm and friendly in the face of threats and disaster. While Roz is a robot and doesn’t have feelings, the reader does come to trust her, just like the animals do, and be concerned for her safety and that of the island environment. Roz is part of the island community over the course of the story. She is a peaceful robot. She has to find solutions that don't involve violence. Roz learns how to communicate with wild animals. She doesn't fit completely into either the human world or the world of wild animals, but she tries to be a good steward of the island. When she has animals in her shelter, the nest, everyone is welcome but in there Roz has a rule that we have to get along so none of the normal hunting can occur in her nest. 

Task: Character profile: be a detective as you read 
Ask students in groups to gather information on Roz to help them determine what sort of robot she is and what are her characteristic behaviours and actions so they can make a character profile Each group could be responsible for a different selection of chapters. Once each group has gathered information about Roz they could have a class discussion about collaboratively creating a character profile based on the material they have found. Use and modify the template below depending on the information students have discovered. 

ROZZUM unit 7134

STORY DEVELOPMENT

What sort of robot would you design if you had to create one? 

The American author, Isaac Isimov, famously developed three laws of Robotics when he was writing his Science Fiction collection of short stories called I Robot in 1950. 

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

A possible fourth law about protecting the earth has been suggested recently in the light of advancing climate change. With the rapid advances in AI, a concern today is the problem of human orders and programming that are unethical or harmful. There is a focus on AI with principles like human oversight, safety, transparency, fairness, and accountability,  which move beyond Asimov's simple rules.

Task: Design your robot and present to the class with a report. In groups decide what features of a robot would you consider important, fair, ethical and useful in your world. Draw and annotate your robot and present your design to the class either as a drawing or as a digital image on a power point.  Each member of the  group should speak to a particular aspect of the design and explain why that was included. 

Populate the novel with Australian animals  

The Wild Robot appears to be set in the northern hemisphere based on the animals living on the island. Imagine what animals could be on the island if it was off the coast of Australia. 

Task: In a class discussion ask students to consider what  sorts of Australian animals could populate the island and how would the characteristics of those animals change  or enhance the story. Ask each student to choose an Australian animal and write a short chapter about that animal’s interaction with the wild robot. They could consider koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, emus, whale sharks, wombats, echidnas, platypus, redback spiders etc. 

Wide reading in extended prose for Stage 3 

Wide reading is vital in schools today as research shows how the reading habit can slip away from students as they turned to social media for their stories. The new social media ban provides a great opportunity to increase book reading. Students could consider reading the two sequels The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects if they have not already done so. The Wild Robot Escapes allows students to see Roz in a new environment when she is set to work on a farm and how she keeps her independence and makes her way back to the island with the help of both children and animals and surprisingly her original creator.  The Wild Robert Protects involves Roz in combating a toxic poison tide that is spreading in the ocean and badly affecting life on the island and in the sea. Alternatively students could decide  on a theme to guide their reading choices.  One is suggested below.  

How animals and humans interact in their environment 

A wide reading challenge to read TWO books that feature interactions between animals or humans and the environment (or both) can bring back the joy of selecting their own texts when presented with a range of books to choose from. It is easy to set up once the librarian finds all the animal books available. 

Relevant details in relation to the new NSW English K-10 syllabus

Text requirements: novel, literature from other countries

Concepts: narrative • characterisation • genre

Relevant NSW English K-10 Syllabus content

Understanding and responding to literature

A student analyses representations of ideas in literature through narrative, character, imagery, symbol and connotation, and adapts these representations when creating texts EN3-UARL-01

A student analyses representations of ideas in literature through genre and theme that reflect perspective and context, argument and authority, and adapts these representations when creating texts EN3-UARL-02

Narrative

• Describe how narrative conventions engage the reader through models of behaviour, and apply narrative conventions when creating texts
• Recognise that narratives reflect both personal and common lived experiences and offer models of behaviour, which may be rejected or accepted
• Describe how patterns in narratives set up expectations and notice when those patterns are subverted

Characterisation

• Analyse attributes of character and use similar attributes when creating texts
• Recognise how character archetypes and stereotypes are represented in literature
• Analyse how engagement with characters within and between texts invites enjoyment of literature
• Identify the ways different elements of a text contribute to character development and adapt these elements when creating texts

Genre

• Explain how genre can be recognised by established codes and conventions that govern content and construction of literature, and apply this knowledge when creating texts
• Examine and experiment with elements in literature that do not follow the form and function of a single genre

Theme

• Identify core social, personal and moral messages within and between texts
• Identify and describe messages common to lived experiences that recur in literature and use these representations when creating texts

Perspective and context

• Identify how perspective is made evident through authorial choices
• Explore how perspective is influenced by personal, social and cultural contexts
• Reflect on and explain how personal, social and cultural context is expressed in own texts

Reading comprehension

A student fluently reads and comprehends texts for wide purposes, analysing text structures and language, and by monitoring comprehension EN3-RECOM-01

Reading for interest and wide purposes

• Select, compare and reflect on texts read for personal interest
• Reflect on reading experiences and identify texts and language features that are enjoyable
• Select texts from print or digital sources to gather and organise research on a topic
• Use criteria to determine the accuracy and reliability of sourced information
• Bring subject vocabulary, technical vocabulary, background knowledge and conceptual knowledge to new reading tasks
• Use and compare different texts on similar themes or topics to synthesise ideas or information

(English K-10 Syllabus 2022 © NSW Education Standards Authority for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023) 

Connecting texts

Some suggested books for wide reading