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Jan 06, 2017JCLChrisK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of those rare books that manages to be simultaneously simple and profound, spare and vivid, unsentimental and deeply emotional, mythical and immediate. The narrative is accessible and easy to grasp; the themes reverberate deeply and invite reflection and connection. There are no people in this tale of the near future, only robots and animals. A machine designed to help humans comes to life on an island populated only by wild creatures. "Comes to life" as in is first activated to awareness and "comes to life" as in learns about--learns how to live--life. Roz learns from the animals and they learn from her. Most of the story takes place in relative isolation. The larger world provides context and intrusion in the book's final quarter, leading to a conclusion that is eventful and fitting. It is poignant throughout. Perhaps because of its length, The Wild Robot appears to be getting classified as a middle-grade book. And I think readers that age will enjoy it immensely. At the same time, I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to readers as young as 5 (my just-turned-3-year-old was even engaged by it for a few bedtimes). The chapters are short and it reads quickly, and it would make a great family read-aloud. Really, this is a story for all ages. "Brightbill had seen hundreds of different robots that winter. And none of them were anything like Roz. None of them had learned how to speak with animals, or had saved an island from the cold, or had adopted a gosling. As he sat there, watching the robot's animal gestures and listening to her animal sounds, Brightbill realized just how special his mother really was."