The Wild Robot Escapes

My sons and I love reading the Wild Robot books. They are always such an adventure. We laughed together and cried together. Short chapters that held everyone’s attention. Enjoyed by my 7, 9, 10 and 11 year olds. Cannot wait to read them with my little girl too when she’s a bit bigger.

'The Wild Robot Escapes' is the middle-grade sequel to the 'The Wild Robot' both written and illustrated by New York Times bestselling children's author/illustrator Peter Brown. Both books received widespread acclaim, with the first winning and being nominated for many awards.

In the first book we met Roz who has many questions as she opens her eyes for the first time and finds herself on a remote desert island completely alone. But she isn't as alone as she thinks and she soon discovers that she can learn a lot from the island's animal inhabitants. Time passes and the once harsh island begins to feel like home to Roz but then her past comes back to haunt her.

'The Wild Robot Escapes' follows on from where the last book left off - Roz has been captured and refurbished ready to be put to work on Hilltop Farm for the Shreef family. Typical of Roz, she befriends all of the animals on the dairy farm, not to mention the farmer's children with her outgoing personality. However, she longs to be reunited with her goose son, Brightbill. as well as the other animals from the island, and plans to escape. She is helped by a number of sympathisers but eventually is detained by the robot police and returned to the factory where she is reprogrammed to rid her of her personality which is deemed a malfunction. Will Roz manage to escape before they reprogramme her? Or will she be destined to serve humans for the rest of her days?

The simplicity of the writing is a standout feature here, but Brown manages to include many situations that will have children asking questions - where do I belong? what is my purpose in life? Where is home? Just like the first book, this is an utterly charming and beautiful story, and Roz is a magical character with a special personality. A delightful little tale that exposes children to deeper topics, such as what it means to be human, man vs technology, identity/being yourself, kindness, empathy, loss, love, environment, loyalty, and sacrifice. Another work of brilliance from Brown that is wonderfully quirky, unique and fun. The chapters are short and many pages are illustrated, keeping children engaged and interested in the plot. Kids will love this heartwarming sequel as much as the first!

Many thanks to Piccadilly Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I loved The Wild Robot and Roz's sequel is just as gorgeously, heart-meltingly lovely. I adore the spare style of it - it's never mushy but overflows with Roz's love for her goose son and the world in general. It's clever and has so much to say about how we treat each other and the natural world, but it never comes off as preachy. I already have a hard copy on preorder and my daughter is dying to read it.

I loved reading this, it really felt like something completely new and unique to anything else I’m reading. Great story and artwork.