There are so many TV programmes and movies on robots, and even books where robots help out humans in so many ways, but this is the first time that I have come across a storybook where the main character, that too a heroine, is a robot and we see the story from her prospective.

What makes The Wild Robot by Peter Brown all the more interesting is that beside the robot, the story has animals as the main characters, making the interaction between technology and nature just what is needed to hold the attention of young readers.

ROZZUM Unit 7134, or Roz, is the only robot that survived after a ship carrying robots gets wrecked in a storm. Roz finds herself in an island that is deserted except for wild animals. In fact, there are plenty of them. Roz wasn’t programmed for this but even robots have survival instincts, so she first learns to protect herself against attacks both by nature (a storm) and animals, and then she adapts to her alien surroundings to finally make friends with the animals.

Our mechanical heroine is inquisitive and also motherly for she takes care of a lost orphaned gosling and her other skills, like making a fire in freezing winter, help her in making a place for herself among the animals.

The writer Peter Brown is also an illustrator, so he uses his black and white illustrations beautifully to depict a story that mostly follows a fast pace. The story is action-packed, what else can you expect in the wild, and the climax is catchy, but I will not give away any spoilers to ruin your fun. The book makes a great read for anyone over eight.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 10th, 2016