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The Wild Robot


The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
Little, Brown and Co, 2016. Fiction. 279 p.


In a future world a robot in a shipping crate washes overboard in a storm and lands on a deserted island. The robot, whose name is Roz, is equipped with artificial intelligence.  At first Roz is not well suited to the natural environment and rough terrain of the island, but by careful observation and trial and error, it eventually adapts to life in the wild, and even learns the language of the wild animals.  As Roz "makes friends" with the animals, and comes to be the foster parent of an orphaned goose, it becomes more like a living creature, and less like a robot. This charming modern fairy tale is a cross between Bambi and Wall-E. The relationship between Roz and the gosling is heartwarming, and Brown's message about kindness overcoming prejudice is timeless. This book is available from the Library in print, on CD, as an ebook and as an e-audio download.

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