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The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess

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By Tom Gauld
New York: Holiday House, 2021. Picture book.

In a faraway kingdom, lived a king and queen who were perfectly happy except they had no children. So, the king and queen consult with the royal inventor who creates a wooden robot prince, and with the old witch of the forest who enchants a log to become a princess. But the princess has a secret -- each night when she falls asleep she turns back into a log and only becomes human again when a magic phrase awakes her. On a fateful day, a servant sees the log lying in the princess' bed and tosses it out the window. The robot, realizing what has happened to his beloved sister, begins an epic adventure to rescue his sister and bring her home.

This original fairy tale is a magical and engaging story that is certain to be popular with young readers for years to come. At times this book reads like an old familiar story, while at other times it is so completely fresh and new. The pen and ink illustrations have a cartoonish appeal (Tom Gauld, who wrote and illustrated this book, is a cartoonist) but also look and feel fairly vintage. Do not be surprised when this book becomes a treasured classic.

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