The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

Blurb from Bookwagon: The Wild Robot Protects concludes the wonderful series by Peter brown.  Roz the robot has made a welcome home for herself on an idyllic island dense with forests, animals and wildflowers.  She is at the centre of an island community with friendly animal inhabitants – including her own young son Brightbill the gosling. Life on the island however is under threat from the Poison Tide, first reported by a dying seal washed ashore.  He warns of dangerous, cloudy waters that are flowing towards the island, bringing new dangers for the animals.   Forced inland, the community will have no choice but to fight over scarce resources. Roz embarks on a perilous and incredible journey across the seas, aiming to protect her beloved island and all who live on it.  Along the way, she makes friends of a host of amazing sea creatures who provide inspiration but also vital information about the source of the poison tide….

Begin with this interview (20 minutes) with Peter Brown talking to Colby Sharp for The Yarn. In this 2023 interview Peter Brown talks with Books for Keeps. And Books for Keeps also talked to Peter after the publication of the first book - The Wild Robot. 

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. Kirkus star review

This might sound strange, but I am very sad that the NSW Department of School Education have 'stolen' this text and made it the focus of one of their English units. Reading the design of the unit of work it sounds to me that any love of this first book - The Wild Robot - will be utterly crushed. I would love young readers to just find and read all three books from this series - not as part of an enforced school unit with a series of micro tasks that, to my eye, destroy any love you could have for this truly heart-warming and inventive series. At their heart these books are about relationships, the expression of emotions, the importance of forming connections with others. There is also a layer of environmental care and as humans, how we find a balance between our own survival, exploitation of the planet and the vital need for conservation of places and creatures.

I read The Wild Robot in 2018 and as I read this latest installment I wondered if it might have been good to re-read the whole series before reading this new book. The Wild Robot Protects does stand alone but I think you will enjoy this book even more if you are familiar with Ros and her island family. 

The New York Times reviewer explores the reaction of his son when he read these books:

To my son, Brown’s books were the first he discovered on his own; the first that swept him up in a lengthy, can’t-put-it-down narrative; the first to wallop him with the mix of tragedy and joy that define great art and also real life. ... The life of a wild robot, in other words, is pretty similar to the life of a kid. That’s what makes Brown’s trilogy so powerful. Readers love Roz, but they also learn from her. Even better, they learn alongside her.

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot escapes

The Secret of the Magic Pearl by Elisa Sabatinelli illustrated by Iacopo Bruno translated by Christopher Turner

Publisher blurb: Hector lives with his family at the Marina in an Italian coastal town where they organize tourist expeditions to explore the many wonders of the sea. Hector’s dream is to become a deep-sea diver, just like his father. Then, one day, an unscrupulous entrepreneur opens a much newer center next door, forcing them to close their business. This man has a single purpose, to find the legendary Pearl in order to sell it and make money. Hector decides to find a way to thwart the plan and save what matters most to him: the sea, his family, and his dream.

This book was published in 2021 but it is a new discovery for me. I'm sure I have seen the cover on Social Media so when I saw this in the library I visit each week [they purchased it in March 2023] I grabbed it quickly. The format of this book is one I really love. A large size illustrated story - not a picture book and not quite a small junior novel - although that is the intended audience. The story is told in just seventy pages with a colourful illustration or two on every page. 

The chapters are divided using a full page illustration based on Nautical flags and each chapter has a heading which gives you an idea of the plot line:

1."About why the story of the Pearl is the truest"

2. "About why Amedeo Limonta is the bad guy in this story."

7. "About why sinking in the sea is like walking on the moon."

13. "About why I am, and always will be, a deep sea diver."

Here is the deep sea diving suit used by Hector's dad:

Here are some text quotes from this book:

"I have tomatoes on toast for breakfast. I put on my diving suit and Mom takes a photo of me near the fridge and next to Dad's diving suit. Before she lets me go, she gives me a hug and says 'Be careful! Keep your eyes wide open. You're going to see marvelous things down there! Break a leg!' She always says this thing about breaking a leg. I've go no idea what it means."

"The moment I'm in the water I feel a unique silence - as if someone has closed off the world with a stopper. How much water is in the sea? I'd love to measure it."

"The first day is a big success.  Hundreds of people line up to see the Pearl, which shines with a glow that takes everyone's breath away. No one needs a flash to take a photo; the Pearl shines a light of her own."

The Kirkus Star review said: Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way. 

The setting for this story reminded me of this picture book:

For Love

This book was originally written in Italian with the title Mio padre e un palombaro. 

Now for the bad news [again sorry]. Here in Australia this book costs over AUS$35 and so I am sure it is going to be way too expensive for the average Primary School to consider. Perhaps it will be released in paperback soon and if that happens I highly recommend this as a splendid addition to your collection. It could also be a terrific read aloud for Grades 3 or 4. You can see inside this book here [in Italian]. Here is a delightful short video with subtitles where the author and illustrator introduce their book. Read more about Red Comet Press here. I am very keen to see Peng's Vase by Paolo Proietti which is a book from this publisher.  It looks like a terrific companion book to go with The Empty Pot by Demi.

Review comments for The Secret of the Magic Pearl:

“Beautifully illustrated with magical pictures by Iacopo Bruno, this Italian fantasy by Elisa Sabatinelli takes us to a village out of time with a boy who loves the ocean and dreams of diving like his father and grandfather before him. Keep an eye out for this book and the other titles from Red Comet Press! Bravo!”  – Brian Selznick, Caldecott Medal Winner

Spellbinding. Sabatinelli creates an energetic and guileless voice in Hector, as he describes the settings and unique characters surrounding him with beautiful, evocative language; readers are transported to windswept coastal Italy, witness to small town shenanigans and stormy sea journeys with the turn of each page. Bruno’s illustrations are equally immersive, seamlessly weaving through the chapters with spreads and margin artwork that is sometimes educational, sometimes comical, and always captivating. Baby Book Worm

If you like the idea of large format illustrated books with splendid stories look for these:

Mysterious Traveller

Night Sky Dragons