The Wild Robot & The Girl and the Wolf
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CHILDREN'S BOOK?
What does make up a good children's book?
Below are some of the qualities I believe to be important and essential to writing a good children's book:​
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beautiful illustrations
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readers can identify with the characters
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real world issues
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interesting and engaging plot
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happy ending, or at least one that wraps the book up well
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applicable to real life
THE WILD ROBOT
The Wild Robot tells the adventurous tale of Roz and the robot and her journey to survive on an uninviting and unfamiliar island.
Roz’s crate washes up on the shore of an island, and she finds herself the only one of her kind in the midst of wild animals. In the beginning, Roz is not wanted on the island, although this is the only home she has ever known. Her journey takes a turn when she finds herself adopting and taking in a baby goose, who she names Brightbill. Her mission of survival begins to take a turn as she must now care for Brightbill and become his mother. The other animals begin to befriend Roz because of her love and kindness towards all other animals, especially Brightbill. This story is one of adaptation, overcoming, and kindness, and will remain a story I continuously pick up and read.
The setting of The Wild Robot is critical to this story. Readers automatically know that robots do not belong in the jungle on a small island. We know that Roz is going to have a hard time surviving and belonging in a place where she is not supposed to be in. Roz’s story is one of adaptation and survival in a place where she has an inclination she may not belong in, but she still persists and perseveres. This is a story that can resonate with any reader, as we all go through difficult journeys in our lives. Roz is a character any reader can look up to and aspire to be like.
Not only is The Wild Robot a fun story to read, but it is one with a lot of meaning behind it. After I finished the book, I couldn’t help but think of how I have felt like Roz. I have been in a place in life where I felt like an outsider, yet I knew deep down I belonged where I was. I had to adapt, persist, and survive in a way in order to thrive where I was. Roz’s journey turns from one of survival, to one where she blossoms and thrives. It is an encouraging and inspiring read, and that is why I think readers of all ages will enjoy this book. It is an instant favorite and one that is so difficult to put down.
THE GIRL AND THE WOLF
The Girl and the Wolf is a short story about a little girl who gets lost in the woods and loses her mother. A grey wolf appears from the shadows and helps the little girl find her way home.
This story is one that changes the preconceived notions of characters. Wolves are scary in all stories- The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. The wolf has always caused trouble, created fear, and is the antagonist. However, in The Girl and the Wolf, the wolf is helpful, kind, and a guide to the little girl. In the author’s note, the author says she designed this story to change what we think of monsters, and wolves specifically. She sought out to change the narrative and change readers’ minds as they read her story of The Girl and the Wolf. Not only did this make me reconsider what I think of characters before I even read a story, but it made me consider what I think of people before I even get to know them. This lesson from the story can be applied to every day life- what preconceived notions do we have about people who we have not even met yet?
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Not only is The Girl and the Wolf a fun read, but it is one that teaches an important lesson about judgement. This lesson is one that can be applied to everyday life, not just one that is applicable to the story. Are we quick to judge people before we even get to know them? Are we allowing someone who the world sees as a "monster" or an "outsider" to become something more?
Prior to reading either of these books, we were asked to answer a few questions. These questions really challenged my thinking and were what I thought back to while I read both The Wild Robot and The Girl and the Wolf. These are the quick write questions we answered:
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1. What makes up a family?
2. What does it mean to be a mother?
3. What is a monster? Who decides what it is?
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These were important questions to think about while I was reading, and they definitely coincided with both books, especially questions 2 and 3.
Question 2 really resonates with The Wild Robot. My initial answer as to what a mother is was someone who takes care of their children, someone who provides, and someone who is nurturing. Although Roz was not Brightbill's birth mother, she was his mother, according to my definition: She took care of her child, she provided for her child, and she was nurturing. I think we are quick to assume that a mother has her own birth children and is caring towards them, but that is not always the case. This is also important to remember as we enter the real classroom world one day. Not all of our students will have their birth mother in their life. Not all students will know what it is like to have a nuclear family. We must be respectful for this and remember not to assume this. However, some students may have a "mother" figure in their lives, much like Roz was to Brightbill, and if they are anything like Roz, they are most definitely a mother.
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Question 3 goes with both books. My answer to what a monster is was something or someone who is malicious and evil without any signs of remorse. I also said that society often deems what a monster is. Society decides the moral compass and if an outsider violates that, they quickly become a monster. In The Wild Robot, the animals on the island were quick to call Roz a monster, solely because they had not seen someone like her and were afraid of how different she was. Because Roz was an outsider and was not like the rest of them, they were quick to call her a monster. In The Girl and the Wolf, the wolf is assumed to be a monster because we have seen that so many times before- The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and so many other stories. Because we have seen a pattern before, we assume that the wolf will be a monster instead of assuming the wolf could be kind or helpful and a protagonist rather than an antagonist.
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Both of these books do a great job to challenge readers and challenge their thinking. Both of these will remain favorites on my bookshelf and will be read to my students in years to come.
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Brown, P. (2016). The Wild Robot. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
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Vermette, K. (2019). The Girl and the Wolf. Theytus Books.