The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Characters

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Vocabulary

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Themes

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Plot Summary

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Movie Poster

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Favorite Scene

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Essential Questions for The Wild Robot

1. What are some of Roz’s humanlike characteristics?
2. What is the main theme of the story?
3. How does Roz change throughout the story?
4. What is The Wild Robot synopsis?

Summary of The Wild Robot

ROZZUM unit 7134, or Roz for short, is a newly manufactured, state of the art robot who becomes stranded on an island when the cargo ship carrying her and hundreds of others like her sinks during a hurricane. All of the other robots onboard are destroyed, and Roz is the only one left. She is activated by a group of otters, and begins exploring her new surroundings. Roz is not used to being free, and realizes that she has to learn new methods of survival in this new place. The animals on the island are confused and frightened by the wild robot Roz, calling her a monster. Roz learns how to camouflage herself and begins observing the animals, learning from them and slowly adapting to the ways of the island. Eventually, Roz learns how to speak their language. One day, Roz witnesses a terrible sight: a rock slide. Roz goes to the site and finds a single goose egg, the lone survivor after the others have been killed. Roz decides to save the gosling, and protects it until it hatches. Not knowing how to care for a baby goose, Roz seeks out the help of the others, and an older goose named Loudwing encourages her to name the baby and advises her on how to take care of it. With that, Roz is now the adopted mother of baby Brightbill.

Now that she is caring for Brightbill, the other animals trust her more and are more willing to help her adapt to her new environment. Mr. Beaver builds a lodge for her and Brightbill, and a fawn named Tawny shows her how to build a beautiful garden where others will want to visit. As the garden flourishes, so does Roz’s relationships with the other animals. Meanwhile, Brightbill meets a talkative squirrel named Chitchat, and the two become instant best friends. As the days get shorter and the cold weather nears, Roz realizes that Brightbill has matured and must migrate with the other geese for the winter. Brightbill is sad to leave his mother, but Roz is strong and knows that they will see each other again very soon, although she is also sad and does not know what to do now that she is alone once again.

As Roz adapts to being alone, she spends a lot of time doing nothing inside of the lodge. When she wakes from a long rest to find that the harsh weather has made her home cave in, she sets to work to rebuild it. As she is rebuilding, she notices that several animals have frozen due to the unusually harsh winter, and decides she must offer her warm space to those in need. She and the other animals build many new lodges so that they can all stay warm, and manage to survive the cold. The animals delight in the power of fire, and Roz delights in the fact that she could help others. When spring arrives and Brightbill returns home, he tells Roz of his adventures. Brightbill became the leader of the flock during difficult times, and he even saw the factory in which Roz was made during a detour on their trip.

Roz wild robot decides to throw a party for her new friends to thank them for making her feel at home as a “wild” robot. The large bonfire attracts an airship filled with RECOS, or combat robots, who have come in search of the missing robots from the storm. The animals all work together to help Roz escape the RECOS, and all of the RECOS are destroyed. However, Roz is badly broken and has lost her limbs; she is now just a torso and a head. Roz knows that more combat robots will come for her, and fears for the safety of her friends. She tells them that she must go with the airship now, so that she can get the repairs that she needs. The animals are saddened, but realize that Roz is right, and that she must go. The friends help Roz onto the ship as she promises to return when she is able. As her new family watches Roz’s ship fly away, they hope with all their hearts that she will come back to them.

The Wild Robot is a wonderful book about love, friendship, family, and courage. Roz is thrust into a new way of life with absolutely no idea how to survive in this strange world. She survives, thrives, and changes the island for the better, only to be taken away again! To find out what happens to Roz the wild robot, students will enjoy reading the next book, The Wild Robot Escapes, and following Roz on another wild adventure! What will happen to Roz next? Will she ever return to the island and her old friends?

Storyboard That’s The Wild Robot lesson plans include vocabulary, a character map, a plot diagram for students to map out important events of The Wild Robot plot, a movie poster, and exploring The Wild Robot themes. Students will delight in creating storyboards using our very own Roz character and the adorable animals that our artists have created. An additional activity could be to have students complete The Wild Robot chapter summaries for each chapter to dig deeper into the plot of the book. Students could also create a The Wild Robot study guide or a The Wild Robot novel study for a classmate!

Discussion Questions to Use in Pairs or Groups

These questions may be used during reading, or upon completion of the novel. While it is best to get students discussing what they’ve read, these questions can also be answered individually in a reader’s notebook. It is always such a joy to hear the different opinions that students have, even though they are reading the same novel!

1. Roz has the tremendous task of adapting to her new way of life, much like people do in many ways in real life. What are some examples of how Roz adapts to these changes? Was it easy for her? What challenges did she face? Be sure to use details from the text.


2. When Roz first arrived on the island, the animals were afraid of her and thought she was some kind of a monster. Why is this? What are some things that happened that changed their minds about Roz?


3. It is clear that nature and technology are very different, and they certainly clash in this story. What are some ways that they are incompatible? In what ways do they manage to co-exist? Include specific examples from the text to explain your answers.


4. Roz is like a mother to many of the island’s animals, and she takes on the role of mother to a Brightbill, whose goose egg was the only survivor of a terrible accident. What do you think motherly actions look like? In what ways does Roz act motherly? Provide examples from the text.


5. As we know, families come in all forms. Now that Roz has taken on the role of a mother to Brightbill, they have become like a little family. In what ways do they act like your family acts? In what ways are they different from any of the families that you know?


6. As Roz adapts to her new life, roles, and responsibilities, she comes to like being at the farm. However, she still sometimes longs to leave. Why do you think this is? Have you ever had a time in your life where you have felt like this? Discuss with your group or partner.


7. There are a lot of animal characters in this book, all with their own unique personalities and quirks. Choose one character who stands out above the rest, and is your favorite. Discuss why you chose this character and the special traits that make this character special to you.


8. Roz is a robot, and is not supposed to feel emotions. Do you think she feels emotions? Give examples from the book to explain your reasoning.


9. Roz learned a lot from the animals around her. Have each group member choose an animal and describe the lessons that it taught Roz, using specific instances from the book. If applicable, include lessons that Roz taught that animal for an extra challenge.


10. What were Roz’s specific survival instincts when she first arrived on the island? How did those instincts change and why? Provide examples from the text that show these instincts changing.


11. One of the main themes of this book is friendship. Roz’s friendships with the animals were unexpected and often challenging. Choose a friendship between Roz and one of the animals and discuss it in your group. Why was it a strong friendship? What challenges did the friendship face and how were these challenges overcome?


12. After a while, the island starts to feel like home to Roz. Why is this? What does home feel like to you?


13. Not only does Roz change, but she changes the way of life on the island. What were the island and its inhabitants like at the beginning of the book when they first met Roz? What were they like at the end of the book? Be sure to use specific examples from the story.


14. What do you think happens when Roz returns back on the ship at the end of the book? How do you think she will be received by the Makers? Do you think she will ever return to the island and the family that she has come to know and love?


15. The author, Peter Brown, has incorporated all types of technology and scientific terminology into The Wild Robot. Examine these with your group to determine what is real, and what isn’t quite real. What are some technological advances that he didn’t include in the story? How would you have included more?

Ideas for Post-Reading Activities

Storyboard That is an excellent tool for students to create fun and engaging projects as a culminating activity after finishing a novel. In addition to our premade activities, here are some ideas that teachers can customize and assign to students to spark creativity in individual students, pairs, or small groups for a final project. Several of these ideas include Storyboard That templates that can be printed out or copied into your teacher dashboard and assigned digitally. All final projects can be printed out, presented as a slide show, or, for an extra challenge, as an animated GIF!

1. For Groups: Choose a scene from the story and write a short play to reenact to the class. Use the traditional storyboard layout to plan out your scenes. You can add text to your storyboards, or simply use the cells to visualize each scene of your play.


2. Using the timeline layout, retell the story in chronological order. Our timeline layout gives you the options to include year, month, day, and even hour! You may also choose to omit these altogether.


3. Choose a setting from the story and create a map of the setting using the small poster or worksheet layout. Use free form or other text boxes to include a key or label the different parts of the map.


4. Using one of Storyboard That’s board game templates, create a game based on the book for your classmates to play!


5. For Groups: Divide the chapters of the book amongst your group members. Each member of the group creates a storyboard for their assigned chapter. This can be done as a collaborative project, or separately for longer novels.


6. Using the worksheet layout and Storyboard That’s worksheet assets, create a test or a quiz for other students in the class. You can create all kinds of questions such as multiple choice, short answer, and even matching! When you are done, be sure to make an answer key.


7. Using one of Storyboard That’s biography poster templates, create a poster about the character of your choice. Be sure to include important biographical features such as: place and date of birth, family life, accomplishments, etc.


8. Choose a chapter from the novel and create a storyboard that shows that chapter from another character’s point of view. For an extra challenge, use the T-chart layout to compare the original point of view with another character’s point of view!


9. Create a book jacket of the novel using one of Storyboard That’s book jacket templates. Use Storyboard That art to create the cover, and write a summary of the story on the back, just like real books have!


10. Using one of Storyboard That’s social media templates as a starting point, create a social media page for one or more of the characters in the novel. Be sure to think how the character thinks while creating this page.


11. Create a scrapbook page made by one of the characters in the novel. Storyboard That has lots of premade templates that you can use as is, or change to fit your character’s personality! Check out our scrapbook templates today!

Frequently Asked Questions about The Wild Robot

What genre is The Wild Robot?

Since the characters are not human but take on human characteristics, The Wild Robot is considered to be in the fantasy genre. However, it could also be considered science fiction, since it centers around a machine who is from another planet.

Who is Roz in The Wild Robot?

, Roz, the main character, is a robot who was stranded on an island when her carrier ship sank. Her sophisticated software makes her smart and resourceful enough to survive among the animals on the island, and eventually she develops relationships and feelings.

What happens to Roz at the end of The Wild Robot?

SPOILER ALERT!! At the end of the book, Roz is badly damaged and is brought back to the factory where she was originally made. She says goodbye to her friends, promising to return soon.

Is there another book after The Wild Robot?

Yes, there is another book after The Wild Robot! Check out what happens to Roz in Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot Escapes!