The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, grades K-3). “Everything was just right on the Island. And then a strange new creature appeared.” For those few remaining individuals who haven’t read one of The Wild Robot books or seen the award-winning film, the new creature is Roz, a robot who has washed up on the island following a shipwreck. This picture book captures the essence of the story, including Roz’s ability to program herself to move and speak like the other animals and her motherly relationship with Brightbill the gosling. As the seasons change, Brightbill grows up, and when fall comes, he migrates south with the flock of geese. Roz protects the other animals through a hard winter, all the while wondering about her son. When spring returns, so do the geese, and after a happy reunion, “Everything was just right on the Island.”
Odder: An Otter’s Story by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel and Friends, 40 pages, grades K-3). Odder is a playful otter whose adventurous nature sometimes gets her into trouble. Based on the novel, which was inspired by two otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this picture book tells the story of Odder’s two rescues by aquarium staff. The first time, she’s separated from her mother and gets washed up on the beach. After a period of rehabilitation, she’s released back into the wild, but her fearlessness results in a shark attack, landing her back at the aquarium for good. As a permanent resident, Odder helps young otters who have been rescued by serving as a mentor, teaching them how to play and hunt until they are ready to be released back into the wild. Includes a photo and additional information about the real otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
My cynical side is always a bit suspicious of picture books based on novels: are publishers just trying to milk more profits from a successful middle grade book, or are they genuinely interested in sharing a good story with younger readers? Both of these efforts feel pretty genuine, but The Wild Robot is a more successful adaptation than Odder. It captures the essence of the story with just a sentence or two on each page but leaves the details to the longer book. The Odder retelling seems a little too ambitious, especially since there are two separate rescues, and the story feels too long and somewhat confusing. Both books have beautiful illustrations, and I especially enjoyed seeing Roz’s world portrayed in vivid color.