Introduction:
This week, I read "The Girl and the Wolf" by Katherena Vermette and "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown. Prior to engaging in these texts, I stopped to think about what I consider a "good children's book". In my opinion, I thought of a few important aspects that are vital in creating a good children's book.
The story should be relevant and engaging for younger readers.
The story should take readers on an adventure.
There should be captivating illustrations.
The story should discuss important themes or lessons.
After engaging in the following two books, I believe they meet my personal criteria for a "good children's book".
The Wild Robot
Author/Illustrator: Peter Brown
Copyright: April, 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
"We're a strange family, but I kind of like it that way"
-Peter Brown, The Wild Robot
Synopsis:
The Wild Robot is a captivating story that tells the adventure of "Roz", a robot that is stranded on an island after a hurricane sinks the ship she was traveling on. After being activated by a group of curious island inhabitants, she learns to live in a place that is overwhelmingly unfamiliar. She adapts to the environment around her by studying different groups of animals and wildlife. She works to overcome her reputation as the "monster" on the island by becoming a caring and nurturing friend to the island creatures.
Themes:
There are several themes that are present in this remarkable novel. Some of the themes that are present are helping others, friendship, various roles in society, and accepting others. The theme that I would choose to discuss if I read this book with younger readers, would be accepting others. At the beginning of the novel, Roz is an outcast because of her abnormal appearance. The inhabitants of the island make sure to communicate with each other that Roz is a "monster". Several creatures would run away if they saw her or would choose not to speak back if she attempted to communicate with them. It wasn't until "Fink the Fox" needed help after an accident with a porcupine. Fink quickly realized that Roz was eager to help them and that she was most definitely not a "monster". Roz was eager to help other creatures on the island, and the inhabitants eventually realized how caring Roz was. By the end of the novel, all of the inhabitants were close friends with Roz and were gracious to have her live on their island. I would emphasize this theme with my future students. I would want them to understand that just because someone has a different outside appearance, doesn't mean they are different on the inside. We must not outcast others, but instead make them feel welcome.
Agency:
"Which characters have agency or develop agency throughout the novel?" In my opinion, the character that undoubtedly takes action and exerts influence, is Roz. As soon as Roz is activated, she has the intention of acquiring information about her surroundings and to find her purpose. Even though Roz is exiled by the inhabitants, she continues to observe them and learn about their unique abilities. After learning to camouflage herself from acquiring this survival strategy from a stick bug, she can secretly observe differences in animals. She learns about the various languages of animals, and even learns how to speak each of them. She learns to chirp like a bird, roar like a bear, and screech like an owl.
Perhaps one of the biggest actions that Roz takes, is adopting a baby goose as her son. After a terrible accident, there is only one goose egg left from a family of geese. Roz adopts the baby goose and learns how to be a mother. She talks with older geese to learn the best parenting and survival techniques in order to help her new son, "Brightbill", survive. Roz has positive and inspiring intentions to help others throughout the novel.
Why does The Wild Robot fit my criteria for a "good children's book"?
The Wild Robot fits every aspect that I look for in a good book. This novel most definitely took me on an adventure. I felt as though I was a creature on the island with Roz. I was rooting for Roz through her triumphs and struggles. Peter Brown does an excellent job at taking the reader through an adventure with "ROZZUM unit 7134". Along with going on an adventure, Brown also discusses many important lessons that all readers should understand. Roz provides multiple examples of helping others no matter what their differences are. These lessons are relevant and engaging to younger readers. Peter Brown leaves the door open for endless possibilities of classroom discussions. Along with all of these important aspects, Peter Brown also provides captivating illustrations. He allows the reader to see various illustrations of Roz as she goes on the journey of finding her purpose on a mysterious island of unfamiliar creatures that turn into friends and family.
The Girl and the Wolf
Author: Katherena Vermette
Illustrator: Julie Flett
Copyright: 2019
Publisher: CELA
"Real wolves can hurt people, but I've heard old stories about wolves who help lost children too."
-Katherena Vermette, The Girl and the Wolf
Synopsis:
The Girl and the Wolf is a children's picture book that has a unique storyline. A young girl was picking berries near the woods and her mother instructs her not to wander too far. However, the girl ends up getting lost in the woods until a wolf appears. In contrast to what the reader predicts, the wolf only has the intentions of helping the young girl find her way back home. The "tall grey wolf with big white teeth" helps the girl find food and water before helping her return to her mother. The mother is relieved to have her daughter back home and is surprised to hear who helped her return. The mother and daughter are thankful that this wolf was the "helping kind".
Themes:
There was an important message that was portrayed in this story. As adults and as children, we should not stereotype or assume information about someone prior to actually learning about them. In this fictional story, the young girl was scared of the wolf just because she assumed he would be mean. However, the wolf was very kind and only had the intentions of helping her. When I use this picture book as a read-aloud in my future classroom, I plan on discussing stereotypes. I want to address how harmful stereotypes can be. We should always give others a chance instead of listening to prior misconceptions that we may have. In the end, the young girl was very thankful for the helpful wolf and she couldn't wait to tell the story to her mother and her friends.
Agency:
"Which characters have agency or develop agency throughout the novel?" In my opinion, the character that exerted the most influence, was the kind wolf. Instead of ignoring the young girl and going about his business, he stopped to help her find her way back home. Even though the girl was very still and appeared to be scared when she first spotted the wolf, he still took action in helping her. He helped her find berries to eat and water to drink. The wolf continued to ease her fear as he provided comfort and guidance throughout the story. Once he had helped the girl return to her mother, he disappeared. The wolf did not wish for anything in return, which proves that his only intention was to help the girl find her way back home.
Why does The Girl and the Wolf fit my criteria for a "good children's book"?
This children's picture book fits every aspect that I look for in a good book. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects in a picture book, are the illustrations. Julie Flett does a remarkable job at capturing the reader's attention with her pictures. One of my favorite aspects of Flett's illustrations are the contrasts of colors. The background colors she uses to draw the forest are very dark. However, the fur coat of the wolf is very light and the young girl's dress is bright red. This helps the reader focus on the relationship of the two main characters.
Along with the captivating illustrations, this book tells an engaging story for young readers and introduces a valuable lesson. Younger readers are intrigued by stories that discuss human and animal relationships, especially those which have an interesting twist. Several readers expect the wolf to harm the young girl but he changes the stereotype and helps her find her way back home. The reader goes on an adventure as we navigate through the unconventional wolf tale.
How do these stories connect?
The most obvious comparison between "The Wild Robot" and "The Girl and the Wolf" are the characters that are originally perceived as monsters. In "The Wild Robot", Roz is a robot that appears on an island and is viewed as a "sparkly monster" by the inhabitants. In "The Girl and the Wolf", a wolf startles a young girl because of his sharp teeth and tall stature. In both of these stories, the "monsters" turn out to be caring and helpful to the people/animals around them. In traditional stories, robots and wolves are not typically helpful or caring. Both of these books defy our traditional thinking.
Katherena Vermette, the author of "The Girl and the Wolf", found the stereotypes about wolves unfair. Even though this story was inspired by traditional stories, her goal was to change the unfair perception of a wolf as a "monster". Peter Brown, the author of "The Wild Robot", had similar intentions. He has always been fascinated with robots and strived to write a story about one. As humans, we fear the idea of robots "taking over". Brown wanted to change this perception by creating a story where a robot takes the role of a mother, peacemaker, and caregiver on a remote island of animals. I admire both of these authors for altering the "norm" and changing our perception of a typical "monster".
Sources
Brown, P. (2016). The Wild Robot. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Vermette, K. (2019). The Girl and the Wolf. Penticon, Britich Columbia: Theytus Books.