The Wild Robot Protects

All three books in the Wild Robot series highlight the importance of respecting and preserving the natural world. Through the character of Roz, a robot living on a remote island, the novel explores humans’ impact on the environment and the need for coexistence with all living creatures. In The Wild Robot Protects, this environmentalist message is made uniquely accessible for young readers while maintaining complexity. The humans in the story are in a difficult position that they cannot see a way out of, and the author clearly depicts the disparity between what is ideal and what is actuality for many adults incapable of interference in a much larger, authoritative and hierarchical system. Instead of shying away from the complicated reality of many human faults, the story honestly depicts Akiko’s lack of authority and need to follow orders to maintain her paycheck and her career. Roz, as the protagonist through which this dilemma is examined, is a charismatic, empathetic character who embodies a lot of human traits while still being removed from humanity. This removal helps to address the complexity of human faults from a distance and with clarity—the environment being at risk is of the utmost importance and should be nurtured instead of harmed.