The Wild Robot Protects

The Wild Robot Protects is the third book by award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown for his Wild Robot series. Published in 2023, The Wild Robot Protects follows The Wild Robot Escapes and picks up Roz’s story after she escapes Hilltop Farm and returns home to the wild island. When a mysterious poisoned tide washes ashore and threatens Roz’s beloved island, Roz must seek help. Along the way, she meets many unique sea creatures who teach her about life below the surface. This reinforces Roz’s determination to locate the source of the poisonous flood and stop its deadly flow to protect all aquatic creatures. Brown’s depiction of a sentient robot and engaging illustrations highlight the value of Protecting the Environment, The Importance of Home, Friendship, and Community, and The Intersection Between Technology and the Natural World. Born and raised in Hopewell, New Jersey, Brown discovered his passion for drawing and storytelling at a young age. He studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he honed his craft and developed his signature style. His most notable works include Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, You Will Be My Friend!, and Creepy Carrots!, which won a Caldecott Honor. In 2016, Kirkus Reviews named The Wild Robot one of the best children’s books of the year.

The source material comes from the 2023 Little Brown and Company edition.

Plot Summary

After escaping the Hilltop Farm and returning to her island with the aid of many animals friends, Roz settles back into her wild life with the island animals. Roz’s goose son Brightbill returns from the annual winter migration with news that he has mated with Glimmer, and they will soon have a nest of goslings. Roz offers them a place to live in her nest, but Brightbill and Glimmer want to build their own home. The peace on the island is disrupted when a sick seal washes up on shore, declaring that the poison tide is approaching.

From the highest point on the island, Roz can see the water shimmering with a cloud of pollution approaching their island. From seabirds, Roz learns that the poison tide is advancing toward them, and many sea creatures are evacuating to escape. Some creatures have already succumbed to the poison tide. The island animals argue and debate over their course of action. Half of Brightbill’s flock of geese decide to leave, but the rest of the animals stay. Since they can’t swim or fish in the ocean, Roz directs all the animals to dredge the island’s lakes and ponds to store more rainwater. Roz scoops up all the ocean creatures to help them escape just as the poison tide washes ashore. When Roz accidentally falls into one of the deep ponds, she realizes that the new body Dr. Molovo gave her is waterproof. Though the poison tide kills all the plants on the shoreline, the island’s interior remains safe. However, Roz knows their efforts aren’t enough, and she resolves that she must leave the island for help. A seabird tells her that the Ancient Shark can help, but it lives in the northern ocean. With her body watertight, Roz tests the water and sees that the poison tide doesn’t affect her. She announces her decision to leave the island in search of help.

Roz walks across the body of the seafloor, moving north and right into the poison tide. Along the way, she meets many creatures who are fleeing the pollution. Roz also sees evidence of climate change as she discovers an entire town flooded by rising ocean waters. After leaving the flooded town, Roz finds an island where everything is dead from the poison tide. She gets caught in a thunderstorm and must descend into the deep ocean to avoid getting electrocuted. After meeting a whale, Roz learns to use echolocation to find her way in the dark. Roz swims with a pod of porpoises and floats in a cloud of glowing phytoplankton. Above water, Roz meets a puffin named Kerplunk, who directs her toward a glacier, informing Roz that this glacier will lead Roz to the Ancient Shark. The glacier is cold and treacherous, and Roz slips and falls into an ice cave. After digging her way out, she emerges onto a beach full of walruses. A polar bear arrives to hunt the walruses but is stopped by Big Shot, the head walrus. After the walruses retreat, the polar bear points to a star and says the Ancient Shark lives below it.

Roz dives back into the deep and meets the Ancient Shark, who is blind, battered, and over 500 years old. Gurry, the shark’s real name, has been waiting for Roz. Gurry explains that the poison tide comes from an underwater mining operation in which humans are mining minerals to create more robots like Roz. Since Roz is immune to the poison tide, she is the only one who can help. However, Gurry wants to attack the mining station using violence. Roz says she is incapable of violence, but when Gurry playfully attacks her, Roz finds she can defend herself. Along with making her waterproof, Dr. Molovo also programmed her new body with defense mechanisms. Roz convinces Gurry to let her try diplomacy before launching an attack.

Roz finds the mining station and stealthily climbs on board, discovering that a few humans run the station led by their manager, Akiko. The station also has BOSUN robots on board and HYDRO robots underwater. Roz hides on the rooftop overnight and makes friends with Nimbus, a one-eyed seagull. The mining station’s drone spots Roz, and a BOSUN robot captures her. Akiko and George do not trust Roz and imprison her. She explains that they must stop the mining because it is poisoning the water, but Akiko says they can’t stop because they are under orders to complete it. Akiko promises to send a robot crew to clean up the poison tide when they complete the operation.

Once Gurry hears of Roz’s capture, it signals the beginning of the attack. Sea creatures attack the mining station from below, and seabirds attack from above. The drone crashes, and several BOSUNs are destroyed. The whales create a tidal wave that crashes into the station, puncturing the outer wall. Glimmer and Brightbill arrive and, with Nimbus’s help, break Roz out of her prison. The mining station descends into chaos, its engines fail, and it begins to sink. Roz helps all the humans escape, and they use the whales as life rafts. Akiko says she will keep her promise but warns Roz not to try to stop the mining robot below the ocean. Roz sends Glimmer and Brightbill home, and she descends into the deep to stop the mining.

Crusher, the mining robot, won’t take orders from Roz and scoops her up in its claws. Gurry launches another attack, and the sea creatures push the wrecked mining station on top of Crusher. Roz barely escapes into a sea cave at the last minute and must dig her way out. The robot cleanup crew arrives, and Roz is scooped up onto a trash barge, where she hides until she jumps overboard near her island. The robot crew cleans up the island and all the ocean water, and Roz triumphantly returns to meet her grandgosslings. She delivers a speech sharing all her ocean adventures with the island animals and declares the poison tide is over. Brightbill and Glimmer leave with the goslings for their winter migration, and Roz watches them from the clifftop as they fly away.