A review by hflh
The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
One thing I love about the Wild Robot series is the relationships and community Roz builds. There is less of that in this installment. The Wild Robot Protects follows Roz on an undersea journey to the arctic; she meets many new and quirky friends but there's more focus on her journey and the wonderful and unique world of the ocean. Though, there's still strong theme of community, family, and caring for each other.

Brown continues to gently explore serious topics, offering nuanced takes on mining, technology, and violent action. Brown doesn't shy from depicting the damage of resource extraction but he also highlights the necessity of mining for modern tech and takes care to humanize labourers and their families. He also explores the value and consequences of both violent and nonviolent action. 

Appropriately, we get a relatively happy ending.
Once the mining stops, Brown depicts a quick and relatively thorough cleanup facilitated by high tech robots. He balances this by showing lasting damage. Parents of older children may want to use this ending to start a bigger conversation with their kids about the limitations of technology and complexity of cleanups.
 
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