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The Wild Robot

An image of a robot named Roz was slowly forming in my mind. I could see her exploring a remote island. I could hear her communicating with wild animals. I could feel her becoming part of the wilderness. And after years of imagining and writing and drawing, I realized I had all the ingredients for a robot nature story. So I drove out to a cabin in the woods, opened up a fresh notebook, and began working on The Wild Robot.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I first began tinkering with The Wild Robot over six years ago. I’ve spent the past two and a half years working on nothing else. As you might imagine, I had a little help along the way.

My friends and family haven’t seen much of me these last few years. I’ve forgotten birthdays. I’ve taken my sweet time returning messages. I’ve missed dozens of parties. But everyone knew how important this book was to me, and they forgave my absentmindedness even when I probably didn’t deserve it.

Jill Yeomans is completely overqualified to be my assistant. So I’m taking full advantage of her assistance while it lasts. Without her, I’d never have time to write or illustrate.

Paul Rodeen has got to be the world’s jolliest literary agent. His enthusiasm for this book has been unwavering, and that made all the difference during my long bouts of self-doubt.

My publisher, Little, Brown and Company, could have nudged me to just make another picture book, and nobody would have blamed them. But they knew that I needed to write this story, and I couldn’t have done it without their support. It takes an army of very smart people working very hard to make one of these books come to life. There aren’t enough pages here to list the job titles and specific contributions of every member of my team, so I’m afraid I’ll have to simply list their names. If you see your name below, please know that I deeply appreciate your effort and expertise and patience. Some of the beautiful people who helped me make The Wild Robot are: Barbara Bakowski, Nicole Brown, Melanie Chang, Jenny Choy, Shawn Foster, Nikki Garcia, Jen Graham, Allegra Green, Virginia Lawther, Lisa Moraleda, Emilie Polster, Carol Scatorchio, Andrew Smith, Victoria Stapleton, and Megan Tingley.

David Caplan was the creative director responsible for making this book as beautiful as possible. And as you can see, he nailed it.

Alvina Ling has been expertly editing my books since the very beginning of my career. And that’s really impressive because I can be a difficult person to work with. I’m a perfectionist with a serious lack of confidence, which gets complicated, especially when I’m trying something completely new, like writing my first children’s novel. But Alvina is unflappable, and she has endured my ups and downs with a superhuman level of grace.

To all who have helped and tolerated me as I made this book, thank you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PETER BROWN is the author and illustrator of many beloved children’s books, including My Teacher Is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.), Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Children Make Terrible Pets, and The Curious Garden. He is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of a Caldecott Honor (for Creepy Carrots!), a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, and a Children’s Choice Book Award for Illustrator of the Year. The Wild Robot is his middle-grade debut. Peter’s website is peterbrownstudio.com.

Contents

COVER

TITLE PAGE

WELCOME

DEDICATION

CHAPTER 1: THE OCEAN

CHAPTER 2: THE OTTERS

CHAPTER 3: THE ROBOT

CHAPTER 4: THE ROBOT HATCHES

CHAPTER 5: THE ROBOT GRAVESITE

CHAPTER 6: THE CLIMB

CHAPTER 7: THE WILDERNESS