The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot By Peter Brown

The Wild Robot is a children’s novel written by Peter Brown. It’s a heartwarming story about nature, survival, and connection.

The book follows Roz (short for Rozzum Unit 7134), a robot who finds herself stranded on a remote, wild island after a shipwreck. Though Roz was designed for human environments, she must adapt to the natural world in order to survive.

At first, the island’s animals fear her, but through patience, resourcefulness, and kindness, Roz begins to build relationships with them. A major turning point in the story comes when Roz adopts a gosling, Brightbill, whose family she accidentally causes harm to. Roz becomes a mother figure to Brightbill, and their bond becomes central to the story.

To support your English / Literacy planning this term, we have created an online and printable pack of questions packs aimed at Year 4-Year 5 classes, covering each chapter in the book. 312 questions in total.

Our comprehension sets are aimed at children aged 9-10, depending on ability of your class. We have differentiated the packs so that Questions 1-4 in each set are retrieval and are single answer or multiple choice questions.

Questions 5-8 are spelling, punctuation and grammar. Questions 9-12 are deeper understanding questions: inference, sequencing the events, techniques the author uses and choosing the best summarising statements.

Chapters 1-3

A violent hurricane sank a cargo ship carrying hundreds of robots, leaving just five crates afloat on the ocean. As the storm passed, the crates drifted to a rocky island, but four of them crashed against the rocks, destroying the robots inside. The last crate, however, landed safely, protecting its robot. Inside was Roz, a brand-new robot tightly packed in spongy foam, waiting to be discovered.

On the shore, a group of curious sea otters explored the broken robot parts scattered across the rocks, flipping and playing with the sparkling debris. They then found the intact crate and eagerly tore at its foam, accidentally pressing a button on the robot’s head. With a click and a low whirring sound, Roz came to life. She introduced herself as Rozzum Unit 7134, designed to learn, adapt, and complete tasks, and declared she was now fully activated.

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Roz ventured into the forest, where her heavy, clunky movements startled the animals hiding nearby. The dense underbrush and uneven terrain made walking difficult, and she often stumbled. After cleaning herself off to keep her sparkling and in good condition, Roz found a flat, quiet spot covered in pine needles and decided to stand still, hoping to stay safe in the unfamiliar wilderness.

However, standing still didn’t spare her from the annoyance of falling pinecones. As the wind grew stronger, they rained down on her until she decided to find a better spot. Roz climbed a mountain, reaching its rocky peak where there were no trees—and no pinecones. From the top, she realized she was on an island surrounded by ocean. Surveying the land, she saw rivers, meadows, cliffs, and all kinds of animals living on the island. For the first time, Roz understood that this wild, bustling place was now her new home.

Chapters 10-12

Roz, unaware of her true origins or how she ended up on the island, believed it was her home. She spent her first night on the mountaintop, marveling at the stars and listening to the nighttime sounds. When her computer decided she needed to conserve energy, Roz anchored herself to the rocks and ‘slept’ in her own robotic way. She stayed on the peak for several days, feeling safe—until an enormous storm approached, as powerful as the hurricane that sank the cargo ship.

As the storm intensified, Roz slid down the mountain to escape. Torrential rain turned the slopes into rivers of mud, and while fleeing, she slipped and was swept into a mudslide. The rushing mud carried her toward a cliff, but just before falling, Roz grabbed onto the roots of a pine tree. Climbing into the tree’s branches, she clung tightly as the storm raged on. Pelted by pinecones once again, Roz didn’t mind this time—she was just grateful to be safe.

Chapters 13-15

Chapter 13: The Aftermath

After the storm, Roz descended the mountain, slipping on wet rocks and observing the aftermath. Floodwaters had transformed the landscape, uprooting trees and submerging others, but the animals had survived. They had instinctively sought shelter and were now adjusting, collecting branches, wading through water, or flying above. Roz, however, was struggling with survival. Covered in mud and showing signs of wear, she cleaned herself off, revealing her many dents and scratches. Spotting a cave in the mountain, she decided it could be a safe shelter, unaware of what might be inside.

Chapter 14: The Bears

Roz entered the cave but quickly exited after waking a brother and sister bear from their nap. The startled bears, driven by instinct, chased her. Roz tried to flee, leaping over rocks and trees, but she tripped over a root and fell. The bears caught up and attacked, ramming, clawing, and biting her. Although Roz felt something like fear, her programming prohibited violence, leaving her unable to defend herself. As the bears closed in for the kill, Roz disappeared.

Chapter 15: The Escape

Roz used her powerful legs to jump high into a tree. The bears looked up in frustration, and pinecones fell on them. This inspired Roz to counter the attack by throwing pinecones at the bears, irritating them further. Just as Roz prepared to continue pelting them, a roar echoed through the forest—their mother was calling. Knowing they were in trouble, the young bears reluctantly retreated, but not before glaring at Roz with anger, silently vowing to settle the score someday.

Chapters 16-18

Chapter 16: The Pine Tree

Roz remained in the tree after the bears left, examining her battered condition. While cleaning herself, she encountered sticky pine resin that quickly coated her entire body. Things worsened when a robin began screeching at her, upset that Roz was near its nest. The robin’s hostility culminated in splattering droppings on Roz’s face, forcing the robot to scoot further out on the branch. Unfortunately, the branch snapped under her weight, sending her crashing to the forest floor amidst a rain of branches, pinecones, and another unpleasant splat.

Chapter 17: The Camouflaged Insect

Lying under the fallen tree debris, Roz noticed what seemed like a twig moving—it was a stick insect. She gently picked it up, marveling at its camouflage and how it resembled a twig perfectly. Roz introduced herself, and though the insect remained silent, the interaction inspired her. She realised that camouflage could be a vital survival tactic and thanked the insect for teaching her this important lesson.

Chapter 18: The Camouflaged Robot

Roz decided to use camouflage to improve her survival chances, setting aside her usual desire to stay clean. She covered herself in mud, planted ferns and grasses into the coating, and added flowers to hide her glowing eyes. With tree leaves and moss covering the bare patches, Roz resembled a walking tuft of plants. She nestled herself among rocks in a clearing, blending into the landscape.

Over the following days, Roz adopted new disguises—a clump of seaweed, a bramble on the mountain, a log by the riverbank, and a rock in the forest—each time observing the wilderness unnoticed. She studied the natural world, immersing herself in its rhythms while remaining hidden from view.

Chapters 19-21

Chapter 19: The Observations

Roz, now camouflaged, quietly observed the island’s natural rhythms, watched clouds move, spiders spin webs, foxes stalk prey, and mushrooms sprout. She listened to waves crash, saw tadpoles transform into frogs, and caterpillars into butterflies. Every detail of life and death on the island unfolded before her, as she remained hidden and attentive.

Chapter 20: The Language of the Animals

Roz’s camouflage allowed her to closely observe the animals, particularly the birds. Over time, she began to recognise patterns in their songs and behaviors. She realised the animals spoke a universal language, though each species had its own ‘accent’.

Chickadees sang about lovely days, deer communicated through body language, snakes hissed their thoughts, bees buzzed simple words, and frogs called out to find each other. The once meaningless squawks and growls now became comprehensible as Roz learned to understand the animals’ words.

Chapter 21: The Introduction

At dawn, during the animals’ peaceful ‘Dawn Truce’, a large group gathered in the Great Meadow to discuss a strange creature spotted the night before. Swooper the owl revealed that the creature, covered in grass, had been speaking different animal languages and saying, “Hello, my name is Roz.”

As the crowd turned toward a grassy lump in the meadow, Roz revealed herself, shedding her camouflage. She introduced herself in the animals’ language, explaining she was not a monster but a robot who had been observing and learning.

The animals reacted with fear and skepticism. Some accused her of being unnatural or a predator, while others fled. Roz explained she needed no food and wanted to learn survival techniques from them. However, most animals were distrustful and left, leaving Roz alone once more.