5 Answers2025-12-29
My image of reading ‘The Wild Robot’ to kids at bedtime includes the sounds of the quiet island and the small animal characters teachingRoz to belong. We read about all the details that the characters notice to understand their behavior: the shape of a bird’s nest, the migration time of animals, what foods are available during different times of the year and how the seasons change the menu. The details that we read about on the pages of this book translate into respect for nature and the creatures that live there if we know how a place works then we can work to protect it.
On an emotional level, it’s a really great book for children to learn about responsibility, and to develop that sense of empathy. The way that Roz looks after Brightbill and then gradually earns the respect and trust of the other animals on the island is a really great way for children to learn about perspective taking, and about gentle leadership. The sequels go on to explore the consequences of certain choices, and how humans interact with habitats.
4 Answers2025-12-29
The Wild Robot is a mostly gentle book, but there are some scary parts. There are a few really sad scenes where animals die or get hurt. Some of the most intense parts of the book are when Roz is in fear for her life during a storm or when she is being pursued by a predator. I tried to portray feelings of loneliness, fear and isolation as well as warmth and friendship. I think kids around 8-12 will think the book is just right. Kids under 8 will benefit from an adult reading with them and discussing the more intense scenes.
There are a few scenes that might be upsetting for a younger reader, including a big storm and some encounters with predators. But if you read ahead to those scenes, you can prepare your younger reader for what is coming and even read to them during those scenes. Overall, I ended up smiling more than crying and the book is very comforting.
7 Answers2026-01-16
This book is so close to being a great pick for our LGBTQ theme, but it doesn’t have any themes related to that community. What it does have is some of the most heartfelt depictions of non-biological motherhood in children’s literature. Our main character Roz has chosen to be a mother and we read about how she learns to take care of her child and face danger in order to protect her. This book is representation of adoptive families, of foster families, of families built by choice. That’s its superpower. It normalizes and glorifies non-traditional families without having to make a big political statement about it. It just is beautiful and true. And that’s representation of a different kind.
8 Answers2026-07-27
This is a short enough book to bind as part of a craft project or even to make your own special edition of a classic. I’ve seen many beautiful hand-lettered versions of this book as well as many examples of altered books where the artist uses the pages of the book as a canvas. Because this book is so short, it’s easy to illustrate and annotate, and it would make a great project for a book binding class or to make as a personal project. Beyond reading this book, it’s also a lot of fun to play with as text. Yes, you could copy this out by hand, but it would not take years to do. This is a unique way to interact with a classic.
5 Answers2026-02-19
My little cousin loved ‘Ricky Ricotta’ and I managed to find some other books of a similar nature for her. ‘The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian’ is a great new podcast turning into a book series for kids who love sci-fi. For more robot fun, I highly recommend ‘Little Robot’ by Ben Hatke. It is a nearly wordless graphic novel, great for building a child’s confidence in reading.
Just one more – ‘Frank Einstein’ by Jon Scieszka – fun, science and lots of inventions. It is wonderful to see kids develop a love for reading.
6 Answers2026-07-29
I read this as an ebook so pages wasn't an issue for me. Plus digital books are so cool because they take away that scare factor of not knowing how big the book is. 'The Gunslinger' was a quick and very very good introduction to the world of this series. I read it in a weekend. The pace is good, it's jump from one really cool and really creepy set piece to another (the desert, the way station, the slow mutants, the man in black's palaver).
Of course, this is a relatively short book, and it does a great job of submersing the reader in an extremely strange world. If this were a 500-page book that was just as slowly and deliberately weird as this, I’d be slightly worried. But it’s not, it’s a relatively short and haughty shot of weird fiction that will leave you ready to devour the next installment. Don’t worry about the page count, just read it.
10 Answers2026-04-17
My advice as a first-time reader of this book would be to forget about the clock and the page count. Choose a comfortable edition of the book, make a cup of tea, and get settled. It’s not a book that you read to find out what happens next. It’s a place that you go to and that you can get lost in. Even in the most descriptive passages about the river, I have found myself wandering off in my mind. But that’s kind of the point. The book encourages you to read at a slow pace and to think about what you have read. The book is the right length. It gives you just enough of the idyllic scene on the riverbank to make you fall in love with it and then it ends. Leaving you with a sense of longing of the sort that stays with you for a long time and which you may not even be able to explain. The feeling that the book gives you is what matters and the book is just the right size to give you that feeling without lingering on for too long after the essential point has been made.
4 Answers2026-06-07
I have no idea how long ‘The Lost Book’ is supposed to be. Every so often someone comes up with a new reference to ‘The Lost Book’ – some obscure passage in a private diary, a footnote in a biography – and for a while they go round telling everyone that it was 10 pages long, or 1,000. It’s all a great story, far better than any actual number. And it remains unknowable, just like Schrödinger’s novel – 10 pages long, 1,000 pages long – until someone opens it. And no one ever will.
4 Answers2025-06-28
'Gay Girl Good God' by Jackie Hill Perry is a short but powerful memoir of her life running at 208 pages in total. The book contains lots of meaningful chapters, blending her personal story with her journey and insights into her spiritual life. It is a really impactful read proving that short books can be really deep and full of good content – perfect for a quick, thought-provoking read.
11 Answers2026-07-27
This is great. A little digital campfire for us to share our anxieties and love for the book. As for the release date, I don't have any concrete news to add, but solidarity from someone who's also been waiting. I hope it's a great day for solarpunk and hopepunk fans everywhere. In the meantime, are there any other books we could recommend to each other that have a similar feeling? The Mountain in the Sea has some of that, but it's a much darker book.