Peter Brown The author-illustrator talks to Stephen Meyler about his latest book, The Wild Robot Escapes
Author-illustrator Peter Brown created a wonderful story and a great character in his first children’s novel, The Wild Robot. Now, Roz the robot is back in The Wild Robot Escapes. Peter tells us what it’s like to be a machine in the wild
My first children’s novel, The Wild Robot, is about a robot named Roz and how she learns to survive on a remote island by studying the wildlife. In the process, Roz learns to communicate with the animals and then she makes animal friends and even finds a family. The sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes, is about Roz learning to survive with humans and domesticated animals and other robots. Roz finds herself working on a farm with animals and humans and other machines. But stored within her computer brain are perfect memories of her life back on the island. And so the sequel is really about Roz trying to figure out where she truly belongs. Does this robot belong on a farm working alongside machines, or does she belong on the island with her animal friends and family?
When you are putting a book together, do the illustrations or the words come first?
I’ve spent most of my career writing and illustrating picture books, and those ideas often began with just a sentence or a quick sketch. Actually, the Wild Robot began that way too. Years ago, I drew a little sketch of a robot in a tree, and suddenly I was so curious about why a robot would be in a forest and how a robot would react to the wilderness, that I kept tinkering with those ideas until I finally realised I had the ingredients for my first children’s novel.
How did you become an author?
Growing up, I thought of myself as an artist, not an author. And then I went to art school and took a children’s book class and things began to change. I loved combining words with my illustrations to come up with fun, interesting, beautiful, visual stories and characters. So I wrote more and more, and pretty soon I was beginning to think of myself as both an illustrator and an author.
You say in the book that you see a similarity between how animals behave in the wild and how a programmed robot behaves – are people surprised by this idea?
I don’t think the connection between animal instincts and computer programmes is all that surprising, once you think about it. It’s just that most people haven’t taken the time to ponder those subjects. A lot of what I was trying to do in these books was to take subjects familiar to everyone, and present them in new, thought-provoking ways.
There’s a great sense of the wilderness in the book – did you spend a lot of time in nature when you were a child?
Yes, I grew up playing in fields and forests with my friends. We’d climb trees and build forts and spy on wildlife. Sometimes I’d explore the darkest parts of the forest by myself, which could be a little scary but was also exciting. I was lucky to have such natural places right outside my door. Since then, I’ve lived in one big city after another. I still get out into nature as much as possible, but there’s nothing quite like living in it.
Do you hope your books encourage kids (and their parents) to get out into nature?
Absolutely! With all the problems facing our environment, we really need to encourage a greater connection between people and nature. If my books can help in that effort, wonderful. Plus, spending time in nature is just good for the body and mind.