The wild robot protects

Everyone's favorite robot is back! Cue the environmentally friendly confetti cannons! After adapting to island life in The Wild Robot (2016) and surviving the dangers of the city in The Wild Robot Escapes (2018), Roz faces her biggest challenge yet. Alarming rumors about a "Poison Tide" have reached Roz's island home, carried by animals fleeing its toxic touch. When the deadly waters reach the island's shore, withering plants and killing fish, the animals work together to save their sea-dwelling friends by moving them inland to a pond. The strain of close quarters and more limited resources begins to take its toll on the residents, however, especially when combined with the pervasive fear caused by this new threat. A small mishap leads Roz to discover that not only is she waterproof, but the Poison Tide doesn't hurt her. Determined to find the source of the tide and stop it, Roz swims forth to meet the unknown enemy. The stakes feel even higher in this third adventure, as Brown smoothly incorporates real-world themes of climate change and human-caused pollution without turning the book into a "problem novel." Action and epic confrontations keep the plot swimming along, but there are meaningfully punctuated moments of humor and kindness. Roz continues to learn and grow, and Brown's superb illustrations make her journey truly unforgettable.

Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry. When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone's survival. Brown's tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters--including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing--she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown's rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz's heroism and peacemaking that save the day. Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.