The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess
- Downloads：6011
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-07 06:52:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tom Gauld
- ISBN：0823446980
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first picture book for children， a little wooden robot embarks on a quest to find his missing sister-- making for a memorable contemporary bedtime story。
For years， the king and queen tried desperately to have a baby。 Their wish was twice granted when an engineer and a witch gave them a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess。 There's just one catch， every night when the log princess sleeps， she transforms back into an ordinary log。 She can only be woken with the magic words Awake， little log， awake。
The two are inseparable until one day when the sleeping log princess is accidentally carted off to parts unknown。 Now it's up to her devoted brother to find her and return her safely to the kingdom。 They need to take turns to get each other home， and on the way， they face a host of adventures involving the Queen of Mushrooms， a magic pudding， a baby in a rosebush， and an old lady in a bottle。
This is acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first picture book for children， inspired by a bedtime story he made up for his daughter。 In his words， I was trying to make a book inspired by three different sets of books: The books that I remember enjoying as a child， the books that I watched my daughters enjoying， and the books I enjoy now as an adult。 I wanted the book to have its own quirky feeling but also to function like a classic bedtime story。
For years， the king and queen tried desperately to have a baby。 Their wish was twice granted when an engineer and a witch gave them a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess。 There's just one catch， every night when the log princess sleeps， she transforms back into an ordinary log。 She can only be woken with the magic words Awake， little log， awake。
The two are inseparable until one day when the sleeping log princess is accidentally carted off to parts unknown。 Now it's up to her devoted brother to find her and return her safely to the kingdom。 They need to take turns to get each other home， and on the way， they face a host of adventures involving the Queen of Mushrooms， a magic pudding， a baby in a rosebush， and an old lady in a bottle。
This is acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first picture book for children， inspired by a bedtime story he made up for his daughter。 In his words， I was trying to make a book inspired by three different sets of books: The books that I remember enjoying as a child， the books that I watched my daughters enjoying， and the books I enjoy now as an adult。 I wanted the book to have its own quirky feeling but also to function like a classic bedtime story。
Reviews
Clmelvin60gmail。Com
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Very cute picture book about two very different “children” of a King and Queen。 One a robot and the other a princess who returned to her original state when she slept， who love each other despite their differences and would do anything for the other。 This comes into play when a maid unknowingly tosses the princess out a window。Known for his graphic novels， this is Gauld’s first picture book for children。 I hope we see more soon。
Holly
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WHY do illustrators have to live in the US to be eligible to win the Caldecott？！？ This one woulda been a contender！
Chris
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One of the best fairy tales I've read in a while， and it's a new， original one。 One of the best fairy tales I've read in a while， and it's a new， original one。 。。。more
Lauren
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Amazing！ Easily one of the best picture books I've read in the last several years。 Story， illustrations， layout - perfect！ Amazing！ Easily one of the best picture books I've read in the last several years。 Story， illustrations， layout - perfect！ 。。。more
Lea
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Aaah， what a lovely tale written and illustrated by Gauld。 I've been a fan before， but I like this even more。 ^_^ Aaah， what a lovely tale written and illustrated by Gauld。 I've been a fan before， but I like this even more。 ^_^ 。。。more
Beverly
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Reading for the Mock Caldecott Awards for January 2022。
Katrina
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Sweet little adventure。
gina
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It's the size of a picture book but feels more like a early level graphic novel on some pages。 My son （7） is anti picture book at this age but when he saw this one he immediately wanted to read it， I think because of its graphic novel picture style but also because of its art。 I LOVE THE ART IN THIS BOOK。 Make sure to pay close attention to the front and back inside covers。 There are a lot of little items that are part of the story。 Very entertaining just to look at！ The art is gorgeous enough t It's the size of a picture book but feels more like a early level graphic novel on some pages。 My son （7） is anti picture book at this age but when he saw this one he immediately wanted to read it， I think because of its graphic novel picture style but also because of its art。 I LOVE THE ART IN THIS BOOK。 Make sure to pay close attention to the front and back inside covers。 There are a lot of little items that are part of the story。 Very entertaining just to look at！ The art is gorgeous enough to be framed。 Much mom love to this book！ 。。。more
Tabrizia
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Very adorable！ A nice and different spin on a fairytale！
Yune
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I'm a fan of Gauld's comics， which can be sly and deadpan， but also magical and wrenching （ Goliath still haunts me）。 So of course I had to see what he would do in a children's picture book。I was utterly charmed。 When the otherwise happy royal couple long for children， the king visits an inventor and the queen a witch， and they end up with a little wooden robot boy and a little log princess。The king and the queen and the princess and the robot all loved each other instantly。The log princess w I'm a fan of Gauld's comics， which can be sly and deadpan， but also magical and wrenching （ Goliath still haunts me）。 So of course I had to see what he would do in a children's picture book。I was utterly charmed。 When the otherwise happy royal couple long for children， the king visits an inventor and the queen a witch， and they end up with a little wooden robot boy and a little log princess。The king and the queen and the princess and the robot all loved each other instantly。The log princess was bold and clever， but she had a secret: each night when she fell asleep， she turned back into a log and would stay like that until she was woken by the magic words "Awake， little log， awake。"Of course you can tell what happens when someone finds a log in the princess's chamber。。。As always， Gauld's art delights， and I was especially gleeful at his use of panels to illustrate a series of adventures， as that's a format I've often seen in his comics。 And this is a warm-hearted story， where there isn't strife so much as just circumstance， but kindness and bravery are called for and win out all the same。 。。。more
Francis S。 Poesy
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A sweet and funny first picture book from this king of understated humor。 The story and his richly populated illustrations do not disappoint。 Now I just need him to write all the adventures mentioned in the book that were too long to include （which in itself was a very funny bit）。
Kayla
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Love this new fairytale， reminds me a lot of the quirky， adventurous， nature based Hilda series。
Jamie Bills
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This is a WONDERFUL new fairytale！In the story， the king and queen do not have any children， so one night the king visits the royal inventor who crafts a masterful wooden robot。 At the same time， the queen visits a witch who uses her magic to turn a log into a little princess。“The king and the queen and the princess and the robot all loved each other instantly。”But the princess had a secret: every night she turned back into a log and could only be woken by the words， “Awake， little log， awake。”I This is a WONDERFUL new fairytale！In the story， the king and queen do not have any children， so one night the king visits the royal inventor who crafts a masterful wooden robot。 At the same time， the queen visits a witch who uses her magic to turn a log into a little princess。“The king and the queen and the princess and the robot all loved each other instantly。”But the princess had a secret: every night she turned back into a log and could only be woken by the words， “Awake， little log， awake。”It usually wasn’t a problem。 The wooden robot woke her every morning and they played all day。But one day the wooden robot got distracted， which set off a chain of events resulting in a goblin throwing the princess （who looked like an ordinary log） into a barge with hundreds of other logs。This sparks the wooden robot’s quest to save his sister。THE LITTLE WOODEN ROBOT AND THE LOG PRINCESS is so FULL of FUN and ADVENTURE， twelve adventures only have space to be hinted at （maybe my favorite pages…I would really like to hear more about “The Baby in the Rosebush” :））。With strong themes of sibling devotion and kindness， I can’t recommend this book highly enough！ 。。。more
Peacegal
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A delightfully written modern fairy tale。 The story is big-hearted and entertaining， and the illustrations are a joy to look at。
Monica
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Such fun！
Aurora
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It was cute！ Might be a good book for young siblings。
Alex Baker
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This was just adorable。。。
S Egli
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A new fairytale to hand to our teachers and an aspiring prince or princess。 The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess skillfully weaves themes of teamwork， self sacrifice， and family throughout the adventure。 The end pages alone will be a hit！
Carmen
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Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a gifted copy of The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess。 Such a sweet and charming fairy tale about a little wooden robot and a log princess - the loveliest of siblings。 This story was filled with adorable characters， including a beetle family that resides within the little wooden robot。 My favourite part would have to be the snippets of the adventures that the little wooden robot had and then the log princess had。 I would love to see Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a gifted copy of The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess。 Such a sweet and charming fairy tale about a little wooden robot and a log princess - the loveliest of siblings。 This story was filled with adorable characters， including a beetle family that resides within the little wooden robot。 My favourite part would have to be the snippets of the adventures that the little wooden robot had and then the log princess had。 I would love to see more picture books that showed exactly what happened on those adventures。 In particular， the Giant’s Key， the Lonely Bear， the Mischievous Pixies and the Baby in a Rosebush。 Don’t those titles already sound so intriguing？ Such magic and fantastic imagination from within this world in this picture book。 Readers are sure to fall in love with both the wooden little robot and the log princess in this charming new fairytale。 。。。more
Rebecca Hill
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When his sister goes missing， the Little Wooden Robot goes in search of her。 During their adventure of returning home， they must rely on each other to make it safely back。I enjoyed this story， as it was a great lesson in working together， and friendship - with some adventure along the way！ Perfect for young readers！
Sarah
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EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus This is a great read aloud choice- there is so much to notice in the illustrations， and the text reads exactly like a traditional fairy tale。
Betsy
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Tone。 Can’t teach a writer how to make it。 Can’t quite explain what it is or why one book’s tone will work while another’s falls flat。 As a result， the facts of the mater are irrefutable: Tone is a bloody nuisance。 You won’t necessarily notice its absence if the book you’re reading is toneless， but you’ll most certainly notice its presence if it’s done well in an unexpected source。 Considering that this is Tom Gauld’s first picture book “for children” （or so his bookflap proclaims） my expectatio Tone。 Can’t teach a writer how to make it。 Can’t quite explain what it is or why one book’s tone will work while another’s falls flat。 As a result， the facts of the mater are irrefutable: Tone is a bloody nuisance。 You won’t necessarily notice its absence if the book you’re reading is toneless， but you’ll most certainly notice its presence if it’s done well in an unexpected source。 Considering that this is Tom Gauld’s first picture book “for children” （or so his bookflap proclaims） my expectations were not particularly high or low。 Certainly the artist has drawn adult comics and the occasional New Yorker cover， but that’s no guarantee that such skills will transfer over to children’s literature。 Writing picture books is hard。 Writing original picture book fairytales？ Nigh unto near impossible a task。 For it to work， the artist must be succinct， understand classic fairytale tropes （enough so that they can replicate them without overdoing them）， and have that ineffable something: the right tone。 What’s so crazy about Gauld’s book The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is that not only does it check off all those boxes， it’s also dryly funny。 Being beautiful to look at is simply icing on the cake。 Smart fairytelling that’s tonally on point？ More of this， please。Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen。 They had no children， so the king consulted the royal inventor and was given a little wooden robot。 The queen consulted a witch in the forest and was given a little princess made from a log。 The two children were beloved and very close， but at night the princess would turn into a log when she slept。 The robot always woke her in the morning… until he didn’t。 Just one slip up and the two children found themselves on an epic journey。 First away， then back again， and finally home with their parents once more。For fun， let’s just pick apart each fairytale element of this book。 So you begin with the classic childless royal couple。 It must have been very comforting to regular people in the old days to know that their rulers might be powerful， but that infertility is the great equalizer。 Now at this point， usually one member of the couple will go out and find a solution， usually in the form of a magical person。 What I like about having both the king and queen seek a solution is that they’re taking equal initiative。 They don’t sit about passively waiting for a fairy to drop by and grant them a child。 By gum they make their kids out of wood， one way or another， and then they’re a happy family of four。 That done， we learn that the princess suffers from an uncontrolled transformation。 Not into a stag or a frog or any animal at all， really。 She turns into a log when she sleeps。 We’re closer to Sylvester and the Magic Pebble territory than anything else here。 And as with any good fairytale， the disaster is set into motion when the robot thinks only of its own happiness over that of its sister。 Both robot and princess have a series of tiny adventures in the course of things， my own personal favorite being “The Baby in the Rosebush” since it sounds so doggone Grimm-esque。 But the final， beautiful fairytale element I loved the most comes in the form of some tiny beetles。 When all is lost， it is the kindness the robot exhibited towards the beetles that live in its chest that saves the day。 The best thing about the combination of all these tropes is that while I can equate them to real， classic fairytales， everything Gauld has come up with is wholly his own。 He is capable of taking the elements that work in folktales and applying them to his own story with his own sense of humor。 And in a mere 40 pages at that！Now I’m just going to double back to that early statement I made about tone。 You can take all the fairytale themes in the world but fall on your face tonally and they won’t do you a lick of good in the end。 This book achieves something that many picture books cannot: It can be read， and read well， by almost every kind of reader。 Do you know how difficult it is to achieve that？ One might argue that the greatest picture books are the ones that achieve this aim。 Just listen to the first sentence: “There once lived a king and queen who happily ruled a pleasant land， but they had no children。” I would pay great gobs of gold to see the original manuscript of this book。 I would wager that it was wordier at its start。 But with time （and excellent editing） it has been pared down to the most essential， most needed words。 It is neither a particularly long book， nor short。 It is as long as it needs to be to get to its ending， which is just about perfect。 The sole distraction may be the rare Briticism。 But as we get a goodly number of our fairytales out of Europe anyway， these moments （the puddings come to mind） have a tendency to roll off the proverbial American reader’s back。I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to describe Tom Gauld’s artistic style。 The closest thing I can come up with is Ivan Brunetti mixed with the cross-hatching of a laid-back Sendak and just a tincture of Randall Munroe。 I mean YOU try to explain it！ Told in one word: Meticulous。 But it’s also so seemingly simple that you could be tricked into thinking the art was just a series of slightly modified smiley faces。 Look at the Wooden Robot and the Log Princess。 They’re simple figures with just eyes and a mouth and the tiniest little hint of a nose on the Princess。 Delve a little deeper， though， and you can see so many details in the margins。 The royal inventor’s workshop is filled with bric-a-brac。 The witch’s cottage is overflowing with ephemera。 And once in a while in the book you’ll see a rune-like language in the details。 The last， but perhaps most important， reason that this book works as well as it does is that it is the rare story that shows a happy family， uses a split in that family to provide the necessary tension， and concludes with a happy ending in the form of a reunion。 Year’s ago author Arnold Lobel told a tale not dissimilar from this one called Prince Bertram the Bad。 Like this book it ends with a kindly witch flying a missing child back to his royal parents。 But unlike that book， no one in this book （that we officially meet anyway） is a bad sort of person。 You might think that would make the book less exciting in some way， but what Mr。 Gauld understands so well is that sometimes your luck just runs out。 A crummy day， or a crummy set of circumstances， has all the same emotional heft as any marauding threat。 With clever drawings， a firm foot in fairytale storytelling， and a plot unafraid to do the emotional lifting， this may be one of the best little picture books I’ve read in a good long while。 A modern day classic， and I don’t use such terms lightly。 。。。more
劉凍青
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 非常童话。最后木头小机器人、公主、国王和王后幸福快乐地在一起生活啦。粗粗浏览时觉得一般般，细看了故事后觉得很喜欢。以小图的方式展示冒险经历的设计特别好。
Andréa
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