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The Little Wooden Robot And The Log Princess by Tom Gauld
The Blurb On The Back:
For years, the king and queen have longed for a child. At last their wish is granted, in the form of a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess. There’s just one catch: every night, the princess turns back into a log.
When the princess is mistaken for an ordinary log, her brother sets out to save her - and their adventure begins.
A king and queen rule a pleasant land but they very much want a child to make their happiness complete. So the king visits the royal inventor and the queen went to see the clever old witch who lived in the woods and each created a child for the royal couple - a little wooden robot and a princess brought to life from a log.
The strange family are very happy together with the wooden robot playing with his log princess sister. The only wrinkle in their world is that at night, when the princess goes to sleep, she turns back into a log and can only be woken when someone says the magic words “Awake, little log, awake.”
One day, a maid at the castle mistakenly thinks that someone has left a log in the princess’s bed and throws it away. The little wooden robot sets out after her in a quest that takes the pair on some very peculiar adventures …
Tom Gauld’s picture book is one that’s destined to be a future classic. Charming, intelligent, full of wit, whimsy and warmth there’s plenty of jokes in there for both young and older readers (in my view, probably better for youngsters aged 5+). There’s plenty of potential here for a sequel, which I would definitely want to check out.
I picked this up because I’ve been familiar with Gauld’s work for New Scientist and The Guardian and I also follow him on Twitter and Instagram. I really love his gentle, whimsical sense of humour and the way he plays with reader’s expectations and perceptions. This picture book fairy tale very much follows in that vein and as such, although there is plenty here for younger readers to enjoy, I suspect that adult readers will find themselves caught up in the story as well.
The central characters of the little wooden robot and the log princess are an utter delight. I adored their relationship and the way Gauld depicts both characters (I was particularly beguiled by the family of beetles who live in the little wooden robot’s workings). The way Gauld depicts their adventures is so clever - in one case he uses a series of panels to just allude to what they encounter, which is just delicious because it leaves you wanting to know more but at the same time you can picture what may have occurred.
All in all, I just thought that this was a great read and is genuinely one of those books that grown ups are going to love reading with their young ones. Although this works as a complete story in its own right, I think there’s still scope here for further adventures and I would definitely be first in line to buy any sequel. In the meantime, I will be checking out Gauld’s back catalogue.
The Verdict:
Tom Gauld’s picture book is one that’s destined to be a future classic. Charming, intelligent, full of wit, whimsy and warmth there’s plenty of jokes in there for both young and older readers (in my view, probably better for youngsters aged 5+). There’s plenty of potential here for a sequel, which I would definitely want to check out.
For years, the king and queen have longed for a child. At last their wish is granted, in the form of a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess. There’s just one catch: every night, the princess turns back into a log.
When the princess is mistaken for an ordinary log, her brother sets out to save her - and their adventure begins.
A king and queen rule a pleasant land but they very much want a child to make their happiness complete. So the king visits the royal inventor and the queen went to see the clever old witch who lived in the woods and each created a child for the royal couple - a little wooden robot and a princess brought to life from a log.
The strange family are very happy together with the wooden robot playing with his log princess sister. The only wrinkle in their world is that at night, when the princess goes to sleep, she turns back into a log and can only be woken when someone says the magic words “Awake, little log, awake.”
One day, a maid at the castle mistakenly thinks that someone has left a log in the princess’s bed and throws it away. The little wooden robot sets out after her in a quest that takes the pair on some very peculiar adventures …
Tom Gauld’s picture book is one that’s destined to be a future classic. Charming, intelligent, full of wit, whimsy and warmth there’s plenty of jokes in there for both young and older readers (in my view, probably better for youngsters aged 5+). There’s plenty of potential here for a sequel, which I would definitely want to check out.
I picked this up because I’ve been familiar with Gauld’s work for New Scientist and The Guardian and I also follow him on Twitter and Instagram. I really love his gentle, whimsical sense of humour and the way he plays with reader’s expectations and perceptions. This picture book fairy tale very much follows in that vein and as such, although there is plenty here for younger readers to enjoy, I suspect that adult readers will find themselves caught up in the story as well.
The central characters of the little wooden robot and the log princess are an utter delight. I adored their relationship and the way Gauld depicts both characters (I was particularly beguiled by the family of beetles who live in the little wooden robot’s workings). The way Gauld depicts their adventures is so clever - in one case he uses a series of panels to just allude to what they encounter, which is just delicious because it leaves you wanting to know more but at the same time you can picture what may have occurred.
All in all, I just thought that this was a great read and is genuinely one of those books that grown ups are going to love reading with their young ones. Although this works as a complete story in its own right, I think there’s still scope here for further adventures and I would definitely be first in line to buy any sequel. In the meantime, I will be checking out Gauld’s back catalogue.
The Verdict:
Tom Gauld’s picture book is one that’s destined to be a future classic. Charming, intelligent, full of wit, whimsy and warmth there’s plenty of jokes in there for both young and older readers (in my view, probably better for youngsters aged 5+). There’s plenty of potential here for a sequel, which I would definitely want to check out.