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The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess

by Tom Gauld

A fairy-tale quest built around two siblings’ care for one another

Regular price $19.15 USD
Regular price $31.92 USD Sale price $19.15 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Charlotte Zolotow Award — Highly Commended Title

    A Highly Commended Title.

  • Editorial selection

    The New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year

    Named a Best Illustrated Book of the Year.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A fairy-tale quest built around two siblings’ care for one another

A wooden robot and an enchanted log princess become the king and queen’s long-awaited children—and inseparable siblings. Their unusual family arrangement shapes the story’s central problem: the princess turns back into a log when she sleeps, and after she is mistaken for lumber and carried away, her brother sets out to find her. Their journey includes fantastical encounters with a Queen of Mushrooms, a magic pudding, a baby in a rosebush, and an old lady in a bottle. Tom Gauld’s picture book brings together a classic fairy-tale setup and a deliberately unusual cast of magical figures, with the siblings taking turns helping each other get home.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 4–8 who enjoy fairy tales and magical adventures.
  • Families seeking a picture book centered on sibling devotion and cooperation.
  • Fans of stories featuring unusual enchanted objects and whimsical characters.

Themes

Sibling devotionCooperationFamilyFairy-tale magic

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year

In this fresh new fairy tale, a wooden robot embarks on a quest to find his missing sister-- making for a memorable contemporary bedtime story in acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first picture book for children.

For years, the king and queen have tried desperately to have a baby. Their wish was granted twice, when an engineer and a witch gave them a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess.

But there's just one catch: every night when the log princess sleeps, she transforms back into an ordinary log, and can only be woken up with magic words.

The princess and her robot brother are are inseparable, until the sleeping princess, mistaken for lumber, is accidentally carted off to parts unknown. Now it's up to her devoted brother to find her, and get them safely back home.

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 daughters. 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."


An ALSC Notable Children's Book
A Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title
A People Magazine Best Kids Book of the Year
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year
A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year
A Financial Times Best Book of the Year
An NPR 'Book We Love!'
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of the Year
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book!
A Publishers Lunch Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids pick!
A CCBC Choice
A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

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Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

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