Publishers Weekly
★ 05/31/2021
This invented fairy tale by cartoonist Gauld (Mooncop, for adults) offers whimsy, imaginative power, and narrative poise. When a king and a queen longing for offspring each see an expert about the topic, an inventor creates a wooden robot, and a witch charms a log into a princess who has a secret: she turns back into a log if she falls asleep. Though the children are devoted to each other, the robot fails to conjure the princess anew one fateful morning (“Awake, little log, awake”), and a maid tosses the seemingly out-of-place log out the window. The robot gives chase as the princess hurtles downhill and into a gigantic boatload of lumber headed for the frozen North: “That log is the most precious thing in the world to me,” he says, as he follows it on its journey. The rest of the story unfolds with amusing fairy-tale inevitability (“he had too many adventures to recount here” precedes a paneled page of humorous scenarios) as Gauld’s stick-figure characters and clean, flat panel artwork deliver visual information with the detailed calm of a map or a set of instructions. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"Fairy tale tropes are upended in Gauld’s charming tale of royal siblings who take turns rescuing each other."—PEOPLE
"One of the best picture books I’ve read this year. . . . It’s impossible not to cheer for this unlikely sibling duo, the eponymous little wooden robot and his sister, the log princess. . . . The book is welcomely, and interestingly, diverse as well, shaking up familiar formulas."—The New York Times
"This funny and heartfelt book is a wonderful introduction to the language of cartooning for kids who before long will be devouring graphic novels like candy."—The Washington Post
"With appealing, clean-lined artwork and a storyline full of affectionate characters and selfless deeds, "The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess" will be an especially good read-aloud for families"—Wall Street Journal
★ "The brilliant pacing of the story, accomplished in both illustrations and text, make this a truly delightful tale that will be enjoyed by a wide ranging audience. With heroic beetles and delightful multiracial siblings, this is a magical offering."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
★ "This invented fairy tale by cartoonist Gauld (Mooncop, for adults) offers whimsy, imaginative power, and narrative poise."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
★ "A marvelous journey. . . . Gauld’s fairy tale feels both timeless and completely new; utterly fresh, yet like a story heard long ago and finally found again. Enchanting."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "In his children’s book debut, Gauld demonstrates his love for odd, funny, invented archetypes (such as the Queen of the Mushrooms) while elsewhere playing it absolutely straight, showing respect for his audience and for the fairy-tale form."—The Horn Book, Starred Review
★ "The beautifully worded narrative and engaging artwork combine to give this picture book its considerable appeal. . . . A captivating, original fairy tale."—Booklist, Starred Review
★ "This modern fairy tale invokes its predecessors well; Gauld's art is particularly striking, with pen lines that combine the aesthetics of a classic cartoonish look and traditional woodcut art, divided frequently into comic book panels. Humor runs throughout the story. . . . This will likely be an instant bedtime staple."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
★ "Fairy-tale tropes are tweaked in this delightsome picture book about a couple of royal (and loyal) siblings—one a wooden boy, the other a log princess."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
"What an astonishingly sweet book. I worried about the log princess, loved all the adventures we never saw, and cheered the family of beetles."—Neil Gaiman
"A wooden masterpiece."—Lemony Snicket
"The part about the witch is really, really good."—Lisa Brown
"Tom Gauld has created a masterful classic fairytale of a picture book that hits in all the right ways. In his inimitable style, he has squeezed royalty, robots, witches, inventors, trolls, sea-captains, forests, ghosts, and… beetles (!) into a beautiful, odd, adventurous and satisfying story. All wrapped up, of course, with the bow of sibling love."—Oliver Jeffers
"There's a whole universe within these pages. Fun to read, clever, and kind."—Jillian Tamaki
"Tom Gauld is one of the best storytellers working and everything he does so well is here - it is beautiful, immersive, expertly told, and breathes completely on its own. I am jealous of it."—Jon Klassen
"I didn’t know the world needed another fairy tale until I read this funny, beautiful, perfect book."—Carson Ellis
"Written and illustrated by an award-winning cartoonist and graphic novelist, this book spins a modern day fairytale which introduces young readers to a magical universe chock-full of interesting characters. Children will pour over the whimsical cartoon-style pen drawings detailed with cross hatching and colored in muted tones as they search for objects and characters shown in the background throughout the story."—School Library Connection
School Library Journal
★ 09/03/2021
PreS-Gr 4—This the tale of a king and queen (he with white skin, she with brown) who long for a child. Their wishes come true with the help of a kind inventor and a good witch, and they end up with not one child but two: a wooden robot boy and his princess sister. There is a slight glitch as one might expect in a fairy tale—the princess turns into a log nightly and has to be woken each morning with a magical phrase. Despite this relatively minor detail, the siblings enjoy their lives until one day a dramatic turn of events sets them on an action-packed adventure, requiring them to each rescue the other on their perilous journey home. With pen drawings colored digitally, Eisner-winning Gauld's picture book debut is a story full of fairy-tale magic with timeless touches and modernity woven together seamlessly. The brilliant pacing of the story, accomplished in both illustrations and text, make this a truly delightful tale that will be enjoyed by a wide-ranging audience. With heroic beetles and delightful multiracial siblings, this is a magical offering. VERDICT Utterly charming and full of positivity, magic, and love, this is a must-have for every collection.—John Scott, Baltimore County P.S.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-06-29
A brother and sister must overcome obstacles to rescue each other in a marvelous journey.
“There once lived,” the tale begins, and it ends quite satisfactorily with “happily ever after.” In between, two heroic adventures are linked together, each complete with difficulties, brave rescues, kindnesses, and magical coincidences. The little wooden robot and the log princess are gifts from the royal inventor and a clever witch, respectively, for “a king and queen who happily ruled a pleasant land” but had no children. Everyone in the family loves one another, and the siblings play together all day. But when, calamitously, the princess becomes fixed in her log form one night, the little robot doesn’t hesitate to board a ship for the far north to save his sister, and when his parts fail on the way back, the princess steps up courageously. The additional myriad escapades of each young hero are captured in charming graphic montages. Gauld’s crisp, clear art, with captivating small details in backgrounds and endpapers, adds richness to the narrative. The amiable faces of each of his human and humanoid characters, along with those of birds, bugs, and forest creatures, give a feel of intimacy and familiarity. The queen appears Black and the king White, and the princess has brown skin. Gauld’s fairy tale feels both timeless and completely new; utterly fresh, yet like a story heard long ago and finally found again.
Enchanting. . (Picture book. 3-7)
