The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess, cartoonist Tom Gauld’s first children’s story, is an instant classic.
A king and a queen, wanting children but unable to have any on their own, seek help from an engineer and a witch respectively. Their wish for a child is granted twofold: the engineer constructs a little wooden robot and the witch creates an enchanted log princess.
As it goes for many enchanted princesses in fairy tales, the log princess’s enchantment has a catch: whenever she falls asleep, she returns to her original log form. She remains an ordinary-looking log until she’s woken up with the magic words "Awake, little log, awake." It’s her brother’s responsibility to wake her with these magic words. One fateful morning, when the little wooden robot wakes up in a rush, he forgets to wake his sister up. The sleeping princess is then mistaken as a regular log, tossed out of her nice soft bed, and whisked far away with a shipment of lumber. It’s up to her brother to find and bring her home.
Gauld’s illustrations are lush and whimsical, with a level of detail that, at times, calls to mind Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. The story itself is a timeless fairy tale about siblings supporting one another on a fantastical adventure, appropriate for all ages, including adult fans of Gauld’s other work.
However, as far as the animated short goes, it’s more of an audiobook with accompanying visuals. Though there is camera movement, it mostly pans over stationary images, adding environmental sound effects for additional depth. Even so, Gauld’s art accompanied by narration by voice actress Rosie Jones and charming music composed by David Mansfield makes The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess a pleasant audiovisual experience for children and adults alike.
At its current retail price, it would be recommended for purchase in elementary school and public library settings.
What type of library programming could use this title? Can this film be used in a library education program?
The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is ideal for Children’s Read-Along programs. The DVD has a Read-Along feature where each word is highlighted as it’s said, a useful tool for librarians and teachers looking to improve young children's reading comprehension.
What ages would this children’s film be suitable for?
The DVD is recommended for Grades PreK - 3. Older children who need extra assistance with their reading comprehension may also enjoy it for the art and story.