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sad, anyway. Until now, I’ve only written picture books, which usually have happy

endings. However, the real world is complicated, and it was incredibly satisfying to
write a story that feels true to life. I think readers would appreciate that kind of honesty

in the stories they read. I found myself having a surprising amount of empathy for Roz
the robot.

Why did you decide to give the robot a gender?

One of the greatest things about reading is that it develops our sense of empathy, and

we find ourselves caring about characters that are completely unlike us. I’m hoping this
will be true even when the character is a robot. But just in case, I took some precautions

to help readers relate to Roz. For example, robots can take almost any shape, but I gave
Roz arms, legs, and a head so readers can more easily imagine themselves in her shoes.

Also, I made Roz an outsider trying to fit into a new community, which is an experience
most people have at some point or another. And I decided to give Roz a gender so

I wouldn't have to refer to her with the pronoun ‘‘it.’’ It’s hard to relate to an ‘‘it.’’ I
examined her personality and the way others saw her, and I decided Roz would be a

‘‘female.’’

What’s next for you? Can we look forward to more Wild Robot books?

I’m currently dreaming up another story for Roz. Of course, I’ll be making many more
picture books. The next few years of my life are going to be very busy. I’m exhausted

just thinking about it.

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