‘The Wild Robot’: Idaho Falls community comes together to encourage childhood literacy
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IDAHO FALLS — Elementary school-aged students across Idaho Falls are working together to build strong literacy skills with the help of a “Wild Robot.”
Idaho Falls School District 91’s annual One District, One Book program launched in 2013, with this year’s initiative running Feb. 17 through March 12.
“The goal of the program is to help students really get engaged with a book and provide a holistic sense of literacy,” explained Maren Archibald, chief of communications for Idaho Falls School District 91. “They can read the book at home, and when they get to school, they’ll be asked questions about it.”
Each family in the district with a child in kindergarten through sixth grade receives a free copy of the selected book, and family members are encouraged to participate in the program along with their child.
This year’s book, “The Wild Robot” by author Peter Brown, is the first in a trilogy following the adventures of a robot named Roz. In the first installment, Roz survives a shipwreck and ends up on an island where she learns to communicate with animals and creates a home and family.
Archibald said the story, which was also adapted into a Netflix feature film in 2024, teaches important lessons about community and acceptance.
“It’s a good message about finding family in unexpected places and learning to embrace our differences and work together to make a strong community,” she said.
Archibald was raised in Idaho Falls and attended school in District 91, graduating from Idaho Falls High School in 2020. She went on to major in technical writing at Utah State University and moved back to Idaho Falls after accepting an offer for her current role at District 91.
“This reading program started when I was in elementary school, and I remember the first year reading ‘Trumpet of the Swan’ with my family,” Archibald says. “It was really fun to have a story that I really enjoyed, and to have a routine of reading every night. Now it’s fun to see things from the administrative side.”
Local leaders, educators volunteer
The district makes the program accessible to a wide range of families, offering copies in both English and Spanish, and video recordings of each chapter on the district’s website to help students who may not be able to read on their own or who prefer listening.
Archibald says the district is grateful for community members who volunteered to record chapter readings. Participants include Idaho State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield, Idaho Falls Mayor Lisa Burton Shaw, and Emmy Eaton from “7 Questions with Emmy,” along with other local leaders, educators and business representatives.
Learning to read and reading to learn
Archibald said the program supports the district’s focus on early literacy, especially for younger students.
“They talk about how kindergarten through third grade is when a child learns to read,” she said. “After third grade, they’re reading to learn. So it’s really important they develop those skills early.”
Students follow a reading schedule Monday through Thursday, with extra time on weekends to catch up. Some schools also offer raffle prizes to encourage participation.
Archibald said parents play an important role in helping their children succeed in the program.
“The best way parents can support their kids is to help them create a routine,” she said. “Asking questions about the story and reading together helps students stay engaged.”
Archibald concluded that the program’s goal is to help students discover the joy of reading.
“It’s exciting to see kids get wrapped up in a good book,” she said. “That’s really the purpose of this program.”