One Book, One School: The Wild Robot

Central Elementary School | Riverside, IL | 2024

As part of the school-wide family reading initiative One Book, One School, I created a large-scale mural inspired by The Wild Robot to celebrate and amplify the community’s shared reading experience.

Throughout the month-long program, the mural evolved into a vibrant visual companion to the book. Drawing directly from Peter Brown’s distinctive illustration style, I hand-painted, cut, and collaged a series of images featuring key characters, landscapes, and moments from the story. The layered collage approach echoed the book’s themes of adaptation, connection, and coexistence between the natural and technological worlds.

Installed in a prominent school space, the mural served as both an artistic focal point and a catalyst for conversation. Students and families could recognize favorite scenes, revisit meaningful passages, and deepen their engagement with the story. By translating literature into a large-scale visual experience, the project encouraged curiosity, imagination, and a shared sense of participation in reading.

This mural stands as a testament to the power of storytelling to unite a school community—bridging art and literacy through shared experience.