Nova's Ark
Written & Illustrated by David Kirk
Picture Book Ages 6-10
Rating: 4.5/5

When Nova the robot goes on a class field trip to the space center he finds himself in the Glax Cruiser, where he takes off in search of his father, who has been gone searching for alternate fuel for the planet Roton. The Cruiser breaks down and Nova finds himself alone on a foreign planet. He uses the old parts of the Cruiser to build new robot animals and an ark, which comes in handy when his father comes crashing down on the planet! 

Opinion: I very much enjoyed this book. It has colorful pictures and is very well-written. It has a lot of “show, not tell” vocabulary and paints a detailed picture of Nova and his planet. The plot-line flows and ends very happily, which is satisfying. I was intrigued from the start about how Nova was going to escape his predicament! Very good science fiction book for older children.

Curriculum Connection: This good be used in a unit about space or robots, or any science unit for that matter. It could also be used to talk about safety and how wandering off can lead to unusual and scary predicaments! The relationship between Nova and his father would be great to use to lead a discussion on family or a get-to-know-you activity.