IT'S A GAS!

Exploring space is Speck-tacular with Rover and Speck.

In book three in Roth’s Rover and Speck graphic series, both robots are on a mission to discover life on other planets. The pair examine glowing spheroids and battle spark sharks that could be alternate life forms and, when Rover is damaged in battle, are rescued by a space jelli, whom they later help become a space-exploring GAStonaut. When a superstorm and spark sharks threaten the jelli community, Rover and Speck discover that the spark sharks are only protecting the glowing spheroids that are their eggs; Rover sings a fun variation of “Baby Shark.” Fun Science Fact panels define topics such as gas giants and their superstorms, the Goldilocks Zone, and the different states of matter. Gentle potty humor centered on the word and concept of gas, as well as puns—such as labels on two tanks of helium (HE) turning HE HE into “hee, hee”—keep the story fun. Backmatter introduces Carl Sagan and Edwin Salpeter, both of whom proposed the idea of life on gas planets in the form of floaters (jellis in this story), hunters (spark sharks), and sinkers (not present in the story, but, as Rover jokes, maybe they all sank!). Information about four different planets may inspire readers to use their imaginations to draw life there.

An imaginative mission into space filled with information, humor, and action.