Red Rover

August 19, 2019
In this telling, the Curiosity rover resembles a less emotionally vulnerable, less anthropomorphized, but still adorable version of Pixar’s WALL-E. “The little rover likes to roam”; it zips around Mars, taking pictures and samples because “it is curious. It wants to learn about the world around it.” Besides, as debut author Ho reminds readers, this latest in a long, noble line of satellites and rovers is actually in constant communication with “whoever sent it. It tells them what it is like here.” It’s the contrast between Curiosity’s cheery determination and the forbidding world it inhabits that gives the book its power: Roy (Otis and Will Discover the Deep) renders many evocative images, among them a sandstorm created from swirling strokes of red, orange, and gray, and a double gatefold that drives home just how vast, red, and rocky the Red Planet is. Readers may be thrown—and perhaps a little disappointed—when the point of view shifts in the final pages from the eager Curiosity to the imperious Mars itself (“They call me Mars. I am not like your World”). But ultimately, the message remains the same: no one, and nothing, in the universe is truly alone. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)■

July 1, 2019
A planet's-eye view of some recent visitors from Earth--one in particular. In measured, deceptively solemn prose, the narrator (Mars itself, as eventually revealed) gets off to a shaky start, observing that the rover rolls on and on, making straight tracks that confusingly become a tangle on the next page. Things settle down thereafter: "It observes. Measures. Collects. It is always looking for water. Maybe it is thirsty." Roy matches the tone with a set of broad, rugged, achingly remote-looking Mars-scapes that culminate in a wildly swirling dust storm followed by a huge double gatefold: "Everything is... / RED as far as the eye can see. But it is beautiful." Curiosity itself she depicts with almost clinical precision (though its wheels look different from different angles), adding a schematic view at the end with select parts and instruments labeled. Following playful nods to other rovers along the way (Spirit and Opportunity "had a spirit of adventure and seized every opportunity to explore"), a substantial quantity of backmatter includes more information about each one--including the next one up, Mars 2020--as well as about the fourth planet itself. For audience appeal it's hard to beat Markus Motum's cheerfully anthropomorphic Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover (2018), but the art here, in adding a certain grandeur and mystery to the red planet, has an appeal of its own. A tad rough around the edges but, visually, at least, a keeper. (bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

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November 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 2- Anthropomorphism reigns in this nonfiction picture book, told in two voices. First, readers meet the rover Curiosity. Although lonely, Curiosity isn't alone. Others have come before it-Viking 1, Pathfinder, Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity. Perhaps there's life on Mars! A pullout spread shows off the planet, which directly addresses the audience as it describes itself as cold, red, and far away. The expertly drawn pictures help move the pedestrian text along. VERDICT The illustrations make this a winner for young Mars enthusiasts. Suitable for school and public libraries.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

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