A Curious Robot on Mars!

by James Duffett-Smith, Bethany Straker (Illustrator)

Overview

Far off into space—186 million miles to be precise—a fearless robot rover travels all by his lonesome. He is on a crucial mission from Earth, eagerly seeking to answer the much-anticipated question: Does life exist on Mars? But there is nothing to be seen on this planet except miles of rocks. He loses support from mission control and finds himself alone and cut off from civilization. But the curious little robot is resilient! After noticing a flash of light shining brilliantly through the crack of a rock, he instantly realizes his mission is far from over. He slowly inches towards the edge, but then suddenly falls perilously into the darkness! What will he discover?

Bethany Straker's vibrant illustrations accompany James Duffett-Smith's suspenseful tale of discovery and hope. A Curious Robot on Mars! will motivate any and all readers to strive for one's ambitions—and most importantly, to always be curious!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628733518
Publisher:	Sky Pony
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Bethany Straker has illustrated ten books as well as a number of magazines. She likes to use humor to draw her audience in for both her children’s and adult books. Her work has been described as “somewhere between the stylings of a Steve Fiorilla and a Mike Judge series” (filmmonthly.com). She enjoys the little visual details that others may not notice, loves drawing the grotesque, and champions the underdog. She lives in Kent, England.

Editorial Reviews

09/09/2013
Newcomer Duffett-Smith gives the Mars rover Curiosity a personality, then casts the robot in a fantasy with two other space exploration icons. Straker (Zombie Cat) transforms Curiosity’s camera turret “head” into an adorably expressive face, Wall-E style. The story starts on a grim note, though, as Curiosity is fired by Mission Control. “You’ve found ice, and you’ve found rocks,” a technician says over a videophone. “Your mission is over.” A long shot of Mars and Earth floating in inky black space makes it clear that Curiosity is not only unemployed, but also permanently stranded. It’s a traumatic moment. He wipes his rover tears, though, continues exploring, and finds two other space refugees: “Out of the light, Laika, the space dog, barked at him.... And next to her, Sputnik beeped.” As Duffett-Smith points out in a jokey conclusion, Curiosity has in fact found life on Mars. Even if readers do recognize Laika and Sputnik—not a given—Duffett-Smith’s puzzling attempt to rewrite space history runs out of steam as he offers them no more than the consolation of each other’s company. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2013
K-Gr 2—Curiosity the robot rover has been sent by Mission Control to find evidence of life on Mars. After he finds ice and rocks, he receives a message that his mission is over. The robot begs not to be left all alone on the planet, but two-way communication has ceased. He continues to roam until he finds a huge chasm and, at the bottom, far below, piles of leaves, Laika the famous space dog, and Sputnik, the forgotten spaceship. "Earth would never know, but there was life on Mars." No one is at the control center, and then his radio battery runs out. "But he really didn't care—he loved exploring no matter what." The illustrations in this odd tale are flat and have a limited palette. An author's note states that Curiosity actually exists and is currently on Mars gathering data. While the afterword says that Sputnik and Laika are not likely to be found on Mars, it begs the question, why place them in this story at all and with the suggestion that Sputnik is a life-form? Pass on this one.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

Left to wander on Mars after mission's end, the lonely Curiosity rover makes some bizarre friends. "Mission Control, don't leave me here! There's more to do….Hello?...Can you hear me?" Poor Curiosity, abandoned, has nothing to do but continue rolling over the sere landscape. Until, that is, he (explicitly gendered) falls into a crevasse, lands on a soft pile of leaves (!) and at last does find life on Mars--namely Sputnik ("Beeeeeep! Beeeep!") and Laika the space dog ("Rufff! Ruff!"). Even readers obliging enough to roll with the story's surreal elements (and unfamiliar with the real Laika's ugly fate) will be left spinning their wheels by the garishly colored cartoon art. The rover, looking like a tearful mechanical turtle with clinical depression, may draw sympathy, but Sputnik resembles a spider with heavy, retro-style eyeglasses, and Laika is portrayed as a slobbery pooch in a space helmet with big, creepy, staring eyes. In the last scene, dog and satellite are seen playing Twister as their new playmate contentedly sits by, letting his radio batteries run down. Ghastly. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews