Jonathan Roth – illustratör

In this one-of-a-kind graphic novel, two mismatched rovers meet on a distant planet and discover that space exploration is not what they expected! A perfect space adventure for aspiring (and armchair) astronauts everywhere!

When Rover crash-lands on a rocky planet and finds Speck stranded and in need of a battery charge, the two rovers hardly seem destined to make great teammates. Rover is organized, careful and on a mission to discover all the amazing things in the galaxy. Speck is impulsive, excitable and … not totally sure what his mission is. Their differences are forgotten, however, when they make their first big discovery: they’re not alone on the planet! And, suddenly, their only mission is to escape from the rock creatures that are chasing them!

Jonathan Roth’s hugely appealing graphic novel with classic comic-style art features a fast-moving and suspenseful plot, loads of silly laugh-out-loud moments and two endearing characters that young readers will instantly fall in love with. It’s also a great introduction to real rovers and robots, and the entertaining sidebars sprinkled throughout the story containing facts about earth science topics like rocks and minerals, planets, and space systems add a light STEM touch to the fun. A draw-your-own-rover activity and an overview of some real-life rovers enhance the science and technology links. The series offers a unique and winning combination of a high-interest topic, spot-on humor and accessible science. This book also strongly features the character education topics of adaptability, cooperation and teamwork.

Everyone’s favorite space rovers take on a dangerous rescue operation - inside the belly of the Beast! - in this hilarious title in the early graphic novel series.

Interplanetary space explorers Rover and Speck have set out on a dangerous mission deep into the mysterious unknown: a visit to Unexplored Planet K2-18b. Though all seems calm to Rover when they first splash down on the watery surface, they soon find themselves in the mouth of a gigantic blubber beast! With a little ingenuity (by Rover) and some furious paddling (by Speck) they manage to escape unharmed. But when the pair meet two local spikey-spikes whose brother was swallowed by the Beast, Rover knows the brother’s only hope is for the two brave explorers to go back inside the Beast to find him. Do Rover and Speck have what it takes to rescue the spikey-spike? Or will they - gulp - get swallowed, too?

Jonathan Roth’s series about two space rovers with wildly different personalities hits all the right notes for early graphic novel fans, with loads of action and humor and the funniest space rover buddy team (okay, maybe the only one) ever written. The drama is interspersed with just enough silliness to keep readers enthralled. Brightly colored traditional comic art adds to the book’s appeal. As a bonus, illustrated science fact boxes containing fun and accessible background information about marine biology, underwater creatures and other relevant science topics (and jokes!) appear throughout the story. The book ends with an engaging interactive art lesson from Rover and Speck on how to draw waves.

Rover and Speck are loose on an unknown gas giant planet. Will they survive? And what’s so funny about “gas” anyway?

Rover and Speck have found a new kind of planet to explore – a gas giant! The pair don’t know what to expect when they launch themselves from their spaceship, so they’re thrilled when they find life there. That is, until shark-like creatures start shooting sparks at them! And things only get worse when Rover is zapped out of commission by one of their bolts, leaving Speck to save the day on his own! Thankfully, Speck makes a new friend, Jelli, who’s happy to help him try to avoid the Spark Sharks and get Rover back to their spaceship for a reboot. But will they be able to do it in time?

This is the third installment in Jonathan Roth’s popular graphic novel series about an endearingly mismatched pair of space-traveling rover friends: organized and careful Rover, and impulsive, excitable Speck. It features classic, colorful comic-style art and a fast-moving character-driven plot, and is packed with jokes, including kid-perfect riffs on how funny it is to say “gas”. Illustrated sidebars supplement the story with accessible information about gases and space, and a built-in drawing activity is included at the end of the story, making this book an engaging tool to augment lessons on gases as well as earth and space systems.