The bold colours used on the front cover of Nova’s Missing Masterpiece suggest an exciting and vigorous story to be told. This is true. Nova has discovered that the masterpiece she has drawn for her father’s birthday is missing.
Her exasperation and annoyance are clearly shown as she hunts through the house for her treasure. With her dog Harley alongside, she systematically looks in all the places she might have placed it. Inside the piano…on the bookshelf… in the washing machine…No!.. “WHERE IS IT SHE ROARED?”
Harley the dog shows his calm demeanour to Nova, and she remembers how belly breathing can help to calm things down. She resumes the hunt but is foiled again. Harley has a drink of water and Nova remembers that a drink helps you to slow down and think. In this clever way the reader is reminded of good practice for overcoming frustrations.
The background colour of each page is red while a profusion of bright colours is added to set the scene for the chaos and turmoil. On these brightly coloured pages the text is in white making it easy to read. This is an enjoyable look at the trials of finding a lost item. The great variations in the colours and details of the backgrounds on each page help to enjoy the resolution of this story.
| Author | Brooke Graham. Illustrations Robin Tatlow-Lord. |
| Publisher | Exisle Publishing |
| ISBN | 781922539373 |
| Website | https://exislepublishing.com/product/novas-missing-masterpiece/ |
| Distributor | EK Books/Exisle Publishing |
| Released | February 2024 |
