Author(s): Brooke Graham

NZ Picture Books

Nova's Missing Masterpiece uses a girl's bond with her dog to address the themes of anger, self-regulation, problem solving, resilience and persistence.

When Nova realizes the artwork that she created for her dad's birthday present is missing her tummy flip flops and her heart ker-thumps. She and her dog, Harley turn the house upside down but the missing masterpiece is nowhere to be found. Inevitably, Nova loses her temper. But Harley remains calm. Together, they continue searching for the missing masterpiece and eventually Nova starts to pay attention to Harley and his calming strategies. Just when it seems the artwork will never be found Nova tries one last strategy, which leads her directly to her missing masterpiece!

Learning to self-regulate, persist, problem solve, and be resilient are essential skills that need to be taught and modelled to children to support their social and emotional growth. Nova's Missing Masterpiece gives children useful coping strategies to deal with anger and frustration, making the book an invaluable tool for parents, educators, health professionals and counsellors.

With vibrant, well-observed illustrations, this is the perfect story to show children how anger and frustration affect their brains and bodies, and how simple techniques can help them self-regulate and reset.