Another tail-wagger featuring much graphic and typographic foolery.
Canine superspy Harrier’s latest mission gives new meaning to the term double agent.
Summoned to BARK Headquarters’ “labrador-atory” to find out who is stealing secret agency files, the dapper dog proceeds to make a bad impression…literally. A spray of windshield wiper fluid from his new spy car makes his ink run, and a second, more faded version of Harrier appears on the facing page. From there he goes on to accuse Patsy, an anthropomorphic fish colleague code-named “Red Herring,” of stealing the files, but she soon sets him straight: “Oh, sure, suspect the red herring. Typical!” A high-speed car chase pursuing Harrier’s fainter but identical self almost leads to disaster when a cannon shooting correction fluid begins painting over the duotone illustrations. That same cannon ultimately comes in handy later, though, during a climactic confrontation with the real culprits. Even young readers who aren’t familiar with “correction fluid” will be heartily amused to see characters suffering from déjà vu after finding themselves on deliberately duplicated pages and other comically surreal elements—leading to a denouement featuring villainous Doctor Doppel and the flock of offset minions she gleefully dubs her “Doppel Gäng.” (“Clever, eh?”)
Another tail-wagger featuring much graphic and typographic foolery. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: June 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781684646838
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Models attention to detail and deductive reasoning in a fun beach setting, complete with interesting facts.
Beachcombers and shell seekers, gather ’round and meet Shelby and Watts, Planetary Investigators.
When Fred the hermit crab can’t find a new, larger shell to move into, he seeks out the “brilliant brains” of Shelby and Watts. Shelby, a fox, is the detective in the duo, and Watts, a badger, loves facts, adding simple fun ones—about hermit crabs, tides, tide-pool dwellers, how shells are used, etc.—throughout the story. Watts also loves to catalog clues in his notebook. In fact, the first mystery that Shelby solves is that of Watts’ lost notebook. Young readers can watch Shelby investigate, solve, and explain her deductive process, all while learning to carefully examine all the details in each graphic panel. Once the missing shells are found, it’s “time for the hermit crab shuffle,” in which the members of a colony of hermit crabs all line up and trade up to larger homes. Final pages include “Earth-Saving Tips from Shelby & Watts,” such as taking pictures of shells instead of collecting them, eating seafood from sustainable sources, and cleaning up the beach. The seven chapters are of varying length, but with several one-panel pages and many pages with low word count, the book is shorter than it appears, which should be a confidence boost for young readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Models attention to detail and deductive reasoning in a fun beach setting, complete with interesting facts. (Graphic early reader/mystery. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20531-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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