A tender celebration of special bonds of affection.
Creature comfort.
BriAnne and her husband were living in Ukraine in 2013 when, one night, they spotted a kitten that needed help getting down from a tree. A month later, BriAnne came across another cat. “He was on the sidewalk, dirty and tired, crying for help.” Those two cats, Liza and Tuck, now live with BriAnne in New York; her husband has remained in Ukraine as a war correspondent. “Tuck and Liza are the reason our long-distance marriage works,” BriAnne says. “There is no reason for me to feel sad when I get to wake up to them cuddling me every morning.” Liza and Tuck are among the roughly two dozen animals that are profiled, along with their human companions, in this sweet and playful debut collection, lovingly and colorfully illustrated by Willett. “Studies suggest that most pet owners are women, and that women often take on more household responsibilities when it comes to caring for family animals,” Willett writes. “In return, their animals provide protection, support, and camaraderie, the connection a harmonious tie stretching between species.” That connection goes beyond cats and dogs. Pooja, one of the animals in the book, is a 41-year-old parrot that lives with Terra. Willett met them at a park one day in Brooklyn. “I was twenty years old when my mom passed away from pancreatic cancer,” Terra says. “Birds are highly emotionally intelligent, and Pooja felt my pain.” Willett’s illustrations show the two spending time together, Pooja resting on Terra’s shoulder and hanging out with her at the beach. Clare, a self-identified witch, took care of Boo, a bat that suffered tears in her wings: “I love bats because they are clever and resilient, yet also so misunderstood.” After nine months, she released Boo. The creature quickly took flight, hunting for insects. Says Clare, “I was so proud of her!”
A tender celebration of special bonds of affection.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781797235318
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
A cartoonist’s gentle and charming epistolary memoir.
A cartoonist uses fans’ questions to trace his personal history.
Tomine began self-publishing his work at the age of 16. Since then, he’s developed a devoted fandom that, he says, has stuck by him for almost three decades. Although cartooning is a solitary profession, Tomine says his relationship with his readers has helped him stave off the loneliness that is, so often, a hazard of the job. He writes, “It’s never felt that way. In fact, I often think of my career as a decades-long conversation between myself and an amorphous, mostly anonymous group of people who are for some reason drawn to my work.” In Q&A, Tomine continues this conversation by responding to some of the most common queries, which include how to correctly pronounce his name (which, it turns out, Tomine didn’t know until a trip to Japan), his favorite brands of art supplies, his ability to balance the inspirations and frustrations of parents, and his thoughts about adapting his comics into films. He also offers career advice, describing how he got his start at theNew Yorker, spelling out his opinions on self-publishing and marketing, and providing ideas for connecting with comic artists who could serve as role models or mentors. Although this memoir doesn’t necessarily contain a clear character arc, it does provide a fascinating insight into a beloved artist’s personal history. Tomine’s writing is compassionate, empathetic, and tongue-in-cheek, and his narratorial voice has the intimate, confessional frankness of a good friend. The book’s visuals—which include Tomine’s illustrations—are a welcome addition to the text.
A cartoonist’s gentle and charming epistolary memoir.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781770467309
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An impassioned message of rage and hope.
The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran.
In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: “to explain what’s going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible”; and “to remind Iranians that they are not alone.” Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the “resolute defiance” that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: “The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations” over Amini’s murder, “several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture.” Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls’ schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran’s determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani.
An impassioned message of rage and hope.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781644214053
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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