Dishes up potato-themed pandemonium, with a message about the ethical treatment of captive wildlife on the side.
“Spud-tacular” discoveries and mishaps at the new dino ranch leave a trio of anthropomorphic french fries fit to be fried.
Set free on a class trip to gather dino facts from encounters with miraculously preserved, recently thawed Fry-assic Era nuggets cut into dino shapes, Sweets, Waffle, and Curly (otherwise known as the Fry Guys) are at first a-sizzle with excitement. But signs of rot set in as the young visitors see nothing but unhappy, unhealthy critters confined in cramped and unsafe pens or roped up for rides. Then the fat really hits the fire when a rampaging T. Rex leads a stampede of breaded beasts out of the poorly planned, poorly run park. Geron ruthlessly leaves no pun unturned while plopping his tater tots into one yam after another on the way to a delectable denouement. Readers in the know will recognize plenty of nods to the film Jurassic Park, including the park’s half-baked proprietor (who bears a striking resemblance to the movie’s John Hammond). Ho enhances the salty banter with action-packed cartoon scenes of fast-food morsels in a diverse array of cuts and colors, featuring lots of extremely cute nugs and one french fry in a wheelchair.
Dishes up potato-themed pandemonium, with a message about the ethical treatment of captive wildlife on the side. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781524894320
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Taking a seat in first class aboard the graphic-novels-for-preteens train, this import features a carrot-topped lass who travels the starways with her piratical uncle Yellow Shoulders, foiling the plots of Supermuscleman, nefarious Chief Executive Dictator of the Universe. Presented in small sequential panels of brightly hued cartoon art and spacious dialogue balloons, Sardine’s adventures take her from the space prison Azkatraz to Planet Discoball (for a dance contest presided over by Empress Laser Diskette and her offspring, Prince Beejeez), from encounters with deadly, as well as thoroughly nerve-wracking, Honkfish to a deliciously violent round of “No-Child-Left-Behind-School II,” a virtual game. With nonstop action, humor geared to multiple levels of cultural awareness and the promise of more episodes to come, even readers stubbornly resisting the trendy format’s lure will find that, as Supermuscleman sneers shortly before gorily blasting his own foot, “Resistance is futile.” (Graphic novel. 7-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-59643-126-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2006
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