A short and sweet journey of self-discovery.
Are You My Mother? meets “The Ugly Duckling” as a young dragon tries to figure out who he is.
After a rather large red egg appears overnight in Mama Duck’s nest, she’s surprised but determined to love all her ducklings, no matter how different they may be. When the eggs hatch, three of her four children quack and float as expected, but the horned and spiny Nort snorts, and he sinks when he attempts to swim, to the amusement of the other animals at the pond. “Maybe you’re not one of those Quacking Ducklings,” says Piper, a kindly bird. “Maybe you are an Oinking Duckling.” Piper takes Nort on a tour of the various other mooing and clucking “ducklings” in the area, but each interaction leaves poor Nort feeling more disconsolate than ever. When a threat appears at the pond, Nort has a chance to shine, gathering his courage, drawing on hidden talents, and saving the day. Though this work of graphic fiction is brief, intriguing bits of foreshadowing nevertheless keep the story flowing toward its fiery conclusion as Nort snorts and chokes his way through various barnyard encounters. Nort’s catlike design lends itself to some endearing poses, and Piper’s endless social connections and repeated refrain of “follow me” will elicit chuckles right up until book’s end.
A short and sweet journey of self-discovery. (how to read comics with kids, Lexile information) (Graphic fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781662665332
Page Count: 36
Publisher: TOON Books/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
A tongue-in-cheek bildungsroman about celebrating differences and the underrated superpowers of gentleness and sweetness.
Kaijus—giant Godzilla-like creatures—are supposed to have fearsome powers like atomic breath, the ability to summon storms, and magnetism—but not young Anzu.
Instead, he was born with the power of finding “beauty in small things.” Finally old enough to be assigned his own personal city to terrorize, Anzu hopes to impress his fond parents. But instead of inflicting fiery destruction on the tiny kodamalike residents at his feet, the best he can do is rain garlands of flowers down on them. He tries to wreak havoc by uprooting a tree but instead ends up creating a peaceful playground of blossoming animal topiaries. “I’ll never strike fear,” Anzu frets. “Am I even a kaiju?” Young readers may well share his doubts since, despite towering over the city of lumpy buildings made from low mounds of dirt, he and his family look more like cute, plump stuffies than scary reptilian beasts. When Anzu does at last manage a little devastation, his feeling of triumph is short-lived—and so, to restore joy and laughter, he exerts his special flower powers with surprising, and satisfying, results. The text is engaging and heartwarming without being cloying. The bright, colorful illustrations are rendered in watercolor and ink. Full-bleed artwork is interspersed with panels, which, along with the use of narrative boxes, lend a graphic feel to the presentation.
A tongue-in-cheek bildungsroman about celebrating differences and the underrated superpowers of gentleness and sweetness. (Graphic picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-77612-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages.
Never underestimate the chaotic fun that magic and an angry bouncing ball can create.
When Frog goes to the library, he borrows a book on magic. He then heads to a nearby park to read up on the skills necessary to becoming “a great magician.” Suddenly, a deflated yellow ball lands with a “Thud!” at his feet. Although he flexes his new magician muscles, Frog’s spells fall as flat as the ball. But when Frog shouts “Phooey!” and kicks the ball away, it inflates to become a big, angry ball. The ball begins to chase Frog, so he seeks shelter in the library—and Frog and ball turn the library’s usual calm into chaos. The cartoon chase crescendos. The ball bounces into the middle of a game of chess, interrupts a puppet show, and crashes into walls and bookcases. Staying just one bounce ahead, Frog runs, hides, grabs a ride on a book cart, and scatters books and papers as he slides across the library furniture before an alligator patron catches the ball and kicks it out the library door. But that’s not the end of the ball….Caple’s tidy panels and pastel-hued cartoons make a surprisingly effective setting for the slapstick, which should have young readers giggling. Simple sentences—often just subject and verb—with lots of repetition propel the action. Frog’s nonsense-word spells (“Poof Wiffle, Bop Bip!”) are both funny and excellent practice in phonetics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4341-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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