Wrapped up with some drawing paper and pens, this clever Christmas cartoon construction might spark some creative projects.
This lightweight, mildly humorous story about Santa, his favorite elf and a Christmas knight advises kids to draw their own comic strips, though no practical help is offered in drawing instruction.
Santa and his Magical Cartooning Elf decide to create a Christmas comic book for distribution to children on Christmas Eve. They are assisted by a knight who has assorted adventures with a yeti, some giant children and a dragon who is pressed into service to deliver the completed comic books. On Christmas morning, children around the world are inspired to start making their own comics. Young readers are encouraged to send their original comics showing favorite things, places or foods to the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, presumably for the next installment in the series. The rhyming text is a bit singsong, with some corny puns and some funny asides, but it also uses a hip, self-deprecating tone and current computer terms that let kids know the authors are up on the latest. The cartoon illustrations use varying panel layouts with hand-lettered speech balloons and backgrounds in cool green to set off the holiday reds.
Wrapped up with some drawing paper and pens, this clever Christmas cartoon construction might spark some creative projects. (Graphic picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59643-730-2
Page Count: 67
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
A fresh and interesting adaptation, making for an easy crowd pleaser.
A popular prose series gets a graphic revitalization.
Faithfully following its predecessor, the book introduces readers to 10-year-old George, an American boy traveling first class on the Titanic with his aunt Daisy and little sister, Phoebe. When the fateful collision between boat and berg occurs, Phoebe goes missing. As the arctic waters rise, George sets out to find her. Although panic mounts all around, it seems that George’s privilege will save him, until he is shocked to discover otherwise. After the Titanic goes down and he’s safe back at home, George wrestles with his anxieties in a way that is accessibly age-appropriate, albeit a bit facile. In the vein of other graphic adaptations of bestselling series (like the evergreen The Baby Sitter’s Club), the first installment of Tarshis’ sprawling prose disaster oeuvre for young readers is reimagined in visually interesting full-color comic panels that support its recognizable thrilling pace and convenient twists. Many of the most exciting scenes are largely wordless, spotlighting the propulsive action amid growing tensions. New backmatter includes interesting historical facts and photographs of persons and places of interest, including pictures of the first-, second-, and third-class cabins and of relics recovered from the shipwreck. Also included are lists of further reading, both fiction and nonfiction. George, Phoebe, and Daisy are white, as are nearly all the secondary characters as well.
A fresh and interesting adaptation, making for an easy crowd pleaser. (facts, character bios, bibliographies) (Graphic adaptation. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-12092-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simple and practical, although the visuals underperform.
A basic guide to the “FUN-damentals” of egg crafts.
A cheerful blue egg (who is ungendered) sporting a half apron and an artsy beret breaks down a method for hard-boiling eggs with an adult’s help, then goes on to guide readers through the steps for executing increasingly elaborate egg decorating projects. Children will learn how to make dyes from food coloring or fruits and vegetables and how to achieve various decorative effects, including “egg people” designs and animal designs (the “egg chick” concept seems a bit meta). The book also provides suggestions for displaying decorated eggs, using them in games, and, yes, turning them into tasty treats. Materials used range from acrylic paint and googly eyes to onion skins and glow-in-the-dark glue. The written instructions are simple and concise. They frequently begin with “lay newspaper over your workspace” (good advice!) and include important safety notes. Zoo’s diagrammatic illustrations are easy to follow with numbered directions, spot art laid out in panels, and labeled, graphic overviews of required supplies; however, the minimal palette of black, white, and blue fails to give young handicrafters enough sense of the art form’s creative possibilities. Readers may want to keep a more visually stimulating handbook, like Lindstrom’s Beautiful Eggs (2021), handy on the worktable for inspiration.
Simple and practical, although the visuals underperform. (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-78436-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Odd Dot
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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