A lush and immersive sequel to lose oneself in.
As an evil force gains in strength, Haru delves deeper into their quest.
Jumping into the whimsical forest backdrop where the previous volume, Haru: Spring (2024), left off, bright blue bird Haru and their pig friend, Yama, continue their fight against the nightmarish skeleton creature Blight. Blight’s power has been steadily growing, eventually culminating in the creation of the fearsome Stone Golem. Meanwhile, Haru and Yama find themselves separated. Yama is still coming to terms with her possession of the cursed Stone Heart and its growing power over her, while Haru embarks upon a solitary journey, discovering more about Blight’s mysterious backstory as the forest’s secrets unfold. Friends Herb, Frei, and Goose (who’s Haru’s younger sibling) also have exciting side quests; observing the blending of the discrete plot threads is enthralling. Latham’s dreamy offering is thoughtfully rendered, with its enchanting worldbuilding and adroitly imagined characters, and it balances both the beauty and destruction that is nature. The pacing is thoughtful and measured (but never too slow), twisting and turning while exploring the themes of feelings, family, and friendship. The earthy palette breathes life into each panel, and the striking scarlet hues in the scenes containing Blight reinforce his villainy. As this series develops, it becomes more and more intriguing; readers will eagerly anticipate subsequent volumes.
A lush and immersive sequel to lose oneself in. (Graphic animal fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9781524893743
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
Epic lunacy.
Will extragalactic rats eat the moon?
Can a cybernetic toenail clipper find a worthy purpose in the vast universe? Will the first feline astronaut ever get a slice of pizza? Read on. Reworked from the Live Cartoon series of homespun video shorts released on Instagram in 2020 but retaining that “we’re making this up as we go” quality, the episodic tale begins with the electrifying discovery that our moon is being nibbled away. Off blast one strong, silent, furry hero—“Meow”—and a stowaway robot to our nearest celestial neighbor to hook up with the imperious Queen of the Moon and head toward the dark side, past challenges from pirates on the Sea of Tranquility and a sphinx with a riddle (“It weighs a ton, but floats on air. / It’s bald but has a lot of hair.” The answer? “Meow”). They endure multiple close but frustratingly glancing encounters with pizza and finally deliver the malign, multiheaded Rat King and its toothy armies to a suitable fate. Cue the massive pizza party! Aside from one pirate captain and a general back on Earth, the human and humanoid cast in Harris’ loosely drawn cartoon panels, from the appropriately moon-faced queen on, is light skinned. Merch, music, and the original episodes are available on an associated website.
Epic lunacy. (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308408-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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