Instructive and fun, this will have fans mewing for more.
Let the catstruction begin again!
Fresh off the success of building a mansion for the human mayor of Mewberg, the House Kittens won the contract for the new sports stadium. The adorable crew, headed by architect Marmalade, gets the job done on time, again proving themselves to be more capable than Mewburg’s human residents think such cute kitties should be. Their next project: a new bridge. When Professor von Wigglebottom (masonry and carpentry expert) points out that most bridges cross water, Marmalade suddenly doubts herself and her team. Bubbles, the fluffy white plumber cat, is the only one not afraid of water. The project runs into some trouble; when no other kitties will sign on to help, von Wigglebottom brings in the Demo Doggos. Can Marmalade overcome her prejudice against canines and let the pups actually help, or will there be catastrophic catsequences? Green’s second tale of feline fabricators works just as well as the first. Kitty wordplay dots this tale of interspecies cooperation. The big, friendly, full-color panels are full of cute cats and darling dogs with expressive faces. Real cat and dog behavior (knocking things off tables and sniffing butts) and other sight gags add extra laughs. Background humans are diverse; the furry characters represent multiple breeds within each species group.
Instructive and fun, this will have fans mewing for more. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62672-831-8
Page Count: 80
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Readers will go for these pals who stick together in a bond as solid as stone.
More fun with Stick and Stone!
The BFFs whose exploits were chronicled in two earlier picture books (2015, 2021), illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, have joined the graphic-novel universe. This second graphic novel starring the duo, after Stick and Stone Explore and More (2022), is divided into two chapters, each followed by appealing, simple activities. The first chapter finds the pals picnicking with friends near a cave. Timid worrywart Stone has misgivings, but those issues are resolved satisfactorily. Once over those hurdles, Stone confronts spelunking, a word he loves (as will readers) until he learns what it entails. Stone’s not into cave exploring, but what he discovers when he finds himself in a cave are unexpected—and not entirely unpleasant—surprises and, afterward, a burgeoning new friendship. In the second chapter, Stone effects a daring rescue as he extracts Stick from the jaws of an overly enthusiastic puppy, an adventure that leads the pair to adopt a “pet” that undergoes a spectacular transformation, necessitating a tender farewell. This charmer is chock-full of humor, heart, adventure, and the joys of friendship. Stick and Stone are endearingly winning characters with distinctive, expressive personalities. Kids will savor the dynamic, funny digital illustrations; follow the panels and speech bubbles easily; and appreciate the font, which varies with the narrative’s onomatopoeia.
Readers will go for these pals who stick together in a bond as solid as stone. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-358-54938-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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A crowd pleaser in an otherwise crowded oeuvre.
The ubiquitous rodent journalist returns in a new iteration.
Geronimo Stilton, publisher extraordinaire of the Rodent’s Gazette, has a new story to investigate: New Mouse City is plagued by a deeply malodorous stink. As the stench intensifies, the residents flee, selling their homes. Stilton, flanked by his banana-loving friend Hercule Poirat, forays into the sewers to locate the fount of the funk. There, the duo encounters rat queen Trashfur Sparkles XIII and her Grand Council. Trashfur, the mastermind behind the nefariously noxious plan, has set her sights on wedding Hercule and marrying Geronimo off to one of her council members; how will Geronimo escape this time? This new graphic-novel series published by Graphix/Scholastic (not to be confused with Papercutz’s ongoing Geronimo Stilton, Reporter graphic-novel series) and illustrated by Angleberger (of Origami Yoda fame) utilizes a decidedly more cartoonish style than the Papercutz version, more along the Dav Pilkey aesthetic. Funny and fast-paced, this offering is infused with a generous amount of over-the-top silliness, with occasional breaks to explain jokes to readers (explaining that gorgonzola is a type of cheese, for example). With easy-to-read and varied typefaces and oversized, full-color panels, this should effortlessly appeal to the younger set, making it an obvious choice for those deciding what to read next after Dog Man.
A crowd pleaser in an otherwise crowded oeuvre. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-58730-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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