Nothing says “Christmas” like monsters.
A pre-Christmas ski trip slaloms into a series of wild escapades in this import from a prolific French graphic novelist.
Depicted with the heads of birds (cockatoos, perhaps?) in Trondheim’s unframed panels, young Jean, her brother Petey and their parents drive off to the mountains—unsuccessfully trying to leave their huge, green, four-armed pet monster Kriss behind. Whom should they meet while tootling up the wintry road than Santa himself (also sporting a bird’s head), pursued by an orange monster even bigger than Kriss and perfectly willing to eat anyone who crosses its path. Nonstop flights, rescues, downhill slides, avalanches and chases by more hungry monsters ensue. Captioned by the children’s tandem, chatty narrative, the art offers small figures engaged in snowy slapstick as they flee or (with Santa’s help) fly from danger…arriving, ultimately, back home to discover a decorated tree surrounded by wrapped gifts including, for Kriss, a full-size candy-vending machine.
Nothing says “Christmas” like monsters. (Graphic novel. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59707-288-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
This sheep-in-everyboy’s-clothing returns for a third set of edifying neighborhood encounters: with archrival Mandy Dinkus in a closet (it’s complicated); manners coach Ms. Bottoms; a roller coaster; and the really old, but surprisingly un-scary Stagglemyers. As before, Johnny emerges from each meeting a little wiser—discovering, for instance, that he prefers the Duckie-Go-Round to the roller coaster, and later actually working with Mandy to head off a possible romantic connection between their respective single parents. Separated by recipes—of sorts: “Mutton soup is 100% melted vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top”—Proimos tells each tale in minimally detailed, brightly colored cartoon panels, with dialogue floating in balloons. Think Ricky Ricotta, without the violence. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-15-216772-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
The little mouse with the big personality skips through a third set of mini trials and triumphs, presented in two-color graphic novel-style panels. Having daydreamed her way through the last day of school (“Good-bye, dumb fractions!”) and even cleaned out her locker, Babymouse bounds eagerly into the car for a getaway to the beach. But what with crowds, surfboard wipeouts, sunburn, the odd shark and trying to keep adoring little sibling Squeak at arm’s length (which isn’t quite far enough to avoid the fallout, so to speak, of occasional bouts of motion sickness), the vacation starts to look like a big fizzle: “Typical!” to quote Babymouse’s watchword. Pairing short bits of text in a “hand-lettered” font to small but clear scenes drawn with dark lines and pink highlights, the authors tell a quick, funny tale that ends on a warm note, with Babymouse discovering that wipeouts are more fun when shared with her biggest little fan. Emergent readers will cheer “Babymouse!” right along with Squeak. (Graphic novel. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 23, 2006
ISBN: 0-375-83231-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2006
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