A cursory if cheery guide.
The original grumpy cat imparts comics-making advice.
Garfield, the perpetually snarky, Monday-hating marmalade cat, explains the basics of drawing a strip to young readers. In four chapters, he presents a rudimentary overview of the process, including tips on main characters, expression, plot development, punchlines, building settings, and lettering. While the text is upbeat, Garfield’s trademark irreverence is showcased through reprinted comic strips and sidebar illustrations; when explaining essential setting details, king-of-the-catnap Garfield wisecracks that “chairs [and] beds” are “essential details.” Finnegan’s guide is best suited for the earliest beginner, as it offers such obvious instructions as, “the first thing you need is a pencil to draw with”; those looking for more comprehensive information may be audibly groaning at the lack of depth. For burgeoning artists hoping to learn to draw the lovably irascible feline, expect potential upset when they discover the only instructions show how to draw his head—not his entire body—and with five brief steps, it is superficial at best (though still more detailed than the instructions for Odie). Included is a five-term glossary, a section for further information (which, curiously, offers Garfield’s Twitter account as a place of interest), and an index. Cavils aside, Garfield’s iconic brand of humor is effectively captured, which may satisfy Davis’ devotees if not those looking to get a foothold in creating art.
A cursory if cheery guide. (index) (Nonfiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-7468-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A well-crafted, straightforward collection of the myths everyone needs to know.
The fabled world of ancient Greece comes alive through these 10 myths that feature some of the most powerful gods, fearless heroes and amazing animals in literature.
“The Creation” introduces Titans Kronos and Rhea, who spawned the twelve Olympians, led by Zeus, god of the sky, and the collection plunges along from there. Clayton’s deft storytelling transitions readers easily from story to story, grounding them in a setting of mountainous islands dominated by the hot sun and cool blue sea. Readers meet Pandora, created at Zeus’ behest as a tragically curious beauty bearing gifts for the giant Epimetheus. The competition for the city of Athens between Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, god of the sea, is seen as a struggle decided by a democratic vote. The grotesqueness of Medusa is countered by the human bravery of Perseus; the remorse of King Midas redeems him from his greed. The enchanting flying horse, Pegasus, aids Bellerophon in his conquest of the three-headed, fire-breathing chimera. Arachne’s transformation following her challenge of Athena brings the collection to a close. Each adventure or quest is followed by a very brief fact about Greece. Detailed and luminous, often diminutive watercolors and collage art illuminate each story’s theme.
A well-crafted, straightforward collection of the myths everyone needs to know. (map, notes, index of gods and heroes, sources) (Mythology. 7-9)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-84780-227-9
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
A broad, if hardly more than skin-deep, introduction to the topic.
Four double-foldout spreads literally extend this first gander at our body’s insides and outsides—to jumbo, if not quite life, size.
Labels, basic facts, and one-sentence comments surround full-length cartoon images of the skeleton, musculature, and major sections of the body on the foldouts. Selected parts from the brain on down to blood cells are covered on the leaves in between. Lacey dishes out explanations of major body systems and processes in resolutely nontechnical language: “When you eat, food goes on a long twisty journey, zigzagging through tubes and turning into a soupy mush for your body to use.” It’s lightly spiced with observations that, for instance, the “gluteus maximus” is the largest muscle or the spine is made up of “vertebrae.” So light is the once-over, however, that the lymphatic, renal, and most of the endocrine systems escape notice (kidneys, where are you?). Moreover, though printed on durable card stock, the foldouts make for unwieldy handling, and on some pages, images are so scattered that successive stages of various processes require numbering. Still, Web links on the publisher’s page will presumably help to cover the gaps (unavailable for review). An overview of human development from fertilization to adulthood precedes a closing flurry of height extremes and other “Amazing body facts” that provide proper closure for this elementary survey.
A broad, if hardly more than skin-deep, introduction to the topic. (Nonfiction. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7945-3596-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Usborne
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
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