The story is so engaging that when they finish the book, readers may be ready to draw their own Flying Beaver Brothers...
Eaton has learned an important truth: One of the great joys of reading comic books is the sound effects.
The Flying Beaver Brothers series may have the best sound effects in all of comics. “RORP!” is the sound of a hole being torn in a parachute. “FOY! FOY! FOY!” is the sound of a beaver tumbling through the air. “YUT” is the sound of that same beaver being attacked, a few minutes later, by tiny moles. The moles have been suctioning dirt from Beaver Island, as Mole Island is much too small for its population. They use a gigantic vacuum cleaner, and it suctions up trees and houses along with the dirt. When a tree vanishes, the sound effect is “GLURP!” The author is clearly having the time of his life inventing new sounds and drawing impossible machines. His technique can’t always keep up with his imagination, though. The flat line drawings sometimes make the sequence of events difficult to follow, and moles and beavers have such tiny feet that they’re hard to draw in action poses. But that’s the appeal: The characters look like doodles, simple figures the readers could draw themselves.
The story is so engaging that when they finish the book, readers may be ready to draw their own Flying Beaver Brothers adventure, complete with sound effects. (Graphic novel. 6-9)Pub Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-449-81019-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2013
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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