Sure to strike readers like a hammer.
Pistouvi the fox explores life with his human friend, Jeanne.
Pistouvi and Jeanne are best friends in a strange world with strange rules. The only adult presences come from the friendly Wind (shown as an ethereal, beautiful White woman) and abrasive Tractor (a light-skinned, bald man with an abundant black beard). Despite this, Pistouvi and Jeanne, who is a small, blond-haired White girl, make do with their treehouse home and have many goofy adventures together. Danger is never far off, however, as Pistouvi has a unique predicament: If he ever understands what the birds are saying, he will be forever changed. The birds are ever present, as the target of Pistouvi and Jeanne’s pranks or as bigger, more menacing figures. They add an ominous air to an otherwise lighthearted narrative, serving as a reminder that one day Pistouvi and Jeanne may grow apart. The prologue and each of the 10 subsequent chapters serve as their own separate but connected interludes, making this volume more accessible to casual readers. Merwan and Gatignol have crafted a whimsical—and sometimes dark—narrative similar in tone to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The art is gorgeous, the style reminiscent of a black-and-white manga with gray tones. Details such as hair and fur are particularly well executed. The ending is both inevitable and saddening, surprisingly bleak in contrast to the overall more carefree tone.
Sure to strike readers like a hammer. (Graphic fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-942367-95-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Magnetic Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
A timely and well-paced story of personal discovery.
Time travel brings a girl closer to someone she’s never known.
Sixteen-year-old Kiku, who is Japanese and white, only knows bits and pieces of her family history. While on a trip with her mother to San Francisco from their Seattle home, they search for her grandmother’s childhood home. While waiting for her mother, who goes inside to explore the mall now standing there, a mysterious fog envelops Kiku and displaces her to a theater in the past where a girl is playing the violin. The gifted musician is Ernestina Teranishi, who Kiku later confirms is her late grandmother. To Kiku’s dismay, the fog continues to transport her, eventually dropping her down next door to Ernestina’s family in a World War II Japanese American internment camp. The clean illustrations in soothing browns and blues convey the characters’ intense emotions. Hughes takes inspiration from her own family’s story, deftly balancing complicated national history with explorations of cultural dislocation and biracial identity. As Kiku processes her experiences, Hughes draws parallels to President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban and the incarceration of migrant children. The emotional connection between Kiku and her grandmother is underdeveloped; despite their being neighbors, Ernestina appears briefly and feels elusive to both Kiku and readers up to the very end. Despite some loose ends, readers will gain insights to the Japanese American incarceration and feel called to activism.
A timely and well-paced story of personal discovery. (photographs, author’s note, glossary, further reading) (Graphic historical fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-19353-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
A charming adaptation.
A miscommunication leaves Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert responsible for a plucky, effusive orphan girl instead of the boy they’d expected to help maintain their farm.
Retold in traditional manga format, with right-to-left panel orientation and detailed black-and-white linework, this adaptation is delightfully faithful to the source text. Larger panels establish the idyllic country landscape while subtle text boxes identify the setting—Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the 1870s. The book follows redheaded Anne Shirley from her arrival at Green Gables at 11 to her achievement of a college scholarship. In the intervening years, Anne finds stability, friendship, personal growth, and ambition in Avonlea and in the strict but well-intentioned Cuthbert siblings’ household. The familiar story is enhanced by the exciting new format and lush illustrations. A variety of panel layouts provides visual freshness, maintaining reader interest. Backmatter includes the floor plan of the Green Gables house, as well as interior and exterior views, and notes about research on the actual location. A description of the process of adapting the novel to this visual format indicates the care that was taken to highlight particular elements of the story as well as to remain faithful to the smallest details. Readers who find the original text challenging will welcome this as an aid to comprehension and Anne’s existing fans will savor a fresh perspective on their beloved story. All characters appear to be White.
A charming adaptation. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-947808-18-8
Page Count: 308
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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PERSPECTIVES
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