DONUT SQUAD

Bright, bonkers four-panel comics hide a delectable heart of darkness in this strange, silly addition to the children’s graphic novel landscape.

Meet the members of the Donut Squad. Sprinkles, who’s yellow with sprinkles, “loves fun things! And good times!” Jammy Boi, a sunglass-wearing jelly donut, makes a mess wherever he lands. The story cycles through brief strips featuring each character playing their prescribed part: Justice Donut can’t stop using nunchuks; Dadnut, an armchair philosopher, monologues ad infinitum to his donut-hole son. Interspersed throughout are faux merchandise tie-ins, new iterations (Donut Babies!), and rejected donut concepts (“Fish and Egg Crème-Filled! Oh God! The Smell!!!”). Reveling in the most inane and insane aspects of children’s entertainment, the book’s brash visual energy is relentless. But a hidden message begins to surface: The donuts are employing their entertainment empire to brainwash their audience and take over the world! A duller, denser carb might be able to stop them: the stalwart, serious Bagel Battalion. In the book’s second half, the fourth wall begins to crack and finally shatters in a brilliant finale as the two sides vie boldly for narrative control. Between the gaggle of gags and pastry-fied plans for world domination, a broad range of readers will enjoy this sweet treat. Humans featured in the story have a variety of skin tones.

Jam-packed, goofy goodness for humor-hungry readers.