An accessible and endearing graphic novel for animal lovers of all ages.
Three animal pals’ bravery is tested in their latest adventure.
After loading up the camper van, Peanut the puppy, Butter the cat, and older dog Crackers’ human takes the crew camping. Once they are settled at Pinecone State Park, their human leaves the pack with the van’s side door open and a mesh screen to keep them safely inside. However, Butter, full of bravado, claws open the screen, and with Peanut, who is always up for doing whatever Butter and Crackers are up to, leaves to explore. Crackers is content to stay in the van with the snacks, their favorite squeaker toy, and a cozy sweater, but when it starts to get dark and Butter and Peanut haven’t returned, Crackers musters the courage to look for them only to find them in need of rescue. Full of humor—a scene of Butter looking around outdoors for a litter box will provoke giggles—and adorable examples of Peanut’s naïveté and antics, this tale shows that the three are growing closer. As in the previous two installments, the art is engaging. Displaying siblinglike dynamics, the trio learn that home can be anywhere your family is. Their human is seen only as a pair of feet and tan hands.
An accessible and endearing graphic novel for animal lovers of all ages. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-11749-1
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
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
Readers will go for these pals who stick together in a bond as solid as stone.
More fun with Stick and Stone!
The BFFs whose exploits were chronicled in two earlier picture books (2015, 2021), illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, have joined the graphic-novel universe. This second graphic novel starring the duo, after Stick and Stone Explore and More (2022), is divided into two chapters, each followed by appealing, simple activities. The first chapter finds the pals picnicking with friends near a cave. Timid worrywart Stone has misgivings, but those issues are resolved satisfactorily. Once over those hurdles, Stone confronts spelunking, a word he loves (as will readers) until he learns what it entails. Stone’s not into cave exploring, but what he discovers when he finds himself in a cave are unexpected—and not entirely unpleasant—surprises and, afterward, a burgeoning new friendship. In the second chapter, Stone effects a daring rescue as he extracts Stick from the jaws of an overly enthusiastic puppy, an adventure that leads the pair to adopt a “pet” that undergoes a spectacular transformation, necessitating a tender farewell. This charmer is chock-full of humor, heart, adventure, and the joys of friendship. Stick and Stone are endearingly winning characters with distinctive, expressive personalities. Kids will savor the dynamic, funny digital illustrations; follow the panels and speech bubbles easily; and appreciate the font, which varies with the narrative’s onomatopoeia.
Readers will go for these pals who stick together in a bond as solid as stone. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-358-54938-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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