SIMONE: EVEN MORE MONSTROUS

Repulsively blonde, blue-eyed, fair-skinned Simone steps out of sluglike young Morris’ bedroom closet for further ventures into the counterpane world of monsters.

Following the lead of Simone: the Best Monster Ever (2017), the 44 independent episodes read like a collection of comic strips—each presented on a single page in three to five cartoon panels with a twist or punch line at the end. Despite occasional lapses, such as Simone’s hard-won discovery that when Morris says the stars in his world are like birds what he means is that they poop, in general Simard dials down the grossness here. Now the jokes run along the lines of how much more fun hockey is once the other team’s goalie is eaten, or the revelation that a cubist Picasso painting Simone admires is actually Morris’ friend Norman. The variously colored, eyed, and armed creatures in the art are likewise more comical than scary, and throughout, their reactions to Simone, like hers to them, are matter-of-fact acceptance rather than terror or disgust.

Just the ticket for readers who find it hilarious to decorate a broccoli for Christmas or discover that what looks like deep snow on the lawn is actually shaving cream.