Two delightfully dense heroes bring folk tales into the 21st century, and young readers are all the richer for it.
Two thickheaded macaroni noodles prove the old adage: a fool and his firewood are soon parted.
Fools have been called “noodleheads” for centuries, but until recently few have represented the term quite so literally. Mac and Mac aren’t the brightest pieces of pasta in the world, but their hearts are in the right place. Here, the two decide to help their mama out by gathering firewood in hopes that she’ll bake them a cake. As they are attempting to cut the very branch they’re sitting on, a passing meatball points out that they are mere minutes away from bruised bottoms. When his words come to pass, our heroes decide the meatball is clairvoyant and demand to know their future. Drawing on and smoothly weaving together a variety of folk tales, the brief graphic novel describes how its obtuse protagonists single-mindedly seek cake, even as they anticipate death, purchase “firewood seeds” (aka acorns), and accidentally dig their mother a garden. Emergent readers will appreciate the simple text, short chapters, and comics-inspired paneled illustrations. Adults will appreciate the authors’ note, which goes into some detail about each chapter’s folk origins.
Two delightfully dense heroes bring folk tales into the 21st century, and young readers are all the richer for it. (Graphic early reader. 5-9)Pub Date: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3673-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An exuberant, delightful underdog’s tale.
Crafty Chavo outsmarts the other team in an otherworldly game of capture the flag.
A group of children gathers in the park as evening falls. The group varies in age and race, and each child holds a flashlight in hand. The team leaders shake hands; now the team selection can begin. One brown-haired, olive-skinned boy, Chavo, can’t wait to be picked, barely containing his glee. As the smallest one in the group, Chavo is chosen last, but he’s just as happy anyway. Each leader hoists their team’s flag, flashlights flick on, and the game begins. Suddenly, the park transforms into a purple, pink, and blue sci-fi landscape, complete with two moons and dangerous wildlife. Both groups huddle up and plot away, and Chavo must go into the alien jungle to hide his team’s flag. But when his entire team rushes into a trap, Chavo finds himself all alone. How will he win the game? Similar to earlier series entries Belinda the Unbeatable and Andrew the Seeker (both 2017), Nordling and Silva’s latest collaboration combines play and imagination in one captivating, clever mishmash of fun. Featuring crisp, clean, and vibrant panels, humorous close-ups, and swift transitions, this wordless graphic novel overflows with delight, anchored by a likable, cunning protagonist. Chavo’s victory is never in doubt, but it’s still great to see the littlest player pull it off against the odds.
An exuberant, delightful underdog’s tale. (Graphic adventure. 5-9)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5415-1046-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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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