Looking for a dog adventure that’s cute and funny? This is the perfect middle grade comic to add to your collection. These characters find themselves moving from one ridiculous adventure to the next, keeping any young reader glued to this story.
We start off with Aaron being a silly little brother and messing around, annoying his sister Abby, as a dramatic scene is unfolds around them. It’s time for the town election and the results that come in are more than surprising. Good Boy, a dog, is elected mayor, causing the crowd to go wild. Locals storm the city hall and the only thing that gets the crowd under control is some quick thinking by Abby. She uses the power of stinky socks from her brother to distract the crowd while they get Good Boy out of there safely.
The first order of business for the newly elected mayor is to improve his public image. The siblings really get creative, with all kinds of ideas to put him in a more positive light. This starts a series of silly events, including saving a boy from falling out of a tree after he gets stuck up there trying to hug raccoons and ranging from a “Getting Wild with the Mayor” meet-and-greet at the zoo to starting up a community garden. All of which, of course, do not go without a comical wrinkle or two.
Dave Scheidt has done a lot of writing for other well-known tie-in graphic novels, such as the Trolls, Star Wars, and Avatar series. His storytelling experience shows in the often hilarious writing that we see here in this original series. The story catches your attention from the beginning and holds it all the way through the silly problems that the characters face—and there are lots to be had. The artwork created by Miranda Harmon is full of color and fun. Middle grade readers will love the cute animals and characters these two have created together. Additionally, the artist includes a section at the end of the book of tutorials on how to draw all the main characters from the story.
Overall, this looks like a very promising series. This is the first book out so far, but I would highly recommend adding it to any children’s book collection. There is an overall theme of the importance of helping your community and that you can make a difference in the world to help others, no matter what age you are. This is a story full of attention grabbing, giggle inducing fun.
Mayor Good Boy
By Dave Scheidt
Art by Miranda Harmon
Abrams, 2021
ISBN: 9780593124871
Publisher Age Rating: 7-10
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
