If your young reader is sad that they’re too old for the classic series, How to Catch a…, then this is the series for you! Author Alice Walstead has come out with this graphic novel series that follows the same fun pattern of the picture book version of these amusing titles.
Pup and Dragon are the main characters in this new junior graphic novel series, where each book is subtitled “How to Catch a…”. In this seasonal Christmas edition, they are trying to catch an elf.
Pup can’t believe he has to teach Dragon all about Christmas. Dragon doesn’t know anything. Not who Santa Claus is, not what elves are, nothing, because dragons hibernate and sleep right through the holiday. Pup hatches a plan to attempt to catch an elf this year, as last year the kids tried and failed to do so. Hilariousness ensues as they concoct all kinds of silly plans, including an eggnog slide. Children will definitely have a good laugh as they follow along this wild tale.
Pages are filled with popping primary colored hues, featuring simple panels with the main characters being the central focus. These child friendly drawings often have complementary colored backgrounds to highlight the dialogue that’s occurring.
Overall, this is such a great adaptation of the very popular picture book series made into a set of books for elementary school readers. The artwork is exciting and colorful to match the pace of the silly story.
Pup and Dragon: How to Catch an Elf By Alice Walstead Art by Paul Gill Sourcebooks, 2023 ISBN: 9781728270517
Do we really need another odd-couple easy reader, even if it is a comic? If it’s Gnome and Rat, the answer is yes! Ever since the debut of Arnold Lobel’s classic couple, Frog and Toad, the contrasting friends and roommates has been a popular trope. Elephant and Piggie are the modern classic standard, but it’s an easy form to fit a simple plot and text. Authors and artists have been churning out books like these with varying results, especially along the lines of actually portraying healthy relationships and friendships, and this new offering is delightful and heart-warming.
In a stump in the woods, with snazzy red-and-white spotted mushroom decor, live Gnome and Rat. Together, they have many adventures, most of them centered around Gnome’s hat! Gnome tries to do magic, looks for a temporary replacement for his hat, and then a permanent replacement, all with the quiet, gently amused support of Rat. Along the way they meet other creatures, including a duck named Jerry, a possum known as the “Hat Man”, two magic pink rabbits, and other friends. The text is minimal, with many panels almost completely wordless, but it will need a reader fairly fluent in both textual and visual literacy to decode this story. There are several different fonts used and although the text is brief, there are subtle cues in the characters’ faces that need to be read along with the dialogue.
Gnome is a roly-poly little creature, with a snowy white beard that almost completely hides him and, of course, a bright red, pointed hat! Rat is sleek and elegant in gray, with darker gray patches, and a thin curl of a tail, donning a snazzy yellow scarf and stylish glasses when needed. Gnome bounces off the page with exuberance, while Rat quietly follows along, calming him down as necessary and always there when needed. But this isn’t a one-sided friendship; Rat clearly loves their goofy companion and enjoys Gnome’s antics, comforting him when he’s sad and helping him out when he encounters various hat-related disasters. Gnome’s face pops with larger-than-life emotions—sad, happy, inspired, and mischievous—while Rat’s straight-faced, more subtle humor shines through in their actions and words. The background is a brightly colored forest, with snow-capped mountains, green, flowering meadows, sparkling blue ponds, and lush forests.
This gently humorous offering is threaded with the soft, comforting feeling of a warm hug. Rat and Gnome both pay attention to each other’s needs and feelings, and exhibit a caring, sweet friendship between two very different personalities. Don’t be surprised if readers demand their own gnome-hat to try out some shenanigans on their own, or want to hear this comforting story over and over again.
Gnome and Rat By Lauren Stohler Knopf, 2023 ISBN: 9780593487822
Publisher Age Rating: 6-9 years NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
This wacky series, featuring the psychedelic art of Darin Shuler, gives a nod to past styles while creating a world all its own.
Dog, an anthropomorphic character with bright yellow skin, a pink ball balanced on the end of his snout for a nose, and two dangling ears, begins the first story by encouraging his friend, Hat, a slouchy green accessory with a face, to pick him up by the ears. He can fly! Pull harder Hat! Their story really begins with the two in the packed shop of Lady Olio. Hat is encouraging Dog to buy All the Things and they leave the shop with a bright pink bag full of random stuff. Unbeknownst to Dog, he’s had an accident in the shop and the polka dots on his shirt are disappearing, one by one. They catch sight of the dots falling down a sewer and the two friends support each other in a wild journey underground to retrieve Dog’s spots. Fortunately, the miscellany of things Dog bought in the shop come in handy, and Hat has a few bright ideas to help out as well.
In their second adventure, The Lunar Eclipse Picnic, the story starts with their new friend and roommate Ant. After a dream from his childhood, Ant is determined to visit his cousins, the Moon Ants, and Dog insists on going along, despite the objections of Hat, “The world has rules! The rules keep us safe! That’s the way it is. Or it wouldn’t be that way.” Their journey involves strange picnic food, a journey to the moon dimension, and some journeys into the past of Hat, as well as Ant and Dog, to relive their past experiences. Dog, clad in his red-on-white polka dot shirt, bright blue pants, and green apron, takes his turn at encouraging Hat and Ant to follow their dreams when they get discouraged and they have a marvelous, if odd, adventure.
Shuler’s style reminds me of children’s picture books from the 70s and 80s, like the ubiquitous Sweet Pickles stories. However, his colors are brighter and each page is positively crammed with art. Lady Olio’s shop is bursting with knick-knacks and oddments, the sky is cluttered with stars, Dog’s sink overflows with dishes, and his picnic basket overflows with strange food, like french-braided spaghetti (which turns out to be useful, as well as tasty). Colors clash and spark across the pages, from the vivid blue of Lady Olio, almost hidden behind the piles of stuff in her shop, to the militant and bright pink pig, who guards the staircase to the dream dimension. The dream bunny is a fluffy, marshmallow-like pink creation, who floats disturbingly about the room with a blank stare. Ants in shades of green, red, and brown march across the pages, and Dog’s bright red polka dots leap about from place to place in the bright muck of the sewer. The retro 70s look of the art, combined with the crowded pages and goofy, nonsensical storylines, make me a bit doubtful as to who is the correct audience for this series.
The text is laid out in a bold font and is fairly sparse and simple, with short sentences and a mostly intermediate level of vocabulary. That and the silly nature of the stories seems to make them aimed at a younger audience. However, the eclectic illustrations, crammed with bits and bobs and random articles, keep this from being workable as a book for an emerging or beginning reader; they’re simply too busy for most young readers to track the action and text simultaneously. If you have slightly older or more fluent readers who like I Spy type art and this younger style of silly, meandering story, this could be just the right selection for them.
Dog & Hat and the Lost Polka Dots, book 1 ISBN: 9781797206882
Dog & Hat and the Lunar Eclipse Picnic, book 2 ISBN: 9781797206899 By Darrin Shuler Chronicle Books, 2022
Publisher Age Rating: 6-9 NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
This has to be the most fun way to learn about giant squids ever! This colorful, pick your own adventure style book is fun, beautiful, and educational all at the same time.
Follow a diverse array of characters on our expedition team through the whole process of getting out to sea to send a submersible, or in this case, a human-occupied vehicle (HOV), which, just as the name indicates, brings people down to the deepest parts of the ocean. The book begins by using wonderful graphics with comic book style word bubbles to introduce the big concepts such as the ocean zones, different underwater vehicles, parts of a submersible, and a fun but educational section on what to pack.
The real adventure begins when you get to choose your pilot based on their different skill sets. Next, the reader gets to choose between two different kinds of submersibles. Again, the options are laid out with each machine’s strengths and weaknesses. There are always trade-offs, so a tough decision must be made. Finally, your dive site must be chosen from three completely different parts of the world. Readers get to explore the ocean and discover all kinds of other creatures, such as a paper lantern jellyfish or a firefly squid. The author has included fun facts about these other beings, how parts of the submersible work, and realistic problems that pilots could run into on one of their dives.
The back of the book includes a list of common names for sea creatures as well as their scientific names, a glossary, recommended books and resources, and a bibliography. It’s great when non-fiction works include their research sources so youngsters can begin to understand how many different sources were used to bring a book like this together.
This is an incredible book. It will surely inspire any child to want to study more about the ocean. The fun variety of page layouts and creative ways information is dispersed throughout the pages makes this book engaging and exciting. It doesn’t feel like you are reading a big book of facts; it’s laid out as if you’re discovering the ocean just like a deep sea diver would.
Overall, this is an outstanding book. I haven’t read a children’s non-fiction book that is this much fun to read through in a long time. Young readers will surely finish up this title, delighting that it’s an ongoing series.
Search for a Giant Squid: Pick Your Path (Science Explorers) By Amy Seto Forrester Art by Andy Chou Musser Chronicle, 2023 ISBN: 9781797213934
Publisher Age Rating: 6-9 NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
I have been a fan of Maxwell Eaton from his first quirky picture books, featuring Max and Pinky, through his hilarious comics of the Flying Beaver Brothers, and now to his most recent work of picture book format comics with nonfiction subjects, presented with his trademark humor. Survival Scout introduces a new character and a new series, combining information about survival in various disasters with quirky humor, helpful facts, and an array of delightful characters.
Scout, the main character, was expecting to go on a hiking trip with her grandmother. Instead she’s gotten stuck with her older brother, wanna-be wilderness guide and know-it-all ignoramus, who promptly loses them in the wilderness and is chased off by a bear. As the story progresses, Scout makes good decisions, ensuring her survival and eventual rescue. Periodic humorous asides are included of her brother and the bear on their endless Looney Tunes-esque chase, and Scout’s efforts are cheerfully critiqued by a local skunk and other passing animals. She builds shelter, makes a fire, figures out a food supply, and weighs the pros and cons of staying put and moving out, including figuring out her position without a compass. There’s a happy ending for everyone, even (sort of) Scout’s brother and the bear. Grandma, Scout, and the skunk end the story with the expectation of more fun hikes to come. An appendix includes illustrated guides to making knots, building an outdoor latrine, Morse code, and more.
Eaton’s chunky art has been somewhat refined from his first picture books, but the deadpan faces and hysterical asides are still a strong feature. Scout and her brother are white; Scout has shaggy brown hair and is sensibly dressed in long pants, sturdy shoes, and button-up red shirt. The ubiquitous skunk is a fluffy black blob with a narrow white stripe and a habit of casually leaning their pointed nose into instructional sections to offer advice and commentary. Although characters’ eyes are all little ovals, Eaton still fills in plenty of expression, from Scout’s determination to survive to her quiet enjoyment of the beautiful night sky. The background is very simple, just a green meadow, blue river, a few trees, and snow-capped mountains in the distance. The narrative is interspersed with short comics demonstrating various skills, like different ways to light a fire.
These will be appreciated by kids and adults alike, especially those who can enjoy Eaton’s subtle humor. Full of helpful and practical information built into the light structure of a narrative, this new series is sure to be as popular as Eaton’s previous nonfiction foray, The Truth About…, and is recommended for public and school libraries.
Survival Scout, vol. 1: Lost in the Mountains By Maxwell Eaton III Macmillan Roaring Brook, 2023 ISBN: 9781250790460
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
This is the compilation of a popular webcomic, although I suspect most of its online readers are adults (in my experience, elementary-age readers don’t follow webcomics online). However, it’s nice that this gently humorous and charming story has been put into a medium that will reach a wider audience.
The story opens with Pebble, a yellow and brown striped little monster with horns, comfortably reading in a cave. Their parents appear and tell them it’s time to go live in the human world, much to Pebble’s distress. However, they reluctantly get ready to go and follows a fluttering purple butterfly out of the magical monster forest to…. the suburbs! Eventually they meet up with Wren, a black-haired little girl with two dads, who is happy to invite Pebble to live with her for a while. There are some initial bumps; Wren has very definite expectations of what a monster should be, and Pebble is determined to go back to their real home. However, as the two interact, both learn to appreciate each other and Pebble starts feeling at home in this strange new world. Eventually, Pebble gives up their plan of returning home and wants to stay, but they’ll need to unlock a special new ability to remain in the human world. What will happen if Pebble never gains a new ability? Will they have to say goodbye to Wren and her dads and give up their new family?
The backgrounds and setting of the story are simple blocks of color: a green couch, pastel walls, and bright brown tree trunks in the magical forest. This focuses the readers’ attention on the interaction between the two main characters. Pebble emotes with their whole body, using their shape-changing ability to elongate and reshape themselves as well as showing a wide range of exaggerated emotions through their eyes, mouth, stick-like arms and hands. Wren is more straight-faced, wearing a limited selection of clothes in a palette of light and dark purples, and she trades back and forth between simple frowns and smiles, with a few additional nuances conveyed through her eyebrows. Although Wren’s emotions are more subdued, her behavior and expressions show how she gradually befriends Pebble and is often amused by their comic mistakes and confusions over the human world.
This gentle story of friendship and resilience is sprinkled with plenty of humor and served up in short chapters. Those who remember classic comics like Jellaby or enjoy the newer beginning chapter comics that spin off the traditional “odd couple” motif of early readers, like Narwhal and Jelly or Pea, Bee, and Jay, will enjoy this story and look forward to more adventures of Pebble and Wren. There’s a nice range of diversity included, from Pebble’s pronouns to the comfortable adult relationship between Wren’s dads. This is sure to find a ready audience in most school and library collections.
Pebble and Wren By Chris Hallbeck Clarion Books, 2023 ISBN: 9780358541288
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12 years NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Smith, the creator of the pun-filled Pea Bee and Jay and Giarrusso, artist of the Mini Marvels, team up for a Dog Man/Sponge Bob mash-up, complete with underwater hijinks, supervillains, and flavorful kelp cakes.
It’s a peaceful day under the sea in Caper Cove, when a crime is committed! To catch up with the culprit, the police call in Clawsome, a lobster, and his sidekick Stariana. Together, the two save the day and set out to Kelpy’s for their favorite kelp cakes. But something is going on behind the scenes… something big. When people and even buildings start disappearing, Clawsome and Stariana will have to solve their biggest case yet, going up against all manner of undersea villains, secret plots, and even some pro-wrestling drama. When the claws hit the mat, who can they depend on? And will they be able to save their friends—and themselves?
Colorful cartoons pop from the pages of this silly story, with the bright red Clawsome shooting through the air, spinning yellow, grinning Stariana like a weapon, and zooming through the streets in submarine autos. There’s a giant claw machine, Lucha Libre style wrestlers (mussels of course), and gangs of pufferfish popping their spikes during bank heists. The action is non-stop and the underwater backgrounds, shown by occasional streams of bubbles and streams of water, don’t stop Giarrusso from going all out with helicopters, blimps, and bouncing back and forth between creatures swimming and floating through the atmosphere and then being threatened with being dropped from great heights. Crabs, seahorses, a goldfish in Sherlock Holmes’ style tweeds and cap, and a myriad of underwater creatures fight, commute, plot, and run retail establishments throughout the story and the bright colors complement the endless stream of puns.
This is definitely in the vein of Dog Man, but is most likely to appeal to fans of John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators or Mo O’Hara’s Agent Moose. There’s no attempt at realism; it’s more a superhero story than a police mystery and the goofy antics of the characters, like stopping in the middle of an investigation for a wrestling bout, will keep kids giggling all the way through. This genre is extremely popular right now and this will fly off the shelves in both schools and public libraries, giving young readers plenty of harmless fun and enjoyment.
Officer Clawsome, vol. 1: Lobster Cop By Brian Smitty Smith Art by Chris Giarrusso Harper Collins Harper Alley, 2023 ISBN: 9780063136366
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12 years NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
Promotions for this new comic series proclaim it to be the new Dog Man, which is certainly over-ambitious for what it offers. However, its silly humor will please many intermediate comic readers.
The Bumble brothers, Christopher and Walter, are biracial twins and, as the story begins, their goofiness is firmly established. They wake up on a Saturday morning and go into a panic because a cloud moves in front of the sun, making them think it has disappeared. This is especially traumatic because it’s the day of the release of a new issue of their favorite comic series, starring superhero Frabbit. After various nonsensical antics, they make their way to the dining room and their parents, who are too busy arguing about the boys’ baby pictures to fix them breakfast. After a short interval, the boys are sent to the store by their mother to buy milk. At first, she tries to request “ultra-pasteurized, homogenized, glorified, rarified, purified and liquified with vitamins A and D added” but quickly gives up and just gives them two dollars for milk. Naturally, the boys forget their task as soon as they get out of the house and start getting into various shenanigans, leading them to end up at the comic shop buying the latest issue of Frabbit. More shenanigans ensue, ending with them returning home sans milk and comic, but all is not lost, as Papa Bumble comes to their rescue.
Schatell is an experienced illustrator of picture books and easy readers, and moves easily to the graphic novel format with a classic cartoon style. Both brothers have light brown skin, Christopher has curly hair and a buck tooth and tends to be goofier than his brother; Walter has straight brown hair and glasses. A few other people, including their parents, are shown, and the others mostly are brown-skinned as well. All are the classic expanded stick man pose, with skinny legs and arms, simple shapes for feet, four-finger hands, and pinpoint eyes, although Walter’s are are dots in his oversized glasses. Frabbit, their favorite superhero, makes frequent appearances and is depicted with the top half of a white rabbit, including a buck tooth and long ears, and the bottom half of a frog, with two giant green feet. The adults the boys come into contact with are generally resigned to their silliness, unless, like Papa Bumble, they share in the goofiness themselves.
There is a typo on page 7, but the the book has a firm binding, especially for a paperback, and is reasonably priced. The reading level and nonsensical “plot” would make this, in my opinion, more suited for younger readers, those just graduating to chapter books. It’s most similar to the intermediate easy reader Noodleheads series based on “fool” type fairy tales in graphic novel format illustrated by Tedd Arnold. Older readers, even Dav Pilkey fans, are apt to require more actual plot from their reading. However, there is no potty humor or violence, other than some squabbles between the boys, so it may be an alternative for libraries needing graphic novels without Pilkey-style anarchic humor. Purchase where Noodleheads books are popular and more bland fare for intermediate readers is needed.
Bumble Brothers: Crazy for Comics By Steve Metzger Art by Brian Schatell Reycraft, 2022 ISBN: 9781478875840
Publisher Age Rating: 4-8 years old NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
Dan Thompson, a comic artist best known for the satiric Rip Haywire and L’il Rip Haywire comic strips, steps into early chapter books in this new series from Random House Graphic.
The story opens with a plump, orange and white housecat scampering into the zoo. He makes his way to the tiger enclosure where Lily, a full-grown tiger, is napping, and loudly announces that he’s home. It turns out that Tig is convinced he is a tiger and the bewildered Lily finds herself accommodating his demands while starting to doubt which of them is the “real” tiger. A look at her enclosure sign reassures her, but when Tig disappears and meets the other tigers, how will he react to being told he’s just a housecat? Will Lily defend her new friend?
The cartoon art is bright and attractive; the cover shows the orange-striped Lily looking shocked while Tig, standing on his hind legs on a rock, cheerfully announces he’s a tiger. The anthropomorphic characterization continues throughout the story as the tigers walk about on their hind legs and the simple blue and green backgrounds make their bright oranges and Tig’s more subdued yellow-orange pop out. The simple art makes it easy for beginning readers to follow the dialogue as the characters move around the enclosure. Although some tiger facts are included at the end, as well as a guide to drawing the characters, there is no attempt to show natural tiger (or cat) behavior.
On the surface, this is a simple story following the plot line of numerous picture books like I am a Cat by Galia Bernstein and Stripes the Tiger by Berengere Delaporte, where a housecat claims kinship with a big cat. The odd couple friendship is the traditional motif of nearly all early readers, from Frog and Toad to Elephant and Piggie. However, some reflection on the underlying themes and actual behavior of the characters in this story should make librarians think twice about introducing it to their readers. Lily, a female, has her enclosure invaded and taken over by Tig, a male. He doesn’t just want to be recognized as a tiger—his identity as a tiger is dependent on gaslighting Lily into thinking she’s not a tiger. Lily, even as she tries to reassure herself of her own identity, finds herself falling in with Tig’s demands and remaking her space to suit him. When Tig is told by other tigers in the enclosure (an odd encounter considering both he and Lily have told the reader that tigers are solitary) that he is not a tiger, and Lily finds him crying, her immediate reaction is to defend him by reusing Tig’s arguments to confuse the other tigers about their own identity. The two depart as “friends” with Lily acknowledging Tig as a tiger, “You can be whatever you want to be” and asking him to stay with her, despite the fact that he shows no remorse for his behavior and does not reciprocate by acknowledging her identity in any way. This isn’t an example of friendship or supporting others’ identity, it’s a blueprint for an abusive relationship with underlying anti-trans rhetoric.
The cute cartoon art makes it tempting to automatically add this title without looking deeper; however, there are many, many better titles about identity, such as Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale and Shark Princess by Nidhi Chanani as well as a vast selection of beginning chapter comics modeling healthy friendships from Lemon Bird Can Help by Ganucheau to Shelby and Watts by Ashlyn Anstee. After reading and considering this title, I chose to cancel my order and do not recommend it as an addition to any school or library collection.
Tig and Lily, Vol. 1: Tiger Trouble By Dan Thompson Penguin Random House Graphic, 2023 ISBN: 9780593486283
Publisher Age Rating: grades K-3 NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
Nick Bruel first introduced Bad Kitty in picture book format in 2005 and she was immediately popular. Her alphabetical shenanigans returned with the introduction of Poor Puppy in a second picture book and then she found her true metier in illustrated chapter books with Bad Kitty Gets a Bath in 2008.
Over the years, Bad Kitty has starred in a number of humorous adventures, the later titles including some pointed commentary on refugee (kittens), the election (of cats), education (of cats) and Bad Kitty’s cell phone usage. Bad Kitty retains her stubborn nature and chaotic behavior throughout, and the latest incarnation of this perennially popular character is the reissue of her tantrums and adventures in full color.
Her latest book, published in full color, starts with Bad Kitty leisurely scrolling through her phone while her exasperated (and unseen) human asks her to help clean up or at least do something that’s not electronic! It’s decided, to Kitty’s shock, that she must have… a playdate and Strange Kitty is the selected “friend.” Strange Kitty, who wears a top hat and tie, talks (unlike Bad Kitty who communicates only in meows), and has a mouse friend, arrives with a stack of comics and eventually, after an eloquent flow of language, convinces Kitty to join them in a make-believe game of superheroes. This involves several activities for readers to participate in as well, like using a superhero name generator and following instructions to create a comic. The arrival of another friend, going by the name of Dr. Lagomorph, sets the game going and the trio enjoy a raucous game throughout the house, ending when Kitty gets a little over-enthusiastic and breaks the rules. It all ends happily however, with a rather sententious speech from the mouse and amends from Kitty—and the human’s discovery of just what their game has done to the house…
Bruel’s layout for the Bad Kitty chapter books alternates between spot illustrations with short paragraphs of text and more traditional comic panels, with the primary dialogue from Strange Kitty, Dr. Lagomorph, and Power Mouse. Kitty has retained her trademark look throughout the series, a skinny black cat with spiky fur, bulging yellow eyes, and a splash of white on her chest. Bad Kitty’s expressions are most often seen in their lack, as she stares blankly at Strange Kitty’s antics, occasionally shrugs, and periodically erupts into a frenzied attack. Most of the humor is a combination of the deadpan delivery of lengthy perorations from Strange Kitty and the rapid switch between Bad Kitty’s indifference and wild reactions. Bruel plunges fully into the imagination game in this book, cutting panels in half with the imagined superheroes and villains, sporting full armor and massive muscles, and the real “kids” playing in homemade costumes.
As I’ve watched Bad Kitty evolve over the years, I’ve personally found the later books to be a little repetitive and leaning more heavily on didactic lectures. The combination of illustration, text, and comic can be both a pro and a con, as it discourages some struggling readers who can’t handle the lengthier text and complex vocabulary as well as falling on the radar of “comics are not real books” parents, but also gives readers a little bit of extra challenge on adding more text to what appears to be an “easy” chapter book. In my experience, most young fans gravitate to the earlier titles, those which don’t necessarily include a “lesson.” However, the series as a whole continues to be wildly popular and this latest title will both get kids giggling and as well as giving a tip of the hat (Super Kitty’s hat of course) to parents and teachers concerned with excessive screen use, not to mention including some inside jokes for superhero fans.
While I would not introduce a new reader to the series with this title, it’s certainly worth adding to the collection; the only real drawback is that this and the other newly reissued full color titles are not yet available in library binding, only in hardcover, and they are less likely to last through multiple readings from eager young fans.
Supercat By Nick Bruel Macmillan Roaring Brook, 2022 ISBN: 9781250749987
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
If your young reader is sad that they’re too old for the classic series, How to Catch a…, then this is the series for you! Author Alice Walstead has come out with this graphic novel series that follows the same fun pattern of the picture book version of these amusing titles. 
Do we really need another odd-couple easy reader, even if it is a comic? If it’s Gnome and Rat, the answer is yes! Ever since the debut of Arnold Lobel’s classic couple, Frog and Toad, the contrasting friends and roommates has been a popular trope. Elephant and Piggie are the modern classic standard, but it’s an easy form to fit a simple plot and text. Authors and artists have been churning out books like these with varying results, especially along the lines of actually portraying healthy relationships and friendships, and this new offering is delightful and heart-warming.
This wacky series, featuring the psychedelic art of Darin Shuler, gives a nod to past styles while creating a world all its own.
This has to be the most fun way to learn about giant squids ever! This colorful, pick your own adventure style book is fun, beautiful, and educational all at the same time. 
I have been a fan of Maxwell Eaton from his first quirky picture books, featuring Max and Pinky, through his hilarious comics of the Flying Beaver Brothers, and now to his most recent work of picture book format comics with nonfiction subjects, presented with his trademark humor. Survival Scout introduces a new character and a new series, combining information about survival in various disasters with quirky humor, helpful facts, and an array of delightful characters.
This is the compilation of a popular webcomic, although I suspect most of its online readers are adults (in my experience, elementary-age readers don’t follow webcomics online). However, it’s nice that this gently humorous and charming story has been put into a medium that will reach a wider audience.
Smith, the creator of the pun-filled Pea Bee and Jay and Giarrusso, artist of the Mini Marvels, team up for a Dog Man/Sponge Bob mash-up, complete with underwater hijinks, supervillains, and flavorful kelp cakes.
Dan Thompson, a comic artist best known for the satiric Rip Haywire and L’il Rip Haywire comic strips, steps into early chapter books in this new series from Random House Graphic.
shenanigans returned with the introduction of Poor Puppy in a second picture book and then she found her true metier in illustrated chapter books with Bad Kitty Gets a Bath in 2008.
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