Do you know what a wombat is? I had to look it up. They live in Australia and can get to 1 meter in length! They’re marsupials whose pocket is on their back, not stomach! (They are good diggers; this way, the dirt doesn’t fill the pocket.)
The wombats in is this book are Albert, experienced outback camper, and hopelessly mistaken Pickles, who brings a huge rolling suitcase, a large glass jar of pickles, donut-colored innertube, pineapple-shaped sunglasses, and huge expectations for glamping. Pickles thinks they’ll be taking a bus to their luxury cabin where he can eat rich food by the fireplace and swim in a pool! BOY, will HE be surprised! He doesn’t know how a compass works, he has trouble setting up his tent, and everything seems to make a sound or a tooting smell! He’s SURE that “…there’s nothing amazing about nature, Albert.”
Albert is very patient with him and is sure that Pickles just hasn’t had his “one special moment in nature” yet. You know, the moment that makes you FEEL ALIVE! Things begin to take a turn when they find a lost baby koala and need to find the baby’s mama, with help from Platters the Platypus.
This is a very funny and well-paced story with lots going on around the edges of the main action. Panels are mostly side by side and square or rectangular, with not a whole lot of text in each frame. Middle readers should find it an easy read. There are lots of surprises within the pacing of the story too, the main one being who baby koala’s mama really is! (There’s a doorbell on Mama’s cave! Ha!) Even though he’s scared, Pickles faces his fear, surprises himself and does some really amazing things on his camping adventure. But will he find his “one special moment?” No matter what kind of camping adventure they have, Albert, Pickles and Platters know it’s their friendship that’s the best thing about anything they do together.
This is an easy addition to a middle readers graphic novel collection for schools or public libraries. The book is marked “Age Range: 6-9”, but I think kids aged 6-12 should love the silliness and the Aussie accents and jargon. This is a complete story arc, and there is no violent content or adult themes. The art is clear-lined, colorful and sharp, with white gutters that brighten the page.
I reviewed the print copy. The hardcover and binding are very sturdy and should withstand many circulations and shoves into and out of the shelving for the reasonable price of $12.99!
Wombats! Go Camping By Jen Stutesman Penguin Random House Viking Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9780593465295
The Mastiff is the fifth book in Frederic Brremaud’s wordless Loveseries, which follows the adventures of a mastiff surviving in the Australian outback after his owner succumbs to a deadly snake bite while out hunting. The mastiff is forced to flee when a pack of wild dogs finds his owner’s body, he comes across a variety of other snakes, and subsequently has a run in with the wild dogs. Besides focusing on the mastiff’s journey, many pages follow the story of a platypus mother who is living near a pond where the mastiff eventually takes refuge.
Previous volumes followed a tiger, a fox, a lion, and a dinosaur. The reader gets to see the types of challenges and interactions each animal might face in a typical day as well as short asides to highlight other animals’ behavior. The author and artist do not shy away from the natural processes of life, including death, territorial disputes, and reproduction. For example, in The Tiger, although the tiger is unable to capture a monkey, a python is shown strangling one of the monkeys from the back of the group and slithering off with it still in its coils. In The Lion, male lions fight over a lioness and her cubs.
There is no text throughout this series. Instead, the artist includes lots of details and multiple panels per page to convey movement and emotion. It’s like watching a nature documentary but in the form of a book, giving the reader lots of time to analyze the backgrounds and flip back and forth to examine cause and effect. I personally loved the animal side characters and how well they are incorporated into each of the volumes.
Although the publisher has this series rated as All Ages, parents should be aware that death, blood, and violence are found in every volume. I imagine that the conversations spawned by reading it as a family would be engaging and informative. And since there is no shared storyline, each volume is standalone. Back matter includes sketches in all the volumes. The Mastiff also includes three pages about climate change and global warming, the effects felt in Australia, and ten suggestions to fight global warming.
Love: The Mastiff By Frederic Brremaud Art by Federico Bertolucci OtherMagnetic Press, 2021 ISBN: 9781951719173
Publisher Age Rating: All Ages Series ISBNs and Order
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: French, Italian
Since Mo Willems first released the consistently popular Elephant and Piggie series, there has been a slow but gradual increase in the marketing of comics for beginning readers, culminating in an explosion of titles in 2019 that continues through the present. Along the way, many have sought to recreate the enduring appeal of Elephant and Piggie from Mac Barnett’s somewhat controversial Jack books to a scattering of series by Charise Mericle Harper. Perhaps the closest in appeal and popularity is Narwhal and Jelly, with a variety of titles by Jonathan Fenske coming in a close second albeit without the name recognition of Mo Willems.
This latest offering marks the debut of a “husband-and-wife creative duo” who started this transitional comic book series for their young daughter. It blends the classic odd couple format of easy readers with the more child-like outlook, showcasing the silly adventures of two fox friends.
Their first two adventures were released simultaneously and there is no introductory matter, so readers will only know from the publisher’s blurb or the author notes at the back that these are two fox friends. Archie, a fluffy white fox with pink cheeks who looks rather more like a sheep with pointed ears and Reddie, a more traditional-looking red fox with perky red bow, tackle a number of simple friendship issues and mysteries. In one story, Archie hides a pizza he finds and when Reddie tries to solve the mystery, he tries to convince her there’s nothing to find. In the other story, Reddie is trying to get Archie to a hat party with her, but he refuses to go until he has his favorite, just right hat.
The simple stories don’t really include any lessons, other than showing how a friendship works, but they are silly and light-hearted stories of two friends. Neither conform to gender stereotypes; Archie has fluffy white fur and pink cheeks, and spurts into tears (completely with a runny nose) when he’s upset while Reddie’s only decoration is her plain red bow. Reddie is marked out by her super active mind (and body) and she bounces through the pages, the sharp orange and white angles of her body, dressed in just a pair of white pants, dancing and gesturing.
Most of the backgrounds are pastel with slightly darker polka-dots, with bold lines showing the two characters, a handful of friends, and a sprinkling of set pieces like hats, the occasional plant, pizza box, etc. It’s hard not to compare any new transitional comics to the classics, and this new series doesn’t have the bold simplicity of Elephant and Piggie, where the humor rests on a few simple phrases and lines, but it’s still quite funny and the silly adventures of Archie and Reddie will intrigue young readers who are ready for something more challenging and can decode panels and speech bubbles that move the story through dialogue. There are a few more complex textual challenges, including some wordplay and some longer words to intrigue readers as well.
While it’s too soon to tell if this will have the staying power of other classic couples, all the way back to Frog and Toad, it’s a fun addition to a genre and format that’s rising rapidly in popularity and shows promise of attracting young readers who like simple comics and silly stories. Purchase where you have young readers who just can’t get enough transitional comics.
Archie & Reddie series By Candy James Penguin Random House Razorbill, 2021 Vol 1: I Really Dig Pizza ISBN: 9780593350102 Vol 2: We Will Find Your Hat ISBN: 9780593350133 Publisher Age Rating: Preschool – grade 3
Do you know what a wombat is? I had to look it up. They live in Australia and can get to 1 meter in length! They’re marsupials whose pocket is on their back, not stomach! (They are good diggers; this way, the dirt doesn’t fill the pocket.)
Since Mo Willems first released the consistently popular Elephant and Piggie series, there has been a slow but gradual increase in the marketing of comics for beginning readers, culminating in an explosion of titles in 2019 that continues through the present. Along the way, many have sought to recreate the enduring appeal of Elephant and Piggie from Mac Barnett’s somewhat controversial Jack books to a scattering of series by Charise Mericle Harper. Perhaps the closest in appeal and popularity is Narwhal and Jelly, with a variety of titles by Jonathan Fenske coming in a close second albeit without the name recognition of Mo Willems.
