One Cool Duck, file under: a kid’s first graphic novel

I contend that reluctant readers aren’t really reluctant; it’s just that they haven’t found their jam. Their jam is the book that speaks to them, and the sooner they find their jam, the quicker they will start to devour any of that ilk that stands in their way. Thus begins the domino chain of academic success, personal happiness, world peace and teachers everywhere rejoicing. One Cool Duck: King of Cool is a kid’s first graphic novel that could be that book for some younger elementary school students.

Its packaging is half of the battle in being attractive to early elementary school and even pre-k readers. One Cool Duck is a hardback book with the number “1” emblazoned on its spine. This means that it’s part of a series, “I can read books that are in a series, just like the big kids”, is what those four through seven-year-old kids will think, but won’t tell you. King of Cool also has chapter, three gloriously short chapters for those young readers to devour and gain confidence as they learn to read more.

King of Cool also has bright, super vibrant colors that will scream at those ages in the best of all possible ways. From the moment that kids open the book and see the puzzle images of fast food, sunglasses, and emojis to the skateboarding cat, it’s got movement and action for those young ages.

The characters in One Cool Duck are all farm animals who are softly drawn in an anthropomorphic fashion. This style of art is what those pre-k through early elementary school readers want and are attracted to. When you combine that with the other things in the book’s favor you’ve got something that will take very little effort for little kids to love.

The story in King of Cool has a lesson, but don’t tell the young readers that. This is fun, silly stuff that’s driven by art and colors. Duck is the coolest kid at the pond, has the high score at the arcade, can do awesome bike tricks and looks good while doing them all. One day, a cat moves into town and can do everything that duck can do, but better, cooler, and faster.

The issue is that cat is kind of a jerk. Cat doesn’t say thank you, does things that are inconsiderate to others, and is gluttonous, which is especially egregious to the pig. All of the friends are paying more attention to cat than to duck, so he goes back to the pond to have a chat with his dad. Friends will come back around, is the basic thrust of what he’s told, and sure enough, it comes back around when cat finds himself stuck in a tree.

Some of those second graders will publically roll their eyes when they see the lesson. It’s one that they need to see though, and see multiple times, because the odds are that they will repeat the same mistakes that cat does. A penitent cat is humble, a penitent duck is humble, so sayeth the lessons of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

To those pre-k kids, One Cool Duck is a graphic novel series that is just up their alley. It’s got chapters to be a big kid book, art that speaks to their young age, and a combination of the two that will build confidence that’ll pay dividends as they continue to read more advanced stories.

One Cool Duck: King of Cool is by Mike Petrik and is available on Hippo Park, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers.

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