Wordless books are awesome. They allow readers to use their imagination to entirely propel the story forward. We don’t know anything about their character’s background or the people who are in the story. There are no names and it gives kids, provided they want to play along, a chance for them to tell their own story within the picture narrative that the author has established. Spencer’s New Pet is by Jessie Sima and has a couple neat hooks that will capture young readers.
Being worried is a challenging state of being for kids to process. We want them to be concerned and to be cautious, but worrying about anything and everything is counter-productive. I’m Worried by Michael Ian Black with illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi tackles the concept of worrying in a way that some kids will understand.
What’s new in all age comic books this week? In the podcast we’ll chat about Marvel Team Up, Tangled and a couple other comic books that tie-in to some announcements made at D23 recently.
If you’re looking for a comic book that’s great for ages 8 and up this week check out Lumberjanes or Invader Zim. If it’s something a little younger you’re looking for dig into Tangled: Hair It Is, My Little Pony or Casper’s Capers. Our favorite all age comic book (or in this case, graphic novel) is Tyna of the Lake. This is volume 3 in the ongoing Gamayun Tales series by Nobrow Press. This graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and full of the sorts of imagery and monsters that live in fables that ages seven and up will love. This a great example of an all age graphic novel that appeals to those in elementary school and up-without watering down the action or adventure older readers yearn for.
Humor The Art of Bravest Warriors, UE, M, H Casper’s Covers #6, E, M Ducktales Silence & Science #1 of 3, M Lumberjanes #65, E, M, H My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #81, EPumpkin Heads, M, H
Hear me roar. For some reason when I say I Am Hermes!, hear me roar just follows naturally. In actuality the official title is I Am Hermes! Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods. I say mischief, you say Gods, I may think Loki, but nay, this is the OG, original gods, son of Zeus and daughter of Maia. It’s not a stretch to say that the Gods, their powers, relationships and history are Greek to me. Our two children know more about the Greek Gods than I do and that’s due entirely to through what they’ve learned from their friends.
Our Greek friends know that Hermes is the one that invented astronomy, the alphabet, gymnastics, music and more. I Am Hermes!, by Mordecai Gerstein paints the legacy of the original king of mischief in a way that those who don’t know Greek about him will be able to enjoy it in many ways.
Presenting educational text in an actual entertaining format is challenging. I know, the Greek gods didn’t really exist, it’s the sort of mythological beings that allow people to dream. It’s not ‘technically’ education in a non-fiction sense, but it’s fun reading and done in a graphic novel format that ages 8 and up will enjoy.
This is a hardback graphic novel that’s the size of a book. Its format is different and is complimented by the Gerstein’s art. Its painted art with watercolors allows some of the color within the panels to blend into each other or outside the lines. The effect is lighthearted and makes the book read very quickly.
I Am Hermes! is broken up into a couple of chapters, with each one telling a specific angle of his life. Again, at times I have to remind myself that Hermes wasn’t a real person. If it’s someone that you’ve heard of for ages then they must be real, right? Hermes was apparently quite the challenging child for his parents. He was often playing jokes on his parents, all the while trying to figure out his place in the world. So, the story of Hermes is unlike any real person and any similarities to erstwhile siblings who might joke around too much is entirely coincidental.
Think of I Am Hermes! as a starter story for a Greek God whose title, Messenger of the Gods is perhaps better known than he is. The vocabulary is such that those in upper elementary school will be able to easily read it and have the life experiences required to appreciate-and learn the lessons that these myths can teach us.
Turtles, hermit crabs, rabbits and hamsters are what I call, fringe pets. Granted they are domesticated animals, but they’re way down in the pecking order of pets. Either due to space or one of the parents putting the kibosh on getting a kitten, these are the pets that you’ll remember from your childhood. I was right there with you as I had rabbits and a crow. Yes, a crow. Truman, however, is a turtle and his human is Sarah. She’s about to start going to kindergarten this is story is about how Truman handles it.
Bravery, independence and being excited about new experiences all happen on a two-way street. Sarah is somewhat of a solitary kid. She’s not a two-legged, shell-less version of a turtle, but there are some similarities. They’re both a little shy and are both about to embark on a paradigm shift to their lifestyle.
Until now, it’s just been Sarah and Truman all day. She’d feed him seven green beans each day. He would lie on the floor while she colored and life was simple, slow and just the two of them. One day she gives him two extra beans, reminds him to be brave and closes the door. This of course, freaks out Truman out because her backpack, she’s dressed up more than usual and she was a tense (she’s never tense)-something is wrong.
This leads Truman to go on a mighty quest to investigate what’s the problem with her today. Alas, Truman is in a glass container (as all good turtles are) and sometimes just getting from the piece of lettuce to the water can be challenging. What is a concerned turtle to do?
Be brave and explore things that you’re uncomfortable with, that’s the answer. That is just what Truman does. From a turtle’s perspective we see him explore, as much as he’s able to, on his rescue mission to see what’s become of Sarah.
Truman works on so many levels as a children’s illustrated book. First up the art is immediately appealing. The vantage points that Truman sees and the emotions that his little turtle face convey will hook young readers. It hooked me and I’m far older than a young reader. The art is also great for this book. Some pages are corner to corner with color and landscape. Other pages are sparse and illustrate how big the room is relative to the Truman. The one constant is that the colors in the book are the colors. The colors are bright, with a slight retro hue that will remind older readers (me) of comic strips in the Sunday newspaper. However, they have that timeless vibe that will bring in elementary school readers.
Truman is a great, illustrated book with a timeless feel. It’s got lessons for anyone and will appeal to boys or girls aged 5 and up. Those in early through middle elementary will laugh at his adventures and those younger ones will relate to the new, scary experiences, like pre-K or kindergarten.
I love chocolate. I also love my family. Grandpa Cacao by Elizabeth Zunon is the story about a grandfather who she never knew. He grew up harvesting cocoa beans in West Africa and she grew up in Albany, New York. It starts off with her dad making a chocolate cake while mom is running an errand. There are lots of things in the book for some people to love, but as a book with broad appeal Grandpa Cacao falls short, despite its obvious good intentions.
The book shows her grandfather scooping out cacao beans, drying them out and then smashing them into the chocolaty extract that kids everywhere love.
As an illustrated book with an emphasis on art, Grandpa Cacao succeeds wildly. The images are layered with collages, paintings and silk screening techniques. The pages have more in common with an art gallery then some children will be accustomed to. As an exercise in art appreciation that is great, however, the result as an illustrated book-which is what this is, is something different.
The mixed media pages clash together in some instance which caused the story to become secondary. Granted, we love some children’s books where the art or the presentation overtakes the story. But here it’s different because it’s obvious that the story means so much to the author.
The other reason that the book felt jarring is because there is too much text. The book’s full title, Grandpa Cacao, A Tale of Chocolate, From Farm To Family gives a glimpse into the scale it’s attempting. The pages have too much text for the book to be a true “children’s book” in the sense that you read it to them. Most parents would check out halfway through the book if they’re reading it to a small child and the small children wouldn’t be too far behind.
Likewise, the vocabulary in the book is too advanced for young readers who might be drawn in by the cool visuals. The result is a well intended book that’s too artsy for older kids and too wordy for younger kids. Chocolate is great and there’s a cool children’s book out there to tell about how it’s farmed, but this isn’t it for most readers.
This is an ode to the surly children. Those kids whose moods are more often than not, negative. These are the dour children who want to be happy, but don’t want others to want them to be happy. They want to have friends and be loved, as long as it’s on their terms. Picture a pint sized Louis Black, albeit with fewer words and absolutely OK for children and you’ve an idea of the main character in Nobody Hugs A Cactus. Hank is the cactus who behaves like the prickliest human you’ve ever met-and believe me, you’ve met people like him before.
Hank simply hangs out in a pot on his window sill all day. Nothing really happens in front of him, after all it’s the middle of the desert. When something does pass by like a tumbleweed, jackrabbit, tortoise or cowboy he’s more apt to yell at them. At best he’ll raise his cacti voice and tell them that they’re on his property and to get off it ASAP.
That is until a very lanky cowboy walks by and suggests that he needs a hug. “It’s too bad nobody hugs a cactus”, he says as he saunters off into the sunset. For record we say something similar to our 7 year-old when he acts this way, except ours is slightly more condescending. “Is someone feeling grumpy?”, we’ll say when a certain someone needs a nap or is feeling a bit too big for their britches.
After the cowboy leaves Hank’s first comment to a wandering lizard is to immediately proclaim that he does not need a hug. When the second creature, this time an owl swoops by, Hank is slightly more amenable to the fact of hugging someone. After a couple more moments Hank is in full on hug mode, but can’t get anyone to give him the time of day. That is, until a cup gets caught up the in wind, which then gets stuck to his prickly face. He’s unable to remove it due to his dinosaur arms, so Rosie the tumbleweed swipes it off his cactus mug when she passes.
This unleashes a torrent of kindness from Hank. He grows a flower to thank her and waits patiently for her to blow by again. Does our formerly curmudgeon cactus ever get that hug?
Carter Goodrich does the art and story for Nobody Hugs A Cactus. He’s designed characters for Brave, Ratatouille, Despicable Me and many others. Hank is a cactus with personality. Initially all of that is negative and it’s expressed in a variety of tans and browns to perfectly convey the atmosphere of the American southwest.
Hank evolves throughout the story. Initially being the grumpy get-off-of-my-lawn plant, to the erstwhile friendly cactus who is in search of a hug. It’s in this friendly period that Hank’s emotions are best displayed. He’s still a relatively tiny cactus, but the minute movements that his face and tiny arms tell speak more than the words on those pages. At times Hank reminds me of teenage Groot and the perfection that both of these characters reflect the age or mood they’re going through.
Nobody Hugs A Cactus isn’t just for children that can be grumpy or crabby, because everyone can be that given the wrong circumstances. This is the go-to book now for our 7 year-old. We read it to him at night and let him handle the sentences that he’s comfortable with.
Great board books leave older readers grinning when they finish them. The purpose of a board book is to entertain those young readers with introductory vocabulary, bright colors and durable pages, just in case they get chewed on. Scratchie: A Touch-and-Feel Cat-Venture succeeds in all of those categories and one more. It does the rare thing for a board book in allowing older readers (see: the adult reading the book) to grin when they finish presenting the book to the young audience. The result is a board book with just a little bit of bite.
Let’s be clear, I’m not talking ‘bite’ as in societal commentary or controversial parenting opinions.
Scratchie starts out talking directly to the human who is reading the book. The cat invites you to scratch along with them, first off the doormat and then climbing the wooden table that leads to the kitchen counter. Along the way young crawlers to pre-K kids can scratch the surfaces that present themselves on each page.
As cute as cats can be, they sometimes lead to trouble, which is what happens to Scratchie. Towards the end of the book our cat takes things one scratch too far and makes a big mess, just before the human in the book comes to break up the party. Suddenly Scratchie is at a loss of what to do. All that our cat can do is lie on her side and offer for you to pet her.
See, it’s just a little ‘bite’. However, this is just the sort of non-saccharine board book that some parents clamor for. Every bit of Scratchie is fabulous for children. It’s a board book that will allow their emerging senses to touch, chew and turn every page with glee. It also has that ever so slight gleam in those last two pages that accept and expect a mess, or just a little chaos to happen. And that is just the spirit that some new parents need to know is headed their way as said young reader grows.
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