My Pencil and Me by Sara Varon joins an elite club of books that is currently held by How This Book Was Made and Attack of the Stuff. All three of those releases are absurdly happy books that kids will enjoy, perhaps scratch their heads at, but certainly come back for more. Sara Varon’s My Pencil and Me is the softest and youngest skewing book on that list. If you have a child four-years-old and up who likes dogs, doodling, playful monsters, and having fun, then My Pencil and Me is one that you need to dig into ASAP.
This week in all age comic books has two of the best releases that we’ve seen this year. Each of them is very different and will attract a reader. First up is Investigators, Take the Plunge which is the second book in this series by John Patrick Green. This graphic novel is hilarious, well written, jammed with action, and has jokes that will work for elementary school readers and way up. My wife loved the book. I loved the book and readers ages 8 and up looking something akin to Dog Man need to read this. Investigators, Take the Plunge follows two alligators who try to solve a crime that’s laden with puns, visual gags, and jokes that work for young kids and different ones that skew just a bit older.
My Pencil and Me is by Sara Varon. It’s an illustrated book that breaks the third wall for young readers. This could be a read-along book for those aged five and up. It centers on a writer who’s having trouble writing. Her pencil starts talking to her and the creative insanity grows tenfold from there. The illustrations are great for young ages and feature all manner of animals playing baseball or engaging in the story of the pencil and Varon. This is a great, good-night book that will remain in your forever bookshelf. It’s a shorter book than Varon usually writes. Her previous books like New Shoes have been good but had a softer sense of humor. My Pencil and Me is humor that’s front and center that will make adults laugh and kids want to read (and laugh).
In comic books this week check out My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #90, Star Wars Adventures Battle Wars #5 of 5, or Stranger Things Science Camp #1 of 4. That last title will be appropriate for those mid-middle school students who have seen the show. For all of this week’s comic books just check out the books after the link.
Sara Varon has created graphic novels packed with friendly, anthropomorphic robots or animals who make shoes, knit scarves and are otherwise the kind of neighbors that you want to have. Hold Hands is a picture book that skews younger than Varon’s other work, while featuring the same, cartoon realistic animals that you wish were your neighbors. This is the kind of feel-good, rhyming, illustrated book that ages three-six will love as a goodnight book.
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