Wooden dialogue weighs down this woodsy graphic tale of two single-parent families getting together. Routed out of their den by hunters, Mrs. Fox and her daughter, Ginger, wangle an invitation to stay the night with Mr. Badger and his kits, Grub, Bristle and the baby. The grown-ups click immediately; the young folk—particularly hostile, unsocialized only-child Ginger—start off, at least, at war. Arranged in squared-off graphic panels, several to a page, Tharlet’s uncluttered, fluidly brushed watercolor scenes are easy to follow as the young folk squabble about games and other issues but eventually come together over plans for a big moving-in party. Unfortunately the conversation as translated by Burrell too often runs to blocky lines—“We cannot return to our burrow. It is all destroyed”—and there is little suspense about the eventual outcome, giving this purposeful but promising series an uneven start. Still, it’s hard not to warm up to characters named Bristle and Grub; here’s hoping things smooth out in future entries. (Graphic animal fantasy. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7613-5631-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
Ghostly fun for the gentlest of readers.
Newly arrived with his parents in seemingly quiet Kersville, an anxious young Latine boy discovers that his new house isn’t quite as normal and boring as he’d hoped.
This graphic reboot of the opener to a proliferating series of early chapter books dispenses with most of the explication but sticks closely to the original’s plotline and dialogue. Hardly has Andres Miedoso—who shares a name with the tale’s author—had time to unpack before a flurry of weird noises and events sends him hurrying over to consult with his grinning, brown-skinned new neighbor, who earlier handed him a business card provocatively labeled “Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol.” Yes, there’s a ghost in Andres’ house—a jagged, seething cloud of ectoplasm that makes a terrifying first impression…but then gleefully chows down on some unfortunate lasagna and, after paying the gastric price, admits to being a sad, lonely specter searching for a permanent home. By the end, all three have bonded, Andres has a card of his own, and the stage is set for further supernatural exploits. The illustrations are closely based on those in the book’s antecedent, with the addition of bright colors that nicely show off Desmond’s big personality—and the massive green sliming Andres gets when the ghost upchucks all over him. The chills are, if anything, even lighter than the original’s, and the fresh format may draw some new fans.
Ghostly fun for the gentlest of readers. (Graphic ghost fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9798347100811
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
BOOK REVIEW
This sheep-in-everyboy’s-clothing returns for a third set of edifying neighborhood encounters: with archrival Mandy Dinkus in a closet (it’s complicated); manners coach Ms. Bottoms; a roller coaster; and the really old, but surprisingly un-scary Stagglemyers. As before, Johnny emerges from each meeting a little wiser—discovering, for instance, that he prefers the Duckie-Go-Round to the roller coaster, and later actually working with Mandy to head off a possible romantic connection between their respective single parents. Separated by recipes—of sorts: “Mutton soup is 100% melted vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top”—Proimos tells each tale in minimally detailed, brightly colored cartoon panels, with dialogue floating in balloons. Think Ricky Ricotta, without the violence. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-15-216772-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
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