BEAKY BARNES AND THE DEVIOUS DUCK

Beaky Barnes, a human-size chicken, returns in a graphic novel that serves as a love letter to libraries.

Ramblin’ into town comes a slightly nefarious hobo duck. One hates to judge a book by its cover, but Duck’s reading material (How To Fool People) is fishy. A woman on a bench feeding the pigeons offers Duck some bread but is angered when he gobbles it all up. Disheartened, he turns to How To Fool People and hatches the first of several get-rich-quick schemes. Meanwhile, roomies and close friends Beaky and the Inventor are living their best, most productive lives. While the Inventor works from home and cares for Beaky’s baby, Chickie, Beaky hosts storytimes and minds the information desk at the Simpleton Library. Devious Duck continues to burn bridges right and left before finally arriving at the library for books on scams. Duck and readers learn quickly that you can’t pull a fast one on a librarian, but they also see that even when provoked, library professionals are compassionate and kind problem solvers. Caldecott Honor winner Stein’s trademark artwork, rendered in ballpoint pen and digitally enhanced watercolor, never misses. Duck’s misdeeds are handled with compassion—an early lesson on community-based, restorative justice. To deliver that message while still infusing the book with zany, chaotic humor is nothing short of masterful. Human characters are light-skinned.

Both delightfully quirky and thought provoking.