BENNY AND PENNY

In this graphic mini-novel, a mouse in pirate dress fends off the overtures of his persistent little sister (garbed as a princess), then turns out to be more of a wuss than she is when it comes to bugs. Launching an easy-reader series with this tried-and-true narrative arc, this episode features two very young-looking sibs moving through an idyllic outdoorsy setting and, after a series of tiffs and temporary setbacks, sharing a make-up hug before embarking together on an imagined pirate adventure. Framed in well-separated panels of diverse shape, the art incorporates “plewds,” “briffits” and other visual conventions from comics, along with a mix of dialogue balloons and boxed narrative snippets. Emergent readers should have no trouble following along—or (except perhaps for only children) identifying with the situation. (Easy reader. 5-6)