PUMPKIN AND BEETLE

Two young friends start a small business in hopes of achieving their dreams.

Though their names may not immediately suggest it, Pumpkin and Beetle are felines—cute, petite vampire cats to be specific. They live in a Halloween-themed village populated by curious creatures; their elementary school classmates include a mummy, a pumpkinhead, a witch, and a wolf. When Pumpkin and Beetle spot a comic book they want to buy in the town bookshop, they realize they need to earn money to buy it. A brainstorming session ensues, and they finally settle on selling crabapples. That idea is a bust (“I can find crabapples in the forest!” one of their prospective customers tells them), so they make various entrepreneurial pivots to create a more exciting product, eventually cooking up some rather burnt crabapple muffins. These, too, are a flop, and Pumpkin and Beetle are close to despair, but a timely barter just might be the solution to their conflict. An enjoyable exercise in persistence, problem-solving, and happy compromise, this graphic novel features succinct text, ideal for readers of many skill levels, while the cartooning is more sweet than spooky. One of the friendly recurring characters is a floating, silently supportive pink ghost cat named Boo—an especially adorable addition. A glimpse into the comic that Pumpkin and Beetle are obsessed with purchasing and a presumably yummier apple muffin recipe round out the book.

Feel-good feline fun.