A series opener that both enchants and captivates.
A bird and a boar embark upon an adventure and encounter a fearsome foe.
In this first entry in a new graphic novel series, Haru, a blue, flightless bird who uses they/them pronouns, is picked on by the other birds (“Are they even a real bird?” “Looks more like a blueberry!”). Their best friend, Yama, a kindhearted pig, does her best to offer Haru warmth and reassurance, but their confidence falters nevertheless. One day, after chasing an errant paper airplane, Yama discovers “the heart of briar,” which “glows with darkness” and has a mysterious past. Frightened by this heart that’s wrapped in thorny brambles, Yama tries to rid herself of it by throwing it into the water, but it magically reappears and slowly infects her with negative, unkind thoughts. Haru and Yama soon find themselves having a wild and thrilling adventure through an unusual shopping mall, befriending an anthropomorphized mushroom and a firefly, and ultimately coming up against a terrifying nemesis who harbors his own secrets. Latham’s tale is lush and evocative, recalling the quirky whimsicality of Hayao Miyazaki and striking an original balance between contemplative and exciting. The muted, earth-toned palette stylishly plays off the dreamy, lyrical text, which brims with alliterative descriptions. Despite portraying no humans, Haru’s world is familiar, with mentions of electricity, Google, and an automobile; perhaps in later volumes, this intriguing but undeveloped element of the worldbuilding will be explored further.
A series opener that both enchants and captivates. (Graphic animal fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781524884734
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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