A quirky romp but also a niche one.
Princess Robin isn’t supposed to have adventures, but that doesn’t stop her in this French import.
Excited for the Aquatic Carnival, happy-go-lucky Princess Robin slips out of the castle without any adults catching her. Taking a shortcut through the woods, she comes across four brothers who, à la “Hansel and Gretel,” are terrified after having been dropped off in the woods by their father. Robin is determined to help them, and as adventures featuring a mermaid, pirates, kidnapping, and a candy house ensue, the quintet becomes fast friends. Adventures are broken down into three chapters (the book was originally published in three separate volumes), and each one includes a map and at least one interactive activity. “Dear reader,” prompts one, “please help our friends make the right choice! Which vine reaches all the way to the ground?” At least one, a connect-the-dots drawing, actively encourages children to put writing implement to book. The style and substance are less like Jeremy Whitley’s comic-book series Princeless or Ursula Vernon’s Hamster Princess and more as though Yellow Submarine and Luke Pearson’s Hilda had an extremely European baby. The scribbly crayon-and-ink illustrations have a bright, bold color palette and often take advantage of the diminutive size of Robin and her friends (all white-presenting) in their use of scale. Robin is one of only a few girl characters.
A quirky romp but also a niche one. (Graphic fantasy. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12416-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Models attention to detail and deductive reasoning in a fun beach setting, complete with interesting facts.
Beachcombers and shell seekers, gather ’round and meet Shelby and Watts, Planetary Investigators.
When Fred the hermit crab can’t find a new, larger shell to move into, he seeks out the “brilliant brains” of Shelby and Watts. Shelby, a fox, is the detective in the duo, and Watts, a badger, loves facts, adding simple fun ones—about hermit crabs, tides, tide-pool dwellers, how shells are used, etc.—throughout the story. Watts also loves to catalog clues in his notebook. In fact, the first mystery that Shelby solves is that of Watts’ lost notebook. Young readers can watch Shelby investigate, solve, and explain her deductive process, all while learning to carefully examine all the details in each graphic panel. Once the missing shells are found, it’s “time for the hermit crab shuffle,” in which the members of a colony of hermit crabs all line up and trade up to larger homes. Final pages include “Earth-Saving Tips from Shelby & Watts,” such as taking pictures of shells instead of collecting them, eating seafood from sustainable sources, and cleaning up the beach. The seven chapters are of varying length, but with several one-panel pages and many pages with low word count, the book is shorter than it appears, which should be a confidence boost for young readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Models attention to detail and deductive reasoning in a fun beach setting, complete with interesting facts. (Graphic early reader/mystery. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20531-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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