LEMON BIRD

Lemon Bird has to save the day when she and her pal Pupkin get lost.

Lemon Bird, naturally, is a bird who is also a lemon. Pupkin is a puppy who is also a pumpkin. After some light mischief, they fall asleep in a truck full of produce and are transported to a strange new place. Now they must journey back to the farm where they live. On their adventure, Lemon Bird and Pupkin encounter and help a variety of flora-fauna hybrids and friendly people. They meet Keylime Bird, who bullies Lemon Bird but regrets her actions, while a kind old woman and her pet Boarnana set the two friends on the right path. Some of the animal hybrids are puns, and some are not, but all are adorable. The two humans who appear most, Pupkin’s owner and the old woman, have light skin, but other people appear in a rainbow of natural and unnatural skin tones. Many pages have minimal text, and it only gets a bit—comparatively—wordy on a few pages at the end, when Lemon Bird and Keylime take some time to explain the lessons they learned. Featuring endearingly rounded characters, this delightful, colorful graphic novel makes an excellent introduction to the format for adults to read with young children, though somewhat older children will also enjoy reading it on their own.

A cornucopia of wholesome cuteness.