Someplace between Captain Underpants, Dog Man, Phineas & Ferb and Teen Titans GO! is Cat Ninja. It has the must-read & elementary school watercooler vibe of the first, the heart of the second, and the madcap humor and action of the third. Granted, it could be said that any of those initial titles have a degree of all of those characteristics. We’re merely putting them in the rank that our children have unofficially ranked them. It’s all of those characteristics and more. Cat Ninja is more, because it manages to be familiar, all the while being something that’s entirely original, relevant, and has fabulous colors, but more on that in a moment.
Brothers and sisters don’t just exist in living beings. There are some books that have their perfect pair. It’s those books that are similar, but not identical, and have the right things in common that fans of either book want to see. If your elementary school reader is not hip to Mr. Wolf’s Class they are missing out. It’s an original graphic novel series on Graphix that is entertaining, builds the reader’s confidence, is on a level that they can easily understand, and doesn’t talk down to them. Fox & Rabbit: Make Believe is the second book in this series by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Gergely Dudas and will strike the same chord of interest in those first through third-grade readers.
Without Jonas Hanway, The Umbrella Academy might not exist and Britons would’ve possibly continued letting the rain soak them since 1750. Jonas Hanway’s Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella is the sort of stranger than life, non-fiction illustrated book that young readers will love if they give it a chance. The last part of that phrase is key because the book ticks off all of the blocks needed for it to be ridiculously engaging and entertaining for ages six through ten.
Happy new comic book day, if you’re DC Comics you’ll be celebrating on Tuesday, everyone else will have their new books delivered to stores on Wednesday. If you have a young to mid-elementary aged reader they’ll need to check out Fox & Rabbit: Make Believe. This is an original, hardback graphic novel by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Gergely Dudas. It’s a graphic novel that uses warmth, friendship and the imagination that a kid can relate in a book with distinct chapters, but is also loaded with pictures. Call it comfort food for the young, reluctant reader’s heart. Those six through eight-year-olds that are told that they must read, but are knee-deep in graphic novels need to look at this series.
In all age comic books, Looney Tunes #256, Sonic the Hedgehog #32, and Mega Man: Fully Charged #2 are all out this week. A trade paperback that’s worth checking out, Power Rangers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is out this week and completely awesome. The comic books in the mini-series had their distribution thrown out of whack by the virus. Because of that, people who would’ve enjoyed this mini-series either didn’t know or couldn’t find the comic books. This is an action-based mini-series that’s great for upper elementary and older. It perfectly captures the identity of each team and puts their respective foibles in each other’s paths too.
A children’s illustrated book can be a simple thing. They can also attempt to convey complex matters. It’s really rare to have an illustrated book tackle life. It was done a couple of years ago with One Day A Dot, a book that distills the universe in a STEM-happy way for young children to understand. This Thing Called Life by Christian Borstlap addresses the same grand scale of life, but does it in a simpler way, via timeless graphics, simple-yet realistic text, a sense of humor, and a side vibe of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Generation Brave wants to be loved. In this case, it’s also a book that wants to be loved. If it’s a loose happy, compilation of young people who are out to change the world then Generation Brave, The Gen Z Kids Who Are Changing the World may not be your scene. To the book’s credit, it doesn’t hide its activism. It clearly states upfront, just in case any middle school or older reader is unfamiliar with the people being highlighted, that these people are opinionated and not afraid to stand up to authority. Cue that song by John Mellencamp in 3, 2, 1. If you’re an activist young person on the left side of the aisle then this book is preaching to you. It’s loaded with mainly liberal young voices or organizations who are very passionate about what they believe. Because of that, the book will be a guidebook for those who speak truth to power and a book full of tripe talking points to the other half.
A nice, simple book that’s perfect for emerging readers is a tough thing to find. The chapters could be too short, or too long. The characters could be too juvenile, or just a bit too old for elementary readers. In short, it’s a very narrow line that books need to traverse if they’re targeting grades two through four. Our eight-year-old is right in this struggle. He can read sentences and is building vocabulary, but hasn’t made the jump to chapter books yet. Big Foot and Little Foot is a book series that’s tailor-made for this dapper young man.
This week in all age comic books is a little light, but still has a couple of great new comic books and graphic novels that’ll be great for upper elementary school and up. If you’ve got an elementary-aged reader of any age then Peanut, Butter & Crackers: Puppy Problems is just the sort of funny bone ammunition that will affect ages four through eight. Crackers and Butter have the house to themselves, but when a hyper puppy enters the house they know that it’s time to get serious. Readers, on the contrary, will find themselves laughing at this graphic novel for elementary-aged readers.
In all age comic books check out a new mini-series starring Spider-Man, it’s the Sins of Norman Osborn and the first issue is out this week. There are also some great Jim Henson releases, Dark Crystal Resistance and Labyrinth Coronation Volume 2 is perfect for those slightly older kids who want classic, well-crafted, fantasy. The monthly release of Sonic the Hedgehog #31 is out and this series is a must-read for grades 2 and up. It’s funny, quickly paced, and never disappoints. For the entire list this week just read on past the graphic.
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