Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy: Time Trout, an excellent all age graphic novel

If you’ve listened to our podcast then you’ve probably heard us talk about all age graphic novels vs. kid’s graphic novels (or graphic novels for kids, if you prefer). Laser Moose is a series of original graphic novels from Doug Savage on Andrews McMeel Publishing that is as great as an all age graphic novel can get. If Marvel Action: Spider-Man from IDW Publishing is one of our go-to examples for a great all age comic book (and it is), then Laser Moose is its graphic novel equivalent. “Name a great all age graphic novel”, some yeehaw might ask me at a party. Without hesitation I’d say this series from Savage, especially this addition, it’s most time-travelled episode yet, Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy: Time Trout.

Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy: Time Trout is the perfect intersection of humor, action, oddities, and anthropomorphics in this all age graphic novel.
If you’re looking for a textbook example of a great, original all age graphic novel, this is it

Hold Hands, a warm illustrated blanket for pre-k kids

Sara Varon has created graphic novels packed with friendly, anthropomorphic robots or animals who make shoes, knit scarves and are otherwise the kind of neighbors that you want to have. Hold Hands is a picture book that skews younger than Varon’s other work, while featuring the same, cartoon realistic animals that you wish were your neighbors. This is the kind of feel-good, rhyming, illustrated book that ages three-six will love as a goodnight book.

Hold Hands brings Sara Varon’s distinctive style to an illustrated book format so that the crawlers and pre-K kids can get in on the anthropomorphic fun.
Hold Hands is comfort book food for the crawler and Pre-K set

Volta from Cirque du Soleil, brings an energy and fun not seen in years

One expects excellence from a Cirque du Soleil show. It’s as high as one can get in the world of acrobatics and performance. It’s a brand unto itself, all you have to do is say you’re going to a Cirque show and you have an idea of what to expect. That fact is completely put in its head in Volta. It starts out similar to other shows, where a loosely constructed story is laid out. However, even as you’re watching the first act, which was a team of people jumping rope; it’s obvious that Volta has an energy that you haven’t seen in a Cirque du Soleil show in a while. For me it was evident that the performers were having fun. Sure they were jumping rope and doing Double Dutch, moving as quickly as touching the ground seven times in one second. They were doing that; but the performers were grinning from ear to ear, high-fiving one another and utterly enjoying themselves.

Photo_credit_BenoitZ.Leroux
Volta from Cirque du Soleil, brings an energy and fun not seen in years-Photo_credit_BenoitZ.Leroux
Volta is truly a show unlike other Cirque du Soleil shows.

All age comic books for October 23

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Have you heard that the spookiest holiday of the year is just around the corner? It’s also a great week for all age comic books and a couple great releases are getting into the seasonal act. Betty and Veronica Supernatural Stories, Star Wars Adventures gets spooky with Vader’s Castle and there are still some fab Halloween Comic Fest Mini-Comics for you to get.

In the podcast we’ll chat about Dilbert Turns 30, a new Super Sons novel-The Foxglove Mission by Ridley Pearson, Swamp Thing, Lumberjanes and more.

For now, here’s the list of those all age comic books that’ll be appropriate for readers as young as elementary school, but can skew just a bit older too.

This is the complete list of all age comic books this week

Vegetables in Holiday Underwear brings the seasonal big-kid joy

Jared Chapman has cornered the market in joyful toilet training books. That’s a narrow niche, but for those parents who are trying to get their child out of diapers and into underwear this is the most important segment of books that you can read. Mind you, Vegetables in Holiday Underwear is not a wonky toilet training book. Instead, it’s the third book in this series by Chapman to illustrate that has vegetables (and sometimes fruits) talking about underwear (or bathing suits), wanting to wear it and having an amazingly fun time doing it. If there’s a kid from 3-7 years old in your orbit this book will provide laughs aplenty, and just might solve their diaper issue.

Vegetables in Holiday Underwear bring the seasonal joy from Jared Chapman in this great series for kids 3 through 7.
Vegetables in Underwear continues the garden fun for 3 and up

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is awesome middle school Bourne

Stuart Gibbs Level Up.  The name of the book is Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. However, when we were reading it that’s what we kept thinking of the book in our head. Stuart Gibbs, the author of Spy School book series that upper elementary and middle students love has really upped his game with Charlie Thorne. This is the series that fans of Spy School need if they want their action and story just a bit older than Ben Ripley. A side vision in my mind had Gibbs thinking to himself, “You want a book that has more action and will demo just slightly higher? Take that!” He’ll then drop the mic and challenge someone to a dance off in the street.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is spy-centered realistic fiction from New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs that leaves ages 10 and up breathless.
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is middle school (and up) spy gold

Red Rover, Curiosity on Mars, illustrated Mars magic for 3-7

Is that real? Does it really exist? Those are the qualifiers for anything that our second grader is reading now. It’s the exact opposite of his brother who was more into madcap humor, science-fiction and Captain Underpants. Nay, his younger brother is mainly attracted to non-fiction. When he read Red Rover, Curiosity on Mars for the first time he peppered me with all sorts of questions about Mars, if people lived there, if water existed there and how the probe was getting its power.

STEM-tastic space exploration with great illustrations is Red Rover, send it on over

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, an empty movie protected by Kevlar

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil has a moment late in the film where it almost redeems itself. It’s a hook that, had left it would in place would’ve made for a more satisfying film. Alas, a couple of minutes after the twist it resumes its jumbled, bloated course. Mistress of Evil feels like the seedling of a Disney princess film, but then forces in some Lord of the Rings action and end battle sequence that’s looking for an Avenger. Our 8 year-old, who is able to sit through two-hour films, was squirming 45 minutes into this one and it only got worse (for all of us).

Maleficent, Mistress of Evil doesn’t cook up anything evil or entertaining
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