Comics Part 2

Last month our Comics Part 1 post introduced some comic contenders. This month I’m happy to bring you three more! 

Book covers for Noodleheads Lucky Day by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, & Mitch Weiss, illustrated by Tedd Arnold, 
A Pig, a Fox and a Fox by Jonathan Fenske and Pizza & Taco: Who's the Best? by Stephen Shaskan 

Noodleheads Lucky Day by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, & Mitch Weiss, illustrated by Tedd Arnold 

In 2018 Noodleheads See the Future was named a Geisel Honor. This year brings us the fifth title in the series, all about the many ways the Noodleheads accidentally change bad luck into good. Ever gullible, the brothers fall for every single one of Meatball’s tricks as they run errands for their mother and look for a kitten to adopt. All the stellar hallmarks of the series are present in this book: speech bubbled text, word repetition, clever ways of defining idioms, and humor galore. While much of the book is supportive for developing readers, there’s one section in particular that could present some challenges. When the brothers brainstorm names for their new kitten, they come up with increasingly ridiculously monikers. More familiar words like “Sky” and Cloudy” build up to “Hippopotamus”, “Blippopotamus”, “Gobbledygook”, and “Nincompoop.” That said, there’s an undeniable page-turning dynamic to this silly romp full of wordplay that certainly speaks to the award’s criteria. 

A Pig, a Fox and a Fox by Jonathan Fenske 

Pig and Fox are back for their third misadventure. Fox has a fox doll, perfect for playing tricks on Pig. As always, Pig manages to step away from each prank unscathed, while Fox is smooshed and bandaged by the end of the book. As with Geisel honor title, A Pig, a Fox and a Box (2016), Fenske brings such a wonderful sense of Seussian rhythm to the rhyming text, which helps readers predict final words in sentences. Speech bubbles are color coded and word repetition builds in the same way chapters build to the inevitable climax. The slapstick humor is augmented by fun illustrations, especially those showing pig’s porcine-inspired abode. Could Fenske snag another Geisel nod? We’ll have to wait and see! 

Pizza & Taco: Who's the Best? by Stephen Shaskan 

A new pair of friends joins the ranks of beginning reader dynamic duos in this humorous series starter. Pizza and Taco’s best friendship is threatened when their competition to be the best escalates. They extol their own virtues, give campaign speeches, and count votes, only to realize that while each one is best at different things, the one thing they are both best at is being best friends. The cartoonish illustrations use a combination of photographs of real food and digital techniques. The rest of the book seems to be a bit of a mash up as well. For instance, the font is supportive for developing readers, but the slangy language and vocabulary used might well fly over the heads of young readers. For example, Hamburger claims he’s a “write-in candidate” and later Pizza gripes, “Popular vote doesn’t count!” Personally, I have reservations about recommending a book that includes an election rife with dishonest candidates, name-calling, and outright cheating given the real-life election season we’re living through currently. But I have to say, I’ve had my fair share of conversations with K-2nd graders who absolutely love pizza and tacos, so perhaps the main characters alone will draw readers in.

Have we missed any stellar comics for beginning readers published this year? Let us know in the comments. 

#WeNeedDiverseBooks: Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter, and stories about Black lives are needed more than ever in media for all ages. Here on Guessing Geisel we’ve spoken about the need for greater diversity in books for beginning readers. While we celebrate the titles included in this post and published this year, there is certainly room across books for all ages for more diverse books, and particularly more stories about Black joy.

A newly launched series by accomplished duo author Kelly Starling Lyon and illustrator Nina Mata highlights an imaginative young Black boy, Ty, in two titles. Both feature helpful repetition to support beginning readers, and are described by the I Can Read schema as “ideal for sharing with your emergent reader”.

In All Aboard! Ty’s family is too busy to play, but once his train starts chugging along they reconsider and hop aboard! Mata’s illustrations do a delightful job of transitioning between Ty’s imagined, crayon-rendered landscape and more realistic scenes of his home.

In Zip, Zoom! Ty is learning to ride his new scooter in the park, which his imagination transforms into a crayon-rendered racetrack. Just when he is about to admit defeat, a new friend inspires him to keep going and they finish the imagined race together.

We look forward to future entries in this whimsical series.

2020 also bring additions to established series featuring Black characters, both own voices and those created by white authors and illustrators:

Christine Platt and Sharon Sordo added three titles to the Ana and Andrew Series early in the year: The Magic Violin, Going to Ghana, and The New Baby. Titles focus on African American culture and traditions and introducing readers to notable African American historical figures. In The Magic Violin, Frederick Douglass teaches Ana and Andrew the importance of practicing. In The New Baby, Granny explains to Ana and Andrew the significance of names in African American culture. In Going to Ghana the children learn about Gh anian Culture and the origins of the slave trade. For more confident and fluent readers ready to make the transition to chapter books, the Ana and Andrew series offers lessons in African American culture paired with Sordo’s joyful and vibrant illustrations. 

Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers added a title to their Geisel honor-winning series:

In King and Kayla and the case of the Unhappy Neighbor Mr. Gary’s garden has been dug up by an unseen culprit! While Thor, Jillian’s dog is suspected, King and Kayla are on the case to clear his name. Another solid entry to a series with plenty of humor and heart, this title also features the short chapters perfect for young readers building up the confidence for longer titles. 

David Adler and Sam Ricks added two titles to their Geisel Award-winning Mo Jackson Series:

Swim, Mo, Swim! and Run, Mo, Run! which place perpetual underdog Mo Jackson in a field day swim race with extra ice cream on the line for the winning team, and track and field meet where a last minute snack brings Mo a bit of luck.  

We hope to see even more titles celebrating Black lives in upcoming seasons. 

And a resource recommendation before we go:

We recommend checking out the Kidlit Rally for Black Lives, held and recorded during Summer 2020 and hosted by The Brown Bookshelf as a resource for anyone who works with children, including parents, caregivers, librarians, and educators. Amanda attended this event live and found it profoundly informative and helpful, as well as hopeful. Follow The Brown Bookshelf for additional info about upcoming events, like a recent Black Lives Matter Q&A with authors Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds and Toshi Reagon.