It was a shiny cover. It was a colorful cover. And it was a slippery cover. Mellybean and the Wicked Wizard seemed like a perfectly, fun, easy read I needed to clean my busy brain.
And I thought it was the first in the series, as there was no “Book Two” that I could see. And while it is a cute book, read volume one first. Mike White’s graphic novel for ages six to ten/eleven, has sweet animals (a rambunctious puppy, a few cool cats) magical beings (a hippocorn, a giant rabbit), humans (the kingdoms people) and a Wizard named Wilma (spoiler she’s the bad guy) to create one exciting and funny adventure.
Mellybean and her friends must stop the Wizard Wilma from stealing all the magic of the kingdom. Of course, it is just the four of them and a plump, adorable hippocorn as the rest of the kingdom has fallen asleep and not able to help this time. Naïve, excitable, and always hungry these feline and canine friends take on Wilma as only a puppy who likes to play catch and a bunch of kittens who like being kittens can: by being themselves.
The illustrations are terribly bright, bold, and are minimal but also can be busy in the panels. They are warm, solid images. They tell the story right along with the text and give little pieces of details that might not translate from text easily.
Bizarre, humorous, sometimes a little grating at the repetition as an adult reader, this book can bring out the magic in all of us. (Just bring earmuffs as I think the giant king rabbit might snore).