Cindy and Biscuit Vol. 1: We Love Trouble by Dan White is an experience book and I have a funny feeling no two people will have the same experience. Each reader will read a different collection of White’s work.
The unusualness starts with the artwork and its minimal approach to showing the people, places and things that surround Cindy and her pet, Biscuit. One reviewer called it “chunky.” And while I am not sure exactly what was meant by that, yes, it can be chunky. Things are unfinished, color use is a contradiction of no real color to separate things to color being a focus and everything is mostly one or two colors.
You take out of it what you put in. Everyone will either love or hate Cindy with little in-between. The overall idea is short stories/comics and a longer story as well, making everything flow as one long novel. The stories are on their own and connected at the same time. While there are breaks and you usually know which chapter you are entering (sometimes the chapter heading is hiding a little, or not as obvious as you would think at first), things are not always smooth. There are some intense fantasy adventures and scenes, therefore this is not for the sensitive reader.
I enjoyed it more than I thought, but also not as much. There are parts less enjoyable than others, but overall an interesting read. In some way, this is better for an adult or a middle-aged teenager than the ages 8 to 12 the publisher recommends. Therefore, while I would recommend at least 10 and up, the younger reader could do it, but know your reader.