The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and Janet Hong is a graphic novel adaptation of Pak Wan-Suh’s novel of the same name. I had no idea what the book was about, but the image of the cover of a young girl, with a wind-up key in her back was enticing. It also was as bit distributing. It gave me a feeling I knew what the book was going to be about, but when I was finally able to find a copy, it turned out […]
Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang
Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi
The graphic novels below have little in common. Or so I thought at first. While I was reading Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi I kept thinking that it would pair nicely with Ash’s Cabin by Jan Wang. I think that was because they both deal with identity, but nothing else. It was while writing this review I found more similarities. Saving Sunshine is about twins who are punished for their behavior by being in forced proximity. Ash’s Cabin is about a nonbinary child coming of […]
Campingland by Ame Dyckman
Team Unihorn and Woolly #1: Attack of the Krill by Alexis Frederick-Frost
I follow Ame Dyckman on X (formerly Twitter). I think she is a hoot and a holler and most of her books follow that concept. They might not have her blue hair (or pink or yellow or …) but they do have spark and sizzle. And Campingland (illustrated by James Burks) does have spark and sizzle… and a skunk, a few squirrels, fish, buggies, marshmallows, hot dogs, a beaver and a very interesting way to go camping. This is a funny and cute way of […]
The Dog Knight by Jeremy Whitley
Once upon a time I heard of a book called The Dog Knight by Jeremy Whitley. At first I did not realize it was to be the first book in a series, but later I saw Volume one after the words The Dog Knight. And I should have realized that it was a series as it ends on an open but also “end of this chapter of the story” note. The author is that of the graphic novel series School for Extraterrestrial Girls. I was […]
Robin’s Worlds by Rainie Oet
The Robin of this story is a nonbinary child who is living with their uncle. And while there is reference to the mother in a few places, most noticeably at the end of the story, we never really know why Robin is not with their parents. Due to the way things are set up, I am assuming we must assume the mother passed away and the mystical journey that Robin takes on their birthday to another world is one of coming to terms with this […]
The Pebble: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Marius Marcinkevičius
The Pebble: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Marius Marcinkevičius, illustrated by Inga Dagilė and translated by Jura Avizienis is a clever telling of the Holocaust story via one child’s experiences. We follow a child from inside to the ghetto, to the day they leave and do not return. The mystical element might be assumed “real” and therefore, having a younger child missing the metaphor, but older readers/children and adults will appreciate it. The artwork is sparse, but creates a tone that allows the realism […]
