Graphic Novels for Little Kids!

Posted on July 27, 2023 at 7:24 am by Gene Ambaum

Otis & Peanut by Naseem Hrab (words) and Kelly Collier (drawings). Owlkids, 2023. 9781771474962. 89pp including a recipe for a perfect baked potato at the end.

Rabbits Otis and Peanut have three short adventures that involve getting a haircut, buying a hat, swinging to cheer up, missing friends, and making a house feel like a home. At the heart of everything they do is their friendship and support for each other. This is a quick read that made me smile.

We Have A Playdate by Frank W. Dormer. Amulet, 2021. 9781419752735. 96pp.

Short stories featuring friends Tuna, Margo, and Noodle, plus their new friend Ralph, a bear who is afraid to go down a slide. There’s a rampaging robot, the problem of how to keep Noodle (a snake) from flying off a swing, the most bizarre page I’ve seen in a kid’s
graphic novel in a while featuring a sculpture/playground toy that’s shaped like a duck. So friendly, so strange.

Search for a Giant Squid (Pick Your Path) by Amy Seto Forrester & Andy Chou Musser. Chronicle Books, 2023. 9781797213934. 93pp. including a page of scientists to whom special thanks are given, a list of animals in the book, a glossary, and a bibliography of articles, books, and websites.

I’m a huge fan of great endpapers, and this book starts out by introducing 10 scientists and crew members who are part of the expedition before introducing the giant squid, cephalopods, teuthologists, and other background information. After the research vessel is packed, the adventure begins with the reader choosing a pilot and their submersible before venturing into the deep (at a location also of the reader’s choosing). It took me several tries to find the giant squid, and along the way I discovered other animals in the ocean’s depths. This book is inspiring and full of science, plus it uses a lot of elements of the comics format. Get this for your elementary school library.