Comic – Booktalking #kidlit

Ferret Fun in the Sun

Ferret Fun in the Sun
by Karen Rostoker-Gruber (Author) and Paul Rátz de Tagyos (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Fudge and Einstein are a ferret duo. They’re going on a vacation adventure out west, to Arizona. Fudge doesn’t want to go. He likes to relax. Einstein likes action and can’t wait for their trip. But when they get to the ranch, Fudge experiences the biggest adventure of his life. Maybe trying new things isn’t so bad after all…

Snippet:
The back cover gives you a taste of this fun picture book comic:

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

Make a fun pets comic online with Pixton.

Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear: Loony Long Vowels

by Kevin Bolger (Author) and Ben Hodson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Finally, a phonics primer that’s not un-bear-able! Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear is a collection of zany cartoons carefully designed to teach all five long vowel sounds. Perfect for beginners just learning to decode words and for older or reluctant readers who just need a refresher in foundational phonics rules.

Snippet:

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

Make your own phonics comic with the online Comic Creator.

Avis Dolphin

Avis Dolphin
by Frieda Wishinsky (Author) and Willow Dawson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Avis Dolphin doesn’t want to sail to England on the Lusitania. War is raging in Europe, and the Germans threaten to sink the ship. Avis is lonely and afraid until she meets a kindly professor whose stories of a magical island help her face an uncertain future. (The stories the professor tells Avis are illustrated in a graphic-novel form, creating a story-within-a-story.)

Snippet:
I know about U-boats. They’re submarines hiding under the sea, waiting for ships, like foxes hiding in the bushes, waiting to pounce on rabbits or deer. When U-boats spy a warship, they launch a torpedo! And if a ship is hit, that’s it. The ship sinks. But until today I thought U-boats were only after warships.

I tap Hilda on the shoulder, “Maybe the warning is real. Maybe . . .”

STEM + the Arts = STEAM

STEAM DIY Activity

See a primary document, the 27-page SUPPLEMENTARY cargo manifest for the Lusitania’s last voyage.

Apocalypse Bow Wow #comic

Apocalypse Bow Wow
by James Proimos III (Author) and James Proimos Jr. (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Brownie and Apollo are two dogs living in bliss with a big, comfy couch to laze on. But unbeknownst to them and seemingly overnight, the world has turned to utter chaos. What they do know is their owners are MIA, they are starting to get on each other’s nerves, and it’s dinner time. What has happened? Who will feed them? What if their people are gone for good?!

With bellies rumbling, Brownie and Apollo decide to set out into the wide world, where they discover other pets and stray animals who have been left behind. But not everyone is man’s best friend. It’s a dog-eat-dog world now! With the help of a friendly neighborhood police dog and a small but mighty side-kick tick, Apollo and Brownie must figure out how to survive these dark times and locate their ultimate goal: dinner!

Snippet:

The Cake

The Cake
by Dorothée De Monfreid (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Tiger wants chocolate cake. Rabbit has a weakness for carrot. Monkey wants a banana cake. Dog, of course, wants a bone cake. Little Bear really wants a fish cake. Can everyone be satisfied?

Snippet:

Benny and Penny in Lost and Found

Benny and Penny in Lost and Found
by Geoffrey Hayes (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Benny’s in a foul mood! He can’t find his pirate hat, and when he sets out in the fog to find his missing hat, he leads himself and his sister Penny straight into…big trouble! (Level 2 beginning reader comic)

Snippet:

Explorer: The Lost Islands

Explorer: The Lost Islands
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Booktalk: This second volume of the critically acclaimed Explorer graphic novel series is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places.

Snippet: From the Raina Telgemeier’s blog
Desert Island Playlist

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure
by Fred (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: On an ordinary day in the countryside, Philemon falls into a well on his father’s farm and lands . . . on the Atlantic Ocean — literally on an A-shaped island complete with unicorns, centaurs, and exploding clocks. He begins a wild and whimsical journey home through a fantasy world as original as Alice’s Wonderland, as richly imagined as Little Nemo’s Slumberland, and as exciting to explore as Oz.

Snippet: From the TOON BOOKS

Three Kingdoms 17: The Mortal Remains

Three Kingdoms 17: The Mortal Remains
by Wei Dong Chen (Author) and Xiao Liong Liang (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Bei Liu has won a decisive battle against Cao Cao, and the prime minister is in danger of losing everything. But like a cornered animal, Cao Cao is at his most dangerous with his back against the wall. What he does next will forge an unlikely alliance, and cost the life of one of China’s most legendary heroes.

Snippet: From the JR*COMICS

Survive! Inside the Human Body, Vol. 3: The Nervous System

Survive! Inside the Human Body, Vol. 3: The Nervous System
by Seok-young Song (Author) and Hyun-dong Han (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When Geo and Dr. Brain find themselves inside Phoebe’s brain, they must brave shocking electrical signals and navigate a maze of neurons and synapses. Will the dynamic duo finally escape? And what’s the matter with Phoebe, anyway?

Snippet:

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)