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Cats, Reptiles — and You!

Here we have a series for young folks that’s a comic, an activity book — and a game! The series is called Kittens & Dragons, and the first book is called The Choukra, written by Jarvin and illustrated by Ju. “In Kittens and Dragons young readers will assist Mo, the King’s youngest kitten as he hunts for a dragon named Choukra and proves his bravery! Sneak through the woods, into dark caves, past the King’s guard while solving puzzles as you go in search of adventure and the Choukra along with Mo!” Available now from Van Ryder Games.

image c. 2024 Van Ryder Games

But He Won’t Do THAT

And so we came across another graphic novel series for young folks, with the interesting title of Weenie, featuring Frank & Beans. The first book is called Mad About Meatloaf, written by Maureen Fergus and illustrated by Alexandra Bye. “Weenie loves his human, Bob. He loves his guinea pig friend, Beans, and his cat friend, Frank. He loves naps, adventures and sharing. In fact, Weenie loves pretty much everything (except the mail carrier). But the thing Weenie loves and desires more than anything else in the world is meatloaf. And he’ll do anything to get it. Join Weenie, Frank, and Beans on a laugh-out-loud meatloaf adventure, complete with a trench coat disguise, a wild meatloaf trap, and even a hungry wolf.” All that and more from Penguin Random House.

image c. 2024 Penguin Random House

And He Doesn’t Even Do Cocaine

Look, we challenge you to top a title like Bipolar Bear and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Health Insurance. No? Well here it is, written and illustrated by Kathleen Founds. “Theodore is a bear with wild mood swings. When he is up, he carves epic poetry into tree trunks. When he is down, he paints sad faces on rocks and turtle shells. In search of prescription medications that will bring stability to his life, Theodore finds a job with health insurance benefits. He gets the meds, but when he can’t pay the psychiatrist’s bill, he becomes lost in the Labyrinth of Health Insurance Claims… Entertaining, whimsical, and bitingly satirical, Bipolar Bear is a fable for grownups that manages the delicate balance of addressing society’s ills while simultaneously presenting a hopeful vision for the world.” And it’s available now from Graphic Mundi.

image c. 2024 Graphic Mundi

Raccoon Reckoning

We’ll admit we had not heard of Loud and Smart, an independent comic strip by Alex Krokus. But now Silver Sprocket have released a great big collection called Loudest and Smartest. “Meet Alex: an internet-addicted millennial raccoon and his misadventures in the big bad city. Loudest and Smartest collects over 350 pages of Loud and Smart by Alex Krokus, featuring comics about punks, horrible couples, love, jobs, and the disgusting depths of viral videos.” [Here’s to wishing you all the best of times in 2024 — ye ed-otter.]

image c. 2024 Silver Sprocket

Don’t You Monkey With The Monkey

Another graphic novel series for young, beginning readers. We came across the Bobo and Pup-Pup series, written by Vikram Madan and illustrated by Nicola Slater. It features two young animals with very different personalities who are still best friends. The first book in the series is called We Love Bubbles. “Did you ever have a friend who likes doing something that you find completely annoying? Well, Bobo and Pup-Pup both love bubbles. Bubbles are the absolute best–on that they can agree! While Pup-Pup loves blowing them, Bobo loves popping them…way too much for Pup-Pup’s taste. It’s getting frustrating! Pup-Pup has a clever idea to stop Bobo from popping them. But, then Bobo gets carried away…literally!” Three more books in the series so far, and more on their way as well.

image c. 2023 Random House

Oys Will Be Oys

So is having a weird furry friend a wonderful thing, or more of an awkward thing? That’s the big question posed by Monster Bar Mitzvah, the new graphic novel written by Josh Anderson and illustrated by Dustin Evans. “In this unusual graphic novel for younger readers, Eli is feeling left out of the family’s preparations for his older brother’s bar mitzvah. He wants to help but can’t seem to do anything right. Then he meets the monster under his bed, and things begin to change . . . but not always for the better. Will Eli be able to get the monster under control in time for the big event, or will there just be more and more chaos? ” Find out now, in hardcover from Behrman House.

image c. 2023 Behrman House

Does He Write Scripts?

Look, sometimes we just can’t explain something — so we simply have to give it to you as we found it. Things like Timothy Dinoman Saves The Cat, written and illustrated by Steve Thueson. “To learn what these suspected supervillains want with outer-space tech, the world’s nicest iguanodon will visit a mountain fortress, a giant blimp, and a diner with excellent pancakes. On the way, he’ll even meet a really cute cat. Grab your rocket boots and your fake mustache — it’s time to crack the case with Timothy!” Find out what’s it’s all about from Lerner.

image c. 2023 Lerner Books

Wander into Wonder

A new full-color graphic novel for young readers: It’s called The Wondrous Wonders, written and illustrated by Camille Jourdy. “Hurt by her parents’ divorce and struggling to accept her new step-family, she decides to run away and live alone in the woods. But she soon discovers that she’s far from alone. Jo stumbles into a fantastical world full of tiny elves, talking foxes, and mischievous, multicolored ponies known as the Wondrous Wonders. Her new friends are on a mission: Rise up against Emperor Tomcat, the tyrannical leader who rules the enchanted forest they call home. Can Jo find the courage to vanquish an evil empire and get back to her family before dinnertime?” Find out now, in hardcover from Macmillan. (Merry Christmas and a Blessed Solstice!)

image c. 2023 First Second

One Little Spark

The Dragons of Ember City is a new full-color graphic novel series for young readers, created by Shane Richardson and Sarah Marino (both of whom are animators at Nickelodeon). The first book in the series is called Happy Spark Day. “Drake, Li, and Runa are three young dragons in Ember City, where a dragon’s spark is their special power and every dragon’s spark is unique. Ember is a city that burns brightest when its citizens use their sparks to help each other and their community. The more they use their spark, the brighter Ember City glows and provides for all its dragons. Can Drake, Li, and Runa learn to get along after uncovering their powers?” All this and more from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2023 Aladdin Books