By Jan Pease
Many chapter books now are illustrated with fantastic
illustrations. Graphic
novels for younger and younger readers are being published, and a famous series of comic books is now considered to be
one of the best graphic novels of our time, an interesting time for children’s
writers and illustrators.
With apologies to Ann M. Martin, I used to joke that
there would be “Baby-sitters Club” books about the babysitting tweens as they
aged through college, adulthood, and old age.
I didn’t expect them to be reborn as graphic novels. “Claudia and Mean Janine” has been revised by
Ms. Martin and Raina Telgemeier. I
really like the updated version, and I think fans will flock to this old but
new series.
Tedd Arnold has written and illustrated a graphic novel
that feels like the beginning of a series.
“Noodlehead Nightmares” was co-written by Martha Hamilton and Mitch
Weiss, who wrote a collection of folk stories called, appropriately, “Noodlehead
Stories.” The noodleheads look like
elbow macaroni, and
are named Mac and Mac. An example of
their wisdom is their decision to sleep under their beds so they won’t have to
make their beds each morning.
I don’t even know where to begin to describe this next
book. Neil Gaiman has come back to the Sandman
epic, with “The Sandman Overture.” The
Sandman stories were originally issued as comic books, but are now considered
some of the finest graphic novels in literature today. Art in this book is incredible and gorgeous, created
by J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart. Officially
described as a prequel, this volume makes me want to read the entire Sandman
series. The volumes of
Sandman comics
are available through interlibrary loan in Pioneerland Library
System. The titles are: “Preludes & Nocturnes,
The Doll's House, Dream
Country, Season of Mists
and Game of You.” They
are also available through Mnlink under
the title “Sandman Omnibus” volumes 1 and 2.
Not quite a
graphic novel with more illustrations than the usual chapter book describes “Pugs
of the Frozen North,” by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. This is another in Mr. Reeve’s “Not-So-Impossible-Tale”
series. Imagine a sled dog team
consisting of sixty-six yapping pug puppies, each wearing a sleeve from a warm sweater. The adventures two friends have with these
sixty-six puppies are amazing, funny, and almost believable in this fun book
for young readers ready for longer chapter books.
The “Bad Kitty”
books by Nick Bruel are another example of heavily illustrated chapter
books. “Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet”
reminds me of some of the visits I’ve made at the local veterinarians. I think I remember our Siamese Ichi, biting
one of the doctors. Patches, my favorite
cat, used to grab the door jamb with all four feet if he had a chance. Our current cat, Kitty M, tries to become
invisible in his cat carrier. The “Bad Kitty” books are always very funny. Mr.
Bruel says on his website that Kitty is based on “every cat, every ornery and
self-important cat, I have ever known.” He
says about writing, “The hard part is not coming up with ideas. The hard
part is recognizing them when they arrive and making the effort to honor them
with thoughtful contemplation.”
For the curious, here are Zoe, Patches, and Ichi, who are deceased, and Harley, sleeping adorbly, who is still with us.
I don’t know
why the current trend is toward heavily-illustrated chapter books, but I’m all
for it. Enjoy these books and many more
at Litchfield Library!
