Hilda books by Luke Pearson

Hilda and The Troll,
Hilda and The Midnight Giant,
Hilda and The Bird Parade,
Hilda and The Black Hound,
by Luke Pearson
published by Flying Eye Books/Nobrow Press



Hilda and The Troll (originally titled Hildafolk, a play on Icelandic huldufólk) introduces us to a blue-haired tween living with her mother in an idyllic mountainous region. Along with Twig, a deerfox (fox with antlers), for company, Hilda is perfectly content exploring the woods and drawing rocks (she loves rocks!) in her sketchbook.

The first book, Hilda and The Troll, quickly establishes her world filled with mythical creatures who are not confined to a separate magical realm but seamlessly integrate into Hilda's reality.

Hilda gets her adventure in this story when she encounters a suspiciously troll-looking rock. However, it is the world-building that captures the readers right from the start.

Hilda reads in a book that it is customary to tie a bell around a troll's neck so you can hear him coming, and proceeds to do so without much agonizing. But later realizes her mistake when the same book explains that this is a cruel and out-dated practice and the trolls don't like it.

Hilda immediately rectifies the situation, and the troll very kindly gives back her sketchbook she had dropped near him earlier and walks away. Simple as that. No moralizing, no saccharine, no tied-up-in-a-bow closure.

Hilda and The Midnight Giant gets interesting right from the start as Hilda finds letters strewn over her house that turn out to be eviction notices.

What else can she expect when her cottage happens to sit in the middle of the village inhabited by invisible elves. As she has her hands full trying to find the right person to negotiate with, Hilda also investigates the mysterious giant who shows up every night for no apparent reason.

The hilarious rollicking adventure leads up to a satisfying surprise ending.

In Hilda and The Bird Parade, we move to the bustling city of Trolberg with Hilda and her mom. Friendship and doing the right thing are woven into the story ever-so-subtly, but it is the talking amnesiac raven that delights us with his personality and insights.

Behind-the-scenes mom takes on a bit more of a worry-wart role in this book, anxious about Hilda's safety in the city and asking her to stay home and watch TV instead. But through her fabulous adventure, Hilda learns a lot more about herself, her values, and her relationship with her mom. All's well that ends well. This was the most popular of the four books with the kids.

The last one for now, (hope more comes out soon), Hilda and The Black Hound uses dark palette to convey an ominous presence - a mysterious beast.

With a nod to the Girl Scouts, this book has Hilda working hard to earn her merit badges as a Sparrow Scout. However, it is the Nisse that captivated our attention - a house elf who is without a house.

Spatial laws are ignored in this installment as Nisse live in their own dimension within the three dimensions of a house. The ending is heart-pumping and extremely satisfying.

The four Hilda books have been a huge hit with both the kids, and myself, attesting to the versatility and all-ages appeal of these comics.

The art is charming and beautiful, and the limited color palette works perfectly for each story. The colors speak as much as the characters by offering a safe sunny setting for Hilda's adventures with muted colors, as well as drama and movement with deeper colors when the situation changes.

The text is crisp and witty and funny, peppered with social commentary and keen observations of human tendencies.

Hilda is not a typical goody-two-shoes, and is not quirky for the sake of it. Her environment seamlessly blends the magical with the real, encircling an interesting cast of creatures.

[image source: Luke Pearson website]

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Contributed by various authors


Seven little gems in this box of a book
Seven little gems all fun.
Seven little gems full of possibilities
Seven little gems, must read.


The Mystery Boxes in the title is the theme of this book that collects seven unique stories ranging from funny to cheeky to creepy to philosophical edited by Kazu Kibuishi, written by various authors: Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Emily Carroll, Jason Caffoe, Rad Sechrist, Stuart Livingston, Johane Matte.

The one thing common in all the stories is that it involves a mysterious box. What's in the box? Do we dare open it?

Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll is quite creepy: the box under the floorboards holds an innocent-looking wax doll, but it is no ordinary plaything. While many versions of this story exist in the horror genre, the illustrations and storytelling, plus the refreshingly fitting ending makes this a pleasurable read.

Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier is a top favorite with the kids as it is a bit cheeky and funny and ends well. With droll wizards and Internet shopping, and a fairly regular kid, Oliver, who finds this mystery box while forced to clean out his closet, the story is straight and sweet, where lost loves get reunited with a little bit of magic afoot. When you cannot help but move from panel to panel in a hurry to find out what happens, the comic book has achieved its goal.

The Keeper's Treasure by Jason Caffoe brings the joy of possibilities, of anticipation, of uncertainty. The box could hold anything - from limitless wealth to terrible plague. Would you rather let the "Schrödinger's Cat" out of the box or is the mystery-of-not-knowing the real thrill you seek? Who is wiser-- the treasure-keeper who guards without any desire to look into the box or the treasure-seeker who opens it to find all the gold he desires?

The Butter Thief by Rad Sechrist is another big favorite with the kids, in this collection. The young Japanese girl, whose grandmother is convinced that there is a butter thieving spirit in the house, couldn't help herself. When Obasan traps the spirit in a box and buries it in the yard, the girl doesn't believe any of it. So, naturally, she digs it up and - opens the box! Of course, Melphador, the butter thief spirit is indignant when he is released from the box he was trapped in, so he turns her into a miniature creature. What follows is a very satisfying story that ends well.

The Soldier's Daughter by Stuart Livingston explores Shintoism and the mysteries of  life, death and beyond. Futility of war and vengeance is highlighted in a philosophical way that speaks without preaching.

Whatzit by Johane Matte looks at nepotism from a lighthearted perspective. Grandpa promotes his grandson to a more responsible job in his intergalactic factory, checking boxes against inventory before shipping. The other senior employees are miffed and they plant a mystery box with a Whatzit that wreaks havoc and gets the grandson in trouble. Of course, the grandson finds out about it and gets back at them. Simple and straight.

The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi spins a futuristic fable about a boy who is given the chance to escape from Earth that is doomed, only not by alien invasion but by environmental disasters. The alien who offers him the option doesn't tell him the whole truth, and just as well, because for the boy, escape is not an option. He chooses to stay and fix things so earth won't go belly up as the alien claimed.

Thumbnail bios on the last page lists these highly accomplished artists and their various works.

The joy of this book for me is to be able to sample various styles of art and storytelling in condensed and crystal form. My pet peeve about this book is that the stories are too short, and there were so few.

From bright cartoon-like illustrations bursting with colors to muted and hauntingly ethereal art that transports the reader to another world, the book is a treasure in itself. The picture above is just a quick look at the various styles -- clockwise from top left: Spring Cleaning, The Keeper's Treasure, The Butter Thief, and The Soldier's Daughter.

To think that each of these artists and storytellers were given a simple theme of a mystery box and see that they came up with such a widely varying set of stories is immensely breathtaking for me.


Explorer: The Lost Islands is the highly anticipated second book in this series , which collects seven stories on the theme of lost islands, some of which are by the same contributors as in Explorer: The Mystery Box.

[cover image source: Abrams Books]

Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Unicorn on a Roll
by Dana Simpson

Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Series: Amp Comics for Kids
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; 1St Edition edition (September 2, 2014)


The fact that the protagonist is a plain-Jane fourth grader might have something to do with it. Or perhaps it is the haughty and elegant unicorn that did it. Whichever it was, the then nine-year-old resident fourth-grader took to Phoebe and her Unicorn comics like a sponge to water.

Phoebe is a friendless fourth grader. Quite by accident one day, while skipping rocks, Phoebe hits a narcissistic unicorn who has unnamed magical powers, which breaks the spell and frees the said unicorn.

When the unicorn magnanimously offers to fulfill one wish, Phoebe latches on the one thing that every kid has thought of at one time or another: I wish for an infinity more wishes to be granted! Of course, that's never going to happen. So, she asks for Infinity dollars. Not going to happen either. Finally, Phoebe wishes for the unicorn to be her Best Friend. Which the unicorn is unable to oil out of.

The comic strip chronicles their adventures together, incorporating everyday school events as well as other situations. Available as a two-volume collection, A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle and Unicorn on a Roll are typically snarky yet sweet and extremely giggle-worthy. While not a graphic novel per se with a clear story arc, the groups of strips in the books are coherently organized to make up a story as it unfolded.

I enjoyed the books as well. First, how can one not like a name like Marigold Heavenly Nostrils? That's the unicorn's name. This high-and-mighty unicorn actually is the straight-man in this comedic team where Phoebe is full of wild antics that bounces off the self-assured unicorn. Second interesting aspect is the blurring of lines between fantasy world and real world for Phoebe. Thirdly, every once in a while, when the unicorn knows or does something inexplicable, a single word in a fancy font makes it all right: "Unicorn". Yes, that explains it all away, perfectly. Fourthly, it is clever and funny in parts, plus touching and sweet, which balances the sharp-witted sarcasm that can get annoying otherwise.

Over summer, when I noticed that the ten-year-old pulled this book out from our shelf and asked her visiting best friend to read it right then, and when I saw them both engrossed in it, pointing and giggling and discussing it, I knew this is resonating well with this reader-demographic.

[Unicorns vs. Goblins: Another Phoebe and her Unicorn Adventure is launching in Feb 2016]

[image source: Andrews McMeel publishing]

Fairy Tale Comics

Fairy Tale Comics

Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists
Edited by Chris Duffy; Various Authors

published by :01 First Second, 2013


Seventeen fairy tales ranging from the popular Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and  Rapunzel to slightly obscure ones like Give Me the Shudders and  The Boy Who Drew Birds are presented here by various artists, each in their own unique and inimitable style, with refreshing interpretations, while remaining close to the popular version of the tales, no radical changes.

Wordless Goldilocks by Graham Annable; earth-toned full-page panels of Baba Yaga by Jillian Tamaki; digitally rendered Red Riding Hood by Gigi D.G. featuring a female lumberjack; 8-page story distilling the Rapunzel tale by Raina Telgemeier; The Small Tooth Dog by Charise Mericle Harper; and Rumpelstiltskin by Brett Helquist were some of the favorites.

Back of the book gives a short bio of each of the contributing artists; and  Editor's Note lists additional versions of the stories.

The ten year old liked many of the stories instantly, especially thanks to the graphic rendering, and kept going back for repeat reads.

[View Inside the book at MacMillan]

[Westfield Comics interview with Chris Duffy]

[Interview with Gigi D.G at sare-endipity]

[Interview with Raina Telgemeir]

[image source: MacMillan]

Bird and Squirrel

Bird & Squirrel (series)
On the Run,
On Ice,
On the Edge
by James Burks

published by Graphix, an Imprint of Scholastic

Making the leap from animation for movies and television to children's publishing, James Burks has successfully drawn from his experience to present a set of delightful books. While Haggis & Tank, and Beep & Bah had a modest influence on the seven year old, somehow, Bird & Squirrel caught his attention and held it for long, entertaining and amusing him suitably.

There are three books so far - Bird & Squirrel On the Run, Bird & Squirrel On Ice, and Bird & Squirrel On the Edge (released Oct, 2015). The very first book, On the Run, introduces the happy-go-lucky devil-may-care Bird, meteorite-might-fall-on-my-head Squirrel who likes to play it safe and follow the rules, plus the I-am-going-to-eat-you Cat who, obviously, wants to eat them. But he has to catch them first!

The clean and colorful panels, the crisp and kid-friendly text, plus plenty of action just leaping out of the page made this a favorite read for the resident seven year old. The story is fairly predictable. This being the first, we learn how Bird & Squirrel become buddies and seal their friendship by helping each other out of dire situations, that somehow seem to be brought on by Bird most of the time. The entire book is one long scene or episode of Bird & Squirrel on the run, no plot per se or intricate storytelling.

Bird & Squirrel On Ice has elements of fantasy and slightly more involved plot than the first book, with the introduction of a new character and a sense of urgency and quest. Of course, being gullible, Bird doesn't sense the danger of becoming Killer-Whale-Food, and he bungles through, but comes out fine in the end, thanks to Squirrel and the new friend, Sakari, the female penguin warrior.

Bird & Squirrel On the Edge has some tense moments and cliff-hangers, with a new friend, and plenty of close-calls with the wolves. When the usually cautious Squirrel accidentally hits the Bird on the head while trying to ward off the slavering wolves, naturally the Bird develops amnesia and loses his unaffected bravado. Role reversal is inevitable. Squirrel takes on the task of protecting the baby bear - yes, a lost cub can't be thrown to the wolves - and Bird just gets in the way... Until... of course, Bird gets another bonk on the head accidentally and everything turns out fine - bear cub is united with Mama and the friends are safely home.

The stark contrast of the two main characters, with Squirrel acting as the perfect foil for Bird's exuberant lunacy, plus precise sound-bites-style dialog that reflects the snarkiness that today's generation has a facility for, the books seemed to have made an impression with the kids at home.

Why does Squirrel wear an acorn cap helmet? Doesn't he know it is not going to protect him from meteorites? Besides, it has to be a giant acorn to have a cap that fits Squirrel, unless Squirrel is a miniature one so the normal size acorn would fit... Now, what kind of bird is Bird? He is yellow and orange, his beak doesn't give a big clue... How does Cat keep coming back, even after it falls all the way down a ravine? These are some of the questions the kid was itching to know the answers for, which is a good indicator that the book engaged him positively. Why else would he care to know so much, right?

[Video of Cleaning up Bird & Squirrel On Ice]

[Read an Excerpt at Scholastic Canada]

[image source: scholastic.ca, jamesburks.com]