Candlewick

Description

Friendship is sweet—and awfully funny—in five giggle-worthy short comics for emerging readers starring an adorable squirrel and bunny. Bitty and Bub find cookies! “Take one,” the sign reads. But Bitty takes two! Bub’s feelings are hurt… until Bitty reveals that the second one is meant for Bub. All good! Bitty and Bub turn friendship’s ups and downs into playful comedy in this sweet early reader comic by an award-winning artist. Split into short comics with spare text and charming art, each adventure (or misadventure) they go on has a funny happy ending. The duo confuse a rock for a turtle, climb up a tree with no way to get down, and argue over whether something in the sky is a plane or bird—only to get a definitive answer by way of a PLOP of bird poop. Emerging readers will love the silly punchlines and feel confident reading this simple, decodable text on their own. I Like to Read Comics® are perfect for kids who are challenged by or unengaged in reading, kids who love art, and the growing number of young comics fans. Filled with eye-catching art, humor, and terrific stories, these comics provide unique reading experiences for growing minds. Like their award-winning I Like to Read® counterparts, these books are created by celebrated artists and support reading comprehension to transform children into lifelong readers. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Creative Team

Description

For anyone who has ever felt different, Academy Award winner Alan Barillaro tells the deeply moving tale of a brave rabbit who sets out on a quest to save her home and family—no matter what it takes. When Bunns is born with small but perfectly functional rabbit ears, the warren is abuzz with auguries. Surely such short ears spell bad luck for the community. Sheltered in her family’s burrow, Bunns listens to the rhythm of her mother’s heartbeat— Thump, thump, thump— a song of home and belonging. Her father explains that unlike a rabbit’s words or thumping feet, a heartsong cannot lie. But the unknown world of the meadow, the sounds and smells above, call to Bunns. When at last she’s ready to brave the staring and whispering of neighbors who fear her because she’s different, and the disapproving elders who threaten to banish her family, she finds a world beyond the warren where myths and riddles, magic voyages, and important new friends await. Can the “bad omen bunny” follow her own heartsong to a destiny—a wish—meant just for her? Academy Award–winning director, writer, and animator Alan Barillaro’s graceful storytelling, warm illustrations, and dramatic graphic panels weave light and dark into a seamless tapestry to enchant children and adults alike.

Description

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID meets NANCY DREW meets AMELIA BEDELIA in this hilarious young graphic novel series featuring an aspiring detective who will solve any case . . . usually accidentally. Casey has a lot on her plate, and not just delicious tater tots: campaigning for fifth grade class president, finding perfect homes for Ms. Muffin’s seven kittens, getting the guts to ask AJ to the dance, and of course, continuing to hone her detective skills. But just when everything seems to be coming together, it all falls apart. Casey’s nemesis Dina gets her hands on a humiliating photo, and even worse, Casey’s best friend Jan— ex -best friend??— is the one who gave it to Dina. Worst of all, Casey’s parents are keeping a secret that will change her whole life. Can detective Casey figure out the Case of Everything Is Terrible, or is this the one mystery without a solution? Fresh talent Kay Healy’s winsome heroine, crackling wit, and charmingly geometric characters alchemize to comedy gold. Voracious young comics fans won’t want to miss Casey’s laugh-out-loud second adventure.

Description

Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Nancy Drew meets Amelia Bedelia in this hilarious young graphic novel series featuring an aspiring detective who will solve any case . . . usually accidentally. Casey wants nothing more than to be a detective. No mystery is too big or small for her to tackle! OK, so she doesn’t see everything coming—mean girl Dina always has the last word, and Casey is constantly falling into embarrassing disasters in front of cute boy AJ. But now, it’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s just been given a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars—perfect gifts for today’s mystery: Mr. Muffin, a cat Casey’s parents insist is too big to be a hungry stray. Will Casey manage to convince them he belongs with her? More importantly, could that new girl in school be the perfect contender for a new best friend? Casey’s on the job, and she won’t stop till all cases are closed. Fresh talent Kay Healy’s winsome heroine, crackling wit, and charmingly geometric characters alchemize to comedy gold. Voracious young comics fans won’t want to miss Casey’s laugh-out-loud debut. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Creative Team

Description

Foster kid Sidney Poblocki is thrilled to learn his destiny is to save the multiverse—until he discovers it’s actually his destiny to destroy it—in this fantasy adventure graphic novel! Get ready for Mayhem! When Sidney Poblocki runs away from his troubled home life, he winds up in a whole new world of trouble. Why are interdimensional assassins after him along with every other kid named Sidney Poblocki throughout the multiverse? Will he ever see his best bud Walt again now that Walt’s memory of Sidney has been erased? And what the heck is the deal with Rodeo Hawkins and her ragtag gang of mischief-making girls the Daughters of Mayhem?! They claim they’re trying to keep him safe, but Sidney isn’t so certain “safe” is even in their vocabulary. As Sidney is swept into a series of misadventures that will change the multiverse forever, one thing is for certain: with Rodeo Hawkins around, his life is about to be filled with a lot more mayhem.

Description

A funny sci fi comic that’s just right for second and third graders! Tate Tuber has always known he was destined for greatness. A couch potato? Not Tate—he’s going to be an astronaut! So when Tate sees his chance to join space training, he literally jumps at the chance. But on his first mission, Tate learns that his role doesn’t include finding aliens or stopping asteroids. The human astronauts want to use Tate in a space farming experiment. How disappointing! But when the space station loses power and begins hurtling back towards earth, it’s up to Tate to save the day with his ability to conduct electricity! Potato power! In the back of the book are science facts about how potatoes really do conduct electricity, growing veggies in space, and more! I Like to Read Comics® are perfect for kids who are challenged by or unengaged in reading, kids who love art, and the growing number of young comics fans. Filled with eye-catching art, humor, and terrific stories, these comics provide unique reading experiences for growing minds. I Like to Read Comics®, like their award-winning I Like to Read® counterpart, are created by celebrated artists and support reading comprehension to transform children into lifelong readers. We hope that all new readers will say, “I like to read comics!” A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Creative Team

Description

"A riveting page-turner that will have readers eager to learn more about the topic." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The strange, true tale of a Louisiana lake that vanished—taking with it every fish below and every boat and barge above—told in a gripping and accessible graphic format. Home to catfish and crawdads, shrimp and spoonbills, even a gator or two, Lake Peigneur—pronounced “your pain,” only backward—bustles also with human life. Each day, the bean-shaped freshwater lake and its shores hum with folks going about their work: a devoted gardener’s apprentice and his dogs, fishermen, oilmen drilling at Well P-20, and the fifty-one miners employed by the Diamond Crystal Salt Mines. For most, November 20, 1980, began as “just another day on the lake.” But as the lake itself reflects, humans had, over time, left behind a honeycomb of salt highways deep beneath its surface, and water and salt mix all too well. Bracing, suspenseful, and packed with dramatic illustrations and dense end matter, this story of a catastrophic accident—narrated with the homespun voice of a “tall” tale, but true nonetheless—will amaze science and history buffs alike.