Beth Ferry, author of a variety of picture books, tries her hand at a graphic novel with another newcomer to the scene, Gergely Dudas. Dudas has previously created several seek-and-find books as well.
Fox and Rabbit, two good friends, have a variety of simple adventures in five stories. They visit a fair, then the beach, travel to an island, grow seeds in a garden, and then together a mysterious lemon tree. Each story is connected to the next; Rabbit wins a beach ball at the fair, so they go to the beach. At the beach they find a bottle with a map to Surprise Island. On the island they discover a trunk full of seeds, which they plant in a garden. Rabbit succumbs to temptation, but they repair their friendship by growing one remaining seedling together with a surprise all its own. A turtle appears at the end of every story, asking what's going on, and there are little surprises and jokes hidden throughout the story.
The art is detailed and the font is small and rather narrow. While in many ways this mimics a typical odd ball couple easy reader, it's definitely intended for an older audience with the more complex text and art. Readers can sympathize with the little frustrations, mistakes, and joys of Fox and Rabbit while following their sweet adventures through the art and text.
Verdict: An additional purchase, unless you have a lot of beginning chapter readers who crave graphic novels. Hand this to fans of Narwhal and Jelly, Catstronauts, and Lerner's series like Hotel Strange and Whiskers Sisters. Readers who cut their teeth on classics like Frog and Toad may also appreciate this gentle series of stories.
ISBN: 9781419740770; Published April 2020 by Amulet; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library
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