Thursday, May 5, 2022

Blippo & Beep; I feel funny by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Joey Ellis

 A new comic series from prolific author Sarah Weeks joins Penguin's version of Scholastic Acorn and Branches, bridge books between early reader and beginning chapter.

Blippo is a tall, blue robot with a tv screen in their torso. Beep is a short, purple robot who balances on a wheel. The two friends have a series of short, silly dialogues in each "story" in the collection. In the first book, Blippo and Beep, Beep tries to tell a knock-knock joke and has to explain how it works to Blippo. Then Blippo tries telling their own joke, and finally the two come up with a new joke together. In their second book, I Feel Funny, Beep diagnoses Blippo with a cold, then takes care of them while they are in bed. When Beep catches Blippo's cold, it's their turn to take care of a friend, but Beep doesn't like the same things Blippo does.

The art is simple cartoons on white backgrounds. In addition to Blippo's blue tones and Beep's purple hue, each book has a third color, matching the cover, that adds touches to small things like a refrigerator, tissue box, or simple bed. The simple dialogue is about the same level as an Elephant and Piggie book and readers will not need to know how to read or follow panels, as there are only two or three speech bubbles on each page.

There are several drawbacks to this series; first, while it may have been a big deal if it had been created several years ago when early reader comics were still a relatively new art form, it's competing against multiple authors now like Mo Willems, Jonathan Fenske, Jason Tharp, Greg Pizzoli, and Emma Virjan. Secondly, Penguin Workshop's format is questionable one for a public library. The books are available in paper-over-board or in paperback, but the format is an odd, small size, 7x5 inches, and most librarians are going to be reluctant to purchase small books like this in hardcover. Thirdly, the book is threaded with subtle and not-so-subtle gender stereotypes, which is really outdated. Despite the two being robots, both are given specific genders, male for Blippo and female for Beep. Blippo is the stereotypical male nerd, with glasses, no sense of humor, and a little dumb over practical matters. Beep is a stereotypical female caregiver, bossing Blippo around, taking care of him when he's sick, and dancing around her real feelings so as not to hurt Blippo's feelings. (Also, and this isn't really relevant, I keep wanting to call her Bleep.)

Verdict: I'm reluctant to purchase books that fall back, however subtly, on tired old stereotypes and with so many other excellent titles, including Scholastic Acorn titles and early readers, this is an additional purchase at best.

Blippo & Bleep; ISBN: 9780593226964

Blippo & Bleep: I Feel Funny; ISBN: 9780593226995

Published May 2022 by Penguin Workshop: Review copies provided by the publisher

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