Clyde

People looking for lessons learned or personal growth would need to look elsewhere, but if you are looking for an inventive book that will make you laugh Clyde is for you. Clyde is a bear from Cubville, and he fancies himself a bad guy. He wants to move to Grizzly City, where life is way tougher and more suited to a "bad guy," but he soon finds out that might not be the place for him.

Probably not the best way to fit in with the locals...

Along the way he makes friends with a surprisingly tough butterfly named Melissa Sue. He also runs afoul of some fish and has to spring his dear old grandmother from fish jail. Clyde goes from place to place without much purpose, but he keeps finding himself in interesting (and funny) situations. Part of what makes this book work is its sense of surreality.  It's got its own logic, with Clyde being a bear, his grandmother a turtle, and his brother an invertebrate. Also, the dialogue and situations are quite inventive, full of character, and snappy. There is also a heavy dose of gross-out humor, mostly fart and booger related, but I have to say I found most of those parts pretty funny, too. And I'm an adult.

As you can see from the excerpt, the artwork is pretty straightforward and uncluttered, with great expression and energy. This book, like its title character, is brash and bombastic. It has its edginess, but it's more on the side of good than bad.

This book was authored by Jim Benton, who is best known as the creator of Happy Bunny. He has published a variety of humor comics, which you can check out here, and also has a made a few series books, starring characters named Catwad and Victor Shmud. He speaks more about his work on Clyde in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Stephen Thompson "was surprised at how genuinely funny Clyde and his friends could be, even for grown-ups." Jennie Frencham wrote in School Library Journal that it featured "mildly naughty humor, a sly wit, and bright, adorably crude artwork." Rachel wrote, "It was short and sweet, but such a page turner."

Clyde was published by Yoe Books, and they offer a preview and much more here.