Stinky

Stinky is one of the more popular books with my four-year-old right now. It's premise is pretty simple. Stinky is a small monster who lives on the outskirts of the city. He loves his spot because it is full of lots of smelly things, like his pet toad Wartbelly, an onion patch, and a swamp. He is very wary of people, especially children, as they enjoy things he hates, like baths, apples, and cake. One day, however, his world gets rocked when a boy named Nick builds a treehouse on his turf.

 

Stinky goes on the offensive, drawing up plans to drive Nick away. All of them backfire, hilariously, and Stinky and Nick find that they are kindred spirits and become friends. The end.

Like I wrote earlier, this book is pretty simple and the plot somewhat familiar, but it is also extremely well executed. The dialogue and sound effects make for a fun read-aloud. The artwork is simple and clean, with strong primary coloring. The characters are cute, in a big head style of cartooning, and the storytelling is clear and direct. And best of all for me, there are some elegant details that help populate this world with characters and heart, much in the same way Walt Kelly's classic Pogo strips did. You can see a tiny little toad and mouse fore-grounded in the opening page of chapter 2 above, and I loved seeing all the denizens of the forest in this story, including possums, mice, alligators, slugs, and bats.  Also, how can you not love a comic that features a hole with a wooden arrow labeled "Bottomless Pit?"

This book is an early work by Eleanor Davis, who has racked up quite a few accolades since, including the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award. She has created a number of books, including ones for adults (How to Be Happy and Why Art?) and adolescents (The Secret Science Alliance). You, a Bike, & A Road was one of my favorite books of 2017, and it won an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology or Collection. Her latest book The Hard Tomorrow came out last year, and I expect it to do well come comics award season.

Stinky was named a 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book, and it has been very well reviewed. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "The winning story carries itself on spunk and a controlled vocabulary that combines judiciously chosen sight words (onion, gross) with easily sounded-out words (slimy slugs!) that will have emerging readers in stitches." Bill Sannwald added, "The fun storyline, lush visuals, and appropriate vocabulary work together to make the book an absolute pleasure worthy of a place in any collection of short-chapter books."

Stinky was published by TOON Books, and they offer a preview and more here.

The Hard Tomorrow

Imagine it's 2022, and Mark Zuckerberg is president. That's the premise of The Hard Tomorrow, the latest book from Eleanor Davis, one of the best comics artists going right now. The book's main character is Hannah, a young woman who works as an in-home caretaker for an elderly woman and who lives in a truck with Johnny. Johnny is working on building them a house, but he spends a lot of his alone time smoking pot and hanging out with their dog Tinker. Also, the two of them are trying to get pregnant.

When she's not at work, Hannah is involved in Humans Against All Violence, a group working for positive social action. She also hangs spends much of her time with her friend Gabby. Johnny spends his free time with Tyler, a reclusive survivalist who has many guns. Hannah is not a big fan of Tyler's, obviously, but the near future makes for some interesting bedfellows.

As much as this book is a commentary on the present day, and how it might become even worse, it is also a book about humanity and hope. Although things are tough, and in the course of the book several heartbreaking things happen, it casts a wide light on the complex and nuanced characters contained in its pages. Some of them are disappointments, while others come through in the clutch. Some are utterly wrong, and some who are easy to doubt end up being right. No one in this book is completely a saint or a sinner (except for faceless, fascist police and the POTUS), and the exploration of humanity under duress is both fascinating and moving. Most impressively, this feat is achieved via the plot and the pictures, as Davis's artwork breathes life into the pages. The Hard Tomorrow is both provocative and poignant, containing moments both jarring and subtle. Not many books move me as much as this one did, and the ending had me covered in goosebumps.

This book's creator is Eleanor Davis. She has racked up quite a few accolades, including the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, and she has created a number of books that can appeal to adults (How to Be Happy and Why Art?), younger readers (Stinky), and adolescents (The Secret Science Alliance). You, a Bike, & A Road was one of my favorite books of 2017, and it won an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology or Collection. She speaks about her work on The Hard Tomorrow in this interview. I'd be shocked if this book does not win at least a few major awards in the coming year, as it highlights just how spectacular a writer and artist she is.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. Publishers Weekly opined that "Davis seems to argue that any life is rich and complicated enough to merit its own book—and she convinces the reader she is right." Leonard Pierce wrote, "All told, this is a book that finds that razor’s edge between irrelevance (sic?) and datedness and balances there with the expertise of a gymnast." Oliver Sava called it a graphic novel that "looks at a bleak and very familiar near-future to tell a story about activism, empathy, and believing in a better world."

The Hard Tomorrow was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and more here.

You & A Bike & A Road

You & A Bike & A Road is a deceptively simple looking book that actually delves into multiple, complex areas of life. It is a travelogue of a bike trip planned from Arizona to Georgia. It is a portrait of a person dealing with the demands of life and dealing with depression. It is a commentary on the current state of immigration along the southern border of the US. It is an existential exploration of what it means to be a person on a journey. And it is also a portrayal of the interesting, generous, and memorable people she meets on her trip.

It is chock full of beautifully rendered, human moments. It is occasionally raw, profane, candid, and funny. It features many keen observations and commentary on ordinary matters that affect all of our lives. And it is about the truths that we tell others and the ones that we protect and keep to ourselves. Just check out this exchange:

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the book is its economy of linework and storytelling. The art is that best kind of scribbling, what seems like rough pencil lines that are actually very evocative and full of energy and import. And the story is full of small moments and observations that can easily be applied to larger life topics and situations. I rate this book  alongside some of the best ones I have read in recent times, like those by Jules Feiffer and Pénélope Bagieu. Even with a similarity in terms of the amount of craft and artistry put into it, this book is still in a category of its own.

Of late, I have been on a tear of books by this book's creator, Eleanor Davis. She has racked up quite a few accolades, including the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, and has created a number of books that can appeal to adults (How to Be Happy), younger readers (Stinky), and adolescents (The Secret Science Alliance). I have read a couple of very good interviews about her work on this book, and you can read them here and here.

All of the reviews I have read have been full of accolades. Sarah Miller wrote, "Even though You & A Bike & A Road is made up of moments that seem self-contained as we read them, Davis’s work—intentionally or unintentionally—comes together to form an overarching narrative that raises questions about identity as much as it comforts through its depiction of overcoming challenges." Oliver Sava praised her "phenomenal work capturing the sprawl of the Southern states, starting with the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico before moving into more fertile territory." Ally Russell called it "a remarkable achievement for both the cartoonist and the amateur cyclist behind it." And like Nicole Rudick wrote,  I am also "in awe of Eleanor Davis’s drawings."

You & A Bike & A Road was published by Koyama Press, and they have a preview and more about it here.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

I try to read as much as possible, but there are books that have sat on my shelf for years. I am sad to say that this one, The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, is one of those books. I say sad because this book is utterly wonderful and enjoyable, and I was depriving myself of a great pleasure by not reading it all those years. The art is exceptionally fun and detailed, the story brisk yet substantive, and the whole enterprise crackles with energy, humor, and inventiveness.

The plot begins with a nerdy young science enthusiast Julian gets transferred to a new school.

Shunned in the past for being too smart and into science, he tries to hide who he is, only to become friends with two disparate kindred spirits and form the titular Secret Science Alliance. Teamed with school jock Ben Garza and notorious troublemaker Greta Hughes, the trio come up with all kinds of wonderful gadgets, including bouncy shoes, retrieval drones, and a flying machine.

Hidden away in their secret headquarters, life is pretty great for these friends until an unlikely rival catches wind of their work and steals their notebook of inventions.There is so much to love about this book. It features brilliantly designed, interesting characters. The inventions are fun, fascinating, and wonderful to behold. The artwork is full of eye-popping detail, vibrant colors, excellent storytelling, and so much expression. I cannot recommend this book enough. Go and get it now!

This book is the creation of Eleanor Davis, who worked on it with her husband Drew Weing and friend Joey Weiser. Davis has won a few accolades, including the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, and has a number of books for adult (How to Be Happy and You & A Bike & A Road) and younger readers (Stinky) to her credit. She speaks about much of her work and career in this interview.

All of the reviews I read have heaped great praise on this book. Elizabeth Bird wrote, "This is the kind of title that rewards the reader over and over again." Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review that concluded, "With its bounty of factlets slipped in for learning on the sly, it’s a sure kid and teacher pleaser—a perfect package for tweens." Jason Azzopardi admired that it was full of "exuberance, stimulation and the love of possibility."

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook was published by Bloomsbury, and they have more info about it here.