All the Hulk Feels

I recently borrowed All the Hulk Feels, because it had been nominated for (and won!) an Eisner Award. Libraries RULE!

This picture book is a short tale about the Hulk and Bruce Banner, as they deal with the latest scheme from their arch-foe the Leader. His evil intention is to divide the scientist and green goliath so that he can free a crew of supervillains and rule the world. So he purposefully annoys Banner with things he hates, like playing certain songs on the radio and putting pickles on his hamburgers (Banner apparently abhors pickles).

Fortunately, a little kid gets the duo a crayon and they begin writing notes back and forth to each other, which leads to a surprisingly poignant moment. The plot of this book is pretty predictable, but how it executes the plotting and hits its emotional beats is what makes it successful. The highly expressive artwork carries the entire enterprise into being an exceptional book. I love how it balances silly situations and serious concepts.

This last point should be no surprise as this book was drawn by Caldecott Award winner Dan Santat. He has many picture books to his credit, most notably The Adventures of Beekle. He also has drawn a few graphic novels, including A First Time for Everything and the new Sashimi series. He speaks about his work on All the Hulk Feels in this interview.

This book has been well reviewed. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Author/illustrator Santat breathes new life into the nature of comic-book conflict, exploring the emotional stakes of a consciousness divided." Eric Smith called it "a fantastic picture book with an important story." Susan Harari wrote, "The emphasis on when it’s OK to feel upset and how to strategize about ways to calm down are cleverly worked into what many kids will already know about the Hulk, making this a win for both young readers and adults."

All the Hulk Feels was published by Abrams Fanfare, and they offer more info about it here.

Hangry

Sometimes a book just comes into your life at the right time, and for me right now that book is Hangry. It is a picture book that uses comics to tell its story, about a small reptile that simply wants to explore culinary delights while visiting a big city. Unfortunately for many, the best hot dog shop in town (Hot Diggity Dog) is closed for a vacation, and the poor reptile gets increasingly angry and hungry until it grows into kaiju-sized proportions and wreaks havoc. Not even a truck-load of cabbage or broccoli can sate its hunger, although they both result in a giant belch. A hotdog vendor does intervene to help feed the poor reptile, but a pigeon makes matters worse...

As you might can tell from my summary, this book is fun and funny. It features colorful, bombastic artwork, sprinkled with visual gags. The premise is silly but well executed, and the story is quite pleasing to my 3- and 1-year-old sons, who both love to have a book read to them while they eat. This one makes them giggle and also eat, and the 3-year-old wants to hear it on a loop, at bedtime, and even wants to take it to preschool. That's a huge endorsement. I like reading it aloud, too, as it gives me lots of chances to be overly dramatic, chew the scenery, and also share my love of giant reptile monsters with a new generation. It's a win for everyone!

Hangry is Drew Brockington's picture book debut, but he is no stranger to the world of comics, as he's published four graphic novels in the CatStronauts series. Also, he's got a really cool sounding name, and I look forward to checking out more of his work.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews wrote that "both caregivers and small children will find much to chuckle at." Publishers Weekly praised the artwork with its "fun visual asides." Kate Quealy-Gainer opined that it would make for "a lively storytime performance."

Hangry was published by Little, Brown Young Readers, and they offer more info about it here.

The publisher provided a review copy.

Julia's House for Lost Creatures

Julia's House for Lost Creatures is one of those books that I think could be a graphic novel or also could be considered a children's picture book. It certainly used sequential art conventions. Artist/writer Ben Hatke is known for his prior work on the Zita the Spacegirl series of graphic novels, and this book is published by First Second, one of the premier US publishers of graphic novels. So I am going to call it a graphic novel.

I also could call it a bunch of other things, like delightful, fun, gorgeous, and sweet. Julia has a walking house (like a cute Baba Yaga, only with a giant turtle), and she parks it in a delightful area. She loves her surroundings, but things are just too quiet. So she hangs a shingle inviting lost creatures, and soon the house is overrun with all kinds of critters: goblins, fairies, trolls, mermaids, and a dragon even!

Suddenly quiet is non-existent and chaos reigns. Julia has to hatch a plan to calm things down, and she has a clever solution that resolves matters in classic storybook fashion.

There is so much to recommend this book, from its beautiful artwork and fantastic creatures to Hatke's many humorous details that add yet another layer of joy. Finally, the plot is one I think many parents will appreciate because of the resolution where all of Julia's creatures learn a lesson.

All the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Hatke steps from graphic novels (Zita the Spacegirl) to the picture-book format with aplomb, blending tropes from both worlds for a sweetly weird domestic adventure." Tasha Saecker called it "An exceptional picture book debut." Bill Boerman-Cornell wrote, "The story is good, but there are at least five other reasons why I love this book." Go click on his name and see what they are.

Julia's House for Lost Creatures was published by First Second, and they provide reviews and other resources here.

Thank you for the review copy, Gina!