Publisher: Toon Books

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Price: $12.95

Creator: Frank Viva

Format: 36 pages, Partial-Color, Hardcover

ISBN: 978-1-935179-19-1

Age Rating: Beginning Readers (per the publisher)

ICv2 Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

 

Aimed at the core Toon audience, this short book is a hybrid picture book/graphic novel about a man and a mouse on a trip to Antarctica.  It is based on real experiences the author had while on a Russian ship visiting the area.  The story ranges from simple "are we there yet" humor to odd vocabulary bits.  Readers will come away knowing several types of penguin, but also thinking that it's easy to find a warm swimming lagoon at the bottom of the world.  The lagoon is based on a real type of place, but is only explained in the notes about the author.

 

The artwork is very simple and easy for young readers to understand.  The mouse will be a favorite with young readers, especially when they see his efforts to dress for the cold.  The limited color is a minor weakness, as it creates a visual style which does not compare favorably to a well-designed picture book for the same age.

 

--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.