(2) 1-3 The First Cat in Space series. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Following The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza (rev. 7/22) is an elaborate and emotionally sincere graphic novel that fortunately retains much of the oddball absurdity of its predecessor. This space-Western whodunit sees the return of the series' heroic trio: stoic First Cat, courageous Moon Queen, and reputable robot Loz 4000; however, the friend group finds itself fractured due to the pint-sized droid's self-assigned exile for an honest mistake. After the queen's soup is mysteriously poisoned, she has only twenty-four hours to obtain lifesaving "golden glumpfoozles" (a.k.a. yellow apples). Joined by First Cat, Her Majesty's episodic lunar adventure is rife with near-constant twists, danger, and subterfuge. Loz 4000 faces peril as well, including unjust imprisonment with a baby pirate, but it's through this relationship that Loz learns to overcome feelings of self-doubt to be the hero that the story needs. Thoughtful plotting, revealing flashbacks, and strong continuity result in a remarkably cogent caper that improves upon re-reading. Harris's lively pencil and charcoal cartooning perfectly pairs with the humorous storytelling and at times experiments with unconventional panel layouts, green monochrome monitor imagery, and expressive shifts in digital color to effectually convey mood, meaning, and setting. Extras include First Cat Fan Club info and a one-page comic announcement: "There's going to be a book 3!"

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Canine narrator Johannes lives wild in a park and serves as the Eyes, appointed by the penned-up Bison to report what he sees. The arrival of "rectangles full of nonsense" sets off a chain of events leading to collective animal scheming and to several worldview-expanding revelations for Johannes about his own origins and what's out there beyond the park. This introspective adventure holds the appeal of a new perspective on the familiar world as readers piece together the bigger picture of what Johannes observes. His narration, though confident on some matters, allows them to pick up on hints that he might not know as much as they do (have the Bison really ruled the park for "millions of years or more?") and then to watch him grow as he learns. Interspersed full-bleed spreads insert Johannes into existing landscape paintings, underscoring the idea that art changes his view of how he fits into the world.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Shawn Harris. What began as an online storytelling experiment between Barnett and Harris during COVID-19 has been adapted into a graphic novel. This wacky space opera follows a crew of unlikely heroes on a mission to stop a horde of moon-eating rats. The cybernetically enhanced First Cat, along with a brave moon princess and friendly toenail-clipping robot, travel to the dark side of the moon, where they encounter a bloodthirsty baby pirate, a thieving team of disembodied hands, and a three-headed Rat King. The breakneck, stream-of-consciousness plot can be dizzying but never fails to be entertaining. Barnett's fast-paced dialogue, pleasing non sequiturs, and humorous wordplay ("Oh my Uncle Tony's hot calzoney") are amplified by Harris's impressive illustrations. An invitingly simple thick crayon-like line is employed throughout the comic, from its cartoony imagery to panel borders to lettering. The surprisingly earnest themes of friendship and individual purpose combined with the absurd humor should resonate with this audience.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Viewers follow a polar bear, newly emerged from hibernation, on a journey across a snowy landscape to the Arctic Sea. The offstage narrator's persistent question ("Where is he going?") propels the creature's journey past playful seals, an inviting cave, and a sociable human. His response to each of these potential interactions varies from lack of interest to steadfastness to aggression--often with a smattering of implicit humor. ("Is he going to visit the seals? No. He is not hungry.") While the cut-and-torn-paper-collage illustrations (with ink detail) are almost entirely in shades of white throughout the book, a great sense of movement, depth, and mass is achieved through individual forms, as well as through layering, lighting, and texture. A striking glacial blue is introduced during the polar bear's acrobatic underwater routine, expertly sequenced across a double-page spread. After his swim, the animal continues his journey across the snow. The narrator now answers the text's oft-repeated question with: "Who knows?" Barnett (The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse, rev. 11/17) and Harris (Her Right Foot, rev. 11/17) have created an understated, reflective, and loving portrayal that also serves as a celebration of wonder and wandering.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Meloy and Harris depict one family's anarchical bedtime routine within their ramshackle lighthouse-esque domicile. ­Rollicking rhymes, narrated by a young family member, set the scene: "We all got / tucked in early. / A full tomorrow waits. / But here / It's almost midnight. / And everyone's awake!" The activities listed in the peppy text begin sedately enough, with Grandma doing needlework and Dad baking bread. But as the night wears on, the events get wilder and wilder: "the cat is giving poke tattoos and prank-calling the cops." The protagonist, who is the only one trying to get to sleep, mostly observes and wrings hands ("I'm really not quite certain how much more that I can take"). But just as our narrator decides to give up on restfulness--the sun comes up, and the wild family members' eyelids go down. Harris's exuberant, page-filling illustrations ("printed in three spot-colors...grayscale plates were rendered with India ink, charcoal, and pencil") feature richly saturated hues. While the outside is all midnight-blues and whites (think Tomi Ungerer), nothing about the indoors is conducive to sleep, with a bright sunshiny yellow that would disrupt anyone's circadian rhythms.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Shawn Harris. "A citizen's not what you are--a citizen is what you do. / A citizen cannot forget the world is more than you." Harris's mixed-media illustrations roughly shape Eggers's rhyming text into a story about a diverse group of children working together to build an elaborate treehouse. Though the book may not solidify a reader's understanding of citizenship, it should spark discussion about it.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Eggers outlines the Statue of Liberty's history, leading to his well-made and worthy point about her right foot, poised to take a step: "the Statue of Liberty is an immigrant, too. And this is why she's moving." Arch posturings and twee asides surround interesting construction facts and heartfelt thoughts about the statue's meaning. Construction-paper collages aren't always stylistically coherent, but individual illustrations are frequently arresting. Reading list.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017