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(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Divya Srinivasan.
A desperate Rajah and Rani promise a reward to anyone who can entice their blind, mute daughter to speak. A tiger succeeds by truly communicating--not just talking--with lonely princess Cinnamon. First published in a magazine for adults in 1995, this original fable has a sly humor that may still appeal more to grownups than children, but the story's folktale cadence and sumptuous illustrations are entrancing.
124 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| October, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-256795-6$19.99 New ed. (2009)
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Chris Riddell.
Twelve-year-old Odd outwits a Frost Giant who has transformed Norse deities Thor, Loki, and Odin into a bear, fox, and eagle; claimed Asgard (and the lovely goddess Freya) for himself; and, in the process, brought unending winter. In this heavily illustrated, oversize new edition, Riddell captures all the humor and magic of Gaiman's novel with personality-rich black-and-white line drawings set off by intricately patterned silver frames.
Reviewer: Katie Bircher
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2009
69 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| September, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-239824-6$19.99
(3)
YA
Illustrated by
Chris Riddell.
This short story, a "Snow White"/"Sleeping Beauty" mash-up with plenty of feminist fairy-tale magic of its own, first appeared in the 2013 YA collection Rag & Bone: New Twists on Timeless Tales. Riddell's detailed illustrations (in black-and-white with gold accents) add character, charm, and a hint of creepiness to the tale of a queen setting out to rescue a princess from a curse.
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Adam Rex.
A sunny, fun-filled beach day is interrupted when a big sneeze from panda Chu literally breaks the sea. A feather won't make him sneeze again, nor will a bubbly drink, but removing his sunglasses does the trick and the ocean is repaired. Fantastical details and richly illustrated animal characters will entertain young kids, even if the story's easy fix is a letdown.
276 pp.
| HarperTeen
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-206799-9$17.99
(3)
YA
Teenager Joey Harker must save the Multiverse, even as his world falls apart. Badly wounded in prior battles, Joey attempts to build an army of Joseph Harker incarnations, locate the displaced InterWorld base, and stop FrostNight. A conclusion to the InterWorld trilogy, this coming-of-age story offers a fast-paced narrative, unique characters, epic battles, and even a little romance.
164 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| September, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-219483-1$19.99
(3)
4-6
Adapted by P. Craig Russell.
Illustrated by
David LaFuente
&
Scott Hampton.
Also illustrated by P. Craig Russell, Kevin Nowlan, and Galen Showman. Gaiman's 2008 Newbery and Carnegie Medal–winning coming-of-age tale of Nobody "Bod" Owens, a living boy raised by ghosts, is skillfully adapted here to graphic-novel format. Communication of plot and characterization is balanced among narration, speech bubbles, and art in dynamically paced panels. The detailed illustrations--by a range of established comics artists--maintain a consistent style. Review covers these titles: The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1 and The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 2.
54 pp.
| Candlewick/TOON
| October, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-935179-62-7$16.95
(3)
4-6
Toon Graphic series.
Illustrated by
Lorenzo Mattotti.
Gaiman retells the classic Grimm tale to accompany a set of paintings by Italian graphic artist Mattotti. The narration is as dark as the India-ink art. Double-page spreads of text alternate with full-bleed paintings in which the humans are dwarfed by menacing shadows. Older readers with a taste for the macabre will enjoy this version of the tale. Bib.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Adam Rex.
It's Chu's first day of school, and he's nervous about meeting his classmates. The teacher asks the children to introduce themselves and say one thing they each love to do. Chu is shy at first, but when his turn comes around, he just can't contain one of his signature giant panda sneezes. Chu's reticence is relatable; Rex skillfully plays with facial expressions in his art.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| January, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-201781-9$17.99
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Adam Rex.
Forget what you think you know--there's nothing cute about panda sneezes. Chu's on the verge of one all day ("aaah- / Aaaah-..."), leaving his wide-eyed parents wondering when he'll unleash the mayhem. But they get so transfixed by the circus that they don't see the real thing coming until it's too late. Rex aptly captures the pandemonium in his elaborate illustrations.
113 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| September, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-222407-1$14.99
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Skottie Young.
A father goes out for milk for his children's cereal. He's abducted by aliens, escapes from pirates, and saves the universe from destruction. Dad arrives safely home and tells his story to his children, who don't believe him. This is high Brit silliness in the Douglas Adams tradition. Appropriately zany pen-and-ink drawings illustrate this shaggy-dog tale.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2013
241 pp.
| HarperTeen
| May, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-206796-8$18.99
(3)
YA
Time- and dimension-traveling Joey Harker returns with a bang. Acacia Jones, another teen with unimaginable abilities, saves Joey and his InterWorld Freedom Fighters, but she also brings trouble back to their home base. With danger, deception, and almost too many twists, this fast-paced sequel to InterWorld will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
40 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| May, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-196030-7$14.99
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-06-196031-4$15.89
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Charles Vess.
Gaiman and Vess take readers through a fantastical landscape, advising them along the way with directions both grand and minute. The text, first published in A Wolf at the Door, riffs on fairy-tale conventions and vacillates between mystical and didactic. Vess's illustrations, starring a Puss-in-Boots-type character, are expansive but a little bland.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Charles Vess.
Reminiscent of Gaiman's "Instructions" in its fluent use of fairy-tale imagery, this self-indulgent picture book is composed of nimbly worded stanzas that form a heartfelt "prayer for a blueberry girl," wishing her various forms of joy and wisdom. Aesthetically accomplished, Gaiman's latest foray into picture books--enriched by airy, mysterious watercolors--will appeal primarily to adults.
118 pp.
| HarperCollins
| October, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-167173-9$14.99
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Brett Helquist.
Twelve-year-old Odd learns that a bear, fox, and eagle are really the Norse gods Thor, Loki, and Odin. A Frost Giant has done them this mischief, and blocked spring besides. Gaiman's impeccable narrative, swift-moving yet thoughtful, features lots of humor and pithy descriptions. Helquist's eight full-page drawings, distinguished by sturdy characterizations and angular drafting, deftly evoke Gaiman's wintry Norse world.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2009
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Dave McKean.
Bonnie comments on the narrator's "crazy hair," and he responds with fanciful descriptions of its many denizens ("...Gorillas leap, / Tigers stalk, / And ground sloths sleep"). Bonnie combs the hair, whereupon "one huge arm" pulls her in. McKean's psychedelically colored illustrations, framed by textured swirls, caverns, and landscapes of hair, are a striking complement to Gaiman's fantastical text.
(1)
YA
Illustrated by
Dave McKean.
After fortuitously escaping the murder of his family, a toddler is taken in by the ghostly denizens of a local graveyard. Growing up in this strange setting entails many adventures, leading to a final showdown with the murderer. Occasional art enhances the otherworldly atmosphere with a flowing line and deep grays and blacks. This ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age novel is both bittersweet and action-filled.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2008
(4)
4-6
Adapted by P. Craig Russell.
Illustrated by
P. Craig Russell.
Gaiman's shivery tale gets the graphic novel treatment. Lured into a parallel world constructed by a nightmarish "other mother," Coraline must rescue trapped children and her parents as she makes her way home. The book's attractively colored panel illustrations are propulsively paced. However, they feel both redundant and reductive when examined alongside the vivid, layered prose of Gaiman's original novel.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins
| May, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-078333-4$17.99
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-06-078334-1$18.89
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Gris Grimly.
This subversive fairy tale of an abecedarian is aimed at older readers who can appreciate the phonetic wordplay and metafictional winks. Rhyming couplets introduce one letter per line, while gruesome caricatures in shades of brown, beige, and dun relate the encompassing story: a brother and sister (and their wide-eyed pet gazelle) embark on a dangerous treasure hunt through the city sewers.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2008
183 pp.
| HarperCollins
| November, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-164970-7$19.99 New ed. (2002)
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Dave McKean.
This edition of Gaiman's creepy tale about a girl's parallel-world adventure includes an eight-page color insert (rather garish compared to McKean's nuanced black-and-white drawings, but otherwise innocuous) of still images from the Coraline stop-motion animated movie. Notes from Gaiman and from director/screenwriter Henry Selick plus an excerpt of the screenplay are appended.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2002
24 reviews
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