Graphic Novel: Babymouse: Queen of the World, The Cardboard Kingdom, Amulet: The Stonekeeper

 Babymouse #1: Queen of the World, Jennifer Holm. Random House Children’s Books, Dec 2005. 96 pages, $12.99, 9780375832291.

    Children will understand the plot of Babymouse #1: Queen of the World. Babymouse wants to be popular. She wants to hang out with the queen of the school, Felicia Furrypaws, and get an invitation to Felicia’s party. Although she receives an invitation, she might miss the monster movie marathon with Wilson, her best friend. When she goes to the sleepover, she is bored, does not fit in, and does not share common interests with the popular crowd. In the end, Babymouse learns to be true to herself and values her friendship with Wilson. 
    The text and illustrations work well together. The text has simple dialogue, enough words to convey a message, and provides an easy-to-digest narrative. Simple line drawings against a white, black, and pink background make up the illustrations. They add to the text by setting the frame, environment, behavior, and emotions. The illustrations are cute, funny, and entertaining. Readers will not be overwhelmed with visual or textual information because the text and the illustrations are simple and make use of white space.
    The illustrations are also well executed and cater to the target audience. The pink and black color scheme will appeal to young girls who love cute, pink things. The splashes of pink emphasize Babymouse's theatrical personality and creative imagination. Readers will know when Babymouse starts daydreaming of imaginary worlds and exciting adventures because the pink and black colors take over the white pages of reality. The constant back and forth between reality and imagination matches the fast pacing of the story. Readers who enjoy this quick, funny story can follow Babymouse on her adventure by reading the other twenty books in this series.

The Cardboard Kingdom, Chad Sell. Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 2018. 288 pages, $12.99, 9781524719388.

    In Cardboard Kingdom, sixteen children spend the summer transforming cardboard boxes into costumes and scenery for their imaginative kingdom. They dress up as monsters, sorceresses, banshees, queens, robots, scientists, and more. The story is told in an anthological format, with each chapter focusing on a child, their evil or good persona, how they met other children, and how they built a friendship through play. The chapters also inform the reader of the real-world struggles that these children are going through. Some are bullied while others are encountering gender stereotypes or witnessing a divorce. These children use make-believe play as a safe way to express themselves and be accepted by others. The anthological format allows the reader to get to know and understand each character. 

    The text and illustrations worked well to showcase the shifting between the real and the imagined world. Some chapters are worldless, focusing solely on the images and paneling. These chapters force the reader to slow down and read the facial expression, moment-to-moment transitions, action-to-action transitions, and scene-to-scene transitions to understand the story. The illustrations use bright colors, expressive characters, and a variety of panel designs to reflect the fun and engaging nature of the story. Each of the characters is unique. There is a wide range of personalities, body shapes, races, ethnicities, family structures, gender identity, and gender expression. This diversity allows each reader to have someone to relate to.

    The Cardboard Kingdom is a colorful story that focuses on the power of creativity, imagination,  inclusion, and acceptance. Cardboard Kingdom is the first book in the series. Children who like the story can read The Cardboard Kingdom #2: Roar of the Beast and The Cardboard Kingdom #3: Snow and Sorcery.

Amulet: The Stonekeeper (Book #1), Kazu Kibiushi. Graphix; First Edition, Jan 2008. 192 pages, $24.99, 9780439846813.

    Amulet: The Stonekeeper is an easy-to-understand story that follows Emily and her younger brother, Navin. Two years after Emily’s father dies in a car accident, she, her mother, and Navin move to an ancestral house. The locals believe the house is haunted. While cleaning, Emily finds a strange amulet in the library. That night, an octopus-like monster kidnaps the mother. Emily and Navin pursue the octopus-like monster through a small door in the basement and find themselves in an alternate version of Earth called Alledia. The amulet guides Emily through the world and to her great-grandfather, who encourages her to become the new stonekeeper. After deciding to take on the role, Emily, Navi, and a group of robots attempt to rescue her mother.

    There is a lot of easy-to-read text, dialogue, and some onomatopoeia. These elements keep the pacing quick and full of action. At the same time, the illustrations work well with the text to showcase the fantasy world and mood of the story. The backgrounds are detailed, and the colors are vivid. Everything comes alive and immerses the readers in this world. The color scheme and paneling set the mood. The dark pictures in shadows, suspenseful imagery, and mysterious content engage the reader. His use of panels and diagonal lines adds to the sense of action, adventure, and suspense. For example, while the mother explores a mysterious noise, the tilted illustrations give readers a sense of uneasiness. The dramatic imagery of the car crash is heartbreaking and powerful. Deaths occur in the story, but the deaths are not graphic. The immersive illustrations showcase a mysterious world full of dynamic action scenes. Kibuishi combines steampunk elements like robots, spaceships, and gadgets with classic fantasy elements like elves and monsters. 

    Amulet: The Stonekeeper is the first book of the series. There are currently eight books, and the ninth one on the way.