King of the birds – Arlo and Pips

Meet Arlo and Pips!

From Kirkus Reviews:

Two birds become fine feathered friends in this early graphic novel.

Arlo is a cocky crow confident that there is “no greater bird than… / ME. THE CROW, king of the feathered world.” Pips is a small yellow bird who pokes questioning holes in Arlo’s bravado. Arlo doesn’t mind Pips’ frank queries, seeing them as an opportunity to show off his skills, and throughout the book the two maintain an amicable relationship. There is a thin plotline in which Pips shows Arlo around the city where Pips lives, and the two take a trip to the beach, but the real driving energy is the relationship between the two and the opportunities for gentle humor their interactions provide. Through Pips’ inquisitiveness and Arlo’s desire to prove himself, readers also learn much about the intelligence, diet, and behavior of crows. Relevant fun facts about crows are interwoven throughout the book, often in casual and easily accessible footnotes that provide informational context to Arlo’s self-aggrandizing claims. Deceptively simple, this graphic novel’s straightforward sentences, limited color scheme, and thick black outlines make this a perfect match for newly independent readers. Both fans of Gravel’s previous work and newcomers alike will be delighted.

A charming treasure. (Graphic fiction. 6-10) Get it HERE!