Comics: Investigate the History and Technology of American Cartooning

Gr 4–6—This title provides readers with an introduction to comics and cartooning. The book attempts to place comics within a larger historical framework, making comparisons to the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt, medieval tapestries, and political cartoons drawn by Paul Revere, among others, with varying degrees of success. Minicomics are interspersed throughout, along with a variety of do-it-yourself projects that attempt to connect art to the idea of dialogue and storytelling. Unfortunately, the finished product is textbooklike and falls short of presenting effective strategies, mainly because it covers a dense variety of subjects through too-brief subsections. It also offers a confusing time line, including a short history of printing and the Xerox machine while also, perhaps arbitrarily, stating that the first webcomic was published in 1985. Though some of the informational attempts are admirable, such as including the origins of the Rosetta Stone and its relevance to comics, the final product comes across as odd. It's unlikely that children will be firmly engaged with this book.—Ryan P. Donovan, Southborough Public Library, MA