The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Greatest Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals

Gr 10 Up—The fourth volume of the critically acclaimed "Graphic Canon" series is a high quality, visually stunning collection of more than 40 adapted works that cover a wide range of children's literature illustrated by 21st century artists. Characters such as Alice, Dorothy, Goldilocks, and Harry Potter have a very definite look in our mind thanks to the media. This work transforms familiar and unfamiliar stories by putting them in comic form and reimagining the characters and settings: a rude and grotesquely drawn Alice, the city mouse as a man involved with the Russian mafia, or a young Chinese girl who sneaks into the home of three panda bears. The page layout, medium, and overall style of the art varies greatly, allowing each individual story to make an impression on readers. The versions of the folk- and fairy tales included are the ones that have been watered down for children; additionally, the lengthy size of the book and the analysis at the beginning of each chapter will make it unappealing to casual, child readers. However, this work will make a worthy addition to library collections and will be most appreciated by older teens and adults interested in art, graphic novels as a format, and the deconstruction of stories. Highly recommended.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ