Hilda and the Black Hound (Hilda #4)
by Luke Pearson (Author)
Hilda sits in her tent, dwarfed by volumes of the Greater Fjords Wildlife Chronicles with a flashlight and her restless companion Twig, but Hilda's not in the fjords and it isn't raining. Hilda's pitched a tent in her room and it's been days since she's been out.
In Hilda's new adventure, she meets the Nisse: a mischievous but charismatic bunch of misfits who occupy a world beside--but also somehow within--our own, and where the rules of physics don't quite match up. Meanwhile, on the streets of Trolberg, a dark specter looms...
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Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5--While Pearson's wide-eyed, turquoise-haired protagonist goes about joining the Sparrow Scouts and learns some handy skills from building campfires to erecting shelters, a large, "wolf-like" creature prowls about Trolberg. People have gone missing, and a sighting of the hound ends Hilda's first camping trip. Back home, more mysterious happenings occur; all over town, Nisse (those furry-faced house spirits that live behind bookcases and the "gaps in the floorboards") are being tossed out in the street, forced to fend for themselves. After a face-to-face with the hound, Hilda sees an opportunity to earn her first scout badge, which thus far has eluded her. She visits the library, digs up newspaper articles, draws sketches of the creature, interviews townsfolk who may or may not have seen the creature, maps the locations of suspected sightings, and puts together a Common Core--worthy, book-length report earning her "Friend to Animals" badge. Unfortunately, the award ceremony is interrupted by the hound falling through the ceiling, but in the chase that ensues several mysteries are solved, including that of the Nisse's displacement. Sound like a lot of plot? It is, but Pearson pulls it off with aplomb. The full-size volume offers a minimum of 10 panels of varying sizes per page. Darker shades dominate when the beast lurks, and earth tones and reds and oranges when the characters go about their daily business. Touches of humor abound in both images and dialogue. A book sure to garner new fans for this feisty adventurer.--Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.ALA/Booklist
Review quotes
—Raina Telgemeier, creator of Smile
"Plain smart and moving. John Stanley's Little Lulu meets Miyazaki."
—Guillermo Del Toro
"Luke Pearson's Hilda stories are beloved in our house, and they will surely be enjoyed by audiences for many years to come."
—Kazu Kibuishi, creator of Amulet "In Hilda, Luke Pearson has created a truly odd and amazingly beautiful world—Stunningly personal and original. I am in awe of his imagination. He is a real inspiration."
—Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy A School Library Journal Top Graphic Novel of 2014
A Booklist Top 10 Graphic Novel for Youth of 2014
A Texas Library Association Little Mavericks Nominee for 2015 "Pearson's utter lack of pretension keeps Hilda feeling fresh, while his reading of folktales and Tove Jansson's Moomin series embeds Hilda in the long history of children's stories. [...] Hilda's dilemmas, while fantastic, also feel real [...] Pearson has found a lovely new way to dramatize childhood demons, while also making you long for your own cruise down the fjords."
—The New Yorker "Pearson has mastered both the gentler aspects of creating a compelling children's character along with the art of conjuring an exciting, kinetic comic book adventure. The fourth book in the Hilda series is the best, as the character is now established enough on the page to allow for a greater exploration of her environment. The design, the use of color and especially Pearson's line are all impeccably beautiful without being slick."
—The Comics Journal "[Hilda's world] is. . . a glorious, exciting if also rather menacing place—one children will be eager to enter. It's also visually arresting: exuberant and lively and faintly Miyazakian."
—The New York Times "Hilda is the little girl. And this is her folk tale. And pretty much everything you need to know about how good this is is there on that absolutely gorgeously delightful cover. By the end of it, you'll have exactly the same smile as Hilda has."
—Forbidden Planet "For adults ... Pearson's measured storytelling ... and detailed, imaginative artwork make Hilda and the Bird Parade an absolute treat to dive into. It's hard to imagine a better all-ages comic will be published this year."
—Slate "With the Hildafolk series, Luke Pearson has carved himself a unique niche in the UK comics scene: a successful all-ages graphic novel series and it is much deserved. It is clearly the vision of one man and Hilda and the Black Hound is another thrilling and alluring instalment to Pearson's signature series."
—Broken Frontier "The Hilda books follow the exploits of a smart, blue-haired girl who lives in a village called Trolberg with her mom and her antlered pup named Twig. Pearson expertly mixes fantasy elements with familiar everyday stuff—for instance, in this volume, Hilda joins the scouts and has trouble completing the tasks she needs to do in order to earn her badges."
—Mental Floss "Hilda and the Black Hound is filled with magic, in all senses of that word."
—Comics Bulletin "This is perfection in sixty-four pages. Hilda is brave, resourceful, compassionate, capable of epically screwing up, and always does things with the very best of intentions; in other words, totally human. Charmingly and enticingly illustrated, the icing on the cake is the fact that Pearson never dumbs things down for his audience. The resulting dry wit found in both text and illustrations is as appealing to adults as it is to kids."
—Foreword Reviews "The Black Hound takes the strongest elements of the art styles from all of the previous Hilda books and combines them into one really wonderful volume of art. [...] the adventure here is entertaining and moving."
—Comics Alliance
