Blip! (Toon Books Level 1)

A robot's spaceship crashes onto an unfamiliar planet in Richards's first children's book, told through sequential panels and little text beyond a scattering of sound effects, including the robot's repeating "Blip." With its squared-off head, chunky white spacesuit, and backpack, Richards's hero looks a bit like an amalgamation of the Tin Man, a Teletubby, and an intrepid middle schooler. Scared off by a loud banging noise, the robot travels across surreal terrain filled with oversize mushrooms, camouflaged dragons, and treacherous swamps, an aesthetic that evokes the underground comics of the 1970s. Attempts at friendship--with a Cheshire-like cat, a bird that won't stop jabbering, and a brown-skinned girl in a space helmet--don't go especially well. After several death-defying escapes, the robot learns why the first rule of getting lost in the wilderness is to stay put: that banging sound from the opening pages is actually a female robot repairing her spaceship, which they use to depart together. The robot's difficulties in connecting with the beings he encounters heightens the loneliness and strangeness of his journey, making the friendship he finally finds all the more rewarding. Ages 4-6. (Sept.)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 2--Full of easy sight words, with a few panels per page, this graphic novel will appeal to beginning readers and budding comic book fans. Audiences will identify with the lonely robot as he eagerly searches for companionship. The book opens when the robot crashes his spaceship and is set adrift on a strange planet. Hearing a bang, he goes in search of the sound. On his journey he meets a psychedelic cat, a raging dragon, and an imitative bird. The robot attempts to talk to them but can utter only the word blip. Sadly, he is misunderstood time and time again. The robot's adventures take him underwater, through a mushroom forest and video game-like mazes. His pursuit eventually leads him to a newfound friend. The few words in this text are often alliterative (bleep, blip, and bang), and the colorful pages are filled with action and emotion. As with all Toon books, there are tips for parents and teachers on how to read comics with kids. VERDICT Recommended for readers new to the format.--Lisa Gieskes, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Blip! won a Golden Duck Award! The award honors the best in science fiction for children.

"Blip! is a smart book that offers an engaging story as well as amazingly detailed artwork and an assortment of visual puzzles that are fun for adults and children alike to decode." - School Library Journal Good Comics for Kids

"Blip! is a fantastic introduction to the sequential art of the graphic novel and it is also (as are all the books TOON publishes) a superb example of what founder Françoise Mouly started out to do in 2008 - create beginning readers with engaging illustrations and stories that are anything but boring." - Books 4 Your Kids

"The simple yet engaging artwork does a wonderful job filling in the details." - Foreword Reviews

"My little guy gets a huge kick out of this one, and I can't wait to share it with my storytime crew when I have my next Robot storytime." - Mom Read It