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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Walrus Brawl at the Mall
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.nathanhaleauthor.com
CITY: Provo
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 383
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: two.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator. Chase Studios (natural-history exhibit company), Cedarcreek, MO, former staff artist. Presenter at schools.
AWARDS:Notable Book selection, American Library Association (ALA), and Great Graphic Novel for Teens selection, YALSA/ALA, both 2008, both for Rapunzel’s Revenge.
WRITINGS
Contributor of artwork to Cricket magazine.
The Devil You Know was produced as a film by 21 Laps.
SIDELIGHTS
Utah-based illustrator and author Nathan Hale enriched his knowledge of U.S. history while working as an artist for Chase Studios, where he helped create natural-history exhibits for museums across the United States. Since becoming a full-time illustrator and author, Hale has become best known for his “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales” series, inventive graphic novels that present pivotal characters and events from U.S. history in a lighthearted way that will appeal to his intended audience. Hale also crafts original picture books pairing fun-filled stories with his high-energy cartoon art, among them The Devil You Know, Donner Dinner Party, Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, and Apocalypse Taco.
In Hale’s first self-illustrated work, The Devil You Know, the Fell family finds that their new house is haunted by a demon that skis down the stairs and otherwise drives family members crazy with its noisy antics. Coming to their rescue is Ms. Phisto, who does “minor-demon removal” and “light housekeeping.” Although the Fells hire her to remove the demon, they regret their decision when she turns out to be a more-serious nuisance. “Think Amityville Horror with a happy ending,” stated a critic in Publishers Weekly, the reviewer praising the “considerable visual talents” on display in The Devil You Know. “This spirited romp will appeal to readers who are not afraid of a little magic and mayhem,” predicted Joy Fleishhacker, reviewing the picture book for School Library Journal.
In The Twelve Bots of Christmas, Hale introduces a robotic version of Santa Claus and substitutes Santa’s sleigh for a sleek new space ship (with robotic reindeer, of course). No drummers drumming or ladies dancing here as Hale’s lyrics depict an ever-increasing gathering of quirky robotic creatures. The book’s colorful digital illustrations serve as a “subtle homage to everything from Star Wars to Dr. Who,” noted Mara Alpert in School Library Journal, the critic predicting that readers will enjoy examining the artwork’s “fun details.” A Kirkus Reviews critic cited Hale’s use of “dark, edgy hues” and deemed The Twelve Bots of Christmas a good choice for children “who like electronics, robots, tools and gears.” For Horn Book writer Chelsey G.H. Philpot, Hale’s “imaginative variation” on the well-known song offers “plenty of fun … for techies.”
Hale’s self-illustrated futuristic graphic novel One Trick Pony posits a scenario in which hostile aliens have invaded Earth and drones now harvest resources and technology while killing humans. To survive, people gather into small clans as a means of surviving, with each clan competing for ever-more-scarce resources. Living in this world, Strata and her family reside in moveable towns that have been formed to protect the computers storing thousands of years of human culture and knowledge. When Strata unearths a robotic horse, a series of dangerous events follow that threaten her clan and the knowledge the group is determined to preserve.
Reviewing One Trick Pony in Horn Book, Kitty Flynn wrote that “Hale shepherds this complex narrative with [a] … sure hand,” while in Voice of Youth Advocates, Barbara Allen cited the tale’s “amazing talent and humor.” According to a Kirkus Reviews writer, Hale’s self-illustrated saga “blends adventure, aliens, an apocalyptic future, and folklore into an easy-to-read” tale, while in Booklist, Sarah Hunter predicted that the mix of a “suspenseful chase plot and lively characters will entrance plenty of readers.” Also praising the work, School Library Journal critic Elizabeth Nicolai recommended One Trick Pony as “a great option for fantasy and adventure fans.”
The destiny of all mankind is again in the balance in Apocalypse Taco, although Hale turns down the fear factor and ratchets up the silliness. When preteen twins Axl and Ivan join friend Sid on a fast-food run for the cast of a late-night school play rehearsal, little do they realize that the drive-up window at the local taco shop is actually a portal to horror. Propelled into a surreal taco-inspired dimension, with their sole weapon a plastic car windshield scraper, the trio faces threats posed by a genetically altered college student and a swarm of replicator bees with designs on Planet Earth. Booklist critic Sarah Hunter enjoyed encountering Hale’s “unique brand of grotesque, dizzyingly intricate art” in the book, and in School Library Journal, Kelley Gile remarked on the author/illustrator’s characteristic “mix of slapstick and swagger.” Citing the “weirdness” of Hale’s storyline and the “cheesy ooziness” of his illustrations, a Kirkus Reviews critic recommended Apocalypse Taco for its “well-balanced mix of sci-fi, horror, and humor.”
Hale regularly balances over-the-top silliness with real-life adventures by expanding his long-running “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.” Graphic novels that weave historical episodes into a high-energy, visually appealing tale, the series begins with One Dead Spy. Here author/artist Hale introduces his famous namesake, colonial patriot Nathan Hale, who was hanged in 1776 after being convicted of spying for General George Washington’s colonial army. Hoping to delay his execution, the condemned Hale employs an Arabian-Nights strategy, enthralling his hangman with the sequence of stories transcribed in the “Hazardous Tales” series. Appraising the series, concept as outlined in One Dead Spy, a Kirkus Reviews critic predicted that this “innovative approach to history … will have young people reading with pleasure.”
Hale’s “innovative approach” proved so successful that his “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales” library expanded to ten books within its first eight years; in addition to covering notable personalities from most major U.S. wars, Hale has also highlighted epochs unique to the nation’s history. In Lafayette! he highlights the role of a French Major General, the Marquis de Lafayette, who aided colonial leaders such as General George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Philip Schuyler. A Kirkus Reviews writer predicted of Lafayette! that “fans of history, Hamilton, and/or Hale’s previous entries will be clamoring for this latest volume,” while in Booklist, Traci Glass cited the “precise linework” and “intricately drawn” sequential panels that bring to life Lafayette’s “rip-roaring” life story.
In Alamo All-Stars, Hale recounts the dramatic battle that, during early 1836, secured Texas from Mexico and involved such notable figures as Vicente Guerrero, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and Stephen F. Austin. Reviewing Alamo All-Stars for School Library Journal, John Trischitti reasoned that, “with its balance of gifted storytelling and hard facts, this work will appeal to reluctant readers.”
In The Underground Abductor series fans meet Harriet Tubman, a devoutly religious slave-turned-abolitionist whose work as a guide along the Underground Railroad helped over seventy enslaved Southerners safely travel north to freedom. In addition to chronicling Tubman’s childhood and upbringing, Hale also profiles notable African American abolitionists such as Nat Turner and Frederick Douglass. Slavery’s consequence, the U.S. Civil War, is the subject of Big Bad Ironclad!, a chronicle of the 1861 sea battle between the metal-coated warship USS Monitor and the Confederate Navy’s Virginia. In Horn Book, Flynn praised The Underground Abductor for sharing a “compelling history lesson,” and a Kirkus Reviews critic concluded of Big Bad Ironclad! that, while “sillier than the typical history textbook,” it “will appeal to both history buffs and graphic-novel enthusiasts.”
Another installment in “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales” series, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood relates the story of World War I, simplifying the political complexities by representing each participating nation as a individual animal. Writing in Booklist, Sarah Hunter predicted of the work that it would appeal to “students bored to death by textbook descriptions of WWI battle maneuvers,” and Flynn asserted that Hale’s “irreverent humor makes the complicated story more accessible.” School Library Journal critic Jenna Lanterman had a similar reaction, concluding that Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood “makes history come alive in a way that is relevant to modern-day life and kids.”
Hale’s historic namesake continues to avoid his date with the firing squad in Cold War Correspondent: A Korean War Tale, which profiles Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Marguerite Higgins, who covered hazardous war zones during World War II, the Korean War, and the war in Vietnam. The bravery shown by the men aboard sixteen B-25 bombers is Hale’s focus in Raid of No Return, which highlights the April 18, 1942, air strike on Tokyo, Japan, that buoyed American spirits following the assault on Pearl Harbor. “Beyond Higgins’ personal, gripping story, Hale coherently and accurately conveys the factors that led to the Korean War,” noted a Kirkus Reviews writer, dubbing Cold War Correspondent an illustrated trove of “exciting reportorial derring-do.” “Irreverent humor makes a complicated and harrowing story more accessible,” observed Flynn in her Horn Book appraisal of Raid of No Return.
Hale’s work as an illustrator includes Rick Walton’s Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas, in which a mad scientist experiments with creating miniature-sized monsters until Santa’s sleigh crashes through her roof. When mini-monster heads spill out of his bag, they are attached to the wrong monsters, creating a Halloween-Christmas mash-up. A contributor to Publishers Weekly noted of the work that Hale’s “wicked sense of humor will have mischievous readers cackling,” and in Booklist, Daniel Kraus mentioned that the book’s “green-tinged comic art [lends] a jack-o-lantern goofiness.” Also reviewing Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas , School Library Journal critic Diane Olivo-Posner stated that Hales images “are a perfect match for this monstrously fun Christmas offering.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2008, Tina Coleman, review of Rapunzel’s Revenge, p. 100; November 15, 2008, Ilene Cooper, review of The Dinosaurs’ Night before Christmas, p. 49; October 1, 2009, Eva Volin, review of Calamity Jack, p. 41; May 15, 2014, Sarah Hunter, review of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, p. 45; October 15, 2014, Daniel Kraus, review of Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas, p. 50; January 1, 2017, Sarah Hunter, review of One Trick Pony, p. 57; November 15, 2018, Traci Glass, review of Lafayette!, p. 38; March 15, 2019, Sarah Hunter, review of Apocalypse Taco, p. 55.
Horn Book, March 1, 2010, Anita L. Burkam, review of Calamity Jack, p. 56; November 1, 2010, Chelsey G.H. Philpot, review of The Twelve Bots of Christmas, p. 63; November 1, 2014, Kitty Flynn, review of Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas, p. 47; May 1, 2017, Kitty Flynn, review of One Trick Pony, p. 93.
Horn Book Guide, fall, 2014, Kitty Flynn, review of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, p. 76; spring, 2016, Kitty Flynn, review of The Underground Abductor, p. 192; fall, 2016, Kitty Flynn, review of Alamo All-Stars, p. 218; fall, 2018, Kitty Flynn, review of Raid of No Return, p. 200.
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2007, review of Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School; November 1, 2008, review of The Dinosaurs’ Night before Christmas; December 1, 2009, review of Calamity Jack; June 15, 2010, review of Animal House; September 1, 2010, review of The Twelve Bots of Christmas; July 15, 2012, review of Big Bad Ironclad!; May 1, 2014, review of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood; September 1, 2014, review of Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas; February 15, 2017, review of One Trick Pony; September 15, 2018, review of Lafayette!; February 15, 2019, review of Apocalypse Taco; October 1, 2021, review of Cold War Correspondent: A Korean War Tale.
Publishers Weekly, August 1, 2005, review of The Devil You Know, p. 65; June 18, 2007, review of Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, p. 52; August 4, 2008, review of Rapunzel’s Revenge, p. 63; September 15, 2014, review of Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas, p. 63.
School Librarian, June 22, 2010, Andy Sawyer, review of Calamity Jack, p. 112.
School Library Journal, August 1, 2005, Joy Fleishhacker, review of The Devil You Know, p. 96; August 1, 2007, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, p. 81; January 1, 2010, Eric Norton, review of Calamity Jack, p. 128; July 1, 2010, Rachel Kamin, review of The Boy and His Sled Dog, p. 62; August 1, 2010, Jasmine L. Precopio, review of Animal House, p. 85; October 1, 2010, Mara Alpert, review of The Twelve Bots of Christmas, p. 71; June 1, 2014, Jenna Lanterman, review of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, p. 111; October 1, 2014, Diane Olivo-Posner, review of Frankenstein’s Fright before Christmas, p. 69; May 1, 2015, review of The Underground Abductor, p. 143; May 1, 2016, John Trischitti, review of Alamo All-Stars, p. 137; May 6, 2016, John Patrick Green, author interview; January 1, 2017, Elizabeth Nicolai, review of One Trick Pony, p. 91; March, 2019, Kelley Gile, review of Apocalypse Taco, p. 106.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2014, Liz Gotauco, review of Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, p. 63; April 1, 2017, Barbara Allen, review of One Trick Pony, p. 70.
ONLINE
Houstonia, https://www.houstoniamag.com/ (January 17, 2020), Emma Schkloven, “Graphic Novelist Nathan Hale Talks about Highlighting History through Cartoons.”
Lone Star Literary Life, http://www.lonestarliterary.com/ (June 12, 2016), author interview.
Nathan Hale website, https://www.nathanhaleauthor.com (March 18, 2022).
Orange County Register online, https://www.ocregister.com/ (December 18, 2021), Tracee M. Herbaugh,” “How Nathan Hale’s ‘Hazardous Tales’ … Found Its Latest Female Hero of History.”*
About
Nathan Hale is the author and illustrator of the Eisner-nominated, New York Times bestselling graphic novel series on American history Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. He also created the sci-fi horror comics ONE TRICK PONY and APOCALYPSE TACO.
He is the illustrator of the graphic novel RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE and its sequel, CALAMITY JACK. He also illustrated Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody, The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas, and many others.
He lives in Utah.
‘Let’s Make History’ with Nathan Hale | Interview
October 13, 2022 by Mike Pawuk 1 comments
Nathan Hale, creator of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, knows how to make history fun and engaging. The popular creator of historical non-fiction graphic novels has a brand new graphic novel in the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series (published by Abrams Books) called Let’s Make History. The book is a change of pace: After 11 graphic novels that have focused on many important chapters in American history, this new title is a create-your-own-historical-comics guide that is jam-packed with 71 challenges to help inspire creativity for eager kid comic creators, with familiar Hazardous Tales characters like the Hangman along for the ride. Creator Nathan Hale joined me to talk about the new book and more.
What made you decide to create a book for kids on how to make historical comics?
This is a rare instance where it wasn’t actually my idea. Abrams, the publisher, pitched me the DIY concept. The second they told me the idea, I was on board.
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How much time do you typically spend doing research for your Hazardous Tales books and does it vary from book to book? Luckily you have a crack team of research babies ready to help you!
The writing/researching takes between 4-6 months, the drawing/coloring take the same.
With some books, the research takes longer. Big picture/multi-character books take longer to research than more biographical books. My WWI book took the most research time.
With some books the drawing takes longer. Books with lots of group scenes, city scenes, horses, etc, take longer to draw than books with lots of nature. The Donner Party book was an easy draw, it was snow and nature. The Lafayette book had fancy uniforms, French architecture, big marching and battle sequences—that one took forever to draw.
I’ve been a fan of your graphic novels ever since the Shannon and Dean Hale-written Rapunzel’s Revenge which you illustrated. Did the old western/fantasy period piece graphic novel help to inspire you when creating the Hazardous Tales series since it focused so much on an old American west setting?
It absolutely did. Even though Rapunzels Revenge takes place in a fantasy “Western” world, I wanted the clothes, buildings, and guns to look authentic and real. So I did a lot of visual research.
The second book, Calamity Jack, took place in a large turn-of-the-century city that had recently been destroyed (by giants). In my research, I found a book of photos from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The photos were fascinating. I found myself far more interested in the realities of this mostly-forgotten historical earthquake than the fantasy aspects of the story.
Have you always been a fan of world and American history or is it something you’ve grown to appreciate and share with your readers?
I grew up loving historical fiction. But I never expected to become a nonfiction history author. I have no history degrees or background. I do think my naïveté brings a certain childlike wonder and excitement to the material.
What Hazardous Tales book took you the longest to research?
Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, the WWI book. Also Blades of Freedom, the book about the events that lead to the Louisiana Purchase, from Napoleon’s rise to the Haitian Revolution. The books that feature huge casts and major events take the most research.
Let’s Make History features many tips and exercises from researching historical-period clothing, a guide for researching in the library, drawing tips, reading research, symbols, the differences in storytelling from super-hero comics, manga, comic strips, and so much more. What’s your favorite part in the creative process?
The drawing. While the research is interesting, and the writing is challenging—drawing has always been my first love.
I loved the challenges you put into the book – especially the Schultz accomplishment where you must work on a comic series for over 50 years. Good luck for anyone making that challenge!
Newspaper comics and Schulz’s Peanuts in particular were very formative for me. I teach a cartooning camp every summer at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. Being able to include a Schulz challenge was a treat for me. If somebody completes that challenge, I’ll be 95 when they do!
Let’s Make History also features some challenges that involve libraries. The Hang-Hyphen Challenge features an inking challenge that takes place at a public library as well as an entire chapter 7 dedicated to encouraging kids to visit and do research at their local library. Have libraries always played a role in your life and do you still use them to this day when researching?
Absolutely! I’m always popping back and forth to my local public library. Calamity Jack, my second graphic novel, was drawn almost entirely in a library carrel.
Will there be a way to share online some of the finished comics the kids will be creating?
This is a tricky one. On one hand, I love the idea of kids showing their work, on the other hand, I loathe social media—and I think kids should be free from the inherent misery, group-think, misinformation, and anxiety that comes with it. So I’m not building an official sharing space for finished art. That said, if parents tweet me finished pages, I’ll probably retweet them. I’m new to this do-it-yourself space, so I don’t know what to expect.
What do you hate to draw the most?
I’m an oddball, I enjoy drawing everything. I really do. Some things are trickier than others—horse’s legs are so confusing. Kids in a classroom full of desks is a common scene I’ve had to draw a lot in my illustration career. It’s so much more complex than it should be, the desk legs, the chair legs, the kids legs—it’s a forest of poles and legs!
What were some of your favorite inspirations growing up that helped to inspire your art style?
Newspaper comics. Garfield, The Far Side, Peanuts, and a comic about birds who work at a newspaper called Shoe. Shoe gets forgotten, but wow, was the drawing beautiful and the cranky old newspaper birds had such personality. In middle school, I discovered Edward Gorey, he put a huge stamp on me. I was also really into the sci-fi/fantasy art covers that were out when I was a kid. My favorite cover illustrator was named Michael Whelan—I sometimes bought paperback books just for one of his covers.
I know you share the same name is the historical Nathan Hale, but if I had to guess which character best reflects you – is it the Hangman? He seems to be the 5th grader in all of us who still makes fart jokes and points out you’ve got a bat in the cave.
Bingo!
I loved the Take a Break challenge from chapter 6 in Let’s Make History. Creating comics can be a very sedentary life and there’s a need to get up and exercise to help clear the mind and get the creative juices flowing. I was happy to read that you’re a runner too like me. Why is it so important to be sure to be active while working as a graphic novel creator?
Drawing, while sedentary, is still a physical act. Long session drawing—which is all comic artists do—takes endurance. If you don’t take time to exercise and strengthen your body, you will lose that endurance. Drawing injuries, carpal tunnel, repeated motion stress—these are real issues for the cartooning community—and staying healthy can alleviate some of those things.
I also loved that you get to express your love of running in the book! You’ve completed 16 marathons – that’s quite an accomplishment! I’ve only done 4 marathons (my marathon PR is 4:17:52) and I’ve done over 20 ½ marathons myself (my PR is 1:46:37). How long have you been a runner and do you have any races coming up you’re training for?
Nice times! I just completed marathon #17 this past weekend in St. George, Utah. It was my third this year, starting with Nashville and Pittsburgh, then I’ll do a fourth in Dallas this December.
I had a horrible middle school gym teacher who punished his students with “fun runs.” My three year grudge match with that teacher gave me a lifelong love of running. Sometimes it’s the bad teachers that change your life.
Who are some of your favorite comic book creators and comics that you love reading?
In high school I discovered Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, an astounding, surreal comic from the 1910s. That got me interested in old comics. Most of my favorite creators are long dead. Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy, E.C. Segar’s Popeye, Tove Jansson’s Moomin, and Carl Barks’ Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics to name a few.
I’ve only recently jumped into manga, but I’m blown away by it. The pandemic lockdown really let me dig deep. My favorite books and creators so far are Mitsuru Adachi’s Cross Game, Bakuman by Ohba and Obata, and pretty much anything by Naoki Urusawa.
Is it true that you got one of your biggest artistic breaks by painting murals in a dinosaur museum?
Yes! As a kid, I found myself working a lot of part time jobs as a theater scenery painter. I got good at large format painting. This lead to doing murals in homes, then businesses. I seriously considered a career in scenic painting, but as I was choosing my major, projector tech was getting better and many theaters dropped hand-painted scenery for cheaper, easier projected images.
Anyway, in my early twenties, I had a robust mural/scenery portfolio. When I saw a big dinosaur museum being built, I marched in with my portfolio and got the job. The North American Museum of Ancient Life in Utah—it took just over a year, but I covered every wall in the place with murals.
Speaking of dinosaurs – no one asks adults what their favorite dinosaur is. What is your favorite dinosaur?
Styracosaurus. That’s the ceratopsian with the burst of horns all along the frill. It’s like an over-the-top Triceratops. That’s my favorite. Thanks for asking!
Nathan Hale (author)
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nathan Hale
Born Sundance, Utah
Nationality American
Occupation(s) Author and illustrator
Known for Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series
Nathan Hale is an American author and illustrator of children's books, most notably the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. He is also the illustrator of the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revenge, its sequel, Calamity Jack, Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody, the Dinosaur's Life Before Christmas, and many others. His work has been nominated for four Eisner Awards.[1]
He currently lives in Provo, Utah.[2]
Biography
Nathan grew up in Sundance, Utah, the child of ski instructors.[citation needed] His family didn't have any entertainment except for some fantasy stories, which his father would read out loud to him and his siblings.[citation needed]
Nathan went to Cornish College in Seattle.[citation needed] He first worked at a natural history museum, painting displays, and that led him to have a career to a natural history museum.[citation needed]
In 2011, Nathan was asked to illustrate Rapunzel's Revenge, and then asked to illustrate Calamity Jack. He was then inspired to create his own graphic novel series. The next year, he wrote and illustrated One Dead Spy, which was about the life of Nathan Hale, a soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The next books have explained of the Revolutionary War, the Alamo, exploration of the Grand Canyon, the Underground Railroad, WWI, WWII, and the Haitian Revolution in hilarious ways.
He now lives in Utah and is an avid collector of Lego sets.[3]
Awards and honors
Many of Hale's books from the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series have landed on The New York Times Best Seller list.[1] The Underground Abductor and Alamo All Stars held the number one position.[1]
Eight of the books Hale has authored, as well as two books he has solely illustrated, are Junior Library Guild selections: Rapunzel’s Revenge (2008),[4] Calamity Jack (2010),[5] Alamo All-Stars (2016),[6] One Trick Pony (2017),[7] Raid of No Return (2017),[8] Lafayette! (2018),[9] Major Impossible (2020),[10] Blades of Freedom (2021),[11] Cold War Correspondent (2022),[12] and Above the Trenches (2023)[13]
In 2011, Bank Street College of Education marked Calamity Jack as being of "outstanding merit" in its list of the best books of the year.[14]
In 2017, One Trick Pony was named one of the best books of the year by VOYA,[7] Chicago Public Library,[15] and the New York Public Library.[16]
Awards and honors for Hale's writing and illustrations
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2008 Rapunzel's Revenge Cybil Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Winner [17]
2009 Rapunzel's Revenge Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work Winner [18]
2009 Rapunzel's Revenge ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [19][20]
2009 Rapunzel's Revenge Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [21]
2010 Rapunzel's Revenge Amelia Bloomer List Selection [22]
2011 Calamity Jack Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [23]
2012 Big Bad Ironclad! Cybil Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Finalist [24]
2013 Donner's Dinner Party Cybil Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Finalist [25]
2013 One Dead Spy Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [26][27]
2014 Donner Dinner Party Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [28]
2014 Donner Dinner Party Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction Nominee
2015 Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [29]
2015 Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood Will Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work Nominee [30]
2016 The Underground Abductor Will Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12) Finalist [31]
2016 The Underground Abductor Will Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist Finalist [31]
2018 One Trick Pony Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [32]
2019 Lafayette! Excellence in Graphic Literature Award for Nonfiction Finalist [9]
2020 Major Impossible Excellence in Graphic Literature Award for Nonfiction Finalist [33]
2022 Cold War Correspondent Excellence in Graphic Literature Award for Nonfiction Finalist [34]
Publications
As author
Standalone books
The Devil You Know (2005)
The Twelve Bots of Christmas (2005)
Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School (2007)
One Trick Pony (2017)
Apocalypse Taco (2019)
The Mighty Bite (2023)
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series
One Dead Spy (2012)
Big Bad Ironclad! (2012)
Donner Dinner Party (2013)
Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (2014)
The Underground Abductor (2015)
Alamo All-Stars (2016)
Raid of No Return (2017)
Lafayette! (2018)
Major Impossible (2019)
Blades of Freedom: A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase (2020)
Cold War Correspondent: A Korean War Tale (2021)
Let's Make History! Create Your Own Comics (2022)
Above the Trenches (exp. 2023)
As illustrator
Balloon on the Moon, written by Dan McCann (2008)
The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas, written by Anne Muecke (2008)
Rapunzel's Revenge, written by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (2008)
Calamity Jack, written by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (2010)
HALE, Nathan. The Mighty Bite. illus. by Nathan Hale. 288p. (The Mighty Bite: Bk. 1). Abrams/Amulet. Apr. 2023. Tr $14.99. ISBN 9781419765537.
Gr 3 Up--Trilobite and Amber are friends who should be extinct, but they're not. They'd like to be famous, but it's a while before they learn that they could become famous just by telling the world that they exist! When they discover how to become famous through internet videos, it seems like the answer to their problem. But the quest to create viral videos is just the beginning of a weird, hilarious, and surreal story. Trilobite and Amber become involved in a video-making competition for internet fame that becomes funnier and stranger the longer it goes on. The cast of characters is one of the most unique ever, including a trilobite who dreams of being rich and famous, an ambulocetus (or walking whale), a paleo-newscaster, an ape god, and many, many more. Hale uses only black, white, and pale blue colors, but each panel is packed with details. Plenty of squiggles and shading make the artwork look like it's vibrating off of the page. VERDICT For kids who enjoy zany, funny, and smart stories. --Andrea Lipinski
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Lipinski, Andrea. "HALE, Nathan. The Mighty Bite." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 4, Apr. 2023, pp. 132+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A743483924/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b92ba246. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
The Mighty Bite. By Nathan Hale. Art by Nathan Hale and Lucy Hale. Apr. 2023.288p. Abrams/Amulet, $14.99 (9781419765537). Gr. 3-6.741.5.
Welcome to the Island of Losta Founda, where supposedly extinct creatures live on. Trilobite (a marine arthropod from the Cambrian era) sets out to be rich and famous but isn't sure how, until he meets Tiffany Timber, a paleo newscaster/vlogger with a ton of followers, who suggests they partner up. Since Trilobite and his pet Amber (an ambulocetus from the Eocene period) are a paleontology treasure, they're certain their video content will be so newsworthy it will break the internet. On their quest to create groundbreaking content, they come across a tiny spinosaurus, an ape god that is part of a violent pantheon, a crinoid, a wooly rhino, and the wise but tricky Opabinia, who becomes their archnemesis as they enter into a six-round video battle royale. Hale is mostly known for impressive and well-researched historical-nonfiction graphic novels, so this frantically paced fever-dream project of pure escapism is quite the stray, but not at all unwelcome. The hand-drawn pen-and-ink illustrations are deliciously detailed and painstakingly and lovingly stippled and crosshatched. The story is silly but moves along briskly with wonderful humor, and the cast of predominantly extinct characters is wholly original. The panels are wonderfully paced, with each shot as beautifully framed and expertly lit as the video battles described within, and the project overall is a mighty undertaking. --Becca Worthington
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Worthington, Becca. "The Mighty Bite." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 16, 15 Apr. 2023, p. 37. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A747135459/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bd703612. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
Hale, Nathan THE MIGHTY BITE Amulet/Abrams (Children's None) $14.99 4, 4 ISBN: 9781419765537
In this quirky graphic offering, two extinct creatures team up with a human reporter.
One morning, Trilobite (who goes by Bite) and BFF Amber (short for Ambulocetus, a prehistoric walking whale) find their cupboards and stomachs empty. After meeting Tiffany Timber, a paleo-newscaster, they decide they will become influencers like her in hopes of hitting it rich. However, when they are duped by the tricky Opabinia and his goons (a cactus named Cactus Annie and a crinoid named Ted), they find themselves unexpectedly paired with Tiffany in a wild video competition to save her reputation. As the rounds progress, it seems like the trio cannot catch a break, incurring mounting penalties from the bad-tempered anthropomorphized house. Will they be able to defeat Opabinia and win the video battle? Hale's tale, executed in blue and white with strong black linework, is unapologetically zany, replete with poop jokes, an adorable talking kitten head, a giant hair dryer, and a gorilla deity sporting a halo that is also a portal, making this a perfect choice for those who find joy in madcap comics in the vein of James Kolchalka. Backmatter includes facts about the creatures mentioned and Hale's inspiration behind such a kooky charmer. Tiffany reads White.
An exuberantly goofy romp. (minicomics) (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hale, Nathan: THE MIGHTY BITE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A736806104/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=efeb87ca. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
Hale, Nathan WALRUS BRAWL AT THE MALL Amulet/Abrams (Children's None) $14.99 6, 11 ISBN: 9781419774355
Extinct creatures gear up for the ultimate battle!
In his newest adventure, Trilobite decides he wants to go viral by making a funny video. After uploading content showing himself getting hurt, Bite garners millions of views (and a paycheck!), and his rival, Opabinia, decides to join in on the action. Bite's reckless attention-seeking antics land him in the hospital, where best friend Amber, a nonspeaking walking whale from the Eocene Era, gets into an altercation with a surly walrus. As the competition for internet fame grows, Bite, Amber, and human friend Tiffany find their boat capsized after a confrontation with Opabinia, landing the motley crew at the Sea Mall Ball, a spherical floating shopping center. When a revenge-seeking baby walrus picks a fight with Amber, Bite and his friends must survive an all-out pinniped rumble to escape. This second series entry keeps the pages flying with its over-the-top zaniness and abundant silliness, but it has a slyly smart undercurrent throughout, with the author/illustrator offering quiet social commentary and deftly tying up seemingly unrelated narrative threads. His illustrations are singular and stylish, featuring hand-lettered and hand-drawn, two-toned art. Although this is a follow-up to The Mighty Bite (2023), a cheery introduction establishes that each volume is a self-contained episode and can be read in any order.
A sensationally silly sugar rush of a read. (minicomics) (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hale, Nathan: WALRUS BRAWL AT THE MALL." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A791876904/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a67a1e8f. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.