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WEBSITE: http://davewhamond.com/
CITY: Calgary
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COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 361
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; married; children: Maria, Zach.
EDUCATION:Graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design, 1987.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, staff cartoonist for five years; freelance illustrator for magazines; creator of “Reality Check” (syndicated panel cartoon), 1995—; Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, teacher of illustration, 1997-2006. Author of a monthly feature for Sesame Street magazine.
AVOCATIONS:Reading, movies, hiking, jogging, music, hockey.
MEMBER:National Cartoonists Society.
AWARDS:Silver Birch Award, Ontario Library Association (OLA), 2008, for Secret Agent Y.O.U. by Helaine Becker; Reuben Award, National Cartoonists Society, 2009, for My Think-a-Ma-Jink, 2010, for advertising illustration, 2012, for newspaper illustration, and 2013, for magazine feature and magazine illustration; OLA Blue Spruce Award, 2011, for My Think-a-Ma-Jink, and 2014, for Oddrey; various awards in advertising and editorial illustration.
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including MacLeans, National Geographic, Outdoor Canada, Psychology Today, Reader’s Digest, Sports Illustrated, Psychology Today, OWL, and the Wall Street Journal.
SIDELIGHTS
Although Dave Whamond is best known as the award-winning creator of the syndicated comic strip “Reality Check,” he has earned younger fans through his work in children’s books. Whamond is the author and illustrator of My Think-a-Ma-Jink, a Reuben award winner, as well as the works in his self-illustrated “Oddrey” series of picture books among others such as Acting Wild: How We Behave like Birds, Bugs, and Beasts. Whamond’s artwork has also graced the pages of books by Sigmund Brouwer, Joan Betty Stuchner, Jeff Szpirglas, and Maria Birmingham, among other writers, and he created illustrations for the popular “Hot Dog and Bob” series of chapter books by L. Bob Rovetch.
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Whamond demonstrated an affinity for art at a young age, using large rolls of paper his father brought home from work as his canvas. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the Alberta College of Art and Design, earning his degree in 1987. Reality Check, the cartoonist’s offbeat look at the world, first appeared in 1995.
In an interview in the Orca Blog, Whamond shared five words that he felt best described his process of illustrating. These included: “Excitement, when I first start a project. Absorbed, when I start the idea work and research of the project. Challenge, when I delve into what is required and I figure out what is needed to bring the job alive. Fulfillment, when I get to start work on the final art. I throw myself into a book project and it’s almost sad when it is over. Satisfaction, when I finish a book, it’s a great feeling.”
Over the course of his career, Whamond has illustrated several nonfiction titles for young readers, including Szpirglas’s They Did WHAT?! Your Guide to Weird and Wacky Things People Do, which explores hoaxes, fads, extreme sports, urban legends, and other oddities. In her Quill & Quire review, Carol L. MacKay praised the book’s “exaggerated cartoons, which perfectly complement the silliness of Szpirglas’s text.” Whamond also contributed what Paul Challen described in Quill & Quire as “lively illustrations” to Helaine Becker’s Secret Agent Y.O.U.: The Official Guide to Secret Codes, Disguises, Surveillance, and More!
Rovetch’s humorous series features the adventures of Hot Dog, an alien superhero sent to protect Earth from interstellar invaders, and Bob, a fifth grader who becomes Hot Dog’s reluctant partner. The characters are introduced in Hot Dog and Bob and the Seriously Scary Attack of the Evil Alien Pizza Person, in which they do battle with the nefarious Cheese Face. A Publishers Weekly critic applauded the “wacky cartoons” in this debut work. Reviewing the superhero adventures in Hot Dog and Bob and the Dangerously Dizzy Attack of the Hypno Hamsters, Shannon Ozirny stated in the Canadian Review of Materials that Whamond “draws with impressive flair and polish.” The artist’s “black and white cartoons … replicate the constant movement and vitality of Saturday morning entertainment,” Ozirny added.
Whamond’s original, self-illustrated picture books include several stories about an independent-minded girl who revels in her uniqueness. Readers meet the eponymous heroine in Oddrey, learning that she enjoys juggling bath bubbles, designing avant-garde hopscotch grids, and creating multicolored snow forts. Although disappointed with the drab costume she must don for a minor role in a school play, the quick-witted Oddrey devises a clever solution when her fellow actors experience a bad case of stage fright. “Oddrey is chock-full of spunk and originality, with a delightful flair for the dramatic,” Megan Sorenson stated in the Canadian Review of Materials. The book’s “watercolour and ink images are full of eye-catching colour,” Sorenson added, “and the numerous comic touches that Whamond includes fit perfectly with the tone of the text.”
In Oddrey and the New Kid, Whamond’s feisty heroine tries to make friends with an incredibly boastful new student, and Oddrey Joins the Team focuses on her unconventional schemes to improve the fortunes of her soccer club. “Whamond’s artwork is a pleasing welter of colorful dabs and active lines,” a writer in Kirkus Reviews noted of the first volume. In Resource Links, Beth Wilcox described Oddrey Joins the Team as “a light and humorous story,” and another Kirkus Reviews contributor believed that “the energetic, cartoonish art deftly draws on comic art conventions to carry the narrative.”
My Think-a-Ma-Jink, a standalone work, was inspired by Whamond’s son and daughter and celebrates the power of creativity. “I wanted to do a book about imagination since having my own kids,” the author/illustrator told Stephen Hunt in the Calgary Herald, adding that his children are “surrounded by so many technological distractions that sometimes … you can’t blame them if they don’t have time to just imagine.” My Think-a-Ma-Jink centers on a jaded six-year-old who receives a mysterious birthday present that helps him explore worlds of his own making. Whamond “has turned his considerable skills to visualizing the fantastic landscape of a child’s mind,” concluded Alison Mews in her Canadian Review of Materials appraisal, and a Kirkus Reviews critic posited that his “brightly colored watercolor artwork reflects an active imagination.”
Frank and Laverne, a work coauthored by Whamond and Jennifer Stokes, readers encounter “a classic cat vs. dog tale with a twist,” in the words of School Library Journal reviewer Betsy Davison. An energetic pug, Frank zealously guards his home and its inhabitants—including the family’s pampered pet cat Laverne—from rascally squirrels and other intruders. After reading Frank’s version of an unexpected encounter with the belligerent dog next door, readers can flip the book over to see Laverne’s vastly different experience of the same event. Jeannette Hulick predicted in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books that audiences “will be rewarded by small, humorous details in [Whamond’s] cartoonish art and hints of the opposing perspective in the illustrations for each side of the tale.”
In Jeff Szpirglas’s Wild Cards, Mr. Leon, the school’s principal, bans Monster Zap cards during recess. Matt’s classmates are upset as playing with these cards is one of their favorite things to do. Matt figures out a way to convince the principal to rescind his ban while also getting his classmates to clean up the playground so they have better options during recess. A Kirkus Reviews contributor opined that Wild Cards would be “a good choice for emergent readers who might like to promote improvements to their schools,” adding that Whamond’s illustrations are “appealing.”
With the graphic novel Nick the Sidekick, Nick challenges the idea that he is not a full-fledged superhero when he is labeled a sidekick. Nick’s superpower—his oversized and super-attentive ears—have made him the target of many jokes, but he is always quick to push back against anyone who tries to tear him down. A Kirkus Reviews contributor described the graphic novel as being “a light read with a not inconsiderable punch.”
With Whamond’s text-free picture book Rosie’s Glasses, young Rosie finds her life becomes more exciting when she finds a magic pair of glasses. These glasses change her gloomy day into one that is full of joy and bright colors. A Kirkus Reviews contributor reasoned that “the idea is interesting, but the artwork’s jarring, jagged lines and perspectives have a fun house-like feel,” which might “keep readers from appreciating the book’s message.”
In Whamond’s short graphic novel Alien Nate, an alien spaceship from the Vega System discovers a pizza that was accidentally left on Voyager 1 twenty-five years ago when it was launched. Despite its age, the aliens love the taste and send Nate to Earth to get more for them. After making friends with Earthling Fazel, Nate dresses in disguise to avoid being detected while following his new friend around at school. A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that “this lighthearted story successfully touches on themes of inclusivity, friendship, and the importance of imagination.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor found the graphic novel to be “a cute ode to pizza and human ingenuity.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, May 1, 2016, Jeannette Hulick, review of Frank and Laverne, p. 493.
Calgary Herald, June 26, 2010, Stephen Hunt, “Calgarian Illustrates His Own Success Story: Dave Whamond Gets Reality Check at Cartoon Awards.”
Canadian Review of Materials, June 22, 2007, Shannon Ozirny, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Dangerously Dizzy Attack of the Hypno Hamsters; February 19, 2010, Alison Mews, review of My Think-a-Ma-Jink; February 15, 2013, Megan Sorenson, review of Oddrey.
Horn Book Guide, September 22, 2012, Sheila M. Geraty, review of My Think-a-ma-Jink, p. 44; March 22, 2013, Nell Beram, review of Oddrey, p. 45.
Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2009, review of My Think-a-Ma-Jink; September 1, 2012, review of Oddrey; July 1, 2013, review of Oddrey and the New Kid; June 15, 2014, review of Oddrey Joins the Team; December 15, 2016, review of Wild Cards; February 15, 2018, review of Nick the Sidekick; August 1, 2018, review of Rosie’s Glasses; February 15, 2020, review of Alien Nate.
Publishers Weekly, July 31, 2006, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Seriously Scary Attack of the Evil Alien Pizza Person, p. 75; March 16, 2020, review of Alien Nate, p. 78.
Quill & Quire, December 1, 2005, Carol L. MacKay, review of They Did WHAT?! Your Guide to Weird and Wacky Things People Do; November 1, 2006, Paul Challen, review of Secret Agent Y.O.U.: The Official Guide to Secret Codes, Disguises, Surveillance, and More!; November 1, 2012, Katherine Pedersen, review of Oddrey.
Resource Links, February 1, 2006, Laura Reilly, review of They Did WHAT?!, p. 79; October 1, 2006, Myra Junyk, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Particularly Pesky Attack of the Pencil People, p. 14; December 1, 2006, Evette Berry, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Seriously Scary Attack of the Evil Alien Pizza Person, p. 23; October 1, 2007, Eva Wilson review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Dangerously Dizzy Attack of the Hypno Hamsters, and Linda Aksomitis, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Exceptionally Eggy Attack of the Game Gators, both p. 21; December 1, 2007, Teresa Hughes, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Surprisingly Slobbery Attack of the Dog-Wash Doggies, p. 23; December 1, 2014, Beth Wilcox, review of Oddrey Joins the Team, p. 9; February 1, 2017, Lara Chauvin, review of Wild Cards, p. 17; April 1, 2017, Mavis Holder, review of Justine McKeen, Thermostat Chat, p. 8; October 1, 2018, Holly Rainville, review of Nick the Sidekick, p. 15.
School Library Journal, March 1, 2006, Wendy Woodfill, review of They Did WHAT?!, p. 248; September 1, 2006, Jennifer Cogan, review of Hot Dog and Bob and the Seriously Scary Attack of the Evil Alien Pizza Person, p. 183; December 1, 2012, Lynn Vanca, review of Oddrey, p. 102; August 1, 2013, Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, review of Oddrey and the New Kid, p. 92; August 1, 2014, Kelly Roth, review of Oddrey Joins the Team, p. 83; April 1, 2016, Betsy Davison, review of Frank and Laverne, p. 142; September 1, 2018, Kathryn Justus, review of Rosie’s Glasses, p. 98; April 1, 2020, Amy M. Laughlin, review of Alien Nate, p. 124.
ONLINE
Daily Cartoonist, https://www.dailycartoonist.com/ (December 17, 2018), D.D. Degg, “Dave Whamond—Unreal Reality.”
Dave Whamond website, http://davewhamond.com (June 26, 2020).
Lambiek, https://www.lambiek.net/ (June 26, 2020), author profile.
Orca Blog, https://blog.orcabook.com/ (May 16, 2017), author interview.
Owl Kids website, https://www.owlkids.com/ (March 23, 2015), “10 Things about Dave Whamond!”
Three in a Box, https://www.threeinabox.com/ (June 26, 2020), author profile.*
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dave Whamond
Born Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Occupation Cartoonist
Notable work Reality Check
Dave Whamond is a Canadian cartoonist and children's book author/illustrator who draws the newspaper comic strip Reality Check, which has been published daily since 1995.[1] As of 2010, Reality Check was being distributed by United Feature Syndicate.[2] Since December 2022, Day by Dave has been running on GoComics. Whamond has been nominated for the National Cartoonist Society's Silver Reuben Award ten times, and has won the award four of those times. His other awards include the Blue Spruce Award and the Silver Birch Award, both from the Ontario Library Association.[3][4][5]
Whamond was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and grew up in the small Alberta town of Whitecourt. After attending the Alberta College of Art, he went on to work for the Calgary Herald for five years before starting Reality Check.[2]
Dave Whamond’s work has appeared in publications such as Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Psychology Today, OWL, MacLeans, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, Outdoor Canada and many others.
He has worked on national campaigns in Canada and the US for Taco Bell, Tim Hortons, Canadian Superstores/Loblaw, Labatts, Dominos, Advil, Chrysler, VISA, Bell, Barqs, McDonalds, Canadian Tire, Coca Cola, Disney and NASA.
He has worked on over 30 books including the “Oddrey” series, “My Think-a-ma-jink”, the “The Adventures of Hot Dog and Bob” series, and the new Robert Munsch book, “Braids”. His new book, “Frank and Laverne” is in stores now.
Dave has won numerous awards such as the Blue Spruce award for both “My Think-a-ma-jink” and “Oddrey” as well as a Silver Birch award for “Secret Agent Y.O.U.” He has been nominated for 10 Reuben awards for the National Cartoonists Society and has won 4 of them, for Magazine Illustration, Advertising Illustration, Newspaper Illustration and Best Book Illustration.
His internationally syndicated panel comic Reality Check has appeared daily since 1995 in papers such as the Miami Herald, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Toronto Star, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, Detroit News, Minneapolis Star Tribune and others. It was nominated for best cartoon panel of the year by the National Cartoonists Society.
Dave also taught 3rd and 4th year illustration at the Alberta College of Art and Design from 1997 to 2006.
CREATOR CORNER: AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR DAVE WHAMOND
March 26, 2024
Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent books. For this post, we interviewed Hugo’s Haunted Handbook author and illustrator Dave Whamond, whose book is publishing March 15, 2024!
Owlkids Books: How did you begin writing and illustrating children’s books?
Dave Whamond: I really started thinking about writing and illustrating children’s books when I had my own kids and would read to them at night. It helped me visualize it becoming a reality, and made me think about what I might do with my own book.
OKB: What was the inspiration for this book?
DW: I have always been fascinated with ghosts and the paranormal, and aliens, and Bigfoot, especially when I was a kid. My wife is very interested in ghosts as well and has been known to drag the family on ghost tours in different cities that we visit.
OKB: What was the most enjoyable part of writing this book? What was the most challenging part of the process?
DW: I really enjoyed the writing process of this book. It seemed to flow off the page, which is usually a good sign it is working. The most challenging part was trying to match the illustration style to the writing. I’m happy with how it turned out eventually.
OKB: Which spread did you enjoy illustrating the most, and why? Which was the most challenging to illustrate, and why?
DW: I like the full page scenes. I love to have all that space to play with illustratively. I find the pages where there is a lot of dialogue and numerous frames aren’t nearly as fun to draw, mostly because you are trying to tell the story effectively and fit everything into the space, which can be challenging. A full page is like a blank canvas that can become anything you want.
OKB: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
DW: I hope people will laugh all the way through it. If you are afraid of ghosts, this might help you see the humorous side of things. In fact, humor can get you through a lot of things in life, not just ghosts!
OKB: What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?
DW: I can’t snap my fingers. There, I admit it! It feels so good to finally say it. Also, I’m not afraid of ghosts. Or aliens. Or Bigfoot. But I’d love to see one someday. I do, however, have a fear of chipmunks.
SZPIRGLAS, Jeff & Danielle Saint-Onge. Shark Bait! illus. by Dave Whamond. 96p. (Orca Echoes). Orca. Sept. 2020. pap. $7.95. ISBN 9781459823679.
Gr 2-4--Orly loves sharks. Every year, she and her family go to the seaside to visit her grandmother, but she's never seen a real shark. This year, Delta the infamous great white shark is reported to be in the area, and Orly can't wait to get wet. There's just one problem: Her parents have signed her up for sailing lessons. At first, sailing seems like it could be fun--but her instructor, Dave, doesn't believe Orly when she says there is a shark in the area. Ben, her classmate, is squeamish at the thought of sharks. Her new friend, Dean, shares her interest. One day while out on the water, Delta is in close proximity to Orly's sailboat. Will Orly get to see her first shark? Whamond's eye-catching illustrations are detailed and complement the text well. The prose and plot are simple enough for reluctant readers, but engaging enough to hold their interest. VERDICT Readers who like realistic fiction, sharks, ocean science, and friendship stories will enjoy this pleasant title.-Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Lib. Svcs.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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"SZPIRGLAS, Jeff & Danielle Saint-Onge. Shark Bait!" School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 7, July 2020, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A629053897/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c3d7a652. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Whamond, Dave MUDDLE SCHOOL Kids Can (Children's None) $15.99 9, 7 ISBN: 978-1-5253-0486-6
Follow Dave's journey as he navigates his time as a new student in middle, er Muddle School.
Dave's family has just moved to Muddle and hope that this new environment will inspire their son to get better grades and find himself. Sadly, his mother's attempts to help him make a good first impression lead him to wear a powder-blue leisure suit that quickly makes him the target of a trio of bullies. This account begins an autobiographical retelling of the author/artist's time at a new school and how his increasingly positive attitude over the course of the year helped him to gain popularity and develop a core group of friends. The message isn't too heavy-handed (although the theme is directly addressed by a studious friend), and readers will have a lot of laughs (often at Dave's expense) along the way. The cartoon artwork, heavily lined in black and shaded in faded blues with Dave's looser cartoons interspersed on faux lined paper, is amusing, but characterizations are not always visually consistent. The theme and the humor transcend this concern, however, and rabid fans of series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Popularity Papers will happily gobble this up. Dave, his family, and most of his classmates present White, though there are some characters of color, including Dave's chief bully and Dave's crush.
Should help readers muddle through middle school themselves. (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Whamond, Dave: MUDDLE SCHOOL." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673649957/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8969fcba. Accessed 6 May 2024.
WHAMOND, Dave. Muddle School. illus. by Dave Whamond. 144p. Kids Can. Sept. 2021. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9781525304866.
Gr 4-7--New kid Dave finds himself the target of bullies, rouses the ire of his teachers, and is embarrassed when his crush on Lisa becomes public knowledge. But what if Dave and his friend Chad could build a time machine and start over again? Drawing from his own experience, Whamond explores adolescent angst and the turmoil of middle school. The two-tone, blue and white illustrations are reminiscent of comic strips. The book is a quick read, with easy-to-follow text, dominated by internal monologues from Dave. But while readers may initially be drawn in by the premise of time travel, they may be disappointed in the execution--time travel isn't introduced until late in the narrative and wraps up quickly. Dave and his family are white. The illustration style doesn't stand out, and the story will feel familiar to many readers--another middle school graphic novel based on the author's life, about a lessthan-popular, comic-drawing kid finding his voice. VERDICT Whamond doesn't tread any new ground, but libraries looking for more non-series graphic novels featuring male protagonists may be interested in adding this to an existing collection alongside more substantial titles like Jerry Craft's New Kid and Kwame Alexander's The Crossover.--Aryssa Damron, DC P.L., Washington, DC
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | lib. ed. Publisher's library binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | e eBook original | BL Bilingual | POP Popular Picks
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Damron, Aryssa. "WHAMOND, Dave. Muddle School." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 9, Sept. 2021, p. 96. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673471296/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=85d07b52. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Whamond, Dave HUGO'S HAUNTED HANDBOOK Owlkids Books (Children's None) $18.95 3, 12 ISBN: 9781771475877
A self-proclaimed ghost expert instructs readers on how to rid their homes of spirits.
"GOT GHOSTS?" asks Hugo, a dark-skinned child with huge eyes and a mop of black curls. "Thinkin' about ditchin' your apparition? Do you want to give your spirit a lift? Force out your phantom? Boot out your boo? Then you've come to the right book!" Hugo brags about having ousted a ghost, then suggests that readers try a few experiments to determine if they really have a ghost at home (look for ectoplasm, set up a camera). Hugo then identifies typical ghostly behaviors (spirits are prone to boredom and enjoy pranks) and offers suggestions for getting rid of them (shriek "Bam shicka lam shicka boom boom bam," practice playing your recorder as loudly as you can). All the while, the ghost whom Hugo supposedly banished follows the unaware child from room to room. Eventually, child and ghost meet and talk, with encouraging results. This graphic novel aimed at younger readers features exaggerated cartoon illustrations and silly exchanges between Hugo and the ghost. The tale brims with wordplay, visual gags, potty humor, and whimsy. (Who knew ghosts love to short-sheet each other?) The text is concise, making it ideal for reluctant readers. Some sophisticated vocabulary is incorporated, and the burgeoning friendship between Hugo and the ghost is heartening.
Spook-tacular! (Graphic fiction. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Whamond, Dave: HUGO'S HAUNTED HANDBOOK." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238563/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e510d58f. Accessed 6 May 2024.
WHAMOND, Dave. Hugo's Haunted Handbook. illus. by Dave Whamond. 32p. Owlkids. Mar. 2024. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781771475877.
Gr 1-3--Got ghosts? Hugo has proven results in "booting your boo"--or has he? This playful graphic novel offers a silly look at Hugo, who fancies himself an expert on ghosts and their removal, and the sheet-adorned spirit that isn't quite ready to disappear. Together, the two navigate friendship with some laugh-out-loud moments, from static cling problems to hilarious ghost-be-gone chants. Breaking the fourth wall, Hugo and his ghostly crony speak directly to readers. Sight gags provide giggles aplenty, and seeing Hugo and his ghost talk out their differences models the best way to navigate disputes. Not at all scary, the ghost is more concerned with mugging for readers than striking fear into anyone's heart, and Hugo's exasperation is played up for big laughs. Expressive cartoon artwork uses shades of purple, yellow, and black to create a nighttime setting. Are ghosts really that scary? Can humans and cheese-stained spirits get along? All signs point to yes in an entertaining story about finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places, like a dresser drawer. VERDICT An easy-to-read graphic novel that newly confident readers will enjoy. A recommended purchase.--Rosemary Kiladitis
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | BL Bilingual | SP Spanish
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Kiladitis, Rosemary. "WHAMOND, Dave. Hugo's Haunted Handbook." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 3, Mar. 2024, p. 79. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786340667/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=102c9bc4. Accessed 6 May 2024.