The Thunder Horse (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

Emmanuel Guibert has written a great many graphic novels for readers young and old, among them the Sardine in Outer Space series and The Professor's Daughter with Joann Sfar. Another of Guibert's recent works is The Photographer. Showered with awards, it relates a Doctors Without Borders mission in 1980's Afghanistan through the eyes of a great reporter. Guibert lives in Paris with his wife and daughter. Originating from Burgundy (as do the best snails), Marc Boutavant now lives and works in Paris. His work springs from a wry observation of life and the interaction of his friends and children. Their quirks of personality, mannerisms and reactions to situations are transposed onto his characters.

This latest installment in the charming French comic series is more of everything there is to love about Ariol, the precocious blue donkey, and his myriad animal friends and family. Here, he nurses a powerful crush on Petula and writes her a poem (“Your eyes are pretty like two TVs showing cartoons all the time”). He also handily manages to get a copy of his favorite comic, Thunder Horse, signed at a convention and plays mischievous games with his rambunctious best friend, Ramono. But it’s not all roughhousing and video games: Ariol is a deeply feeling boy. He tries to avoid trouble and worries when he gets caught up in something wrong. He innocently loves Petula, but he also expresses harmless curiosity at Ramono’s sister’s prodigious bust. None of these events, however, are treated as anything other than a little guy learning about the world. All the while, Boutavant’s bright and buoyant illustrations and Guibert’s pitch-perfect dialogue elevate the simple, everyday stories to illuminate something refreshingly honest about being a kid. Grades 2-5. --Sarah Hunter