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Summary
Summary
This guide to comics for kids is an essential tool for all those who enjoy comics. Simple cartooning basics are outlined with easy examples to follow. kids, parents, teachers, and librarians will love the humorous step-by-step lessons by master cartoonist and teacher Ivan Brunetti. Even reluctant artists will be inspired to pick up a pen and give it a try.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--5--This volume distills every major lesson a young doodler, comic book reader, or graphic novel enthusiast would ever need. Brunetti starts slow with a simple adage to "doodle!" and then moves at a quick clip with a new lesson on each page. The inclusion of complex topics such as perspective, scale, and movement emphasizes how rich and nuanced the medium is. The lessons become more challenging, inspiring readers to return to the book as their skills progress. Brunetti maintains a jovial tone that will encourage children to pause or skip around as the mood strikes. Artwork and words of wisdom from illustrators such as Jeff Smith ("Bone"), Elise Gravel ("Disgusting Critters"), Neil Gaiman ("Sandman"), and James Sturm ("Adventures in Cartooning") are interspersed throughout. The "How To Read Comics with Kids" tips may not be groundbreaking to storytime experts but will be invaluable to parents, especially those of the mind-set that a graphic novel isn't a real book. The further reading and bibliography list other comics or illustration manuals and acknowledge the breadth of work by other greats who paved the way for the comics field. VERDICT Drawing guides have never been so appealing. A must.--Amy M. Laughlin, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Publisher's Weekly Review
An idiosyncratic guide to drawing comics packs a lot of information into relatively few pages, covering doodles and basic shapes, characters and emotions, settings and perspective, lettering and layout, and how to develop a story. It also introduces trade lingo (panel, spread, and emanata included), offering readers a working vocabulary about what it is, exactly, that comics do. Filled with ideas and instructions, the antic pages are studded with asides and suggestions from graphic novel celebrities such as Liniers, Chris Ware, Roz Chast, and Neil Gaiman. Though the content will likely prove most useful for readers above the lower end of the stated age range, the mix of words and images effectively moves from entry-level techniques to difficult concepts as the book progresses. And the last eight pages offer a useful guide for adults looking to read comic books with children, an inclusion that sneakily puts adults building visual literacy on the same page as younger readers. Ages 3-up. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Brunetti, comics educator and cartoonist of TOON titles Wordplay and 3x4, offers a noteworthy and intriguing comics how-to for kids (as well as for parents, teachers, and librarians). Brunettis encouraging text (There is not one right way to drawthe fun is finding your own way) and approachable illustrations serve as the books primary content, while frequent sidebars and asides by well-known cartoonistsincluding Elise Gravel, Art Spiegelman, Liniers, and Roz Chastadd variety, interest, and information. An initial focus on drawing characters (faces, emotions, profiles, body language, animals, etc.) gradually shifts to a survey of broader comics fundamentals (comics language, balloons, lettering, pages and panels, etc.). Some really great tipssuch as placing characters eyes lower on their faces to make them look younger or writing out a characters words before drawing a speech ballooncan immediately be incorporated into anyones cartooning repertoire. More nuanced concepts, such as story rhythm and finding ones artistic voice, are mentioned only briefly. Nonetheless, this slim guide is unique in its support of both novice and experienced cartoonists. Substantial back matter comprises adult-centered tips for reading comics with kids, brief contributor biographies, an index, further resources, and a selected bibliography. patrick gall September/October 2019 p.108(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The creator of 3X4 (2018) leads a posse of veteran cartoonists offering advice and techniques for making simple comics.In a text interspersed with quotes and doodles by artists including Chris Ware, Neal Gaiman, and Pablo Picasso, Brunetti demonstrates how to use simple geometric shapes or even letters and numbers to draw faces and figures, express emotions, and create distinct characters. Switching from monochrome to color partway through, he and fellow contributors move on to more-sophisticated topics such as the uses of "emanata" in comics (that's those often-squiggly lines indicating emotion, to the unschooled), creating one- and two-point perspective, designing panel sequences, and telling stories. Despite Brunetti's reminders not to draw on the book's pages, Art Spiegelman invites budding cartoonists to finish off his mini-tale by adding their own art, and at the end, imprint co-founder Franoise Mouly throws a commercial cast over the whole volume by promoting TOON titles as gateways to both visual and verbal literacy. Still, both newbies and graduates of Ed Emberley's classic manuals or, more recently, James Sturm and Co.'s Adventures in Cartooning series will find plenty of beneficial insights ("stick people aren't as easy as they look") and inspiration.First and next steps for budding graphic artists and illustrators. (glossary, bibliography, topical index) (Graphic nonfiction. 6-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
TOON Books condenses the vast experience, talent, and child-friendly energy on display in its graphic novels into this comic-creation intensive. Comprehensive in its comics theory but pitched to its readership of young would-be cartoonists, this slim volume offers a new lesson on almost every page. This design allows kids to follow it step-by-step and evolve their skills (with lots of practice), or to jump around to the examples that most pique their interest. Exercises always put a premium on imaginative fun, by, for example, using the natural formation of letters and numbers to create interesting characters. While the book is conceptually ambitious, it doesn't skimp on the details and small devices for younger characters, draw the eyes lower on the face; distinguish characters with interesting props highlighting that it's the small things that bring individual style forward and make a comic tight and clear. There are quotes and tips from such comics luminaries as Roz Chast and Neil Gaiman, but Brunetti, with his crystalline design sense (think Chris Ware for kids), was the perfect choice to spearhead this project. Lest grown-ups feel left out, there's a short section for adults and educators about integrating comics into a child's literacy development. Includes an excellent list of resources for kids and adults, and, incidentally, copious references to TOON's own catalog of books and creators.--Jesse Karp Copyright 2019 Booklist
