Reviews

Adventures in Cartooning: Christmas Special! by Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost, James Sturm

kovvy's review against another edition

5.0

Have you ever wanted to draw your own cartoon, but you were unsure of where to start and what some of the comic book conventions are? This book, a comic book itself, is a great guide for starting off making your own comics. It follows the adventures of a knight and his fat horse as they journey to find a bubble-gum-chewing dragon. Along the way, they are aided by a magical elf who knows all the rules to making comic books, and the examples they use to teach are wonderfully played out so that the readers know exactly what they're talking about. The art style is simple, appealing, and easy to imitate, with lines for limbs and dots for eyes. In the back of the book, is an Ed-Emberly-inspired step by step guide to drawing the characters, and several examples of comics that children made. This book would be a great guide for children looking for a project to do or who love comic books and want to create their own. Highly recommended for grades 1-5.

jason_pym's review against another edition

3.0

A fun book for the under-10s that shows 'how to turn your doodles into comics.' It is a very light read, and does a good enough job, but feels like it was written in a rush, a bit insubstantial. Much better is the Usborne Big Pads Make Your Own Comics, if you're looking for something like this.

kristenremenar's review against another edition

3.0

The story - meh. But I will use it with my writing class for kids to help the budding cartoonists.

listen_learn's review against another edition

5.0

Instant hit in my classroom! Graphic novels are popular among my students, but a book that gives them the basics to make their own while still being a story? Just awesome - and funny to boot :)

saidtheraina's review against another edition

3.0

Ubersimplified version of [b:Making Comics|60113|Making Comics Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels|Scott McCloud|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170538302s/60113.jpg|58487]. In fact, the story ends up overtaking the instructional elements, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing for the audience. Explains simple cartooning concepts. Elementary booktalk, perhaps. I just need to read more nonfic that isn't gn related. ;)

emelkay24's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

kathyellendavis's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Fun Christmas book that will inspire kids to make cartoons and comics. Nice touch that the dragon celebrates Hanukkah and not Christmas. Fun rhyming text, engaging illustrations, and a suggestion for readers to write their own comics to Santa.

shicklin's review against another edition

5.0

Cute book--it is a graphic novel and a how-to draw cartoons all in one...

shicklin's review against another edition

3.0

I read this with Caleb, when I was already upset with how much time my kids wanted to spend behind screens this summer (tv, ds, computer... I just want them to go out and play)-- cute, but I liked the first one better.

nglofile's review against another edition

3.0

I wish a greater amount of instruction had been more fully integrated into the story pages rather than added as a "bonus feature" at the end, but I respect what the authors were trying to do. This will have a great deal of appeal, and even those pages that are not overtly demonstrating a composition element can serve as examples for aspiring artists to emulate.