It wasn’t that long ago, that I discovered graphic novels, becoming a fan of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. What recently took me back to my eleven-year-old fandom of Wonder Woman, my childhood hero, was some lovely graphic novels for kids sent to me by Oni Press. I had no idea the comic books of my childhood had morphed into the exciting, color-filled, motivating stories bound for today’s children. I immediately thought of reluctant readers I had taught in sixth and seventh grades many years ago. How they would have loved the current, relevant themes of Fights, the cover of which would have tempted any twelve year old boy to dive into its story! And, the hilarious cover of The Sunken Tower even made me want to see who these creatures were endangering the obvious heroes who seemed to represent more than one time period.  Even the earliest of readers would have been attracted to the adorable creatures on the cover of Dewdrop,which gave the promise of a sing-a-long, something many pre Ks would love. Thank you, Oni Press for the next few Saturday Mornings for Kids materials.

The book I want to feature first and strongly recommend is Fun, Fun, Fun World by Yehudi Mercado. The cover alone is so colorful, and yes, Fun, that I can’t imagine any kid not wanting to take it down from the shelf and check it out. Minky, the main character serves a very demanding Queen of an outer-space kingdom, who gives him the assignment of conquering the one planet his hero-Mother was unable to acquire for the kingdom–earth. Minky’s crew and spaceship are a delight to see, and as his nemesis tries to thwart his every move, Minky and the crew encounter many adventures in their quest. The outcome of Minky’s adventure is a satisfactory one for all, and Minky’s motto is embedded in the reader’s brain, “It’s not a dream if you believe it.”

As an an adult, I loved the Fun read. How much more would a kid enjoy it? Buy this one for your kids and grandkids. It comes out in April 2020, and would be a colorful, fun read for any kid ages seven through twelve and would certainly tempt a reluctant reader to appreciate the skill of reading. If I were still teaching kids, I’d definitely want this one in my classroom library.