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(2)
1-3
Illustrated by
Binglin Hu.
Color design by Ashanti Fortson. Country dwellers Mole and Vole are the stars of this engaging and enjoyable nature-themed graphic novel told in five chapters, or "expeditions." "Expedition #1: Forest Adventure" introduces readers to the creatures' natural environs and their primary character traits (Mole = excitable; Vole = more cautious). "Expedition #2: House Adventure" brings them inside a nearby cabin where they are mistakenly packed into moving boxes. They arrive (unbeknownst to the humans) in a city where the rest of the expeditions take place. With some trepidation, but with appetites for adventure, Mole and Vole set out at various times throughout the day and night. They encounter such familiar city creatures as pigeons, raccoons, and opossums, along with others such as a black-crowned night heron, a DeKay's brown snake, and many more examples of flora and fauna, all identified in clear illustrations with eye-pleasing earth-tone hues and including occasional, informative entries from Mole's sketchbook. Throughout, Vole insists on having seen a lion, a narrative thread that offers in-the-know humor for readers and ties in with a theme of new friendships--for animals and humans alike.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2022
32 pp.
| Scholastic
| May, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-81326-6$17.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Debi Gliori.
Little Mouseling is so small that she can't keep up with her siblings. Her search for a friend is fruitless--she can't swim like Toad Flip, fly like Owl Hooty, etc.--until she meets a vole that's just her size. After they bond, the story loses steam, but the rhymes are wall-to-wall comfort, and Gliori is at her effulgent best.
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Christopher Denise.
Vole dreams of sailing downriver to rejoin family and friends lost in a flood; Firefly dreams of flying to the moon; and baseball-loving Cricket yearns to be the best catcher since Yogi Berra. Affectionate third-person narration follows the friends' preparations for these quests. The entwined fates of the three characters (and human friend Peter) will move readers with their rightness.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2015
32 pp.
| Owlkids
| March, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-77147-009-4$16.95
(2)
PS
This slapstick comedy plays out primarily in spare ink and pencil-crayon illustrations, especially in Schwartz's expressive characters. Two vole brothers look up to see a pigeon flying overhead: "Ooooooo..." But then--"SPLAT!" The clueless pigeon drops a bird-poo bomb on one brother's head. The silliness continues with a banana-peel pratfall and more bird poo--it's a recipe for a rollicking if low-brow storytime.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2014
32 pp.
| Owlkids
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-1-926818-83-2$15.95
(3)
K-3
On the heels of Schwartz's Mole Sisters scamper these hungry rodent sibs, who think they've got it made when they steal a piece of pizza from a cat. Cartoony textured illustrations and witty all-dialogue-balloon storytelling combine for an entertaining read.
48 pp.
| Farrar
| March, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-374-36340-4$15.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Thomas F. Yezerski.
Three stories chronicle the friendship between the worry-prone Rose (a vole) and the more easygoing Riley (a groundhog). Cutler's quiet text captures the affection between the two, while Yezerski's watercolors emphasize their differing personalities and provide a cozy setting. Frog and Toad they ain't, but though there's not much humor here, there's lots of security and warmth.