|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
Starred Review in 3/1 Booklist
Not quite a how-to book, as the cover might suggest, this is rather a stupendous new high for children’s graphic novels, spearheaded by comics maestro Sturm (Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, 2007). Ostensibly, this is the adventure of an eager knight, a sweet-toothed horse, and a magic elf hunting down a gum-chewing dragon, and those reading for the adventure itself will not be disappointed, filled as it is with humor, action, and a great girl-empowering twist. But along the way, lessons in the language of sequential art are woven seamlessly into the narrative, explaining the basics of how elements such as panels and word balloons work, while concluding bonus features offer specifics on terminology (like gutters and stems) and common symbols (like speed lines). Newcomers Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost, using varying page compositions to keep the sizable volume visually captivating, have constructed a tale that works just as well as a read-aloud for the very young as it does a lesson for everyone from fans of the form to the wholly uninitiated. As an examination of the medium, it’s a supremely worthy spiritual legacy to Scott McCloud’s seminal Understanding Comics (1993). As a straight-up graphic adventure, it may be the best of the year.
— Jesse Karp
Review in 3/1 Kirkus Reviews
An insightful and enjoyable way for kids to learn about cartooning, presented in a vibrant graphic format. In fairy-tale fashion, the Magic Cartooning Elf helps a young princess with writer’s block produce her first comic. A story-within-a-story emerges, and the princess creates a deceptively silly tale of a knight, a dragon, a whale and a horse that loves candy. Along the way, the Elf drops informative hints to the reader about the structure of the story, introducing basic elements of cartooning and rudimentary techniques. Though seemingly simplistic, this multilayered composition is an excellent teaching tool to whet the appetites of aspiring young doodlers and even offers a pleasant twist in an otherwise apparently straightforward plot. Against the abundance of vanilla graphic nonfiction for kids on the market, this is unexpectedly lively. Simple cartooning basics offered after the story are quite appealing; even the most reluctant artist may be inspired to pick up a pencil and give it a shot. Entertaining and surprisingly edifying. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)
Starred Review in 4/1 School Library Journal
Gr 2-6–The young princess, thought to be ensconced in a tower, is missing. A “BRAVE and EAGER knight” and his less-than-fearless horse Edward learn that she has been abducted by a dragon and remains captive on Dragon Island. Assisted by the Magic Cartooning Elf, the knight goes in search of her. In this story within a story, the princess learns how to create her own cartoon. Basic principles of creating comics are taught by context, inference, and direct instruction. The humor, action, adventure, and charming characters hold readers’ attention and draw them into a fantasy world of a candy-consuming dragon and knights who have been turned into vegetables. Readers learn about the uses of panels, the importance of words, and placement of thought balloons. Each tutorial panel contains clever and inventive touches that illustrate the capabilities of the format. The progression of the pink gum bubble on the first four pages is a classic. At the conclusion of this delightful tale, cartooning basics such as panels, gutters, tiers, word balloons, depiction of emotion, and movement are explained in an organized and straightforward fashion. This is a volume for kids who love comics, who enjoy an adventure filled with action and humor, are natural-born artists, or who aspire to become comic-book creators. A surefire hit.–Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Review in 4/2 Shelf Awareness
For anyone who loves comics, would like to make comics or wants to know what makes them work, these two titles, beautifully designed in paperback editions with French flaps, supply a great deal of insight. Adventures in Cartooning, disarming in its simplicity, at first appears to be aimed at the beginner. And certainly it has much to offer novices in terms of both textual and visual vocabulary and even baseline drawing instruction. But the book also suggests the many uses for comics, from entertainment to education. A princess who believes she "just can't draw well enough to make a comic!!!" inadvertently summons a Magic Cartooning Elf, who resembles a flying leprechaun and helps her build confidence through simple instruction. The elf explains the importance of panels (their size and pacing), speech balloons (as well as their content's type size and boldface) and the climactic plot twist; step-by-step drawing instructions appear at the end. Even seasoned comics readers may more fully appreciate the work of their favorite creators after reading this book.
Product Description
In this action-packed cartooning adventure, kids will have as much fun making comics as reading them!
Once upon a time . . . a princess tried to make a comic. And with the help of a magical cartooning elf, she learned how – well enough to draw her way out of an encounter with a dangerous dragon, near-death by drowning, and into her very own adventure! Like the princess, young readers will discover that they already have the drawing and writing skills it takes to make a comic – they just need a little know-how. And Adventures in Cartooning supplies just that.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
My daughter and I loved this book.,
This review is from: Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics (Paperback)
My daughter and I both loved this book. It keeps the information fun and simple. My 7-year-old daughter found the book helped improve her own comics right away.I highly recommend this book if you have a young child passionate about drawing and comics.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for Budding Cartoonists,
By
This review is from: Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics (Paperback)
A delightful book that tells a story of a knight who wants to fight a dragon, so off he goes on his adventure but along the way a Magic Elf accompanies him and teaches him the art of cartooning. Illustrations are drawn in Ed Emberley style and Ed is given a nod for his inspiration at the back where instructions on how to draw the knight, elf and horse are given. Throughout the book cartooning lingo is introduced and the aspects that make up a comic: panels, bubbles, sound effects, etc. All within the confines of a delightful, humourous story. A very unique book which will bring out the cartoonist in any aspiring artist who may feel overwhelmed at getting started. An actual child's example is shown at the back of the book. Highly recommended.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews) 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read that would inspire anyone to pick up a pencil!,
By K. J. DellAntonia "raisingdevils.com" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics (Paperback)
It sounds like a how-to--and in its own way, it is--but it's also a really funny, laugh-out-loud story that, on top of being just plain a good read, teaches the basic tropes of graphic novels/cartoons in the cleverest possible way. It would inspire any kid to pick up a pencil (in fact, it worked for me!) It's going to be my go-to birthday gift for sometime to come, along with a pad, pencils and erasers. I just ordered a spare copy and sent one to a friend.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Plenty of Emphasis on Imagination and Storytelling,
By GraphicNovelReporter.com - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics (Paperback)
When a princess throws down her pencil and exclaims that she doesn't draw well enough to make comics, the Magic Cartooning Elf comes to her rescue, offering to show her how it's done. He begins by introducing the story of a brave knight who sets out to rescue a beautiful princess from a dragon. A bubblegum-chewing dragon that flies, breathes fire, and drools in its sleep.But before the brave knight can save the princess from the dragon, he must first establish himself in space, and to do this, he needs to be in a panel. And in the panel, he must move and communicate with the reader through dialog and thought balloons and sound effects, and the layout of each panel must flow in the direction the reader reads. Basic art lessons like these are layered effortlessly into the story and the reader quickly forgets that this is a how-to book. The simple Ed Emberley-type shapes used to create the knight, dragon, elf, and backgrounds are all unintimidating and easily imitated by novice artists. As the story progresses, the concepts are less frequently explained using dialog. Instead, the techniques are illustrated, showing rather than telling how to create depth and motion via shadow or speed lines. The knight is wearing a helmet, so he has no facial expressions. Therefore, the artist uses body language and expressive symbols to convey emotion, including tilting the head to show laughter or using wavy lines where the knight's legs once were to indicate fear. Plenty of emphasis is placed on imagination and storytelling. The story is told and the instruction given with plenty of humor that will appeal to kids. That the plot is farfetched and childlike serves the book's purpose, giving kids permission to tell their own story rather than trying to write one that will satisfy the adults around them. An example of a child-drawn comic is at the back of the book and is the perfect end note, as it makes clear the point that anyone, even a seven-year-old, draws well enough to make comics. Adventures in Cartooning is highly recommended for kids. It's also recommended for adults who aren't sure why comics work the way they do or who are afraid to make stories of their own. -- Eva Volin 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's an awesome book,
A Kid's Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics (Paperback)
I read the book and when I finished it I was so happy. I didnt want it to end. Its very funny and entertaining. I think all kids will enjoy it. It teaches you alot about cartooning and the characters are so funny that I laughed out loud. I think everyone in the world should buy it. I give it 5 stars. If 1000 more came out I would buy all of them. Buy it today!!!
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Art > Cartooning
- Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Art > Fiction
- Books > Children's Books > Educational
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Comics & Graphic Novels
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
- Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Children's Comics
- Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Comic Strips
- Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels
- Books > Kids & Family Store > Ages 9-12
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
|
