The quotes in Zen Pencils: Inspirational Quotes for Kids by Gavin Aung Than are oddly chosen. The second is about training to avoid bleeding in battle, attributed to an Armed Forces motto, a strange choice to lead off a book of advice for youngsters. The meanings of several are still argued over by adults, so the “inspirational” nature is questionable. And several are mini-essays, trying the patience of a younger reader trying to understand the point. While a few of […]

It’s much too easy to take good entertainment in a continuing series for granted. I talked about how much I liked the first two books, Phoebe and Her Unicorn and Unicorn on a Roll, and then it seems like I blinked and there were five more. But it’s been four years now that these volumes have been collecting the charming comic strip about an imaginative little girl and her magical friend. Here’s the catch-up run-down, all of which are recommended […]

This third collection of Sarah Andersen’s webcomics (after Adulthood Is a Myth and Big Mushy Happy Lump) adds a bonus: a section with some smart advice for aspiring artists. Herding Cats: A Sarah’s Scribbles Collection can be enjoyed whether or not you’ve read the previous books. The topics are similar — including feelings of inferiority, how much she loves her cat, engaging in the wrong choice even though she knows better (particularly when it comes to spending time), dealing with […]

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story is exactly what it says, in comic strip form. It’s charming and insightful and adorable. Debbie Tung’s comics are deceptively simple, mostly one-pagers of standard panels, but her self-figure is so cute and relatable. She uses dot eyes and a few lines for features, but I both know what she’s feeling and want to hug and protect her. I like that she has friends and later, a perfect-sounding boyfriend she appreciates […]

You’ll know from the subtitle of Breaking Cat News whether it’s something you want to read or not: “Cats Reporting on the News That Matters to Cats”. Georgia Dunn draws her three felines — Lupin, Puck, and Elvis — as if they were news anchors focused on such topics as sun spots and eating plants and seeing another cat outside the window. The joke is the same throughout, rung out with changes of topic, and best aimed at cat lovers […]

I wasn’t familiar with the strip Sarah’s Scribbles, collected as Adulthood Is a Myth, but I can certainly see why it was popular enough to make it into a book. Sarah Andersen has put together a collection of semi-autobiographical strips about feeling unable to cope. These are not unique observations — not wanting to get out of bed, not feeling able to communicate or socialize well, feeling unattractive — but they are deep, discouraging feelings most people can relate to, […]

Unicorn on a Roll is the followup to Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Dana Simpson continues the whimsy, charm, and comedy of her strip with more kid/fantasy creature adventures. The book begins with a reaffirmation of the friendship between Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, as they reflect on how they met almost a year ago. That conveniently sums up the premise and appeal of the strip for new readers, too, as we see Marigold’s vanity and Phoebe’s crankiness (often spurred by […]

When a friend recommended the Phoebe and Her Unicorn comic strip (formerly known as Heavenly Nostrils) to me, she described it as a more modern, girl-centered Calvin and Hobbes. She was right. Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson is the first collection of the strips. Phoebe is playing near a pond in the woods when she skips a stone that hits Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, a unicorn. Marigold is so beautiful (at least, in her own mind) that she was […]