Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Originally published in France to much acclaim, this graphic novel series centers on Toto, the French equivalent of "Little Johnny," the infamous character that is a stand-in for crude jokes in school settings. Each volume collects comic strips in chronological order, showcasing tales and jokes within a whole school year. Kids will appreciate Toto's pranks and his misadventures with teachers, friends, and family. Parents and educators might not be as willing to embrace Toto's nonreverential stance toward school, and could interpret his constantly getting away with his behavior as a bad example for children. While the humor is dark in some of the stories, the vignettes feature mostly puerile jokes that too often include ableist language. However, the interactions between Toto and his peers shine with sincerity and plausibility. CoppEe does not constrain himself to just one way of presenting his comic stories. His panel work is varied, alternating between stories with three panels and bubbles to a layout of several panels with few bubbles, in which narrative is told through the characters' facial expressions. This series will catch the attention of older readers who have enjoyed the humor of Dav Pilkey's "The Adventures of Captain Underpants" books (Scholastic).-Sujei Lugo, Somerville Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
