The graphic canon of children's literature The world's great kids' lit as comics and visuals

Kick's critically acclaimed three-volume collection of graphic adaptations of world literature wrapped up in 2013, and anyone who thought he was done will be in for a sweet surprise with this new volume focused entirely on children's literature. Beginning with Aesop and ending with Harry Potter, Kick covers a broad range of stories in an even wider array of styles. R. Sikoryak's manic Family Circus-style adaptation of Tom Sawyer manages to include almost all the pivotal plot points in only four tidy panels. Kate Glasheen's version of The Velveteen Rabbit, meanwhile, uses soft watercolors and dynamic panel layouts that silently and touchingly relate the classic tale. As with any anthology, there are a few misses, and many of the wordless selections would be difficult to understand without prior knowledge of the story. That said, each selection offers a rich example of the many ways visual storytelling has power. Though it's geared toward an adult audience, most of whom will already be familiar with the original tales, many of the stories nonetheless have kid appeal.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist

Having been sparsely represented in the first three Graphic Canon volumes, children's literature is featured exclusively in this anthology of more than 40 fables, fairy tales, and classic stories adapted into comics. Like its predecessors, the book allows readers to see timeworn stories in a new light, whether it's Lance Tooks's trio of Aesop's fables, set in the worlds of tabloid celebrities and love-struck gangsters; Sandy Jimenez's take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, featuring David Bowie and Freddie Mercury; or R. Sikoryak's Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which spoofs Bil Keane's "Family Circus." Nearly all the contributors chose to adapt early, gnarlier versions of stories that were sanitized over the years, most notably by Disney for its animated films; through their efforts, the stories reclaim some of their original eccentricities and philosophical merit. These dazzlingly varied renderings run the gamut from haunting to comical while offering visceral reminders that children's stories are often densely layered, infinitely transposable, and peddle in imagery both macabre and whimsical. It is the unfettered imagination of these stories that make them not only wildly entertaining, but also vessels of forgotten truths. All ages. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.