Tiny fox and great boar There

This graphic novel series opener by Kolomycka (That Night, A Monster) introduces Tiny Fox, a furry, skeptical creature with a sharp snout and an expressive set of eyes. He lives beneath an apple tree among rolling fields, where he relishes solitude and "went about his day believing he was happy." When Great Boar appears, the fox is unsettled, leading to a rocky start: "Tiny Fox was not pleased with sharing his apples, but what could he do?" Painting loosely in leafy browns, oranges, and reds, Kolomycka gives the characters an endearing, rough-around-the-edges quality, and their surroundings a lonely, windswept look. One day, Tiny Fox returns from an outing to discover that his unwanted companion is gone. It's a jolt; things are perhaps better when Great Boar is around, Tiny Fox realizes. An uncredited translation from the Polish maintains an understated tone that befits the story's austerity as Great Boar returns, a blowing scarf initially passes them by, the winter food stores run out, and the duo explores far afield for food en route to spring's return. It's not so much what happens, but how it happens in this unvarnished friendship tale. Ages 6--up. (Mar.)

Two wild critters navigate seasons along with the ups and downs of an unexpected friendship. Tiny Fox lives in a valley with just an apple tree for companionship, and, "like most small animals, he went about his day believing he was happy." All that changes when Great Boar arrives and plops down beneath the tree. Perturbed, Tiny Fox now has to share everything. When he leaves for a short time and returns, however, he discovers Great Boar is gone and a newfound loneliness has settled in his place. Happily, the two are reunited in the first story in this collection ("Here"), and as the seasons change ("Together" takes place during fall and winter, snowy weather continues in "Apart," and "There" takes the pals into spring), the two learn to trust one another and, when called upon to do so, trust themselves as well. Watercolors capable of evoking not simply the splendor of a new dawn, but also this little book's emotional pitch are wielded with surgical skill. The smallest dab of a line beneath an eye can indicate remorse or, more often, worry. This storyline provides an elegant bridge between picture books and graphic novels; for fans of similarly early, gentle comics like Fox and Rabbit by Beth Ferry (2020) and Bug Boys by Laura Knetzger (2020). An early comic drills home the lesson that you never know how much you need someone until you find a friend. (Graphic early reader. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.