Cloud Puppy

Miller (I Love My Magic) delivers a bright dose of sunshine wrapped in a wondrously silly package in this meta graphic novel series opener. Cloud Puppy is exactly who she says she is: part cloud, part puppy, and all rainbows and sunbeams (except for when she gets mad). She and her best friend Berry Rose, who is part unicorn and part bear, are preparing to attend a convention, where they will cosplay as beloved characters and meet their favorite comic book creator. But conflict arises when Cloud Puppy and Berry Rose each choose to portray the same character, resulting in their first-ever disagreement. Rather than conjuring a battle between the BFFs, Miller nimbly combines humor and heart to depict reconciliation and the strength of compromise in cotton candy-colored vignettes that render Cloud Puppy and her friends in endearing and lighthearted situations. The creator eschews cutesy commonplace kitsch via vibrant and irreverent illustrations, and Cloud Puppy's shameless enthusiasm for her own geekiness and her determination to venture out into the bustling world of comics and conventions is refreshing and contagiously positive. Ages 6--9. Agent: Thao Le, Dijkstra Agency. (May)

A fluffy pup and her teddy bear best friend experience the thrills of a comic book convention. Part cloud, part puppy, Cloud Puppy is all excitement when she picks up the newest volume of Dragonetta, a comic and TV series about a warrior princess, created by Kit Starlight. When Cloud Puppy learns that Kit Starlight will be attending a local comic convention, she takes off, trailing rainbows behind her, to tell her pal and fellow fan Berry Rose, a teddy bear with a horn and fairy wings. The friends decide to attend in costume (their first cosplay!) but don't confirm their character choices with each other. When they realize they both want to be Dragonetta, they soon find themselves feuding: "But I'm the one who introduced you to the series!" "Yeah, but dressing up [was] MY idea!" Along the way, Cloud Puppy and Berry Rose learn important lessons in friendship. Ebullient, utterly adorable cartoons convey the particulars of con prep and the rhythms and rules of the event itself. The book reads like nothing less than an invitation to fandom more broadly: Come join us--we're wild, wacky, and exhaustively creative over here! A secondary storyline in which Cloud Puppy, Berry Rose, and their friends Mossquatch and Jack draw comics together is further compelling enticement to budding young artists. A joyful celebration of fandom and friendship for curious young readers. (Graphic fiction. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.