Gryphons Aren't So Great by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost, 40pp, RL 1.5

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Gryphons Aren't So Great is the second book in the Adventures in Cartooning Jr. series by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost. If you don't know the Adventures in Cartooning series of graphic novels (my review here) you have to check them out. They combine humor, action, adventure and even drawing instruction (thus the name) in a format that is perfect for readers who are just getting the hang of things. For emerging readers, the Adventures in Cartooning Jr. series is a great introduction to graphic novels as well as a very fun way to practice reading. There are fewer words on the page and never more than four panels per page, which gets readers used to tracking the action.



Gryphons Aren't So Great finds the knight and his trusty steed (and best buddy) Edward having fun again. In the first book, Sleepless Knight, the two friends went camping. At the start of Gryphons Aren't So Great, we find them cliff diving - until the Knight spots a rarely seen gryphon! 


After a tussle or two, the Knight and Griffy become fast friends, leaving Edward in the dust - and solidly on the ground. The Knight doesn't mean to leave his friend behind, but flying above the kingdom on the back of a gryphon is hard to resist. With the help of a bat, Edward tries to learn to fly so he can keep up with the Knight, but it doesn't go quite as planned. Happily, though, Edward is there for his best friend when he needs him the most!

As with Sleepless Knight and all the books in the Adventures in Cartooning series, Gryphons Aren't So Great includes step-by-step instructions on how to draw the characters in the story!



Source: Review Copy


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