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May 13, 2010 by Travis Jonker

Zig and Wikki by Nadja Spiegelman

May 13, 2010 by Travis Jonker   4 comments

Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework
By Nadja Spiegelman
Illustrated by Trade Loeffler
TOON Books (RAW Junior)
ISBN: 9781935179023
$12.95
Grades K-2
In Stores

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In a culture where “mash-up” (the combining of different songs into one whole) has become an recognized genre of music, a similar attitude of line blurring in kids books is a natural progression. Deborah Wiles’ recent Countdown does it, and so does Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler’s Zig and Wikki. In fact, they smoosh a lot of things together – comics, easy-readers, science, science fiction – to arrive at a very pleasing end product.

Lost in space with his computer monitor-shaped friend Wikki and late for a homework assignment requiring him to find a class pet, cyclops Zig is desperate. The pair land on the nearest planet, which happens to be Earth, to search for a suitable creature. Regular-sized among their planet’s population, Zig and Wikki are tiny on earth. Our heroes run into (and get spooked by) a variety of animals, from fly to frog, before a close encounter with a raccoon has the pair heading for home in a hurry.

Each time they encounter an animal, Wikki’s screen lights up with information and a photograph. It’s always a subtle Who Framed Roger Rabbit shock to see a real-life image mixed in with a cartoon. It succeeds in adding visual interest.

While the nonfiction elements wouldn’t qualify it for any sort of student research, that isn’t the goal. The intermittent animal facts (“Flies taste with the hair on their feet”) fit with the story and add an additional appeal to readers who like their books fact-based.

As has been the case since day one with TOON Books releases, the layout and design are impeccable. The cover informs readers that they’re picking up a comic, and the simple panel progressions within make the action easy for beginning readers to follow. Loeffler’s richly-colored images guide the story, subtly showing the food chain in action.

An unexpected addition to the TOON Books catalog and a title that will charm more than a few.

Review copy from publisher.

Also reviewed by Charlotte’s Library, Bookgasm, Read About Comics, Help Readers Love Reading!, Booking Mama.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Filed under: Reviews

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristin says

    May 13, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    Have you seen that you can browse — or have read aloud to you — the FULL TEXT of all Toon Books? Word balloons are highlighted as the readers (including Jeff Smith and Art Spiegelman) speak the text aloud. Check it out here. Our lower el students are in love!

    http://www.professorgarfield.org/toon_book_reader/index.html

    • Travis says

      May 13, 2010 at 2:14 pm

      That’s cool! I’ll add that to the post. Thanks!

  2. Ninja Morning Trade Review says

    November 6, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    You are so awesome! I don’t believe I’ve truly read anything like
    this before. So good to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic.

    Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is something
    that is required on the web, someone with a bit of originality!

    • www.eschatologyjournal.org says

      February 18, 2014 at 6:04 am

      You’ve captured this perfectly. Thanks for taking the time!

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