Gustav and Henri

This hilarious graphic novel series opener by two Australian creators follows anthropomorphic best friends Gustav, a self-confident pig, and practical Henrietta, who resembles a golden retriever, across three episodic tales. In the opening romp, "Gustav, Space Pig," the porcine youth overenthusiastically demonstrates his badminton skills, landing a shuttlecock on the moon. Determined to retrieve his lost object, Gustav designs a swine-shaped spaceship, which Henri "worked all night" to build. The next morning, the two blast off into outer space and, upon arriving on the moon, encounter a crab--the self-named "King of the Moon"--who has already claimed the misplaced shuttlecock as his own. The crab agrees to return the item, but only if Gustav and Henri can complete four impossible challenges. Thomas renders the animalian duo's shenanigans in heavily lined grayscale illustrations, accented with electric blue hues. Matthews's comical onomatopoeic text--Gustav and Henri "BOING!" across the moon--accompanies rounded panels and varied fanciful landscapes. Stereotypical depictions of female characters in supporting roles occasionally dampen the narrative's overarching playfulness, but this fast-paced jaunt promises enjoyably absurd adventures in subsequent volumes. Ages 7--10. (Sept.)

K-Gr 4--Gustav and Henri are ready for adventure, and in the first volume of this new series, they have plenty. The book is separated into three slightly connected stories. In "Gustav, Space Pig," the pair construct a spaceship to retrieve a lost shuttlecock on the moon. Unfortunately the shuttlecock has been claimed by King Steve the Best, King of the Moon, and they have to figure out how to get it back and enjoy their game. Their second adventure, "Gustav, Time Pig," has the two of them going back in time to return a late library book and avoid having their library privileges "permanently double-canceled" by the cranky librarian, Cassandra. Finally, in "Detective Gustav and the Great Pig Day Mystery," Gustav must discover who among his party guests (King Steve, Cassandra, and a bewildered Robert Swan) stole the Pig Day cake he had made for Henri. This series is off to a fun start. The characters are well established right out of the gate and consistent throughout all three stories. Gustav is the impulsive one and Henri (actually short for Henrietta) is always there to get them out of trouble. Matthews makes the story fun and fast but never rushed. Despite a limited palette of blue, gray and black, Thomas's art is a fantastic complement to the story. Every page is creative and interesting to look at. VERDICT This will be a popular series for elementary and middle school age kids who love humor, science fiction and fun.--Erik Knapp

Get ready for the creative twists and turns of moon adventures, time travel, and a disappearing Pig Day cake. Meet Gustav, a pig, and Henri, a dog, who problem-solve their way through three stories. When their badminton shuttlecock goes missing midgame, Gustav deduces that it went into space, and with Gustav's plans and Henri's know-how, an aerodynamic(?) pig spaceship is soon ready. After landing on the moon, the pair successfully complete five creative challenges to wrangle the shuttlecock away from a crab who has turned it into his crown. Unfortunately, their spaceship is now too heavy, and they have to leave the shuttlecock on the moon. Good thing they like tether tennis! When Gustav's local librarian double-cancels his library card, Gustav creates a time machine so he can return his book on time and eventually succeeds--well, sort of. When Gustav throws Henri a Pig Day party complete with an amazing and delicious cake to eat in the bathroom (where every Pig Day feast is eaten), all of the book's characters gather at the appointed time, but when the cake goes missing, Detective Gustav is on the case. Although the cover features shades of red, blue, and yellow, illustrations inside are black outline drawings with gray shading and blue highlights. The tales brim with enough humorous references, wordplay, and tricky plots to keep readers young and old entertained. Giggleworthy graphic-novel goodness worth rereading to appreciate the visual and textual humor. (maze, word search, riddles, recipe for nachos) (Graphic novel. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.