Jackie and the Shadow Snatcher (by Larry Di Fiori)

With its retro comic stylings, this book is a fun addition to the picture book genre. The story is a little sparse, but the skillful and nostalgic pencil-sketch illustrations are enough to keep the interest of both parent and child. Larry Di Fiori clearly knows his genre, and the illustrations are lush with detail and comic book extras. Kids who love comics will get it right away, and kids just learning will have fun seeing a new-to-them way to effectively illustrate a story.

Families who aren't into the graphic look of the book might not find much else to love. Stripped of its fun packaging, the story is trite and the characters undeveloped, and readers may be troubled by plot holes. Overall, though, the style is so engaging, that the substance doesn't matter quite so much.