Parents' Guide to The Cartoonists Club

This warmly welcoming, inclusive graphic novel is a joy to read for so many reasons. Makayla, Art, Lynda, and Howard are a diverse kid crew far beyond visual cues. Each character in The Cartoonists Club is fully thought out, personalized, and particular, different in style, voice, and attitude. From sci-fi, fantasy, comics-loving Black girl main character Makayla to shy Lynda working through her grief in artistic expression, to artsy Art who uses "they"/"them" pronouns and loves trying new creative things, it's refreshing to see these kids bond and create over a shared love of comics across many lines of difference. This story is a great example of (and argument for) inclusion of differences in kids' books. The kids have many incredibly supportive adults and teachers who go to great lengths to support their artistic endeavors, possibly even to an improbable degree, but the messages are clear: Keep trying, keep thinking of interesting ideas, and continue to learn about your craft. Watch, read, and listen to others who do what you want to do. Keep developing your creative process. And remember, everyone is welcome at this creative table.

On top of all that, there's real-world advice and lessons about how to go about making comics. Different sections outline what the six universal face expressions are (sadness, joy, fear, anger, surprise, disgust), the different kinds of comics (comic books, graphic novels, anime/manga, zines, cartoons, newspaper serials, memoirs), story genres, and the jobs and roles involved in making comics. Readers will feel the "magic" of how comics work (through the reader, who imagines what goes on in between the panels, filling in gaps), and how comics are produced by the writers, illustrators, artists, and editors, but also by the reader, in the act of reading itself. There's even a nice, brief glossary of terms in the back of the book and questions about comics answered by the authors, interview style. This masterclass in comics, friendship, and creative expression has wide appeal, but will especially inspire budding graphic novelists.