Papercutz Announces Graphic Novels Based on Nickelodeon's THE LOUD HOUSE

The funny adventures of 11-year old Lincoln Loud who has to survive the struggles and bedlam of being the only boy in a household filled with  10 sisters is jumping from the TV screen to the pages of a comic book.  Papercutz, a leading publisher of graphic novels for kids, is publishing the first graphic novel based upon Nickelodeon's hit animated television series The Loud House.  "There Will Be Chaos" will feature stories and artwork from show creator and executive producer, Chris Savino, and his his talented team of animators and writers that are behind the creation of The Loud House episodes.  Papercutz has teamed up with Savino to distribute The Loud House mini-comics at San Diego ComicCon International in 2015 and 2016 and has included The Loud House comic strips in its Nickelodeon Pandemonium anthology, but "There Will Be Chaos" will be the first full volume graphic novel devoted solely to The Loud House.

The Loud House follows Lincoln as he gives an inside look at his daily life in a very large family. With his best bud Clyde, Lincoln always comes up with a plan to stay one step ahead of the chaos, but whether or not it works is where the adventures begin. Inspired by creator Chris Savino’s (Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls) chaotic life growing up in a huge household, the television series was recently picked up for a third season by Nickelodeon.

“Comics are a first love of mine, so it’s incredibly exciting to expand The Loud House universe with this graphic novel,” Savino reflected in the announcement by Papercutz about the publication of this graphic novel. “With endless stories to be told from Lincoln and his 10 sisters, The Loud House feels just as 'at home' on the printed page as it does on television, and I look forward to sharing all the adventures to come with readers.”

THE LOUD HOUSE #1: "There Will Be Chaos" will be available in bookstores and comic book shops across the United States and Canada beginning May 9, 2017.  To find a local comic shop near you go to comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.  For more information about the graphic novels available through Papercutz, please visit papercutz.com

ACCLAIMED HORROR/WESTERN GRAPHIC NOVEL "HIGH MOON" BEING REPUBLISHED BY PAPERCUTZ

Two of my favorite comic book artists, writer David Gallaher and artist Steve Ellis, are teaming up with one of my favorite publishers, PAPERCUTZ, to bring the acclaimed graphic novel series HIGH MOON back to print.  Originally published in 2007 by DC's Zuda Comics imprint, this story which combines cowboys and werewolves in an Old West adventure won a Harvey Award from its comic book industry peers.  Readers follow the investigations of a mysterious bounty hunter who has his own dark secret that emerges every full moon.  This gritty series does an excellent job of taking the elements of a horror flick and action movie so they play out on the pages of a comic book for an incredibly engaging read.

PAPERCUTZ which specializes in graphic novels that are interesting and enjoyable for children and teens to read will be publishing HIGH MOON through its Super Genius subsidiary which distributes titles that are a bit more artistic and edgier than those sold under the name of its parent company.   Super Genius will publish the first of the series three volumes, HIGH MOON: BULLET HOLES AND BITE MARKS, this October just in time for Halloween.  Volume 2 will be released in May of 2018 with a yet to be determined date for when the final edition will go on sale.  The artwork for volumes one and two will be remastered from the original graphic novels with the story concluding in volume three with all new material.  All three publications will feature new covers by co-creator Steve Ellis. The Super Genius editions will also be larger than the previous ones from Zuda Comics, but will maintain the landscape format of the original series.  The books will include a removable slipcase to allow them to be attractively displayed vertically on store shelves or on consumers' book shelves.

In HIGH MOON, former Pinkerton agent and current bounty-hunter Matthew Macgregor investigates a series of strange happenings in the small Texas town of Blest. Drought has brought famine and hardship to Blest. The summer heat pushes the temperature to unbearable heights during the day. The nights are even worse– for the streets are haunted by strange, unnatural creatures. And even as Macgregor works to uncover the truth about the creatures, he struggles to keep his own supernatural nature a secret.

“Between WESTWORLD, LOGAN, and RED DEAD REDEMPTION, the western is resonating in our culture in weird and unusual ways,” co-creator and writer David Gallaher noted in the announcement of Super Genius reprinting HIGH MOON. “HIGH MOON recalls the best tropes of both the classic western adventure and werewolf mythology. I can’t wait for readers to discover our bloody tale of werewoles six shootboys, bullets and the supernatural."

All three volumes of HIGH MOON will be published in hardcover at $24.99 and simultaneously in paperback at $14.99. HIGH MOON: BULLET HOLES AND BITE MARKS  will be available in bookstores and comic book stores across the United States and Canada on October 17th, 2017. For more information, please look to supergeniuscomics.com for upcoming details.

Kids earn free books during the Passport To Adventure with Papercutz Graphic Novels!

When your child brings home one of the graphic novels from PaperCutz's GERONIMO STILTON or THEA STILTON adventure series from his or her school library, like my son did the other day, it could earn your family some FREE books.  During PaperCutz's #PassportToAdventure promotion that runs through May 31, 2017, if your child's teacher or school librarian validates that the student has read four of either the GERONIMO STILTON or THEA STILTON graphic novels then you'll receive four books from these STILTON series for FREE! Plus your child's school will be mailed a complimentary book as well.  Their interesting plots and enjoyable illustrations make these graphic novels a hit with kids in the 6 to 12 year old age range.



In Geronimo Stilton's stories, readers follow the adventures of the editor of New Mouse City's newspaper, The Rodent's Gazette, as he travels through time and across the globe outwitting his adversaries the Pirate Cats.  Geronimo is an intelligent, mild-mannered mouse who keeps getting swept into fantastic adventures.  He is often joined in his exploits by his younger sister Thea, who based upon the popularity of the GERONIMO STILTON stories also has her own book series.  The interesting plots and enjoyable illustrations make these graphic novels a hit with kids in the 6 to 12 year old age range.  For more information about these book series, visit papercutz.com -- the #1 Kids Graphic Novel Publisher.  My kids love reading the books published by Papercutz and I love that these stories have them enjoying reading.

Encourage your child to earn four free STILTON books by just reading GERONIMO and THEA  STILTON graphic novels from his or her school library.  Print out the Passport To Adventure below and once kids finish reading a Geronimo or Thea graphic novel have their teacher or librarian confirm it on the form.  Once a child has read four graphic novels from any of the selections in either series, a teacher or librarian can mail in the passport to redeem four FREE books for the student and one for the school.

Fuzzy Baseball by John Steven Gurney

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

If you are a fan of the game of baseball, you'll love the graphic novel FUZZY BASEBALL by author and illustrator John Steven Gurney published by PAPERCUTZ which specializes in the creation of comic book stories for young readers and teens.  Enjoy America's pastime all year long within the pages of this wonderful story that promotes themes of perseverance and good sportsmanship through a tale of ninth inning heroics during a baseball game between two rival teams.  These aren't just two ordinary teams though -- the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies and Rocky Ridge Red Claws are long time rivals ... and they're rosters are made up entirely of animals such Jackie Rabitson the bunny playing in centerfield for the Fuzzies to Gator Gibson the alligator who pitches for the Red Claws inspired by real athletes like the Dodger's Jackie Robinson and the Cardinal's Bob Gibson.  A dominating pitcher for St. Louis, Gibson earned 17 strike outs versus the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.  Jackie Robinson is know not just for being a gifted athlete who played second base for the Dodgers but also as the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.  In addition to enjoying the well drawn illustrations of the characters in the book, readers can also delve deeper to learn more about the real people that inspired the play on names used in the book plus learn a bit about baseball strategy as they read through the story.

The Rocky Ridge Red Claws are the dominant team composed of rough and tough players who will do whatever it takes to win a game.  Though they have a hyena playing shortstop the way this team plays is no laughing matter.  Let your guard down playing against this team and Snaps Tortelli will put a bite into you or you'll get gored by Reggie Rhino going yard against you.

 The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies are the underdogs in this match up of long-time rivals.  The team is led by a grizzly veteran manager who also plays first base may be out-sized by their opponents but they don't give up.  With players like Pony Perez, Pepe Peritto and Jackie Rabitson the Fuzzies have the agility and speed on the field and the base path to give any team a run for their money.

Who wins the game?  You'll have to read the graphic novel to find out!  What I can say is that the pages are incredibly drawn so that flipping through the pages of this graphic novel to take in the illustrations is a very enjoyable experience as Gurney brings to life the players on these two teams as well as the audience taking in the game, as adorable animals that kids, and kids at heart, will be delighted by.  Despite the wild characters in the book, it's story stays grounded with realistic sports premises and examples that make the fantastic elements relatable to actually feeling like you are taking in a baseball game.  In addition to its excellent artistic attributes, the author also does a nice job scripting out the story so that in addition to enjoying the artwork the book is also a very entertaining read.

FUZZY BASEBALL is a book that my son and daughter both will regularly pick out from our book shelf to read over and over again.  It's also a story that this passionate Detroit Tigers fan will even admit to enjoyed reading through on his own and thoroughly enjoying because hey who says parents can't embrace enjoying a children's book too!  With well-developed and well-drawn characters and a fun baseball story that my children love this comic book aficionado and life long baseball fan gives FUZZY BASEBALL a nod of approval from A Geek Daddy.

For more information, visit fuzzybaseball.com

PAPERCUTZ publishing graphic novel tie-in to DreamWorks Animations TROLLS movie

Our family really enjoys the children's focused comic books and graphic novels created by Papercutz, so we were excited to hear the publisher is going to be producing an ongoing series of graphic novel tie-ins to DreamWorks Animation's feature film Trolls.  Papercutz's first Trolls graphic novel "Hugs and Friends" which will arrive at bookstores on September 27, 2016 is meant to serve as an introduction to the upcoming animated film that will be released at theaters across the United States on November 4th.  Subsequent graphic novels are planned to expand upon the Trolls story following the movie's release.

From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny and irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls.  This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach.



Papercutz’s “Hugs & Friends” sets the stage for the movie adventure by asking important questions like Who are the Trolls? Who are the Bergens? Why is there one Troll who isn’t happy like all the other Trolls? And why does this Troll know more about the Bergens than any other Troll?  The answers to these questions appear with "Hugs & Friends" Trolls Volume 1 on September 27th.

"Hugs and Friends" is just the start though notes Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salcrup.  "While our first graphic novel features the main characters from the film, later volumes will focus on the supporting players of the Trolls world as well," Salcrup mentioned to A Geek Daddy.  "With such a fully developed world being created by the DreamWorks team, we anticipate entertaining fans and telling Trolls stories for a very long time!"

If you have school aged children you should know about Papercutz Graphic Novels for Kids

August is Kids Comic Month so I thought it was a good time to give a plug to one of our family's favorite comic book publishers Papercutz.  Papercutz specialized in producing graphic novels ( aka  comic books ) for kids.  Whether you have a preschooler, tween or teen, Papercutz will have something of interest that will encourage girls and boys to enjoy reading and appreciate artwork.

My 6 year old daughter loves Papercutz's Disney Fairies collection which portray the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends.  Many of these comic books are illustrations of the Disney's Fairies lineup of movies and as a parent I appreciate that Papercutz provides a way for her to enjoy these stories through reading versus her just watching the dvds all the time.  Reading these comic books has encouraged her to go looking for a book rather than just turn on the TV when she is looking for something to entertain herself.

My son enjoys reading Papercutz's Dinosaurs series which are full of humorous stories that also provide a lot of educational insights into these prehistoric beasts.  He's always providing family and friends Dinosaur related insights and trivia since he started reading these comic books.

Both of my twins enjoy reading the adventures of Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton which feature brightly illustrated tales of perilous journeys, solving mysteries, investigating wrong doings, and time travel by some adventurous mice.  Geronimo Stilton is the Editor-In-Chief of the Rodent’s Gazette, the most famouse newspaper on Mouse Island. Geronimo's comic book adventures often involve spoiling the hijinks of his archenemies the Pirate Cats.  Geronimo isn't the only world-famouse adventurer from New Mouse City though - his sister Thea has her own comic book series.  In this series, Thea teaches a journalism class at Mouseford Academy and narrates the stories of five of her students who call themselves the Thea Sisters whose desire to be real, live journalists tend to get them mixed up in a whole lot of adventures.

Some people consider reading comic books a lazy effort at reading for kids. I've found though our family's experiences that the pictures in comic books have built my kids' confidence as beginner readers.  The visual context from the illustrations provides them with clues and cues about the words and sentences they are reading through.  Plus since the text in comic books tends to be one or two line sentences at a time broken up through panels and artwork it helps keep early readers from becoming over-whelmed as they spell out words and look for sight words.  I've also found that when I read these comic books to my kids the pictures tend to help my kids follow along and pick up the spelling and meaning of words as they relate to the illustrations also boosting their literary skills.  My personal feeling is that comic books are great for kids as long as they are reading age appropriate content.

That's where Papercutz comes in!  They have a great selection to choose from for various age groups.  For younger children they have the title's I've already mentioned plus others like Smurfs, Rio, and Disney Graphic Novels.  Tweens may like The Garfield Show, Sybil the Backpack Fairy, Toto Trouble, Lunch Witch, LEGO Ninjago, and Power Rangers.  Teens aren't left out either with titles like Annoying Orange, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Stooges, Tales from the Crypt, and WWE Slam City.

Do you know kids that are reluctant readers?  Many of Papercutz titles are tied to television shows and movies which create a tie-in to encourage kids to dive into the books.  Maybe a child is behind in their reading skills, these comics can be a non-intimidating way to help.  Once a child starts reading, if they are enjoying themselves that can help them become avid readers and transition to more text based books as they improve on their literacy skills.  Pulitzer Prize winning comic book artist and editor Art Spiegelman once said "Comic are a gateway drug to literacy."  Plus there is nothing wrong with children growing up to appreciate and enjoy comic books as a leisurely activity as adults.  I still enjoy reading comic books myself as a 40 year old as a way to unwind from daily grind of career and parenting responsibilities.

Whether a child is in elementary school or high school, you should have them pick up some of Papercutz's Classics Illustrated which do a great job of portraying some of history's greatest works of literacy through graphic novels.  Once a kid understands that these stories aren't a bore they often times will be more inclined to pick up the real novel and potentially not throw a fit about reading one of the "classics" for a homework assignment.  Even better they might even select a classic novel to read just for the enjoyment of it.  Reading has to start somewhere and Papercutz comics are a great way to ignite a child's interest.

If you are a parent with kids from preschool to high school in age you should know about Papercutz. To check out Papercutz's catalog of products, visit papercutz.com
 
Papercutz gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for providing age appropriate comic book content that allow children and teens to enjoy quality stories that aren't filled with violence, sexual content and other topics that make parents wince. Papercutz has a niche that caters to kids and does an exceptional job of providing products that will make both their reading audience and parents happy.

Children's Book Week: May 4 - 10, 2015

It is Children's Book Week, a time to encourage the joy of reading with young people plus celebrate children's books and the authors that write them.  Administered by Every Child A Reader and sponsored by The Children's Book Council, commemorative events are being held across the United States from May 4 - 10, 2015 at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes - wherever young readers and books connect!  CLICK HERE for a list of some of the official events taking place across the country plus check with your local schools and libraries to see if they are doing anything special this week.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a divison of the U.S. Department of Education1, children who are read to at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not.  Reading to kids at a young age helps build basic speech skills, cognitive thinking, imagination, and an appreciation for wanting to read for fun on their own.  The U.S. Department of Education has found a correlation between the more students read on their own time and enjoy reading for fun the higher their overall school scores will be - so getting kids interested in reading early and often is important.  We've placed an emphasis on every day reading to our children since they were toddlers and have really tried to develop their having an interest in reading in ways that demonstrate education and entertainment don't have to be mutually exclusive.  In recognition of Children's Book Week, here are a list of some of our family's favorite children's books:

Disney Fairies 

My daughter loves the Disney Fairies movies that feature the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, but we don't want her watching these videos on television or the family's ipad all the time.  A great solution has been Papercutz's series of graphic novels the explore the magical world of Pixie Hollow.  These books provide great illustrations that provide her an appreciation for artwork and entice her interest in reading.

"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy" cartoonist Art Spiegelman once said.  Whether it is going to Free Comic Book Day or having a collection of Papercutz graphic novels on our book shelves, we've embraced comics as a way to highlight that reading is fun with our children.  We want our kids to be interested in reading not because their parents tell them to be but because they want to read.

Bedtime Math

Math can be a daunting topic for many, including myself, that can be intimidating and frustrating if you let it.  Bedtime Math provides riddles that eliminate the stigma making the subject fun and encouraging kids to associate math with solving interesting puzzles rather than a boring task they have to do for school.

Have You Seen My Dragon?

Join a small boy through his adventure in the big city looking for his friend the Dragon.  As you explore the book there are various objects that you are asked to find along the journey that help children develop their counting skills. Download this free activity kit from the book's publisher for some extra educational connections for your child.

Dr. Seuss's ABC

I read this book every day to my children for two years straight when they were preschoolers and by the time they started Kindergarten not only had they memorized their ABCs but also the script of the book which they could recite back to me verbatim from memory before even being able to read.  Now as early readers, knowing the story really has helped using the book to reinforce sight words and build their confidence in reading.  ABCs with is zany cast of characters that include a lazy lion licking a lollipop and an ostrich oiling an orange owl is a great addition to any young child's book collection.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie 

The fun illustrations and amusing story in this book make it a quick read that helps develop an appreciation of literature with children.  My kids always love flipping through this book and when I'm stretched for time this book is easy to get a bed time story read in a short amount of time. Check out this preview:

 

These are just a few of the many children's books our family enjoys.  What are some of the ones your family enjoys or you may have loved yourself as a kid?

Papercutz announces partnership with Nickelodeon

One of our family's favorite publishers is a company called Papercutz which specializes in producing graphic novels aimed for children and teens.  Whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler at home, Papercutz has something of interest to kids of all ages with titles ranging from Disney Fairies and Dinosaurs for younger children to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Diaries for older ones.  So we were excited to hear that Papercutz is expanding its offerings through a new partnership with Nickelodeon.

The partnership will give Papercutz the first option to adapt all new Nickelodeon original properties into comics and graphic novels.  The new partnership will allow Papercutz to work with Nickelodeon at the earliest stages of a show's development, ensuring that the graphic novels based on these new programs are as faithful to the original look and spirit of the series as possible. This arrangement will also allow Papercutz to make graphic novels available to book and comic stores closer to the debut of new animated series on Nickelodeon then previously possible.  Under this deal, Papercutz already has plans for publishing two new series titles in 2015 and two more graphic novel series beginning in 2016.  Plus beginning in June 2015, Papercutz will also begin publishing an all new Nickelodeon Magazine which will preview the comics content that will be featured in the graphic novels, debut new properties in comics form and also feature a variety of games, puzzles and other activities for kids.

The first two Nickelodeon-based titles to be launched by Papercutz will be SANJAY AND CRAIG debuting in September 2015 and BREADWINNERS which will debut in October 2015.

SANJAY AND CRAIG is the story of an adventurous 12-year-old boy who proves the old adage: there's nothing you can't accomplish (or destroy) as long as your best friend is a talking snake. The adventures of this dude-snake duo have been a ratings smash for Nickelodeon with the series ranking as the #2 animated show across all TV among kids 2 to 11.  The first SANJAY AND CRAIG graphic novel is set to debut just in time for the premiere of the series’ third season on Nickelodeon.

BREADWINNERS features the adventures of SwaySway and Buhdeuce, two carefree ducks who fly around in a super sweet rocket van, delivering bread to hungry beaks everywhere. Like SANJAY AND CRAIG, BREADWINNERS has been a popular program on the Nickelodeon's cable television lineup.

"Papercutz's strong track record with licensed properties for kids made them our ideal choice for a publishing partner,” stated  Linda Lee, VP of Nickelodeon Domestic Publishing, in a press release sent to A Geek Daddy Blog. "As we grow our stable of original animated properties, we wanted to work with a company that could reach the broadest possible audience. We're excited to work with the Papercutz team and we look forward to adding the Nickelodeon characters to one of the most diverse lists offered by any children's publisher."

For more information about Papercutz's graphic novel offerings, visit www.papercutz.com.

Disney Channel Hosts Fall Fairy Festival

My daughter is a big fan of Tinker Bell but she doesn't identify the character from the Peter Pan story but rather from a series of straight to DVD movies that Disney has released over the last few years.  There are six Disney Fairies animated movies out, with a seventh being released on March 3, 2015, that feature the character Tinker Bell and her fairy friends from the land of Pixie Hollow.  This isn't the mean-spirited sprite as portrayed in Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan who really wasn't that nice but rather a kinder gentler likeable version that is easier for audience to embrace as a loveable character.  I have to say that not only does my daughter love watching these films, but our whole family finds them enjoyable to watch together with their top notch animation, excellent musical soundtracks, and interesting stories.  Any of these movies would be a great selection for a family movie night.

If you haven't seen the Disney Fairy movies or would like to see one or all of them again, you are in luck this week as they will all be shown on cable television.  The Disney Channel is hosting a Fall Fairy Festival from November 10-13, 2014 showing these movies in the evening throughout the week.

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 10 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL (2008)
Young fairy Tinker Bell causes chaos in Pixie Hallow when she rejects her predestined occupation as a fixer of broken objects and tries to learn a new trade instead.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 6:30 PM: THE PIRATE FAIRY (2014)
Tinker Bell and her friends go in search of a wayward fairy who fled Pixie Hollow and joined up with a band of scheming pirates led by the future Captain Hook.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL & THE LOST TREASURE (2009)
Tinker Bell journeys to save a Pixie Dust Tree.

WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 12 @ 8 PM: THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (2010)
Tinker Bell and her fairy rival strive to keep secret from humans the very existence of fairies.

THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 13 @ 8PM:  SECRET OF THE WINGS (2012)
Tinker Bell and her friends venture into the winter woods to find the secret of fairy wings.

A sixth movie the Pixie Hollow Games (2013) isn't being broadcast as part of Disney Channel Fall Fairy Festival and a seventh movie Legend of the NeverBeast is coming out in 2015.

For more information regarding anything Disney Fairies related visit: www.fairies.disney.com

As we all know kids spend too much time watching television, so I'd encourage you to also check out a great line of comics published by PAPERCUTZ if your children appreciate Disney Fairies. This company has published graphic novel portrayals of many of the Disney Fairies movies plus other comic books containing brand new stories of unique adventures featuring Tinker Bell and her friends.  CLICK HERE for a preview of the PAPERCUTZ Disney Fairies collection.  We have a few of these graphic novels and my daughter cherishes them. They are very nice to take along on a trip, reading on a rainy day or bedtime stories. 

A Geek Daddy Blog gives a nod of approval to both the Disney Fairy animated movies and the PAPERCUTZ comic books as both are very well done family friendly entertainment options.

PAPERCUTZ BRINGS DINOSAURS TO LIFE

PAPERCUTZ is a comic book / graphic novel publisher that I have a lot of respect for which has a great catalog of titles for children ranging from DISNEY FAIRIES, GERONIMO STILTON, GARFIELD and THE SMURFS for younger kids to CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED, HARDY BOYS, NANCY DREW, and TALES FROM THE CRYPT for grade school students and teens.  I have 5 year old twins who really aren't reading on their own yet, but I've enjoyed reading PAPERCUTZ titles to them which allows them to follow along with the pictures as I tell the story.  My daughter loves the Disney Fairies comics and my son The Smurfs.  Now, PaperCutz is adding a great new title to their catalog called DINOSAURS.

DINOSAURS isn't available as individual soft bound serial series comic books but rather will be sold as a series of 3 individual hardcover graphic novels with the first edition "In the Beginning ... " hitting retailers' shelves this week.  The book has a goofy paleontologist, with a name that spoofs Indiana Jones, called INDINO JONES discussing the history of dinosaurs, how things become fossilized, various geological topics, and the various time periods when these giant creatures roamed the Earth.  Rather than having stories, the graphic novel is divided into short segments or skits that each make you think of newspaper comic book strips. Looking at the artwork and reading through the text of each segment you could imagine this was a compilation of newspaper comic strips collected together for this book.  They actually have been created specifically for this book though and aren't taken from another source. The artwork reminded me of B.C. and Wizard of ID to some extent but it also has a "pop" factor from the pages of the book that provides a "wow" factor lacking from those types of comic strips.  My daughter saw me reading through the book on my computer screen and loved the graphics saying "That's a really cool comic Dad".

The stories are both entertaining and educational which I believe makes it an excellent addition to a child's bookshelf.  The artwork is bright and nicely colored in a cartoonish manner which may entice some children who may not want to read a book with realistic images because it may be to much like school work or in some cases scary for those kids who may get spooked by things.  Humor and some slap stick comedy is intertwined with the book to make the reading experience fun for the kids, and parents, reading it.  For example, in one scene while Indino Jones is looking for fossils on a beach he doesn't notice an elderly woman sunbathing as he is walking along and spouts out a statement of "old fossils on the beach".  The old woman, wearing a bikini, chases the haphazard paleontologist off the beach.

The book gives descriptions of "What is a Dinosaur" and the types of Dinosaurs ranging from popular ones such as T-REX, STEGOSAURUS, and VELOCIRAPTOR along with less well known ones such as ALLOSAURUS and DEINONYCHUS from the perspective of the dinosaurs.  Indino Jones role is somewhat similar to the paleontologist on the PBS tv show Dinosaur Train who comes in between stories featuring the dinosaurs to provide some educational information, though in this comic book he is a narrator who binds the book together plus also has a few storylines of his own and throws in some comic relief too.

 While my daughter did see a few pages of the book while I was working on this review, I decided not to read it to my kids because I thought the content was somewhat mature for preschoolers, which was a tough decision because my son LOVES dinosaurs. There are some graphic depictions of dinosaurs being killed and eaten by predators showing carcasses, exposed bones, and blood in blood.  Additionally there is some violence with dinosaurs fighting and hunting contained in the publication.  Also there was some language I didn't really want the kids exposed to including dinosaurs calling other dinos "morons" and "shrimps".  That being said I believe the content is suitable for grade school children maybe starting around second or third grades.  It may also be suitable for older middle school and high school aged students who need some extra enticements or encouragement to get into their studies.  The book does a good job of explaining "science stuff" like continental drift, extinction, fossilization in an easy to understand manner.  So the description of the book by the publisher is pretty fitting:

Think you know everything there is to know about dinosaurs? Think again! In this bronto-sizedseries, kid dinos show us what their lives were like in short, funny, teeth-gnashing bursts of prehistoric mayhem. DINOSAURS is your guided tour through the rough-and-tumble world of themightiest beasts to ever walk the earth!

All in all I believe the DINOSAUR graphic novels are an excellent addition to the PAPERCUTZ library that compliment there current lineup of titles and fits into their niche of providing quality reading materials for children and teens.  If you have a student in your life, I'd encourage you to take a look at DINOSAURS: IN THE BEGINNING.

The book is priced $10.99 and is available at local book stores, comic retailers, and online.  Volume 2 & 3 will be published in the near future.  For more information, visit:  http://www.papercutz.com/comics/dinosaurs/ 

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf copy of this book from the Publisher for this review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure: a PaperCutz Fairy Tale

There is only one thing that trumps Disney Princesses when it comes to my daughter and that is Tinker Bell and her troupe of Disney Fairies. We have all of the DVD movies featuring the Disney Fairies and what is nice about them is my son gets as engrossed in watching them as my little girl.  These are great movies because they are entertaining for our kids and have content that as parents we don’t have to worry about being appropriate for our children to view. 

My kids are always asking to watch the Tinker Bell DVDs, but I don’t want them watching too much television.  So I was glad to see that the comic book publisher PAPERCUTZ has provided a great alternative, graphic novel adaptation of the Tinker Bell & the Disney Fairies movies.  Whether it’s for a bed time story, taking along to read in the car during a family road trip or to snuggle up with on a rainy day, my children can now enjoy the movies without watching more TV.  Another bonus is that these comics promote an enjoyment of reading and appreciation of art by having the kids flip through its pages following the adventures of a character they love and a story they are already familiar with.

TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE, the comic book adaption of the Disney Fairy animated movie of the same name, went on sale August 13, 2013.  Fairy-fans the world over know that Tinker Bell is the best there is at what she does — and what she does is fix things. In this story though, Tink may have a job that’s too big even for her: a broken moonstone that powers the Pixie Dust Tree itself. This volume of PaperCutz’s Disney Fairies also features the comic book debut of a fan favorite, Blaze the firefly. The incredible quest that follows is an adventure like none we’ve ever seen before in Pixie Hollow.  Whether you’ve seen the movie or not children, and parents, will enjoy reading through this story.

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is Volume 12 of the Disney Fairy graphic novel collection which includes adaptations of the DVD movies as well as standalone Tinker Bell stories drafted and illustrated by the PaperCutz creative team.  CLICK HERE to view a listing of their entire lineup of Disney Fairy comics.  Volume 13 will go on sale in December, just in time for Christmas, and will be based upon the newest Disney Fairies movie Tinker Bell & the Pixie Hollow Games.  We have this movie on my iPad and take it with us to keep the kids distracted at places like the doctor’s office waiting room.  I’m sure a paperback version of this movie too will come in handy!

I have to compliment PaperCutz on the illustrations and layout of the Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure graphic novel.  The script bubbles and other text are spread out so it doesn’t overwhelm the artwork.  The artwork itself is great.  The illustrations are bright, colorful, and pop off the page at you … it is like they took movie animation cells and transferred them into this book.  The artist behind these images is named Manuela Razzi and I guess you could say drawing sprites is a niche for her because she also illustrates another PaperCutz story line called SYBIL THE BACKPACK FAIRY.  If your children enjoy Tinker Bell you may want to check out this other magical pixie series. Take a look at her great artwork in Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure:

 

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is a 64 page paperback book that is reasonably priced at $8.  You can order it online directly fromPaperCutz or pick it up from your favorite comic book retailer.  It is recommend for children ages 6 – 11 though my 4 ½ year old children love flipping through the book and having me read it to them and I caught my wife snuggled up on the coach reading it by herself the other night.  I’d encourage you to pick up this read for the young children in your life, especially if your family has a little princess in it like we do.

Had you heard of PaperCutz before? I first discovered them when we picked up a few of their titles for my kids during FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, and was impressed by what we brought home.  Papercutz is the largest standalone publisher exclusively dedicated to children’s graphic novels, with books available at all major retailers, bookstores, and comic book stores, and e-books available on comiXology, Comics+, and all e-reader devices.  Papercutz graphic novels and comic books cover a wide range of genres, reading levels, and favorite characters including The Smurfs, LEGO® Ninjago, Geronimo Stilton, Nancy Drew, and many more including of course Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies.  Whether your kids are in preschool or high school PaperCutz has something that will catch their interest.  

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary paperback copy of Tinker Bell & The Lost Treasure graphic novel to review (see picture at the top of this article).  The thoughts and opinions in this post though are my own.