Tag: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Lucy Speaks Out! – Charles M. Schulz

Lucy has been one of my favourite Peanuts characters for over thirty years (Geez, I’m old!). I loved her so much as a kid that I completed a cross stitch design of her sitting behind her infamous “Psychiatric Help” sign when I was about ten and I still have it.

While it was inevitable that I’d already know some of these comics I was pleasantly surprised so many were new to me. This collection of comics felt so decadent because, unlike the comics I had as a kid, it’s in colour!

Lucy writes a book about Beethoven, Sally writes a story for school about Santa Claus and his rain gear, Snoopy barks up the wrong tree, Woodstock dances up a storm, Charlie Brown goes to the emergency room and Eudora made me crave marshmallow sundaes and pizza.

My favourite Lucy comic in this collection was:

Peppermint Patty’s classroom conversations are always priceless and there were plenty to enjoy, including this gem:

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to smile my way through these comics. I’m already looking forward to the next Peanuts collection.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Move over, Charlie Brown! Lucy takes the spotlight in this latest collection of Peanuts comics for kids.

In this delightful collection of classic Peanuts comics for younger readers, Lucy rallies her friends to speak out for equal rights for women. Between social causes and dropping fly balls in the outfield, Lucy decides to write a biography of Beethoven, much to Schroeder’s dismay. Meanwhile, life in the Peanuts gang is as hilarious as always: Woodstock takes up farming, Peppermint Patty struggles to make the grade, and Charlie Brown’s rotten luck lands him in the hospital. You won’t want to miss this latest edition of outstanding Peanuts fun.

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Zen Pencils: Creative Struggle – Gavin Aung Than

Using well known examples from literary, scientific, artistic and musical greatness, Gavin Aung Than has compiled a collection that highlights both the struggles and successes of these creative lives. Comics are used to illustrate quotes from each person. These are accompanied by a short summary of their lives.

The people included in this book faced various struggles including addiction, physical and mental illness, rejection, grief and lack of recognition of their genius during their lives. Despite these, and sometimes because of them, they persevered and have ultimately become known for their creations.

This is the type of book I’d usually purchase as a gift or borrow from the library for myself. However I didn’t encounter a great deal in this book that I wasn’t already aware of. For example, I’m sure most creative people already know the story of how Mary Shelley came up with Frankenstein.

Unfortunately I got put off while reading about Van Gogh, whose life was the first explored in the book. The insensitivity of “He even failed at committing suicide” made my skin crawl.

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I hope this book encourages people to persevere with their creative endeavours with the knowledge that, while there are no success only journeys, the journey is also important. If you don’t at least try you’ll never know what could have been.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Gavin Aung Than, creator of the innovative Zen Pencils, shares his passion for creativity and reveals how you, too, can live a creative life.

Zen Pencils: Living a Creative Life is a call to wake up the creative spirit inside you. Through Zen Pencils cartoon quotes on creativity from inspirational artists, musicians, writers, and scientists, you’ll discover what inspired each of the subjects to reach the full potential of their creativity. In each comic, the speaker of the quote is the character in the story. Imagine cartoon versions of Albert Einstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mark Twain, Isaac Newton, and Vincent van Gogh revealing the spark that ignited them to achieve their dreams! 

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Book Love – Debbie Tung

Book nerds rejoice! Debbie Tung doesn’t just understand us; she’s one of us! Debbie first drew scenes from my life in her debut Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story and now she’s gained access to the bookish part of me which, let’s face it, is pretty much all that’s left once you take away the introvert part.

This is my second (but not final) read of this graphic novel and once again Debbie’s nailed it. Her illustrations perfectly capture the bliss of escaping into a book, the allure of a book sale, the horror of finishing a book and knowing you have to wait a whole year before you can dive into the sequel, and the special kind of magic you experience when your book order arrives. Debbie explores the bookish nightmare of a favourite book being massacred by its film, the horror of price sticker residue and the devastation you feel when someone ruins the end of the book you’re reading.

Debbie talks about how we read, where we read, why we read, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so understood.

Every turn of the page resulted in validation of my bookish experiences.

There was only one page I was glad I couldn’t relate to – when you have to choose between books because you’ve reached the maximum amount you can have on loan at any one time from the library. Thankfully my wonderful librarians consider the loan limit a suggestion, not a strict rule, where I’m involved; just one more reason why my library is the best in the world!

I cannot get enough of this book and only wish it had been several hundred pages longer.

I wonder what part of my life Debbie is going to tackle next … Whatever it is, I need to read it immediately!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for introducing me to Debbie with Quiet Girl and giving me the opportunity to remember why I need every book she ever publishes.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers. And paperbacks! And ebooks! And bookstores! And libraries!

Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung’s comics are humorous and instantly recognisable – making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they’re understood and appreciated.

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Snoopy: Boogie Down! – Charles M. Schulz

It’s Charlie Brown and the gang so naturally I devoured this book as soon as it downloaded on my iPad. I’ve now finished my reread and all I can think is that I need to save up for the inevitable. One of these days I’m going to own the entire collection of Peanuts so I will always have smiles at my fingertips.

I was surprised by the amount of comics in this collection that I’d never read before. There will be kids who are discovering Peanuts who’ll no doubt ask their parents what some of the now dated references mean but they are few and far between. I loved that this collection was in colour so even the comics I already knew and loved felt fresh.

Snoopy continues his battle of wits with the creative bully cat next door

and we wait with Linus and Marci for the Great Grape. (Sorry, Linus, I was just messing with you. Unlike Marci I know it’s the Great Pumpkin!)

Peppermint Patty asks for Marci’s help to stay awake in class and Sally talks to the school building and seeks protection against the powers of darkness, i.e., the third grader whose ruler she broke. Charlie Brown checks his calendar to see if there’s anything coming up that he needs to dread, Schroeder plays piano and is annoyed by Lucy, Lucy dispenses 5 cents worth of wisdom, Snoopy’s brother Spike visits, Woodstock saves the day, and Pig-Pen even makes an appearance. My favourite comics included delightfully dour Eudora, who Sally first meets at camp.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to giggle my way through this collection of comics. I’m already looking forward to the next collection.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Is your baseball team getting beat sixty-eight to nothing? Are you caught in the rain without an umbrella? Have you finally worked up the courage to call your crush only to get the wrong number? Don’t worry! The Peanuts gang has the cure for your worries.

Join Linus as he awaits the Great Pumpkin, Peppermint Patty as she faces off against an entire hockey team, and Snoopy as he attempts to eat the largest sandwich he’s ever seen. Sally befriends the new girl at school, Eudora, only to find a rival for the affection of her Sweet Babboo. And Charlie Brown searches for a home for Snoopy’s mysterious brother, Spike.

So put on your top hat, fancy tie and dancing shoes, and join Snoopy and the rest of the gang in this boogielicious new collection of classic Peanuts comics.

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Soft Thorns – Bridgett Devoue

This collection of poems is divided into sections: bleed, love, scar, learn, heal. I was interested because a few of the themes interested me, especially when I learned the author has experienced chronic pain. I wanted to see how a poet would describe the experience of chronic pain but I never found out as, unless I missed something along the way, it was only mentioned in my letter to you.

I began to think this book wasn’t for me before I even read the first poem. During my letter to you I found

if i hadn’t hit my proverbial rock bottom, i would not have been able to plant my roots and grow upward.

Besides the lack of capitalisation, which is a huge turn off for me regardless of how incredible the writing is, I have a problem with the whole ‘rock bottom’ thing. I know it’s already reached maximum cliché level at this point but that’s not my concern. It’s the concept itself. Do we really need to fall as low as we possibly can in order to grow? Can’t we attempt to catch ourselves as we’re falling instead? Once I had my internal rant about that I moved on, hoping to be wowed by the poetry.

I wasn’t and I’m really disappointed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Poetry is such a personal experience; what you hate I may love and vice versa. Whenever I begin any book I fully intend to adore it and word vomit to everyone who will listen to me about why they should read it and hopefully love it too. I hate it when that doesn’t happen.

I want to acknowledge that this author has explored some really painful experiences in writing these poems. It takes courage and resilience to excavate these and then share them with the world. Just because I didn’t find a connection with these poems doesn’t mean you won’t.

I did connect a little to some of the first group of poems but as soon as the love story and ultimate heartbreak began it was all over for me. If you’re in the midst of your own devastating breakup you may find these poems resonate with you but my icy heart wasn’t warmed and I certainly wasn’t keen to go looking for love after reading so much about the devastation of its demise. I think if I was going through a breakup a lot of these poems would actually make me feel worse about my situation.

Some of the shorter poems read to me like sentences, not poetry. A significant amount felt like matter of fact statements. I don’t want to be able to read one poem after another without having to pause and take in the beauty of the specific combination of words I’ve just experienced. I want something revolutionary. I want to experience at least one ‘wow, I’ve never thought of it that way!’ moment.

Granted I probably want too much from poetry but ultimately it boils down to wanting poetry to make me feel. I want to feel the poet’s joy, heartache, rage, passion, hope. I want to take the experience (if not the specific words) of the poetry with me when I close the book. I read this book straight through and I hate to say it but the only thing I’m taking away from it is gratitude that I’m happily single.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I need to research whether a book of poetry is really for me rather than getting excited and jumping straight in without doing my homework.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The poetry living within these pages tells stories of love, heartbreak, freedom, oppression, sexual assault, sexism, hope, and humanity.  Our darkest times are where we grow the most, so in this book, I share mine, and together we learn how to heal.

Soft Thorns is a poetry collection that takes the reader on a journey through a young woman’s life – from reckoning with her looks and sexuality to dealing with the trauma of sexual assault, and finally through the highs and lows of young love found and lost. Bridgett Devoue shares her raw, human story and the lessons learned from living a life fully.

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Today I’ll Be a Unicorn – Dana Simpson

🦄 Happy Unicorn Day! 🦄

The illustrations are everything in Today I’ll Be a Unicorn. This gorgeous board book features Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils from Dana Simpson’s Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novels.

Phoebe dresses and acts like a unicorn throughout the board book accompanied by her unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.

Phoebe is excited about dressing up with unicorn ears and a horn, which are both attached to a headband decorated with beautiful flowers. She loves trotting through meadows with her unicorn tail flowing behind her.

She enjoys all aspects of being a unicorn. Then she discovers that maybe being a young girl is sometimes better than being a unicorn. I’m inclined to agree with her reasoning!

Today I’ll Be a Unicorn is light on words but shines with personality. Phoebe’s expressions are captured so well, from excited to blissful, from dumbfounded to happy and content. I loved the choice of colours used, ranging from soft yet bright pastels to a vibrant rainbow.

I can imagine this becoming a favourite bedtime story. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Who wouldn’t want to be a unicorn?

In this charming, super-sparkly board book, the stars of Phoebe and Her Unicorn celebrate the magical and enchanting world of being a unicorn, along with reminding young readers that being yourself is pretty great, too.

Who wouldn’t want to be a unicorn? You get to trot majestically through meadows, perch high up on rainbows, and wear tiaras made of starlight. Phoebe lists all the wonderful things she’ll get to do and can hardly contain her excitement about having a tail and magic horn. That is, until she learns that unicorns like to eat hay instead of pizza. Maybe she’ll be a unicorn tomorrow instead!

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Milk and Honey – Rupi Kaur

By now it seems as though this collection of poems are so popular that I don’t need to introduce them. You’ve likely either read them yourself, read multiple reviews already or at least have enough of an idea of its content. I kept hearing about this book and figured I’d catch up to the bandwagon and see what all of the fuss was about.

I appreciate the openness of this poet and the rawness of her work. A lot of the poems in the first of the four sections resonated with me and I liked some of the positivity of the final section, although some of the final section read like pop psychology to me. The middle sections didn’t speak to me at all but I expect that’s partly because I don’t do relationships and don’t particularly want to spend my time hearing about the drama of them or about people having sex. A lot of people love stuff like that but I’m just not one of them.

I really didn’t like most of the illustrations, probably because I didn’t like that one of the early ones featured a poem between a naked woman’s spread legs and wondered whether the poet considered this necessary to make their point. I also really, really don’t like it when people don’t use capital letters, especially for I and I’m. The lack of capitalisation bugged the hell out of me.

The ratings for this book clearly show that I’m in the minority here and that’s okay with me. I love that people experience the same book differently and I love reading reviews that show perspectives that I don’t share or wouldn’t have thought of myself. While I really connected to the poems that spoke to me of my own experiences there weren’t enough of them to make this book one I’d want to reread. I hope you get more out of it than I did.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look. 

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Stinky Cecil #3: Stinky Cecil in Mudslide Mayhem! – Paige Braddock

Nesbit the chameleon grew up in a pet store so he doesn’t know what rain is. Cecil the toad is annoyed by Nesbit’s innocence about the way life works outdoors but Jeremy the earthworm has empathy for Nesbit. Usually the spring rain doesn’t cause any problems for the habitat but this year Cecil’s pond floods.

While Cecil always wanted a waterfront property he didn’t want his home to be under the water. Jeff the hamster arrives in a speedboat to help his friends. He’s seen something from his treehouse that may be causing the flood. The friends work together and with their new beaver friends, Bud and Patricia, to solve the problem as a team.

The importance of helping friends is demonstrated when Evelyn the caterpillar helps Nesbit early in the story and when Nesbit later helps Evelyn. Empathy is encouraged and solving problems by making sure that both sides are happy with the solution is explored.

Along the way young readers will learn facts about the different animals in the story and there are additional facts after the story about beavers and the lifecycle of a monarch butterfly. The illustrations are sweet and the colours are bright and cheerful.

I really liked Nesbit’s adorable naivety. A character with wide eyed awe at all of the new things they’re experiencing was a lovely addition to the story.

Favourite bit:

“Pardon me. I thought you were lunch, but you’re a friend.”

Nesbit to Evelyn

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

It’s springtime at Cecil’s Pond and everything is coming alive: the flowers, grasses, insects, and butterflies. The marsh around the pond is all in bloom. Poor Nesbit (the chameleon) is overwhelmed by it all. He sees all the change as unsettling chaos!

Nesbit grew up in a pet store before moving to the pond. He has no idea what it’s like to live in the wild or where he fits in the chain of life. Cecil and his pond pals will have to help Nesbit along on his journey of self-discovery.

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My Life in Smiley: It’s All Good – Anne Kalicky

I love 💕 books 📚 written in diary form! I especially love 💕 books 📚 written in diary form that are illustrated! I love 💕 emojis 😃😍😋🤪😎! Unfortunately I didn’t love 💕this book 📖. Maybe I’m comparing it too much to others I’ve read like Dork Diaries but I found this book 📖 bordering on boring 💤.

There’s a dire warning ⚠️ about not reading this book 📖 until 2126 with the threat of such cool 😎 stuff as hundreds of tarantulas 🕷 jumping out of massive black blisters on your hands 🤚. I read the warning ⚠️ page and got my hopes up but it turned out that this was the only page that really showed the kind of personality I’ve come to expect in diary format kid’s books 📚.

It’s not like nothing happened. We follow Max, who’s 11, through his first year at middle school. Max lives in France 🇫🇷 with his parents and sisters Marion, who’s 14 and super annoying and Lisa, who’s 8 and the favourite child. He’s best friends with Tom, a skinny nerd 🤓. Together they play Zombieland 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ on Xbox 🎮 and they have their own chicken 🐔 nugget eating record. Max has a crush on Naïs who is consistently described as pretty.

At school there is assigned seating and of course Max has been assigned to sit next to his arch nemesis, Raoul. Max recounts gym dramas and other classes he attends. There’s a field trip to the retirement home, exchange students visit from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and there’s a field trip to the Eiffel Tower. There are also visits to Max’s grandparents, skiing ⛷ and parties 🎈to plan and attend. During the school year there is an ongoing mystery of who is responsible for the graffiti on the wall on the way to school and how the artist knows so much about Max.

So, with all of this happening why wasn’t this a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book 📖? There wasn’t the humour I expected. The main character barely had a personality. There were cute illustrations and emoji overload, but I’m not desperately needing to read the second book 📖 in this series. Perhaps this one was just setting the groundwork for future incredible stories. Maybe some of the humour got lost in the translation.

What it boiled down to for me was that this book 📖 was just okay 👌. I’m not jumping up and down excited 😆 about my new discovery but I also made it to the end so it didn’t completely suck either. I may relent and try the second book 📖 (maybe) but it won’t have the honour of going straight to the top of the TBR pile.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book 📖.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Follow the middle school misadventures of Max, as recorded in his hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid–style journal that is unconventionally illustrated with the internationally recognised emoticons of the SmileyWorld brand.

Warning: Do not read before 2126! My Life in Smiley: It’s All Good is meant strictly for people of the future, chronicling the life and times of Max, an average eleven-year-old. Annoying siblings, stage fright, love at first sight – can you believe what kids in the 21st century had to deal with? Follow his illustrated diary as has embarks on a great journey – the first year of middle school in France. Max’s journal entries, humorous drawings and colourful smileys recount his adventures in making new friends, dealing with bullies, and surviving a ruthless P.E. teacher. Along the way, Max starts to figure out how to interact with his peers, and he realizes that at the end of the day, no matter what life throws at him, it’s all good!

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I’m Not Your Sweet Babboo! – Charles M. Schulz

I grew up with the Peanuts gang. I read the comics and knew all of the TV specials by heart. I loved It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas every year. I have a Peanuts book with black and white comics that I read to death as a kid. While its pages are yellow with age, they’re thankfully all intact. I know I’ll never part with it.

One of the first stuffed toys I ever received was Snoopy and I have photos of me sitting holding it before I was a year old. I still have that Snoopy, although he kind of doesn’t have a nose anymore. It wasn’t me! 😇 Oh, who am I kidding? I’m sure it was me. It’s not like I have any siblings to blame. I even completed a cross stitch as an adult of Lucy sitting at her psychiatry booth, which is as cute and funny as it sounds.

So, that was a long winded way of saying that it basically feels like the Peanuts gang grew up down the road from me, so reading I’m Not Your Sweet Babboo! felt like I was catching up with my childhood friends. I knew a lot of the stories already so they felt like the gang and I were reminiscing about the good ol’ days. I was also excited to find some comic strips I’d never encountered before (I guess I wasn’t home those days and they had adventures without me).

”If life were a camera, I’d have the lens cap on.”

Charlie Brown

Charles M. Schulz created such a wonderful cast of characters. There are just so many smiles in this book. Peppermint Patty is excited that she doesn’t have to go to school anymore because she’s just graduated. Snoopy is her attorney when the public school wants evidence of her graduation. She has graduated – from dog obedience training. Peppermint Patty and Marcie learn how competitive golf can be when they become caddies at the Country Club. Marcie calls Peppermint Patty ‘sir’ all of the time, as usual.

Snoopy and Woodstock have some talks with ‘World War II’, the mean cat next door, who doesn’t talk so much as bowl Snoopy over every chance it gets. Snoopy also meets the beagle of his dreams, plans his wedding and invites his brother Spike to be his best man.

Charlie Brown waits by the mailbox for Valentines, chats to the kite-eating tree and learns why you can’t trust 3’s. Sally welcomes the new school building.

Schroeder plays the piano and Lucy fawns over him, and naturally, Linus and his blanket hang out. I would have liked Franklin and Pig-Pen to show up but I’m sure they’ll make appearances in other collections.

“No, ma’am, I wasn’t daydreaming … I was conceptualising!”

Peppermint Patty

I adored this book, particularly the comic strips that were new to me. Having mostly read black and white Peanuts comics I loved that this collection was in colour. Because these kids were a significant part of my childhood, nostalgia will always play a huge role in how I look at any of the characters but from my point of view Mr Schulz’s characters have stood the test of time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this wonderful trip down memory lane.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Pick up a glass of milk, curl up with your security blanket, and enjoy the timeless brilliance of Peanuts in this new collection of comic strips!

Everyone’s favorite classic characters are back: Peppermint Patty enrolls in a private school to end her academic troubles – only to discover she’s just graduated from obedience school. Linus finds himself entangled in a love triangle (and stuck on top of a snow-covered roof). And Charlie Brown runs away from the law and becomes a vagrant baseball coach.

The Peanuts crew is lovable, popular, and charming, but please whatever you do, don’t call Linus “My Sweet Babboo!”

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