Gnome and Rat: (A Graphic Novel)

by Lauren Stohler

Overview

Readers will get a kick out of the whimsical and hilarious everyday shenanigans of best friends, Gnome and Rat, in the first book of this new early graphic novel series.

Gnome and Rat are best friends who live together in a charming forest. Rat enjoys drinking tea and finishing crossword puzzles. And Gnome... well, Gnome likes to polish his pointy red hat and eat delicious sausages.

Join these funny friends on their various adventures, whether it's celebrating Hat Day, perfecting magic tricks, or tracking down a new signature hat for Gnome. Whatever their antic, these two know exactly how to have a good time: with each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593487822
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Series:	Gnome and Rat , #1
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	197,758
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	GN440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lauren Stohler lives and works with her husband Gareth in Connecticut, where they create art and pug poetry under their top-secret internet pseudonym, @Inkpug. Lauren is the author of several picture books, including The Best Worst Poet Ever and The Problem with Pajamas. Gnome and Rat is her graphic novel debut.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2023

This delightfully lively early graphic novel series launch by Stohler (I Am a Great Friend!) follows rambunctious, extravagantly bearded Gnome and his sedate, gray-spotted best friend Rat as they embark on numerous episodic adventures. On Gnomevember 17, Gnome wakes up excited to celebrate Hat Day, the most important day on the gnome calendar. After lovingly washing, unflattening, and polishing his beloved pointed red hat, Gnome hustles into the kitchen to learn that Rat has surprised him with an entire Hat Day celebration. Later, after Gnome witnesses a magic trick in which one rabbit pulls another out of a top hat, Gnome stuffs himself into his own accessory, but the experiment results in a woefully stretched-out chapeau. Hair-growth tonics, a dinosaur-decorated bowler, and Rat’s daily crosswords herald myriad other challenges and hijinks in which friendship—and gentle playfulness—always save the day. Offbeat characters, including a fast-talking, hat-designing possum with dreadful taste, enliven these simple tales of headwear appreciation. Stohler’s art glows with an inviting warmth that encourages readers to linger over the duo’s cheery home as well as the landscape’s purple-hued mountains and flower-filled mushroom forests while eagerly awaiting the series’ next installation. Ages 6–9. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Friendship at its most whimsical." —Kirkus Reviews

"Delightfully lively." —Publishers Weekly

"Sunny and lighthearted." —Shelf Awareness

"With a balance of rambunctious glee and genuine warmth, this will be a sure hit with kids wanting a bit of pure goofiness as they move into solo reading." —The Bulletin

"Light and fun....A cute new addition to the growing pool of emergent-reader graphic novels featuring best friends." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2023-03-29
A series of hat-centric episodes.

Light-skinned, rotund Gnome and gray, spotted Rat live in a hollowed-out tree stump in the Enormous Forest. The central theme across all five of the stories within this graphic novel is Gnome’s hat and how the titular pair react to it. In the first tale, Gnome celebrates Hat Day (observed in Gnomevember, of course) with a song and a surprise party thrown by Rat (who knows the importance of this momentous occasion). Other stories see Gnome attempting to fit inside the hat, going without the hat, and losing and attempting to replace it. Through it all, Rat is a steadfast and perceptive friend who enjoys spending time with Gnome. They interact with other woodland creatures, such as rabbits, a crow, and a possum. The Enormous Forest, with its trees, mountains, and streams, makes for a colorful, bright setting, and there are plenty of fun gags. The cartoonish artwork is incredibly expressive, whether bringing to life a moment of utter enthusiasm or a wordless nine-panel page depicting Gnome’s coping with a hatless existence. Readers might recognize themselves in Gnome’s single-minded exuberance or Rat’s even-tempered patience. No matter what these two get up to, they always have a good time together.

Friendship at its most whimsical. (a page of creative beard designs for Gnome) (Graphic fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews