Market Day

by Miranda Harmon

Overview

It’s Market Day! Everyone wants Mama Cat’s magical desserts, but her kittens think she deserves a treat of her own. Will they find the perfect gift among the stalls? Find out in this early graphic reader!

It’s time to go to the market! Mama Cat is selling her most delicious desserts, from bright rainbow cookies to shimmering sunshine muffins. Can cute kitten siblings Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Ginger find the perfect present to treat their Mama? Maybe a colorful shell, a shimmering sweater, or an enchanted packet of seeds? Time to explore a colorful, crowded, and dazzling fantasy market!

This imaginative and inviting graphic reader returns readers to the delicious world of rising comics star Miranda Harmon’s Spring Cakes, which Kirkus Reviews called a story where “young kitty and comics lovers will be right at home!” With deep detail and a sweet-hearted sensibility, MARKET DAY helps introduce children to the concepts of purchasing, money-handling, and gift-giving.

Comics-lovers can now share the fun with their kids, students, siblings, and younger friends who are learning to read!

I Like to Read® Comics are perfect for kids who are challenged by or unengaged in reading, kids who love art, and the growing number of young comics fans. Filled with eye-catching art, humor, and terrific stories, these comics provide unique reading experiences for growing minds.

I Like to Read® Comics, like their award-winning I Like to Read® counterpart, are created by celebrated artists and support reading comprehension to transform children into lifelong readers.

We hope that all new readers will say, “I like to read comics!”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823453672
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Series:	I Like to Read Comics
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	951,184
Product dimensions:	6.27(w) x 9.32(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Miranda Harmon is a comics artist and storyboarder living in Los Angeles, CA. She is the co-creator of the upcoming graphic novel series MAYOR GOOD BOY and a storyboarder on the Cartoon Network show The Fungies. Her work has appeared in Chainmail Bikini and The Nib and her clients include Lion Forge and BOOM!.

Editorial Reviews

"The animal characters are welcoming, as well as the bright palette."—School Library Journal

"For little kids learning to read independently who love kittens and cute, sparkly things, this is a fun, accessible read with plenty to spark their imaginations."—Booklist

"Simple text in speech bubbles and narrative boxes, combined with bright, engaging panels and a relatable story, make for a fine tale for those new to graphic novels."—Kirkus Reviews
 

From the Publisher

03/02/2024

Gr 1–3—The Kittens are finally old enough to help their mom at her bakery booth on Market Day. As they learn how to set up the booth and sell their various baked goods, the kittens work hard to help. When mother Kitten allows them to explore the market, the little ones get a chance to discover new and exciting goods while they search for a special gift for their mother. Through the kittens' experience, readers are exposed to different baked goods (challah bread, babka, and tea cookies), flowers (tiger's eye orchids and snapdragons), and shells as they learn to barter. The animal characters are welcoming, as well as the bright palette; however, the illustrations come across as busy and can overwhelm the plot at times. The text struggles to find its footing as an "easy reader" with harder vocabulary, yet the sentence structure doesn't quite lead toward a more advanced primary text. VERDICT There are many other strong early graphic novel series with a variety of animal characters for kids to choose from before reaching for this.—Danielle Schwessinger

School Library Journal

2023-10-21
Market day is a day of discovery for three anthropomorphic kittens.

The cats from Spring Cakes (2021) help their mother sell her baked goods at market day for the first time. Calico kitty Cinnamon lays out the sweet and savory treats. Orange kitten Ginger trades some muffins for a scarf knitted by a cat who doesn’t have any cash. But the kittens are quickly tired out…so Mom gives them some money and baked goods and sends them out to explore. They decide to look for a gift for her. The soup they eat is yummy, but as Cinnamon points out, it would spill if they tried to bring back a bowl. Gray cat Nutmeg wonders if Mom would like a carrot, but Ginger notes that they have veggies at home. Each kitten buys something as they search, so when they find the perfect gift—a rainbow shell—they have to barter for it. Then they notice that they’re lost! Cooler heads prevail, and they retrace their steps to watch the sunset with Mom and enjoy a magical party in which the veggies come to life and dance. Harmon’s second early reader for lovers of comics and cats is as charming and uplifting as the first. Simple text in speech bubbles and narrative boxes, combined with bright, engaging panels and a relatable story, make for a fine tale for those new to graphic novels.

Let’s hope these three kittens have more adventures to come. (Graphic fantasy/early reader. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews