Tiny Tales: Shell Quest

by Steph Waldo, Steph Waldo (Illustrator)

Overview

Introducing I Can Read Comics, a brand-new early reader line that familiarizes children with the world of graphic novel storytelling and encourages visual literacy in emerging readers.

When a little slug finds new friends in the backyard, she notices they look a lot like her...except they have shells! Maybe a shell is exactly what she needs to fit in—but finding one is a lot harder than it sounds!

Tiny Tales: Shell Quest is a Level Three I Can Read Comic, a more complex story for independent readers. 

An Eisner nominee for Best Publication for Early Readers

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Junior Library Guild Selection

An ALSC Graphic Novel Reading List Title

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063067820
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Series:	I Can Read Comics Level 3
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	138,437
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Steph Waldo is a storyboard artist, freelance illustrator, and comics creator. She graduated from the Communication Design program at Washington University in St. Louis and is an alum of the CalArts Character Animation Program. Steph lives in San Francisco with her husband, Will, and their dog, Zero, sharing a love for hiking, traveling, and curling up with a good book.

Steph Waldo is a storyboard artist, freelance illustrator, and comics creator. She graduated from the Communication Design program at Washington University in St. Louis and is an alum of the CalArts Character Animation Program. Steph lives in San Francisco with her husband, Will, and their dog, Zero, sharing a love for hiking, traveling, and curling up with a good book.

Editorial Reviews

A sweet and surprising search for self, friendship, and acceptance.  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A great way to help ­newcomers to the graphic novel format find their footing. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2021

K-Gr 2—A shell-less snail is sure that when he finds what he's looking for, he'll finally be able to make friends. He tries a few different objects, including a thimble and an acorn, but they fall off, leaving him hopeless—how can he fit in with the others without a shell of his own? But he eventually meets another friend, who helps him find a different path to friendship and belonging. This ugly duckling outsider's tale is full of action and onomatopoeia that will delight strong readers. Relying on a natural palette, Waldo's cheery digital illustrations deftly communicate the characters' emotions. Back and front matter explains how to read comics—cartooning basics, speech and thought bubbles, cartooning basics, speech and thought bubbles, and more. Other back matter includes information on snails and slugs and a comparison between the two. VERDICT A great way to help newcomers to the graphic novel format find their footing.—Sara Thomas, New Castle Public Library, New Castle, DE

School Library Journal

★ 2021-05-05
A shell quest gives new meaning to the term diverse ecosystem in this graphic-novel early reader.

Backyards can seem really big, especially if you are a slug, and life can be lonely when you are all by yourself. That’s why, when this story’s main character, an unnamed slug, hears rustling in the garden and spots snails nearby, its eyes light up. But there is a problem. The slug doesn’t have a shell like every snail should. When the snails offer to let the slug play with them provided it gets a shell, the slug scoots off searching for a shell—evidently the key to finding friends and leaving loneliness behind. Unfortunately, the shell substitutes it finds (an acorn cap, a thimble, and an outgrown snail shell) all fail in some fashion. With tears that blend into the raindrops, the slug worries that it will never fit in anywhere and that it will be alone forever. At least the slug has made one friend, a kind snail that, “shell or no shell,” has the slug’s back. This is a good thing since a flash flood quickly “whoosh[es]” them both away—to a welcoming and diverse hollow-log community. Simple, earth-toned backgrounds in most panels spotlight critters with expressive ping-pong–ball eyestalks that lend them great personality. Most pages are laid out in simple two-by-three–panel grids, facilitating clarity for beginning comics readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet and surprising search for self, friendship, and acceptance. (comics-reading tutorial, additional facts) (Graphic early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews