Wildflowers: TOON Level 2

by Liniers

Overview

A celebration of the magical bonds that unite children!

When her two big sisters embark on an adventure to explore a mysterious island, the youngest one doesn’t want to be left behind—even if she needs her sisters' help to read the sign that says “Only Reality Can Kill a Dragon”. Along the way, the sisters discover gorilla houses, popcorn falling from the sky like snow, and yes, a dragon that only reality can kill. What shines through from this funny story’s gut-wrenchingly scary beginning (“There was a terrible plane crash!”) to its sweet and satisfying ending is LINIERS’s admiration for the imaginative powers of childhood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943145539
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,110,933
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

“As soon as I took [a] photo of my three young daughters looking at the jungle in the Yucatan, Mexico, I began to imagine this book,” says Ricardo Liniers Siri about the moment inspiration struck for Wildflowers. Liniers’s U.S. debut, The Big Wet Balloon, was selected as one of Parents Magazine’s Top Ten, and his second book starring his girls, Good Night, Planet, was the winner of the Eisner Award for Best Comics for Beginning Readers. This third book completes the set of the author’s ode to his three daughters. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the family is now happily inhabiting the mysterious jungles of Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2021

After a plane crash, three sibling survivors—two seemingly older girls and a younger one sporting glasses and a pair of yellow boots—find marvels exploring an island’s jungle in this early reader graphic novel. “Look at these exotic plants,” says one of the older children, gazing at a wall of huge, colorful flowers. “What does ECK-STO-TICK mean?” asks the younger. A flower speaks to the young child (“You are surely the strangest wildflower I have ever seen!”). She reports it to her older sisters, one of whom objects: “But plants don’t talk!” She stands her ground: “These do because they are ECK-STO-TICK because they are in the jungle.” Unexpectedly, in this moment and in others, she persuades them. While their surreal discoveries provide the action, the girls’ closely observed interpersonal interactions add pleasure, too. Paneled art in ink and watercolor by Liniers (Good Night, Planet) imagines the lush greenery of the island in detail, with wildlife and dangers that quicken pulses before a gentle butterfly landing of an ending. Quirky and endearing, it’s a journey both internal and external. Ages 6–9. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

​School Library Journal Best Graphic Novels of 2021
THREE STARRED REVIEWS!

★★★ "Argentine American cartoonist Liniers applies both conventions of magical realism and a keen understanding of how children’s minds work to this weird and wonderful story.  Like children’s backyard play, sheer delight."  —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

★★★ "A charming celebration of nature, siblinghood, and imaginative play." —the Horn Book Magazine, STARRED REVIEW

★★★"A dazzling ode to the magic of childhood. A Must for all graphic novel collections."​—School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"WHERE THE OTHER WILD THINGS ARE...An older sister to Sendak's work, maybe taking place on the next island over from Max's wild rumpus." —the New York Times

​"Designed by Liniers and TOON Editorial Director Françoise Mouly, Wildflowers is a small gem of a children’s hardcover book—a sweet end to Liniers’s fatherly trilogy [...] Liniers knows these girls, and he knows how to balance cuteness against trouble. What he has done with TOON so far—well, it’s one of the lovelier runs in today’s children’s comics."—featured review “We Are Flowers, Wild Ones" by Charles Hatfield of SOLRAD, the online literary magazine for comics

"A wildly imaginative tale, spangled by magic realism and Argentine conflation of reality and fantasy." —Variety​

"A winsome comic, perfectly pitched to emerging readers.”—Booklist

"Quirky and endearing, it’s a journey both internal and external.”—Publishers Weekly
"A comfortable reminder of the power of imagination."—School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids

From the Publisher

★ 05/14/2021

K-Gr 3—This mesmerizing tale of three sisters blurs the lines of fantasy and reality. In the wake of a plane crash, the siblings, all white, become stranded on a remote island, where they come across talking wildflowers, a pocket-size gorilla, and popcorn snow flurries. A sign reads, "Only reality can kill a dragon," foreshadowing a treacherous encounter—and offering a clue as to what's really going on here. The comic-style panels highlight nuances such as characters' facial expressions and plot details to strengthen visual literacy skills. Liniers's artwork is highly captivating, and the ink and watercolor designs bring to life a rich natural setting and the adventures that take place on the island. VERDICT Liniers's third graphic novel inspired by his daughters (after The Big Wet Balloon and Good Night, Planet) is a dazzling ode to the magic of childhood. A must for all graphic novel collections.—Claire Moore, Manhattan Beach Lib., CA

School Library Journal

★ 2021-03-31
Three girls whose plane crash-lands on an island have an extraordinary adventure.

Argentine American cartoonist Liniers applies both conventions of magical realism and a keen understanding of how children’s minds work to this weird and wonderful story. It opens cinematically, gradually revealing the plane at an angle, nose buried in trees, and a line of speech-bubble dialogue emanating from the margin: “Where are we?” In answer, on the next page, the tallest of three White girls says, “There was a terrible plane crash…and now we’re stranded on a mysterious island with a jungle.” The girls are obviously unhurt, so readers can relax and enjoy the protagonists’ explorations. They find some “exotic” wildflowers (“What does eck-sto-tick mean?” asks the youngest), one of which remarks that the girls are “the strangest wildflower[s it’s] ever seen”; a sign that reads “Only Reality Can Kill a Dragon”; a tiny house inhabited by a miniature gorilla; and, of course, a dragon. It appears that dragons eat only wildflowers, and since the girls are wildflowers…“AAA!!!” Alas, that sign was only too accurate, however, and when an adult voice summons the girls to dinner, the island is reduced to an ordinary backyard and its inhabitants to toys. Readers who’ve had similar adventures will happily immerse themselves in this one, Liniers’ careful lines, limpid colors, and graphic-panel framing creating a reality that honors children’s imaginations. The book is available in two trim sizes: a standard 6-by-9-inch early-reader trim and a 7.5-by-11-inch “gift edition.”

Like children’s backyard play, sheer delight. (Graphic early reader. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews