New Shoes

Starred review from January 15, 2018
In a South American village, a donkey named Francis makes shoes for discerning clients. Francis is overjoyed to receive a commission from Miss Manatee, his favorite calypso singer, but before he can start work, he discovers that his friend and tiger grass supplier, Nigel, has gone missing. Venturing into the forest to sort out Nigel’s situation (he has been stealing tiger grass from its grower, Harriet the jaguar) is a big test for Francis, who has never been outside his village. His success helps him think outside the box when he discovers that aquatic manatees don’t wear shoes. Instead, he and his friends make Miss Manatee a handsome wheeled cart. With their cheerful expressions and rubbery limbs, Varon’s creatures behave with gentle civility throughout, as when Harriet and her predator friends stand at the very back of Buster’s Calypso Café during Miss Manatee’s performance, so as not to intimidate the other patrons. Varon (Odd Duck) introduces a rain forest setting most likely new to readers (Guyana, an afterword explains) in a story that brims with creativity and affection. Ages 6–10. Agent: Tanya McKinnon, McKinnon McIntyre.

February 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-Francis the donkey loves to make shoes for his animal friends and neighbors, but he doesn't do it alone. The goats down the road provide wool, Nigel the squirrel monkey collects the grass that is woven into fabric, and the chickens from downstairs weave it. When Francis is approached to make new shoes for the famous singer Miss Manatee, he is over the moon until he realizes Nigel has yet to return from a supply trip. Francis embarks on his first journey into the formidable jungle to find Nigel and the grass he needs to make an unforgettable pair of shoes for his favorite entertainer. With its seamless intermingling of earth tones and lush tropical colors, and its smooth, heavy linework, this graphic novel strongly evokes picture books owing to its numerous full-page bleeds and frequent use of nonpaneled pages. The text is large and the vocabulary mostly simple. However, some pages become overcrowded as Varon squeezes in related facts. Dialogue contains elevated, undefined vocabulary such as provincial and embellishment. Realistic images of jungle animals are worked into the pages via Francis's guidebook, and the story acts as something of a guidebook itself. Plants and animals are labeled throughout, together with local naming conventions when applicable (e.g., jaguars are called "tigers" in Guyana). The spare back matter includes reference photos that inspired the story's imagery. VERDICT This simple yet fun tale will help newly independent readers make the transition to full-blown graphic novels, stoke curiosity about the jungle ecosystem, and teach about teamwork, respect, and kindness.-Alea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
Francis the donkey, a shoemaker, learns about life beyond his village when he ventures into the jungle to get wild tiger grass to make the perfect pair of shoes. Francis uses only the finest materials to make his shoes: coconut wood, goat wool, and wild tiger grass. He sources these from other animals in his village. One day Francis gets a special request from a client and personal hero, the calypso musician Miss Manatee. However, Francis realizes he is out of tiger grass and his monkey friend Nigel, who usually provides it, is nowhere to be found. So Francis sets out with parrot friend Rhoda and some animal guidebooks to the jungle from which Nigel usually gets the grass. An educational journey ensues, with Francis meeting all types of animals, from the gregarious capybara to the seemingly terrifying jaguar. Most of the animals are helpful and show him that many animals are not as scary as they seem once you get to know them. Varon complements the friendly cartoon animals with which she populates her graphic adventure with lovely reference photos in the back, which help to connect the drawings with real life. The dialogue effortlessly adds humor to the informational snippets in the text; a moment when a jaguar, wild hog, and howler monkey chuckle over their entries in Francis' guidebook is hilarious. A quick, informative, and overall good-hearted graphic tale that will have readers pausing to take in the colorful artistic details. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)

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July 1, 2018
Francis the shoe-making donkey is thrilled when his favorite calypso singer, Miss Manatee, places a special order. But Nigel the squirrel monkey, who always collects the wild tiger grass Francis uses to craft his sturdy shoes, is nowhere to be found. When Francis and his bird friend Rhoda go in search of some wild tiger grass themselves, they discover that Nigel was captured by bush dogs--but why? This silly and entertaining early-reader graphic novel, in six chapters, is filled with informational matter about the animals of the South American jungles. Francis carries a field guide (with illustrations by Boorujy) that provides details about the creatures he encounters. The illustrations are dominated by the greens, crimsons, and bronzes of the jungle setting, and Varon appends a selection chosen from among the few thousand reference photos she took of Guyana. Much of the flora and fauna in the quirky cartoon-panel pictures are labeled, with additional facts ( three-toed sloth can rotate his head 270�! ) incorporated directly into the pages. Along his journey, Francis learns that life outside the village could bring unexpected challenges for which he needs to open his mind. He even invites an unlikely friend to help solve the riddle of making shoes for Miss Manatee (whose lack of feet, you'd think, might've come up when she placed the order). Expect giggles from the newly independent readers at whom this delightfully odd graphic novel is aimed. julie Danielson

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2018
With additional illustrations by George Boorujy. Shoe-making donkey Francis is thrilled when calypso singer, Miss Manatee, places a special order. When Francis (carrying a field guide with illustrations by Boorujy) and his bird friend Rhoda enter the jungle in search of wild tiger grass for the order, they make a surprising discovery. The cartoon panels in this silly and delightfully odd early-reader graphic novel's six chapters are filled with informational matter about South American jungles.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)