Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 09/30/2024 Ra?l the Third (the World of ?Vamos! series) delights in this amusing graphic novel series opener starring hair-themed superheroes. Scissors City, famous for its population of citizens with stylish coifs, is home to a team of cosmetic styling "hairtastrophe" fighters known as the Snips: Casco the scientist, Patty the inventor, Letty the batonist, Nubes the barber, and Flealix the talking dog. Chaos ensues when the luchador-themed duo the Bad Buzz Boyz-comprising brothers Boffo and Biffo, grandsons of the inventor of the buzz cut-set out to restore their family’s honor by breaking the Snips’ record for most haircuts given in a day. The siblings unleash a giant monster called the Unruly Hairthing upon the city as a distraction while they forcefully give citizens awful haircuts, prompting the Snips to rush into action to save the city from disaster-and a collective bad hair day. The creator’s cartoonish illustrations, evocative of children’s animation, depict a madcap ensemble of characters. Humorous puns, consistent worldbuilding, and quirky conflicts make this a rollicking crime-fighting adventure. The Bad Buzz Boyz cue as white, the Snips are intersectionally diverse, and background characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 7-10. (Jan.) - Copyright 2024

Other - 09/30/2024 In soaring lines of poetry that feel as graceful as the creature they describe, Lim?n (In Praise of Mystery) considers a fox seen in a fenced backyard, "flashing across the lawn,// squirrel bound and bouncing" with characteristic vulpine leaps. D’Alessandro (The Cot in the Living Room) uses a strong digital line and sleek, stylized elements to show the fox against backdrops of sunrise pink and dusky blue. Here, the figure is seen suspended in midair before landing to pounce, engaging in almost casual-feeling pursuit of smaller animals that "doesn’t seem/ like work at all but play." On the street at night, the fox explores garbage bags out for collection, assembling "a living out of leftovers// and lazy/ rodents too slow for the telephone pole." Though the fox is visible to two humans silhouetted in a home’s window, its life and the lives of its witnesses do not meet: the fox "never cares how long you watch...// never cares// what you do once he is gone." The sense of having entered the world of a wild animal for a few unexpected moments lingers in this refreshing picture book encounter. Ages 5-9. (Jan.) - Copyright 2024

Booklist - 11/01/2024 Scissors City is abuzz in the first installment of a new action-packed graphic-novel series from Pura Belpré Award winner Raúl the Third. Readers will comb straight through as they follow the Snips, a barber quintet beloved by all in Scissors City, as they seek to put a stop to the Bad Buzz Boys. The youngest of the Buzzington family, the Buzz Boys are determined to undercut their competitors and reclaim their grandfather’s record for most haircuts in a day using their family’s claim to fame, the Buzz Cut. Raúl’s signature bright, bold art style is blended with comic-book formatting that jumps off the page and features a monster worthy of a vintage movie poster. The characters depicted vary in skin tone, “dazzling dos,” fashion, and body type. The dialogue is threaded with Spanish vocabulary and phrases that will especially resonate with bilingual readers. Readers are rewarded with delightful extras, including a snippet on the real-life record holder. A wildly enjoyable reminder that the greatest success comes not from winning, but from bringing support and joy to the community. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.