Adventures in Cartooning

Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost

It is so refreshing to read a short book. I highly recommend it. Take a break from your hefty tomes and try something that you can finish in a single sitting. No, sitting in your lazy chair for twelve hours or staying up all night in your bed does not count.

I grabbed Adventures to read during my lunch break. I finished it before my lunch break was over. I had time to reread it and I believe that most kids will – reread it. There is a surprise at the end that will make you want to read it again with the additional knowledge in mind. I would guess that it took me between 30 and 45 minutes to read it including interruptions and orange-peeling.

The book is the product of an assignment given by the author, James Sturm, to his students at the school he founded called the Center for Cartoon Studies. Two of his very first students, Alexis Frederick-Frost and Andrew Arnold, have co-authored this graphic novel with Sturm himself.

A young princess is trying to make a comic book, but is disappointed that she cannot draw well enough. A small, flying elf magically appears to lend her aid. He is the “Magic Cartooning Elf” and can help. And he has amazing news! If she can doodle simple stuff like fish and trees and water and rocks, there is nothing to stop her from making an awesome comic! They jump right in, teaching and learning while creating.

So the princess begins her second attempt at a story. It is a fairy tale where the princess has vanished and a knight and his horse appear to slay the dragon. Surely there is a dragon involved. Meanwhile, the elf starts with the bare bones of comic creating, but little by little, adds the important components like panels and bubbles in a variety of shapes and sizes and styles. And let’s just say that the elf has a bit of fun with the knight and horse along the way. You know, changing the backgrounds and inclines and adding obstacles. Quite funny.

Much like a parent letting go of the bicycle as the child begins to ride a two-wheeler on their own, the elf disappears in the middle of the action leaving the knight and his horse to solve their problems independently. Despite the fact that the elf left the knight drowning in an ocean when he cannot swim, the knight manages to rescue himself and put to use some of the knowledge that the elf relayed.

After some truly comical adventures, pun intended, and a surprise or two, the day is saved and the reader thinks that the story is resolved. However there is one last surprise and the princess needs to be saved again. It is most fortunate that the Magic Cartooning Elf decides to appear once more. Instead of lending a help hand, he provides encouragement. You CAN draw your own adventure. And the next one begins.

The book ends with a recap of what the reader should have learned. Edward the Horse is used to show a few more advanced tips. There is a page that gives directions for drawing the main characters. There is an example of another child’s comic adventures using the knight and Edward. And there is yet another bonus comic featuring the elf’s evil twin. So the reader gets more than just the main story.

The book is about cartooning – the drawing element. It is not about the elements of story. Maybe that will be next. So even if your child can draw a cute comic, the storytelling might still be lacking. But what are parents for, but to praise the efforts of their offspring.

This book won the Bluestem Award this year and I would recommend it to all children and especially those interested in creating their own comics. The Bluestem is recommended for kids in 3^rd to 5^th grade, but I gave this book to my creative 1^st grader already and it is a hit despite its lack of kitties.