Arlo & Pips #1: King of the Birds; Elise Gravel

King of the Birds is the first in series of graphic novels perfectly pitched for young readers aged five and up.

Arlo the crow has it all going on; he is drop dead gorgeous, incredibly smart, a brilliant impersonator, a talented actor and a collector of shiny things. He likes nothing more than bragging about how wonderful he is and wants his new mate Pips to hear all about it. Yellow songbird Pips isn’t so sure that Arlo is the ‘king of the birds’. Will friendship bloom or will Arlo’s boasting leave Pips with his feathers in a flap…

We’ve all got that friend who likes to show-off and brag about how amazing they are to everyone else, right? Arlo and Pips are two such friends and their story makes for a cracking little read with laughs guaranteed on every page. Arrogant crow Arlo knows no bounds when it comes to championing himself and it is up to the sarcastic and outspoken small, yellow songbird Pips to keep his mate as grounded as possible and to not let Arlo’s rather large bird brain get any bigger.

I didn’t stop smiling and laughing at the antics of Arlo and his endless claims. Highly amusing and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, there is plenty of bird-brained fun and banter as the ever-confident Arlo exhibits all of the ways that crows are so flippin’ awesome - regular crow facts are woven into the story and often appear as footnotes. I learnt quite a few things about crows, I never knew that they could be taught tricks, are gift-givers and are able to count.

With clear paneling, a limited colour palette and short speech bubbles, the action is really easy for young readers to follow. The plot is simple, enjoyable and children will love accompanying Arlo and Pip on their adventures as they check out the big city and encounter noisy humans, littering and best of all…shiny things. It’s then off to the beach where there’s more littering and some pesky seagulls that need to be tricked. Never a dull moment to be had with these two!

This is a great graphic novel and one that I will definitely be ‘crowing’ about. I thoroughly recommend that it swoops into the lives of many young readers. Perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Bunbun and Bonbon.

Recommended for 5+.