Wild Animals!

July 1, 2014

Gr 2-5-This original cartoon series centers on Tao, a student at the martial arts school, Snow Academy. Tao suffers mishaps, often expressed through one to two page spreads. His friends are fellow students, Kat, Leo, and Ray, as well as his little brother, Neo, and cat, Bruce Lee. In The Championship!, someone's out to get the Snow kids as they head to an international martial arts competition. Tao and Lee set out to discover who kidnapped their star students, Hiro and Jay, who are in place to win the gold. In Wild Animals!, Tao helps his little brother fend off bullies while dealing with a new girl at school who has a crush on him. Interestingly, illustrator Nicolas Ryser uses thunder clouds with lightning bolts to indicate character upsets. When Lee and Tao finally find Hiro and Jay, they are getting arrested for doping after being framed by thieves who stole the magic sword. Tao, Lee, Ray, and Kat hotly pursue the thieves. Readers will enjoy the back matter, which includes pictures of the creators' desks along with art renderings and martial arts photos. Recommended as an additional purchase.-Lisa Gieskes, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC

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