Domo

October 15, 2009
Grades 3-5 Domo, the rectangular brown creature who was originally a mascot for Tokyos NHK TV, now has his own collection of manga misadventures. Bickham scripted simple plots and a variety of Tokyopop artists were brought on board to draw. The result is less chaotic than might be expected from having multiple illustrators, as they all use a fairly similar style: simple lines for Domo and the other characters, bright colors, and panels filled with action. The stories themselves are fairly short and none require a lot of thought. Basically, in every story Domo gets an idea in his head and, while trying to act on said idea, he destroys things. Its a one-note joke, but kids whove seen Domos TV shorts will probably enjoy this light collection, though a few Japanese cultural references might go over their heads. The thin, oversize volume is easy to hold and read, but is so lightweight that libraries should be prepared to mend after a few circulations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)