Welcome to the Forest: The Harvest Party by Katie Risor

 Today's read doesn't hit the shelves until August, but it looked so adorable that I decided to take a peek at it already. It's all about forest adventures...and I do love the outdoors. The two characters on the cover have a friendly, original appeal, and I have the suspicion that friendship plays an important role in these pages. Yes, I'm judging this one by its cover because it also is a graphic novel and for those readers, who are mostly sure of their words but might need a bit more practice before diving into tougher reads.

Let's just open this one up and see what it holds.

WELCOME TO THE FOREST:

The Harvest Party

by Katie Risor

Andrews McMeel Publishing

80 pages

ages 6 to 8

COMING...

AUGUST 5th!!!

A group of quirky forest creatures embark on heartwarming adventures in this graphic novel series opener featuring original gouache art. Perfect for beginning readers and graphic novel fans, especially those who love the Studio Ghibli films and Tove Jansson's Moomin. Includes nonfiction information at the back of the book​ about the autumnal season.

Deep in the heart of the Forest lives a handful of monsters. The Forest is home to many creatures, big and small, boisterous Mossman, who is much kinder than he looks; cautious but cheerful Wallace;  carefree, kind Grumpkin; and a sweet, mysterious entity named Shadow.  The creatures prove that every day is an adventure as new discoveries draw them closer together.

In this book, readers will get a glimpse at the woodland creatures' lives and discover three bite-sized stories, perfect for the autumnal harvest season. In Welcome to the The Harvest Party, Mossman and Wallace decorate pumpkins, Grumpkin meets a new friend, and the creatures celebrate fall with a lively Harvest Party.

Cottagecore and Studio Ghibli meet in this graphic novel by debut author and illustrator Katie Risor. Risor's breathtaking gouache mixed-media illustrations shine throughout this graphic novel. It features a Dyslexia-friendly font and is perfect to share with emerging readers, English and Second Language (ESL) learners, and veteran graphic novel enthusiasts alike.

GOODREADS    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

These forest monsters know how to have fun and are more than happy to invite anyone they can to their parties.

There are monsters in the forest, and although they might first appear to be a bit scary, they are anything but. These monsters are all about friendship and sharing time with others. When they decide to have a harvest part, things don't always go as smoothly as first planned, but that doesn't mean it's time to give up. There are always new friends to make and new ideas to try...even if the situations get a bit out of control at times.

This is an adorable read for those, who have a pretty good grip on their words but need more practice. While set up like a graphic novel, the frames are larger than normal, meaning that there are at most three or four on a page. Usually less. The colors are bright and playful like that characters themselves, and the forest comes across as a very friendly place. Although monsters, the group is friendly and inviting. Readers will wish they could jump right in and join the bunch. 

The book is divided into three stories, making it easy to set this one down for a break before picking it up again to continue. Or they can all be read at once, since they are very enjoyable. The endings are sometimes a bit abrupt, but they plots are very fitting to the age group and reading level. 

It's a great beginning to a new series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what adventures these characters will be facing next.