Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel (review)

Gravel, Elise Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds; written and illus. by Elise Gravel. HarperAlley, 2020 [64p] (Arlo & Pips) Trade ed. ISBN 9780062982216 $12.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780062982223 $7.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062982230 $7.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 1-3

They may not be as pretty as the peacock or have the flair of the flamingo, but the crow is most certainly the "king of the feathered world." At least that's the truth according to Arlo, a proud member of the Corvus genus, and the black bird spends much of this graphic novel easy reader trying to convince the credulous Pips, a teeny yellow bird, of the greatness of crows. Arlo drops some seriously awesome knowledge edge bombs (crows' brains are bigger than other birds, they can mimic other birds and even human speech, etc.) and Pips is convinced, and soon the two feathered friends are exploring the city and the beaches, snatching up yummy fries, leftover trash, and, Arlo's favorite, a variety of shiny objects. Gravel brings the smart attitude of her Disgusting Critters series (The Fly, BCCB 5/14, The Spider, BCCB 5/15, et al.) to a more fictional narrative here, and it's just as informative and accessible in its provision of kid-pleasing facts ("Some scientists say that they [crows] are as intelligent as seven-year-old humans"). Panel layout is clean and consistent, with an early iteration of a footnote introduced as a small, starred bottom panel, and figures are simply drawn with minimal background, putting the full focus on Arlo and Pips. Aspiring birders with a flair for the dramatic may be particularly drawn to Arlo's braggadocio.