Salvatore, Volume 1

Publishers Weekly

In this charming, amusing, and sometimes unsettling tale, pigs, dogs, cows, and cats move through France in a state of longing. A tiny dog named Salvatore, who happens to be a mechanical genius, contrives to build an all-purpose vehicle that will allow him to seek out his true love, a rich canine beauty named Julie who has moved to South America. A sow pines for her lost piglet, even as she nurses the remaining 12. A heifer seeks revenge on the bull she believes betrayed her. Their adventures spill across De Crécy's lovely, muted watercolors, creating a magical world one longs to visit and making the animals' emotions seem all too human. He is particularly gifted at creating a sense of action on the page. A cliffhanger ending will leave readers awaiting the next volume from De Crécy's always surprising mind. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

"Recommended- The artwork and the text complement each other." —Library Media Connection (August 2011)

"A somewhat acquired taste, but, once you've acquired it, Salvatore is something of a feast." —www.blogs.slj.com

VOYA

This quirky French import focuses primarily on mechanic dog, Salvatore, and his quest to reach his love, Julie. She moved away years before, telling him that if it is meant to be, they will find one another again. Salvatore has been building an all-terrain vehicle with stolen parts from his clientele and now has one remaining part to obtain before leaving on his journey toward love. As long as readers can let go of reality, they will enjoy this dog love story and all the goofy side parts. The side storyline of Amandine and her piglets flies through absurdity and entesr into the firmly "what will happen next" category of head scratching. Salvatore waxes poetically about Julie, his white fluffy love, and while he struggles with his conscious about stealing, love must overcome. The character designs are all animals with very human traits, but de Crecy still embraces animal behaviors—Roger the pig ends up on the butcher block, small Salvatore acts like a kicked puppy until he meets Julie. The pastel-toned artwork is rough, but gives the story a natural feel. There is plenty of outrageousness that will be fun to explore and devour for fans of European graphic novels. Reviewer: Kristin Fletcher-Spear

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—The subtitle has several meanings in this unusual, surreal, and poignant story. Salvatore is a canine mechanic who dreams of reuniting with Julie, a beautiful white dog. In order to travel to South America to be with her, he salvages and steals car parts to create a unique vehicle that will transport him. Along the way, Salvatore's life intersects with those of several others, and readers follow each of their stories for a time. There's a pregnant pig named Amandine who brings her car in to be serviced and one of its parts is stolen. She soon gives birth to 13 piglets; one of them goes missing and has some dangerous and bewildering adventures of its own. Salvatore also tries to get his hands on a Bentley that belongs to a bull, but the bull's jealous wife (a heifer) leaves him and takes the vehicle with her. While the illustrations look simple and cute, using a beautiful muted palette of sepia-toned watercolors, Transports of Love is definitely intended for older teens and adults as evidenced by its mature language and themes. There are several major plot threads that are left unresolved, so readers who enjoy the book will have to read volume two to find out what happens next.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library