Sardine in Outer Space 4, Vol. 4

Sardine is back, and she's got a whole host of new problems to face even before the spaceship Huckleberry can get off the ground! In the fourth volume of this exciting series, Sardine must tackle, among other things, monsters under the bed, flesh-eating tattoos, time machines, and even boredom. As always, Supermuscleman, Chief Executive Dictator of the Universe, lurks in the background, trying—unsuccessfully and incompetently—to make Sardine and her crew behave.

Children's Literature

The brainchild of French cartoonists Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar, Sardine is the ten-year-old niece of Captain Yellow Shoulder, a space pirate who saves children from orphanages run by mad scientist Doc Krok and Supermuscleman, the "chief executive dictator of the universe." Together with cousin Little Louie and her flying cat, Sardine embarks on a number of adventures that take her under her bed (where she finds an army of sheep ready to put people to sleep), to the future (where she and Little Louie experience life as grownups), and a space tattoo parlor (where talking tattoos choose which people they want to stick to). Sfar's scribbly-line drawings blend perfectly with Guibert's nonsensical story lines, which sound like they came straight out of a child's daydreams. Do not be fooled by the apparent simplicity though—the dialogue is full of witty one-liners and long-time comic fans will spot several in-jokes in the artwork (including a surprise cameo by Mike Mignola's supernatural hero Hellboy). A quick and fun read that will introduce readers to two of France's most celebrated cartoonists. Reviewer: Michael Jung

Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar are two of the most ridiculously talented comics authors to come from France. Prolific, inventive, and versatile beyond common sense, the two shared a Paris studio from 1995 to 1999, where stories—including this one—grew like ragweed. Taking turns writing scripts and drawing pictures, Joann and Emmanuel have collaborated on a number of prize-winning graphic novels, such as The Professor's Daughter, the Black Olives series, and now Sardine in Outer Space.

Working solo, Sfar is the author of the popular Little Vampire and Vampire Loves series, as well as the bestselling The Rabbi's Cat. As for Guibert, his many works for readers young and old include Alan's War, an extraordinary biography of his late from Alan Cope, an American WWII verteran.