Garlic And the Vampire - Bree Paulsen

Garlic And the Vampire - Bree Paulsen

A small anthropomorphic garlic lives with a king witch and all her sentient vegetable helpers.  Gralic is kind-hearted but clumsy and unsure of herself.  When a vampire moves into the castle across the valley, she is nominated to go confront him in case he proves to be a threat.  Mustering up all her courage, she goes, despite her fears.  The resolution is rather unexpected and gentle.  Some might dislike the lack of traditional conflict in the plot, but the story is so sweet and silly and gentle, and the drawings are so cute, that I found it a thoroughly charming, quick read.  [4]

The Way of the Hive - Jay Hosler

The Way of the Hive - Jay Hosler

The life of a bee, Nyuki (Swahili for "bee;" all the bee characters are named after words for "bee" in various languages), from larva to her death.  Nyuki is at first afraid to venture outside the hide, preferring to build the hexagon cells.  But after her mentor is fatally wounded, she learns to go forth and adventure.  The author, a biology professor, masterfully blends good science (there is a short bibliography at the en, mostly articles from peer-reviewed journals) with charming drawings, humor, and drama.  With shades of Pogo and Bone influencing his dialogue, he breathes life into the bees, flowers, and other insects while providing a thorough education on how bees life, eat, swarm, defend the colony, and more.  It's rare to see someone who is so talented at two different fields, biology and cartooning, but Hosler does it all in this book.  [4.5]