I love Elise Gravel’s art, and my students and I love her books! The Arlo and Pip series is a great graphic novel for those readers who are ready to move on from picture books but don’t quite have the stamina for some of the longer-format graphic novels, and we get Elise Gravel’s genius writing and art to boot! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Adorable graphic novel for young readers with humor, funny characters, and facts about crows that little scientists will love!

children's early chapter book/graphic fiction. Learn interesting and fun facts about crows while meeting two new friends, Arlo (the crow) and Pip (his new bird friend--not as smart as Arlo, but nice enough). Cartoony art with snappy dialogue is just what kids are looking for, and they will not be disappointed in Elise Gravel's new series. Yay, reading!

Gravel has two aims here. On the surface, this is a simple story about a braggy crow. Arlo boasts about how wonderful he is and Pips points out the flaws in what he says. It's Pips' rejoinders that allpw the second aspect to come into play - the science facts. For each thing Pips says, Arlo shares a true fact about crows that proves his boast. There's not much more to this plot but it's a fun little book for young readers.

'Arlo & Pips #1: King of the Birds' by Elise Gravel is a graphic novel for young readers.

Arlo is a crow who meets a smaller bird named Pips. As they fly around the city, Pips learns all kinds of things about crows, like how smart they are and how they eat just about anything. They also notice how dirty humans are with their litter and help to clean up.

This is a pretty charming story with some fun things to learn along the way. The art is bright and fun.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

What a lovely graphic novel! A sweet story of Arlo and Pip and a budding friendship. Includes facts about crows, some of which I knew but I learned a lot! The story is also a great reminder to us humans not to litter. Super cute and funny!

Arlo & Pips Meet and Have Adventures

This is a simply Illustrated and simply worded chapter book in graphic novel style for early readers (or it could be read aloud to a child as well) about the first meeting of Arlo and Pips and their early adventures. First, they argue about what the best bird is, but by the end of this first chapter, they form a friendship. Pips is new, so Arlo decides to give him a tour of the city. Then Pips takes Arlo for a day at the beach. At the bottom of some pages, too, the author shares some interesting crow facts, like they can play dead if other crows are around who might take their food and they have the biggest brains of any bird. As they intersperse these fun facts with the story, a child may or may not feel like they interrupt the narrative. The author usually put the fact on a page where Arlo demonstrates it, so it is not as disruptive as it could be. The illustrations are almost cartoon-like in their simplicity, and the illustrator has employed a bright, mostly primary and secondary color palette. All in all, I found this to be a fun, cute read.

As a big Narwhal and Jelly fan, I was delighted to see Ben Clanton’s recommendation on the cover and thought I’d give this new graphic novel a try - and it was delightful! I learned so much about crows! Arlo the Crow is a bit braggadocious and his little birdie friend Pip tries his best to keep him grounded. Together they form an unlikely friendship and go on adventures to the big city and to the beach where they learn from each other! I especially liked the real life crow facts and the large simple illustrations were charming.

This cute graphic novel really had me laughing. What a fun read! I even learned things I didn't know about crows and in such a painless way. I can't really ask for anything more.

Charming story of a narcissistic crow and the small yellow bird who befriends him. Just like many of Gravel's stories, this short graphic novel includes facts about crow life, but that doesn't take away from the individuality of this particular crown-wearing crow and his new friend.

Kids will love this new graphic novel series about an arrogant crow and his friend. The illustrations and the banter between the birds are hilarious. Some dead pan humor is used quite successfully. I laughed out loud several times. The crowded seagull pictures had me giggling, especially when they were all eye balling the crow to see what he would do with his dead fish.

There are some fun facts about crows sprinkled throughout the story. Did you know crows like to collect shiny objects?

My only complaint about this book is the author’s choice to use the phrases, “oh my god!” and “omg!” That brought it down from 5 stars to 4 for me. If these phrases don’t bother you as a parent, you will enjoy reading it aloud to your 5 or 6 year old. The text is also perfect for early readers, perhaps 6-8 years old.

I would definitely recommend this series for classrooms, libraries and homes. I can see this becoming a favorite to read over and over again.

I received an electronic ARC copy from the publisher and net galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It had a style similar to Elephant and Piggie, but lacked their silliness, which I missed. However, it was a good read, and I especially enjoyed the "shiny things" collection storyline. It was good, but not great.

What a really wonderful book. I am always on the lookout for books for my Primary School readers. There really isn't a large selection of early reader graphic novels to choose from. Babymouse has been a popular choice but really hasn't captured the hearts of the early elementary set. Most of the titles are a little too mature for these guys, so it's nice to finally have a title that I can recommend to both our voracious and reluctant readers.

Stylistically Arlo and Pips fall nicely into the genre-defining graphic novel style sheets. Great eye-popping colors with big bold graphics make this a wonderful gateway for younger readers into the land of graphic novels!

Gravel hilariously illustrates facts about crows in this story. Hopefully we will see a sequel about the seagulls!

For children that love animals (especially crows), this is the perfect book. It is well written and displays a lot of character. It was a little too long for my liking and didn't have much of a story.

Delight and laughs are on every page of this short graphic novel for beginning readers!

Meet Arlo, a crow who has just moved into the city and is in need of a new friend. Luckily, he meets a local bird named Pips to show him around. Full of facts about real crows and several short stories this book will be a popular title for all readers. So glad to see a book representing crows in a new perspective. Perfect for introducing animal behavior, environmental issues, and differing points of view with kids!

I love a good early reader that will have kids laughing and learning at the same time. This book did just that. The friendship between a crow and a songbird leads to some good bird lessons, and some hilarious times. I hope they have more adventures together!

Ben Clayton of Narwhal and Jelly fame says this book will fly off shelves. If it’s because it’s about birds, then yes it might. We have a crow who is Arlo and a yellow bird pips. They learn from each other, but Arlo has a bit of an ego. This book is presented in graphic novel form for those just getting away from easy readers. The story has footnotes about things like global warming, and crow facts. It was a fun read, but not as fun as Ben Clayton’s books.

Yes! What a wonderfully fun (and secretly educational) book! Arlo & Pips is the story of a proud crow who likes to brag to it’s little friend about how great and smart crows are. Packed with fun facts and written/illustrated in Elise Gravel’s signature whimsical style, Arlo & Pips is something to crow about!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I am a huge fan of everything that Elise Gravel has written and this might be my new favorite of hers. This book is basically about crows and how smart they are but it reads like a picture book rather than an informative non-fiction book. Lots of fun facts and excellent and fun illustrations.