The Wondrous Wonders is a charming book in the truest sense of the word. It explores the foundations of belonging and what it means to be a family. Jo is unhappy with her parent's divorce so decides to run away whilst on a camping trip. She travels through the forest only to find herself in a fantasy world full of interesting and fairy tale like friends. Soon she finds herself part of a rescue operation at a local castle and discovers where her heart truly lies. Illustrations are magical.

The art in this middle grade graphic novel fable took my breath away every time I turned the page. I found its color palette and delicate line work so soothing, and it was a lovely and fitting vehicle for this tender story about the ways in which divorce can turn the lives of children upside down. Bittersweet and affecting.

Gorgeous graphic novel, the stunning illustrations bring to life this lovely story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

I sent in a request for this book because I was attracted to the pretty cover. The art style inside was even prettier. The Wondrous Wonders is a short graphic novel for children that was so dreamy yet funny to read. Plot-wise, it's very simple and actually very random. The character designs are interesting and some, weird. The characters were definitely my favorite part of the book. It's a story about family and love, friends and community, but also about bringing down tyranny. An interesting children's book, indeed! Adults like myself would also have a fun time reading this.

A story filled with wonder and whimsy. Imagination and character. Heart and soul. The artwork was imaginative and fun, the story unpredictable and intriguing.
A perfect story for those looking for something a little unique.

This middle grade graphic novel tells the story of a young girl who is unhappy at home and runs away to another world. Taking her into a wondrous new world, two small characters introduce the girl to their lives as an alternative place for her live. She eventually decides to head home, realizing that she would be better off with her family. The illustrations are different than the typical graphic novel, but I think that readers will be interested in the story and illustrations once they get into it. I could see this book being a hidden gem, waiting for the right reader to stumble upon it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received an electronic ARC from First Second Books through NetGalley.
A look at what happens when an unhappy child runs away and ends up in another world. This young girl is unhappy being with her father, stepmom and stepsisters. She runs off into the forest leaving everyone else at the campsite. To her surprise, she meets two small talking characters (elves?) and follows them through the tunnel to their home. Adventures follow as they attempt to rescue fellow villagers from the emperor's castle. After successfully defeating the emperor, rescuing the Wondrous Wonders and villagers, and heading back to the village, the girl decides she does want to go back to her home. The book ends with her rejoining her family at their trailer.
The soft focused illustrations work but offer a definite blurry cast to the whole book. The story is disjointed but does read as a fairytale. Others will appreciate the writer's style but I prefer leaving less for the reader to fill in and more connections so the plot works in all places. It's hard to figure out the target audience for this book.

A sweet little story of the loneliness and confusion children feel when their parents divorce. Jo is dissatisfied with her "new" family and decides to run away. She stumbles upon a wonderland (very similar to THAT Wonderland, but not everything is as good as it seems.

Well. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic, but it was honestly just a little bit weird.

It did kind of remind me of Coraline, if it were less dark both in color scheme and plot, but the way that a little girl who is unhappy with her family finds another world to escape to and finds out that it's really not all its cracked up to be.

I thought the relationship between Maurice and Jo was adorable in that "adult reluctantly becomes a parent/guardian figure to a child". This was well done, but I still finished it feeling wrong footed in the oddest of ways and assuming that was the intention, then the writing and illustrations did a fantastic job!

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

(4.5/5) So cute. Loved the art style and the pastel tones. Beautifully colored. I would have loved a slightly more mature/darker tone like Beautiful Darkness, but that's just personal taste and I don't think those books have necessarily the same audience. Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Do you love Winnie the Pooh but are ready for some more complexity? This is the comic for you. The drawings are exquisitely simple and make an instant connection with the reader. The story follows a child exploring a forest and making new friends while overcoming challenges. I cannot wait to buy this book.

This was a whimsical, sweet graphic novel! Kind of like Over the Garden Wall or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - we follow a young girl whose family is camping, but she doesn't like her new stepmother and stepsisters, so she runs away and finds a village of magical creatures in the woods. The magical creatures are preparing to rescue some members of their community who have been captured by a tyrannical king. The book follows her journey through the forest and the castle, encountering all sorts of odd creatures. The illustrations were lovely, the sort you could look at for ages to notice every small detail and quirk. There were lots of gorgeous spreads that convey parts of her journey without much text, which were some of my favorite scenes. Definitely for a younger audience, mainly because of how incredibly nonsensical and unexplained everything is at the end, and I think the narrative in the real world with the stepmother could have used more depth. Overall, a quick, fun, magical read!

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel. It has a compelling story and the characters have great development.
The illustrations are are really whimsical.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A story about running away and realizing you're not alone.

Beautiful comic, perfect for fans of Hilda and Miyazaki films. Love the pastels and the style of art. Reminds me a little of spirited away in that a child runs off, and is whisked away into a whole other world of fantasy creatures, ones that aren’t entirely sure of what to make of her. A delightfully whimsical read. Seemed like it was setting up a storyline for the main character to learn how to appreciate her step mother, but that part of the plot fell a little flat, and character development was lacking. For this kind of comic however, character development is not always a main concern for me, and I care more about the imagination of the world building.

While on a camping trip with her newly blended family, Jo wanders out into the woods for some alone time and discovers a fanciful fantasy realm that has problems of its own. I absolutely loved the whimsical tone of the story, the meandering plot, and the beautiful and colorful art of this graphic novel. With sparse dialogue, the artist lets the art breathe and speak for itself, leading you further into the tale and falling in love with the characters. I was charmingly reminded of The Phantom Tollbooth while reading, a book I adored in childhood and still love as an adult. This is a great read for children as well as adults!

This was not the book for me. The cover has a dreamy pastel quality to it that I loved and I requested the title with that in mind. But I’m reality the colors were over saturated and not cohesive in the slightest. The story is something between Alice in wonderland and fairytales about horrible step families without ever talking about why the little girl would want to run away. From start to finish I found this title disappointing, and worse, annoying. It’s marketed as something for children and adults and I’ve read quite a few children's graphic novels but this doesn’t compare. None of the jokes landed for me, the characters and the mission are so jarring and disjointed that it was impossible to follow.
I didn’t have a good time with this at all. I’m not entirely sure who this is meant to please because it seems to be convoluted rather than whimsical. Definitely not for me.

Jo runs away from her dad and new stepfamily and finds herself in a magical world hidden in the woods. She encounters fantastical creatures and anthropomorphic animals in her adventure, which reminded me (in a good way) of Spirited Away and The Phantom Tollbooth. With the help of her new friends, Jo tries to find and free those who were captured by the evil Emperor. Jo finds camaraderie and learns the value of family. I really liked Jo, Maurice and Nouk as characters. The art was enjoyable with its colorful illustrations and the story was whimsical and fun. I would recommend it for all ages, especially children and young adults.

I liked the illustrations in this one and how some of characters were animals and some weren't. I liked that they weren't sure what to think of a human girl among them, but then they figured she might be able to help.
I think children and adults alike will like this one as there is a lot of look at and think about as you turn the pages and dive deeper into the story.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Jo runs away from her family while camping in the woods and discovers a whimsical world. This world, populated by animals and fantastical creatures, has it's own problems, and Jo tags along to try to help. Though definitely a book for children, it doesn't talk down to them and includes some adult-ish themes, like divorce, and is reminiscent of classics like Pippi Longstockings and the Moomins.