Haru tells an adventure about a bird named Haru and their friend, a pig called Yama. One day, Yama encountered a magical artefact, and then they were on a journey to bring that thing back to its supposed place.

It's a story of finding your true self, self-love, friendship, and family, best suited to coming-of-age children and teenage readers. Other than the story, the illustrations are also mesmerising. I especially really like the cute living plants (dandelion cubs and mushrooms) and the nature.

After reading the ending, I cannot wait to read what will happen in the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrew McMeel publishing for ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was totally unexpected. It was dark and twisted in a good way, of course. A story of a flightless bird Haru and their friend a pig named Yama. Together with them embark on a journey of adventure and full of surprises. Only thing that I would like to add is, It might be little too dark for younger kids.

This is the first installment, I'm definitely curious about what happens next.

This was a great first instalment to this series about Haru, a flightless bird on an adventure with their bestfriend Yama. I laughed out loud at how cute the conversations were at times, and could definitely see children loving this story. The dark undertones were spooky, but not frightening and created a great contrast to the otherwise bright demeanour of the characters. On top of all that, the artwork was beautiful.

My daughter absolutely adored this book - the graphics were gorgeous and super cute, her favorite character was Yama the Pig. It was mysterious and exciting, with great character development and emotional exploration. It was wonderful to see her pick this up and read out of choice (she’s 8) to find out what happens - she did indicate al the ending left her needing a second book though!!!

3.5/5
An interesting adventure story, with a darker tone to it.
Haru the bird goes on an adventure with their friend, in order to return a magical stone they find in a stream. They seem to be watched by a being with dark powers and encounter different challenges as they go.
This first volume ends with a cliff hanger, but the plot of the story did pull me in and I would like to read more.
The art was well done with darker tones to set the mood of the story.

A dystopian world, in which humans are gone, intelligent animals have taken over the world, and darkness looms in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to take over again.

With strong vibes of Sweettooth and Lightfall, this graphic novel entices with strong friendships and mysterious journeys on the way to finding purpose.

I liked the plot, but it lacked coherence in world-building. There were too many questions left open. Like, why is Haru talking to their ghost mother, and why can’t they fly? The chapters sometimes felt like they were thrown together and didn’t continue where the last one ended. Which made it very difficult to stay in the moment.

I loved this! It's a perfect graphic novel for those looking for something cute and cozy feeling with just the perfect amount of sinister thrown in. I'd love to live in this world, sans the dark and scary parts of course.

This was awesome! I loved this middle=-grade graphic novel. Haru's story is wholesome, sad, suspenseful, etc. It is all that you can ask for with the target audience being children. The illustrations are fantastic. I enjoyed this story and will definitely be interested in future volumes!

It was okay, but the art was sometimes a hit or a miss. The colors were nice and the world building was kind of interesting, but it doesn't feel like much happened.

I loved the artwork in this graphic novel! It was beautiful, and changed drastically for the different settings and moods of the story. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel enough for the characters to be invested in what happens in the next edition of the story. It's probably symbolism that is supposed to have a deeper meaning, but I didn't see it, so the story fell flat to me.

The story is about a small blue bird called Haru and his friend Yama a boar, I love the saying Haru says to Yama about their friendship a few pages in - our friendship is like the sun it's always there even when you cannot see it. This is such a beautiful statement 😍 because friendships are made with the heart ❤️ a force that can only be felt. These 2 are also bullied which gets to them but they try to rise above it as well as Haru feels lost in his own identity because his mother will not tell him anything, but one day an old artifact found that's dangerous & awakens old darkness wanting to be freed, through the story you see they go on an adventure. The lessons they learn through this journey are really good because u see self-doubt at points etc.... a scene where Haru says how do we do this and Yama says one step at a time going forward is progress so we just keep going.

Plus I love the message spoken about bullying on page 119 because it shows children that even if ur bullied 99 percent of the time it is not about you it's about them, and speaks more about their nature and who they are than you, great message to tell children 👍

This graphic novel has beautiful artwork and I love the difference in colours used to show the characters and settings and so much more 😍 it's very eye-catching

This story is about friendship, finding your strength, and overcoming things that happen to you in life, I believe this is a great little book for kids with a story that also will inspire the young 😊

Was a delight to read and I cannot wait to read the second one

This is a very sweet, if higher-stakes, graphic novel, though I wasn't fully expecting it to end on a cliffhanger and be just volume 1.

First of all - the cover and art style are GORGEOUS. The struggles with identity, bullying, and wanting more out of life were covered so well, and in a way that I think was understandable and relatable for the target age. The issue I have with this story is the pacing. Many, many times I found myself confused on where the characters were, what they were doing, the relationships between them, and even what time of day it was. I am still, after reading and rereading, unsure of how many days passed between when Haru and Yuma began on their journey to where it ended. I also feel like the idea of the heart possessing Yuma to hurt Haru, and giving her all sorts of anxieties, was touched upon so strongly when Yuma pushed Haru off the ledge. It came out of seemingly NOWHERE, and threw me for such a loop I had to reread the entire mall section again to figure out if I had missed anything (I had not, other than the stone talking a little bit to Yuma about Haru being a fake friend, the ledge from anxieties to murder was steep and quick). The artwork I do not think helped this confusion at all, either, throughout the entire story. From one panel to the next the lighting would completely change - blues and greens would suddenly become reds and oranges. It did not help pacing OR mood. Again, I loved the messages as well as the main character using they/them pronouns, but I do wish I had ANY idea what was going on with the entire plot..

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

Boy, oh, boy did this come when I really needed it. Haru is a well-drawn, well-told story about a small bird named Haru and his boar friend, Yama, and brother Goose in a post-human society. Haru and Yama find a stone and go on an adventure, where Haru learns how to deal with his feelings regarding the less positive aspects of his life. One of the themes it deals with is bullying and depression and it doesn't hold back any punches.

The art feels very calm and sweet and the creepier parts feel genuinely creepy.

I would recommend this to readers twelve and up .

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the artwork of this graphic novel, it was really cute and beautiful but the story was less entertaining for me.

This book was pretty cute. I loved the illustrations and the story was adorable. I like the concept of exploring all four seasons. Both the characters were lovable and the environments were detailed and engaging. I can't wait for the other ones.

This is the first graphic novel in a series. You met Haru a small, blue bird that can't fly and their best friend Yama., a boar. The unlikely pair are often bullied at their school and face challenges that the others don't seem to experience. They both end up leaving the safety of their part of the forest to go on a quest when they find a strange and dangerous dark artifact.

I was drawn to the book because of it's cover and the art inside is equally beautiful. The target audience is for young readers, but it is rather dark. I'd say its for upper elementary school students. While I loved the art style and the characters, I did feel like the plot was a little hard to follow/confusing. It could use a little more information to flush out the storyline.

Thank you to Net Galley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read the ebook ARC.

Haru is a wholesome, warm read about best friends, Haru, a bird that wishes to fly, and Yama, a talkative boar. The friendship between the two is palpable to the heart, as they are outcasts, but together they are never alone. When Yama discovers a powerful artifact, it leads the two friends on an adventure of self-discovery. The illustrations provide a cottagecore feel, a cozy read for any season.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Haru was honestly very well written and illustrated. I liked the style of writing, the nonbinary main character, and the art style was really adorable. If you were a fan of Adventure Time, you will love this comic. Two friends, on an adventure, not too creepy by any means, and they show a wonderful bond as they journey on to meet their goal. I think what I loved most about the book was the display of loyalty among friends in a way that isn’t painfully obvious. It was simply shown through their actions. It was a quick read, but it didn’t disappoint. I am looking forward to volume 2, and I highly recommend.

A sweetly unique book with natural illustrations with texture and depth. The story is cute but deeply emotional in a way you’d be surprised. This immediately reminded me of ghibli movies and it brought a ton of nostalgia. I think these are perfect for the kid who wants something just a bit different.