Kind-hearted Beatrice is only trying to help her constantly complaining sister, Magnolia, stay warm when she stumbles into the bog looking for treasures to exchange for yarn to knit a sweater. There she meets the fearsome and legendary Bog Myrtle, who, though scary at first, admires Beatrice's respect for the bog, and rewards her with some magic spider silk for sweater-making purposes. A magical, and AWESOME sweater is soon off the needles and warming the chilly sister. But, in true, traditional fairy tale-villain style, Magnolia is NEVER SATISFIED, and things escalate from there.

Sharp's story is dark, but packed with humor. Both kids and adults should enjoy this tale of being a nice person that is entertaining, pro-spider, and pro-union. Yay!

Beatrice and Magnolia live alone (except for the spiders) in a big drafty house. Beatrice is sweet and kind and Magnolia is, well, a grump. Lovely Beatrice goes off into the forest to collect treasures to sell to purchase yarn for a sweater for Magnolia. When Beatrice tries to trade the treasure for yarn the shop keep insists that she must pay with money. When Beatrice goes to return her treasures to the forest, she comes face to face with BOG MYRTLE. Instead of eating her or turning her into a fly, Bog Myrtle reminds Beatrice of the interconnectedness of everything and the importance of leaving things better than we found them. She gifts Beatrice some special silk to create a sweater for Magnolia. Greedy Magnolia decides to start a sweater business by exploiting Beatrice and the spiders for labor, so they go on strike. When Magnolia tries to bully Bog Myrtle into giving her more silk, things really start to get rough for grumpy Magnolia.

A cute little modern day folk tale rallying against capitalism and corporate greed while encouraging solidarity and sustainability. I was totally not expecting it to be what it was... I expected a spooky story but was pleasantly surprised by the anti-capitalist message. The illustrations are also absolutely perfect.

Bog Myrtle is a new fable that creates its own original world while also nodding at other beloved fables. I enjoyed the dynamic of the two sisters, but their relationship remained rather shallow throughout the story. I appreciated the character Bog Myrtle's temperament. I was fine with the references to more modern technology, but I feel like there weren't enough references to make it feel cohesive throughout versus the random feeling it currently gives. Overall, a cute and worthwhile read.

This adult picture book was just incredible. I know they say brevity is the soul of wit but I don't think I've ever really found such evidence before. Bod Myrtle was downright hilarious and it was so incredibly economically, absolutely no space wasted. One of the best books of the year.

"Bog Myrtle" is such a delightful graphic novel! It's all about two sisters, some helpful spiders, and a magic yarn. This book teaches us about being kind, taking care of the environment, and working together. It's a perfect read for young adventurers who love a good laugh!

This graphic novel is being released this week, and it's a fun, slightly Halloween month read for older tweens. Beatrice and her sister Magnolia are as different as they could possibly be, with Beatrice the reader's point of view. The sisters live in a big house along with a family of clever spiders, but Magnolia hates the spiders. Beatrice takes some magic yarn from Bog Myrtle and her wonderful forest without asking permission, which later leads to a confrontation of sorts between the two. Great book about sustainability and resource protection and sisterly relationships. But this is not a cozy sisterly relationship, this is a contentious relationship with one sister taking advantage of the other and what could be called emotional abuse, which is why I think older tweens are the youngest readers I'd recommend read it, so that discussions of how we treat people as well as Mother Nature could be had. The graphic style is not one that I prefer, but the sharp edges and sympathetic spider faces almost made me get over my dislike of creepy crawlies.

I loved this book! The illustrations were adorable and I loved the message that it sends to kids about being nice, I gave this one 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I adored this book. It was very reminiscent of a traditional fairy tale, with the added bonus of containing a lesson about greediness and sustainability. A cute story that would be a welcome addition to any library or bookshelf.

This was the BEST [and funniest] book I have read in a long time. Vividly illustrated [be on the lookout for the little details - they are delightful and often hilarious], this book tell the story of Beatrice, who is endlessly happy, and Magnolia, who is...not. It is also the story of a forest, a town, magic yarn, and a protector of the forest, Bog Myrtle [who is my new spirit animal for real]. The adventure of these players is hilarious, thought-provoking, and ends up teaching us a lesson we all either need to learn or need to be reminded of.

This was just fantastic and I will be recommending it to everyone I know!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sid Sharp, and Annick Press LTD. for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bog Myrtle
By sid sharp
Just in time for the lead up to Halloween !
Any good teacher knows that an exciting theme can last for weeks ! And when trying to keep little learners engaged a wise teacher makes that theme stretch ! Here is your golden ticket to a very stretchy theme , “bog Myrtle “.
Reading with my daughter she loved that it had chapters like a big kid book !
Sharp gets to the point and keeps the ball rolling .
As an educator , I would use this as a “novel study “ for my kindergarten aged students , given that it is not a Halloween book so to speak this could be used any time of the year !
I can’t wait to buy a copy for my classroom!

Absolutely incredible. I immediately want to buy this book just for myself to read when I need a giggle.

“I thought she was going to eat me, but it turns out she’s just really into sustainability.”

From the artwork, which is a blend of colorful and witchy, to the juxtaposition in dialogue from Beatrice’s bubbly outlook to her sister’s sinister self, I really enjoyed what this book had to offer. The blend of opposites really made a spooky folktale into a cozy and fun story. And I just loved the ever-so-often asides about serious topics - sustainability, protests and workers rights, etc. These were hilarious.

I would certainly buy this book for myself as well as for a child of mine.

Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this ebook!

Bog Myrtle is a folktale for a new generation of young readers, as well as for the adults in their lives that were unsettled by the twisted lessons of the consequences of immorality in the folktales and fairy tales from their childhood. But unlike those stories, Bog Myrtle is a cozy, spooky, playful, gentle introduction to this side of storytelling that will ignite a life-long love, and felt familiar in the way it resonated with the same universality of those tales that we continue to pass down.

I absolutely loved this!
Sisters Beatrice and Magnolia are total opposites and are so poor that they eat rats for breakfast and only have spiders for company. When scowling Magnolia complains about the cold, Beatrice ventures off to try to get yarn to make her sister a sweater.
This book is super fun, odd, and a little spooky. I could never guess what was going to happen next! It talks about environmentalism, worker's rights and labour strikes without ever feeling preachy.
This is in a picture book style but relatively long and broken up into short chapters. Not a ton of words on each page though so it's not overwhelming.

I loved everything about it.
Over the Garden Wall vibes. Beatrice's unbothered, Gregory-like attitude really stood out and made her a fun character to follow.
The story weaves together themes of capitalism, environmentalism, and labor rights in a witty modern folktale that feels fresh and timely.
The illustrations were absolutely perfect, adding a unique visual style to this already captivating tale. It’s weird in all the right ways, and I’m here for it.

This short but sordid tale warns against excessive greed and lack of appreciation for others as well as the environment.

Magnolia and Beatrice may share the same blood as sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. Beatrice is sweet and resourceful, while Magnolia is scornful and ungrateful. They live in a deteriorating house they cannot afford to fix and survive on scraps Beatrice cooks for them.
When Beatrice sets out to find treasures in the forest, they come across the protector of the forest, Bog Myrtle, who is not as ferocious as the stories say.

This narrative was enjoyable and reinforced great lessons very relevant for today’s fast-paced, money-driven era. It mixed traditional folktale (not everyone has a happy ending) with modern art style and storytelling.

Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance to read this e-ARC.

Cute. I think I'll be calling myself bog myrtle from now on. We've all definitely been there. I enjoyed this and the illustrations.

Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp is a somewhat dark tale of two sisters living in an old, drafty home. Magnolia is greedy and grumpy, while Beatrice is happy and cheerful. In order to make a sweater for her sister, Beatrice wants to find yarn. She goes into the forest in search of treasures to exchange for yarn. She finds all kinds of treasures in the forest, including a conifer cone collection, a bird skull, and fossilized fowl feathers. She enters Knot In My Back Yarn the yarn store once she gets to town. Beatrice is run out of the store by the clerk, who doesn't want anything to do with her treasures. She meets Bog Myrtle on her way home through the forest. Bog Myrtle says she would give Beatrice some of her magic silk to make a sweater after much discussion. When Beatrice gets home, she begins making her sister a beautiful sweater. When Magnolia puts the sweater on, she realizes how much she likes it, even though she is initially mean and cruel. Seeing Magnolia warm and cozy makes Beatrice so happy. Magnolia can only think of one thing, money! She devises a plan to ensure that Beatrice continues to receive magic silk and that as many sweaters as possible are made. As a result of the high demand for her services, Beatrice works night and day. It's only going to get worse...

This book did not appeal to me. I just find the whole story weird. This is a dark story that ends with a death. This is not a book I would recommend to others.

A fantastically quirky picture book with a deliciously fairytale-esque plot. Beatrice and Magnolia are two sisters who live in the deep dark woods together, but they could not be more different from each other. One day when Beatrice is gifted magical yarn from a creature named Bog Myrtle she begins knitting perfectly warm and cozy sweaters. However, Magnolia quickly sees a capitalistic opportunity turning their home into a sweater factory - labor exploitation ensues!

So fun!

This intro graphic novel had me laughing out loud as I read it to my kindergartener. Bog Myrtle, a self-proclaimed protector of the forest meets two sisters who couldn't be more different. Readers will learn more about being a respectful person to your siblings, community, coworkers/employees and nature.

The mystical illustrations absolutely make this book even more engaging so we can read beyond the text and dialogue and decode the story through the artistry. Our family will continue to request Bog Myrtle time and time again, I'm sure.

Thank you to Net Galley for an e-ARC for review.

This modern folktale is much like classic stories we have read before addressing good vs. evil; however, there is a bit of a twist. Sisters Beatrice and Magnolia live together in an older house in the village. Beatrice is seen as kind, befriending everyone she meets from the wary villagers to the family of spiders who’ve taken up residence in their home. Magnolia, on the other hand, is not so nice while treating her sister pretty horribly. Beatrice decides to help alleviate her sister’s crankiness by knitting her a sweater to keep her warm, so she ventures into the woods to gather treasures where she meets Bog Myrtle, a spidery forest creature, who most would think would be the villain. Unlike the classics, this folktale touches themes beyond good vs. evil addressing environmentalism, capitalism, and labor rights while weaving in humor throughout the story and illustrations.

Bog Myrtle was such a fast and delightful read. Sharp once again smarty uses beautiful illustrations, lush vocabulary, and comedic timing to tell quite an entertaining tale. Fans of fractured fairytales and similar stories will enjoy this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.