Kodi (Book 1)

Kodi is the story of a lonely little girl, her grandmother, a lonely fisherman and a large yet lovable grizzly bear. Kodi mixes beautiful water color landscapes to show the vast landscapes of America while making the main characters look quirky and colorful. If you love stories of friendships and found family, Kodi will make you tear up and laugh all at the same time. A great read and I hope there are more adventures to come!

The first installation in the Kodi graphic novels series is a spot-on, atmospheric tale that, while written for a middle grade audience, is bound to delight older readers, as well. When Katya and her grandmother, Meema, rescue a bear, Kodi, during summer vacation, Katya and Kodi become fast friends until the humans have to depart suddenly for their home of Seattle. In fantastic Homeward Bound fashion, Kodi takes on an epic adventure to find his best friend. It takes some trial and error, but with the help of a fisherman, Joshua, who's own experiences eloquently mirror the bear's own, all things resolve happily and a new family of sorts is formed. Cullum's use of watercolor and ink help take this graphic novel from good to exceptional. Every page evokes the salt, spray, rain, and fog of the Pacific Northwest. The text is sparse, allowing expressions and illustrations alive with movement to do the heaviest lifting. Katya and her grandmother are white, Joshua presents Black, and Katya's classmates and the Seattle residents are quite diverse. This is an easy recommendation for any graphic novel fan or animal lover out there.

Lovely book about a little girl who makes a new friend in the form of a bear. I “aww”ed out loud several times reading this. Sweet and gentle storytelling combined with watercolour art, it’s just a good soft book.

A gloriously interesting book with a fantastic plot. I was instantly in love with this book and highly recommend this for a rainy day.

This book is a wonderful story! The story of a young girl named Kayta who would rather be in the world of comics than spending the summer in Alaska with her grandma, when she finds a bear trapped by a fallen tree she makes an unlikely friendship. This friendship travels far and refuses to be broken. The watercolor and cartoonish style of people makes this book even more magical. Overall this is an emotional story of a bear and a girl doing all they can to be friends.

While out on a walk near her grandmother’s Alaska summer house, comics-loving Katya encounters an enormous kodiak bear with its leg pinned under a fallen tree. Working together, Katya and “Meema” free the bear and mend his wounded paw. Katya and Kodi become fast friends (and an expert fishing team), so both are crestfallen when she must return to Seattle. When Kodi sees a tourist with a Seattle t-shirt, he realizes that stowing away on a cruise ship will deliver him to Katya. But finding a small girl in a big city requires the assistance of a fisherman named Joshua, who forms his own unique bond with the bear. Jared Cullum’s gorgeous watercolors portray a range of settings, emotions, and action with evocative style. Katya’s vulnerability is evident in her big eyes and slight build; her strength shows in her artwork and steadfastness. Kodi is both comically oversized and brawny, but gentle. Joshua, disabled in a previous fishing accident, is clever and kind. Readers who fly through the pages to find out what happens next will want to re-read, pausing to admire the mountain streams, city skylines, and ocean waves. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel for young readers is also an homage to the power of friendship and creativity. Don’t miss this one!

I loved this book so much. It is such a pure story about friendship with flawed characters that made the story feel so real. Katya is a little girl who has trouble making friends, but has a very kind heart. The fisherman has had to struggle through life after suffering injuries and the loss of his business, bu he rebuilds with optimism and generosity. I think it is beautiful that there is no villain in this book; the conflict is the separation between two life long friends and their journey finding each other again.

As someone who not only has a very soft sport for all animals, but owns a pet whose nickname is actually Kodi Bear, this book made me feel a lot. The bear, Kodi, is anthropomorphized, but in such a great way that really shows that animals can feel sadness, longing, and most importantly love. I think everything about the story is wonderful from the storyline to the beautiful watercolor art that transports you into this world.