Animal Rescue Friends

This was the cutest book!!! This was broken into chapters focused on different characters and was comic book style. This is a great series for new young readers!

Things I loved:
1. The illustrations were beautiful
2. The comic book layout is so refreshing and perfect!
3. This book focused on friendship between people and animals
4. We get to see children volunteering, and it discusses cleaning animal poop and not just cuddling with animals all day
5. The end with discussion and explanation about how comic books are made


Things I didn't love:
1. Nothing! It was perfect!

This was such a cute, fun read! The pictures were perfect. I loved how each chapter told how each kid was “picked” by an animal, and also how it showed animals helping them emotionally.

Review to come June 3rd on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just love animals, I love reading about rescue centres (the good ones), and I absolutely love Graphic Novels. So this one had to be read. Immediately. 

In this book we have 5 stories, 4 different kids get a story. Maddie, the girl in the first story, also does the last one which I found terrific given the topic of that last story. I really liked reading the POVs and see everything centred around pets and the rescue centre. 

I liked Maddie from the start. She just moved and we see that it was hard for her, BUT she is making the best of it. Making friends, helping out as volunteer (both to help and of course to see Boyd). She is a sweet and nice girl. I loved how she wasn't afraid to do the dirty work and help out with everything. The last story and what happens there, my heart broke for Maddie. I mean after a month, I can imagine you get attached, especially when no owner appears. And then to have that happen. But I was proud of her how she handled it and how things were resolved in the end (that is such a good solution). 

Bell's first impression wasn't a good one for me. Immediately getting angry while NOT knowing the circumstances of how Boyd got lost. Maybe someone DID take responsibility but things just happened. And also throughout that first chapter (which isn't even her POV) she just frustrated me. Knowing it all, judging people, being mean to Maddie who just wants to help out. In her POV things got better... but it took me a few more pages before I warmed up to her. I loved what she did for the ferrets, and I loved how she opened up to people more. 

Then there is Mikey, a boy who is shy and afraid to speak up. I loved seeing him open up more and also discover strength and courage to speak up when things go wrong. I was so proud of him. I found myself rooting for him near the end of his story. I was also happy to see him bond with Hopper who he feels connected with. They really make a sweet pair!

Lastly we have Noah. I have to say I wasn't sure what to think of Noah at first. His best friend is a total bully, and he often just goes along with things. Thankfully I could also quickly see that he was a sweet boy with a kind heart. He just had to find a better friend. Haha. I loved seeing him become kinder and sweeter and help out. He learns to find his voice which also made me happy. The ending to this story however? I found it out of the blue, and would rather have seen Jimmy actually say sorry or make amends for the crap he pulled.

Also, I do hope that the rescue centre buys that hamster a new wheel. That is a bad and wrong wheel. Their paws could get stuck in there and break or even their heads. Please, buy good wheels. 

The art really made me smile, it is such a fun and cute style and I love the colours that were used throughout the stories. I definitely want more of this artist!

All in all, if you love animals, stories with cuteness and people helping animals, love seeing kids find their voices and strength, and oh yes, LOVE good art, be sure to check out this book.

This one is so cute! I really liked all the different characters and how we got different chapters with them, but also saw the other characters that were already introduced throughout. I think any child, teen, or even adult who is an animal lover will have fun reading this. It is geared toward children, but I think it would make a great read together as a family.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

The right kind of wish fulfilment, for I'd much rather young women aspired to be a volunteer at a pet rescue centre than being famous for nothing, or being one of those brash harridan singers who get ten minutes' standing ovation on X-Factor or The Voice for having crap taste in music. Our heroine finds a homeless dog in the park one day, and as she needs a friend she takes him home – home to a new apartment where canines aren't allowed. So the mutt gets homed in a centre until claimed, and she gets to work there so as to spend time with him.

This being a compilation of kids' comics episodes, the first chapter establishes that set-up, before we move on – to other people, and to other pets, and to other issues. The resident volunteering girl is too insistent on her own way, and is reluctant to admit cooperation is best; a kid with issues about crowds and speaking in public has to save the day at an adoption fair; and so on. This is all heartily well-meaning, then, but for once the good intentions don't crowd everything off the page, and the morals and topics come with a lightness of touch that is most welcome. The dog that causes it all gets to be a master detective, and animals do some very cartoonish things, but the look is fine for the target audience, and this deserves to be a success. What's more, it comes with a bonus, full issue-length look at how comics are made, which was a welcome surprise. Four and a half stars.

Cute book! My daughter loves animals and graphic novels and she devoured this. I will definitely look for more in the series!

My kids love graphic novels and I know they are a popular style of books in their class. Animals are also a favorite so I’m sure this book is soon to be a big hit!

The stories of 3 friends and the animals they love to help. The combination of the graphic novel format and the animals is going to make this one a hit.

My 8 year old kids loved this graphic novel series. The characters were fun, the stories were lively , and the images were bright and cute. Any stories with pets are great and I appreciate the lessons in saving animals. I also appreciate the varied cast of characters and that kids will see different kinds of people in these stories.

Animal Rescue Friends from EPIC is a a compilation of smaller stories into one book. Each chapter takes readers on a new animal to rescue. My 10 year old really enjoyed reading this book. He liked the story of each pet and the illustrations.

Very cute and short chapter book for beginners. I gave this one to my seven year old to read and she really liked it. She's asking to go fishing now which is awesome. The added pictures were great

This was a very cute story about kids learning some life lessons while volunteering at a local no-kill shelter, the Animal Rescue Friends. One of the kids learns responsibility by volunteering and getting several of the not-so-fun jobs, but knows that she has to work hard to get some of the other jobs. Another kid learns the power of asking for help and not trying to do everything herself. Another kid finds some comfort in a rabbit who is a little strange, especially because he is shy and doesn't like big crowds. Another kid learns to stand up for himself when his friend is suggesting they do bad things, and he ends up rescuing a cat who is a little worse for wear. Kids who like animals, especially those already thinking of a career in veterinary sciences, would enjoy this book.

My son is an animal lover, so he greatly enjoyed these short stories.

One of our favorite things about this book is that it contains different stories all related to the animal shelter. We get to meet several characters including animals that live in the shelter, and we get to read about how the staff cares for them.

My son loved the format of this book because it is formatted as a comic book, which we are starting to read. The illustrations are engaging, and the stories in each short comic are easy to follow and read even for a young boy like him.

The other thing we also loved about this book is the full and detailed information at the end about how comics are made and published. It encouraged my son to start making drawings in this format, and my husband and I have loved reading his short comics based on this book.

If your kids love animals, this is the graphic novel for them. Heck, if you love animals, you will enjoy this, as well. The graphics are engaging. The story is told at an even pace, and each story contains a life lesson. As a bonus at the end, there is detailed information regarding how a graphic novel is created. This is a definite winner in my book all the way around. I thoroughly enjoyed it! There should be more like this. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review.

Super cute little graphic novel about an animal rescue. In this graphic novel chapter book, a group of classmates learn about taking care of animals, telling the truth, working together, asking for help, and several other valuable skills. But because it is a graphic novel, written for younger children, it is not done in a preachy manner. It is simply learned as a byproduct of the stories themselves. At the end of the heartwarming book is a section all about the creation of comics. I found that to be an interesting little section and learned a few things that I did not know about the creation of comics and what the various names for comics actually are. Many of them I had read or heard but was not sure what they were, until I learned about them in this book. I highly recommend this book for any kid who loves animals and anyone interested in getting a glimpse into the world of creating comics.

My kids loved this book! We read it all together and both my son and my daughter enjoyed it. I actually showed it to them as a new book and they both said, “oh! I read that on Epic! But I like it, so let’s read it again!” The pictures were fun and helped keep their attention. Overall, a fun read and I hope more come in this series!!

This book was received as an ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved these stories and how heartwarming they were. I do have to say my favorite was the first one with Maddie and Boyd. This is a girl who loved animals so much and since moving away from the farm into a small apartment in the suburbs, she finds Boyd the Pitbull and immediately befriends him and takes him home. Since the rental agreement forbids bug pets such as dogs, Maddie has to take him to the animal shelter and does not want to leave which leads her to the brilliant idea of volunteering at the shelter itself so she can be around animals and of course visit Boyd. Each story exemplifies the relationship animals have with humans and they are so heartwarming and wonderful that it sparks positivity for young readers.

We will consider adding this title to our J Graphic Novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.