BEWARE THE DRAGON AND THE NOZZLEWOCK is an unconventional book by any sense. The tagline for the book says ‘A Graphic Novel Poetry Collection Full of Surprising Characters’. Mathematically speaking,
(funny poems) x (comics) x (surprising characters) = (fun)CUBED
My entire childhood was spent reading comics. Even my earliest introduction to classic literature (e.g. Count of Monte Cristo, Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe…) was in a graphic novel format. If only I could have explained to my parents then that “reading too many comics” was helping me to improve my comprehension and vocabulary, develop my critical thinking skills, learn how to process multi-modal information and interpret complex narratives, and spark my overall creativity!
My previous poetry collection book, A HATFUL OF DRAGONS, received a lot of praise for being very visual. For NOZZLEWOCK I decided to go all in and make the entire book in comic format – except I also decided to have fun by ‘breaking the rules’ of the very same comic format. My hope was that not only would this create delightful unexpected surprises for readers, but would also show kids that you don’t have to follow convention just for the sake of following convention, and maybe challenge them to question assumptions every now and then. The following are a few examples of ‘breaking the rules’.
Example 1: Drawing outside the lines.
(funny poems) x (comics) x (surprising characters) = (fun)CUBED
My entire childhood was spent reading comics. Even my earliest introduction to classic literature (e.g. Count of Monte Cristo, Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe…) was in a graphic novel format. If only I could have explained to my parents then that “reading too many comics” was helping me to improve my comprehension and vocabulary, develop my critical thinking skills, learn how to process multi-modal information and interpret complex narratives, and spark my overall creativity!
My previous poetry collection book, A HATFUL OF DRAGONS, received a lot of praise for being very visual. For NOZZLEWOCK I decided to go all in and make the entire book in comic format – except I also decided to have fun by ‘breaking the rules’ of the very same comic format. My hope was that not only would this create delightful unexpected surprises for readers, but would also show kids that you don’t have to follow convention just for the sake of following convention, and maybe challenge them to question assumptions every now and then. The following are a few examples of ‘breaking the rules’.
Example 1: Drawing outside the lines.
In the image above, the ghosts are ‘escaping’ the panel boundaries, and you can see a trace of the panel edge through their translucent bodies. Having a panel doesn’t mean the content must stay confined within it!
Later when the roles are reversed, the ghosts are the ones confined to the panel, but not the blue-haired girl. The panel boundaries have now become a visual metaphor for the narrative!
Later when the roles are reversed, the ghosts are the ones confined to the panel, but not the blue-haired girl. The panel boundaries have now become a visual metaphor for the narrative!
Example 2: Using the Comic Panel Itself as Content
In the visual above, the panel is part of the narrative: the fiery super-hero has managed to set the panel on fire and melt away the edge!
Example 3: The Physical Page As An Extended Surface
In the poem below, we have “A dozen squids all leaking ink”. That leaked ink has to go somewhere, right? Well, why not all over the physical page itself?!? The mess adds to the messy nature of the poem!
Example 3: The Physical Page As An Extended Surface
In the poem below, we have “A dozen squids all leaking ink”. That leaked ink has to go somewhere, right? Well, why not all over the physical page itself?!? The mess adds to the messy nature of the poem!
Example 4: Non-Linear Jumps in the Narrative
Everyone has heard of time travel, time loops, and time paradoxes. But what happens if, instead of jumping through time the protagonist jumps through the panels of the comic?
You may have to read ‘The Panel-Porter’ poem a few times to figure out exactly what is going on, but when you do, you will be very pleased with yourself!
Example 5: Mixing Formats
Concrete Poems are a popular form of poetry where the words themselves are shaped to help visualize the poem. Would concrete poetry belong in a comic-format book? Imagine the bewilderment of these two visual characters when they encounter an unexpected concrete poem. It creates a surreal ‘meta’ moment where the characters can question the nature of their book versus other poetry books!
Example 5: Mixing Formats
Concrete Poems are a popular form of poetry where the words themselves are shaped to help visualize the poem. Would concrete poetry belong in a comic-format book? Imagine the bewilderment of these two visual characters when they encounter an unexpected concrete poem. It creates a surreal ‘meta’ moment where the characters can question the nature of their book versus other poetry books!
Example 6: Panel Sequences
We are used to reading comic panels sequentially. But what if the creators of the book make a mistake and jumble up all the panels so they are out of order? This happens in the poem titled ‘T.T.T.S.U.I.T.M’ – readers are asked to find the right reading sequence themselves. But wait, there are only TWENTY TRILLION possibilities to wade through! (Please be patient with your young reader as they work through this problem)!
Example 6: Panel Sequences
We are used to reading comic panels sequentially. But what if the creators of the book make a mistake and jumble up all the panels so they are out of order? This happens in the poem titled ‘T.T.T.S.U.I.T.M’ – readers are asked to find the right reading sequence themselves. But wait, there are only TWENTY TRILLION possibilities to wade through! (Please be patient with your young reader as they work through this problem)!
Example 7: Blurring The Boundaries Between Physical Pages
The following is one of my favorite sequences from the book. The kids have a problem they must solve using their senses and their wits. They smell the smoke. (Where’s that smoke coming from?) They feel something hot underneath the page. (The page is hot?!?) They cut through the page. (They cut through the page?!?). They find what they need. (What’s on the other side of the page?!?)
Example 7: Blurring The Boundaries Between Physical Pages
The following is one of my favorite sequences from the book. The kids have a problem they must solve using their senses and their wits. They smell the smoke. (Where’s that smoke coming from?) They feel something hot underneath the page. (The page is hot?!?) They cut through the page. (They cut through the page?!?). They find what they need. (What’s on the other side of the page?!?)
Note: the kids wouldn’t have cut the page if they hadn’t smelled the smoke. But they wouldn’t have smelled the smoke if they hadn’t cut the page. (Perhaps this narrative will serve as a great segway for future philosophical discussions about the nature of ‘free will’?)
Anyway, here’s what’s on the next page – a completely independent poem about a Phoenix!
Anyway, here’s what’s on the next page – a completely independent poem about a Phoenix!
Note the cuts on the left (through which smoke is exiting) and the hand that came in to grab a feather!
I hope you enjoyed this brief visual peek into BEWARE THE DRAGON AND THE NOZZLEWOCK. Between the comics and the poems, there is enough visual and literary fun to engage all young readers and have them re-reading the book repeatedly.
Kirkus Reviews labels the book as “Juicy, joyful, and just right for reading aloud!”.
Booklist’s recommendation is to “Hand this to any kid, even the poetry-reluctant, who are looking for a laugh.”
School Library Journal describes it as “A delightfully eccentric and quirky collection of poetry”.
Librarian Betsy Bird thinks this is “One of the finest, funniest poetry books you’ll have encountered in a long time.”
I hope you will have a chance to check out this book. Trust me, you will be surprised! 😊
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Note: This blog post previously appeared on the Nerdy Book Club website in November 2024.
I hope you enjoyed this brief visual peek into BEWARE THE DRAGON AND THE NOZZLEWOCK. Between the comics and the poems, there is enough visual and literary fun to engage all young readers and have them re-reading the book repeatedly.
Kirkus Reviews labels the book as “Juicy, joyful, and just right for reading aloud!”.
Booklist’s recommendation is to “Hand this to any kid, even the poetry-reluctant, who are looking for a laugh.”
School Library Journal describes it as “A delightfully eccentric and quirky collection of poetry”.
Librarian Betsy Bird thinks this is “One of the finest, funniest poetry books you’ll have encountered in a long time.”
I hope you will have a chance to check out this book. Trust me, you will be surprised! 😊
----
Note: This blog post previously appeared on the Nerdy Book Club website in November 2024.
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