20 February 2012–Zig and Wikki *in* the Cow

Image courtesy Toon Books

Written by Nadja Spiegelman, Illustrated by Trade Loeffler Toon Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-9351779-15-3 $12.95, Ages: 8 - 10

Summary Zig the space alien is worried about his pet fly, who is not acting normal. Wikki is jealous. When they discover that Zig’s pet is homesick, they fly back to Earth to help Zig’s fly feel better. However, when they arrive back on Earth, that’s when the adventure really gets under way, starting by Zig and Wikki getting eaten by a cow! Analysis  Spiegelman and Loeffler do a fantastic job with the subject matter, namely the standard ecological cycle and a cow’s digestive system. There’s just enough low-brow humor to titillate target audiences, but nothing anyone would get upset over. Loeffler’s artwork is clean, fun, and easy to understand without being too graphic, and Spiegelman’s pacing cleverly disguises the fact that while fun, readers are actually learning a surprisingly large amount of information. Final Thoughts Zig and Wikki is shaping up to be a fantastic series that imparts a lot of useful information disguised as a fun story. The artwork is crisp and enjoyable, and a science class would be hard pressed to find a better example of the ecological cycle that is so engaging. Parents might not be so quick to embrace the series, but kids will find this one they want to read over and over again.