TOON Books celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. In those 10 years, they provided a veritable bookshelf’s worth of amazing picture books and graphic novels “for visual readers.” Two standout personal favorites are the Neil Gaiman-adapted Hansel and Gretel and Liniers’ The Big Wet Balloon.

For the uninitiated, TOON began as a labor of love by husband-and-wife duo Françoise Mouly (art editor for The New Yorker) and Art Spiegelman (Maus). Their mission was to publish high-quality comics designed for children ages 3 and up, and they’ve succeeded in making some of the most remarkably original (and beautiful) illustrated books available today.

TOON titles are presented with four reading levels: Level 1 (first comics for brand-new readers), Level 2 (easy-to-read comics for emerging readers), Level 3 (chapter-book comics for advanced beginners), and TOON Graphics (for ages 8+).

Their spring 2019 lineup only includes three titles, but each is so totally worth it.

Comics: Easy as ABC! The Essential Guide to Comics for Kids

By Ivan Brunetti (Françoise Mouly, editor)

As Mouly says in the introduction, “If nothing else, this book will show you how much thought and skill go into effective visual communication. You’ll get an inkling of the discussions I’ve had over the years about whether this character should face left or right, or about how to find just the right facial expression or the right color to express the overall idea.”

Indeed, this volume (with contributions by TOON regulars Eleanor Davis, Liniers, Kevin McCloskey, Jeff Smith, Art Spiegelmen and Roz Chast, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket, among others) is basically Cartooning 101 for precocious kids.

Brunetti presents the medium from doodling and basic shapes to profiles, perspective, lettering, panels, and prompts. Did you grow up with Ed Emberley and his wondrous books that made drawing seem just so darn easy? I sure did. This book is like Advanced Emberley.

And it’s an invaluable resource for kids (like mine) who are always writing, always drawing, and always trying to marry the two.

The White Snake

By Ben Nadler (based on a fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers)

Nadler has reinterpreted the Grimms’ fairy tale for 2019, playing with gender roles and cultural representation in the process. The story follows the same major beats as the original – and the theme and message are identical as the Grimms’ – but this presentation will certainly better resonate with young readers today. Nadler also sneaks plenty of “Easter eggs” into his art that reward rereading and lingering over each panel. Make sure you take the time to look in the backgrounds and away from the main action. You’ll almost certainly come away smiling from ear to ear. The White Snake also features back matter (written by Grimm scholar Paul Karasik) about the original fairy tale, how Nadler’s retelling differs, and a bibliography for further exploration.

A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse

By Frank Viva

This companion to Viva’s A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse is a fantastically fun book for emerging readers (and to read aloud). Partly a science lesson about volcanoes and climate zones, partly an allegory about patience and determination, A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse is a Level 1 book that’ll have kids returning to it time and again. And craving pizza with every reading. (Check out my conversation with Frank Viva about another TOON book of his, Sea Change, here.)