Quinnelope and the Cookie King Catastrophe Vol. 1

HF Brownfield is a curious human, storyteller, illustrator, and parent of three extraordinary offspring. Once upon a time, Brownfield earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. Since then, their career has taken many surprising twists and turns to places like the coffee world, technology, and marketing. When they aren’t writing books, they work in the financial industry and are always scanning the world for creative inspiration (a practice which makes board room meetings exceptionally exciting). Brownfield is often found roaming green fields, purple fields, and brown fields in the Pacific Northwest with their kids, partner, and fur babies. They're determined to find Sasquatch one day, but so far he’s still winning at hide and seek. Their hobbies include consuming good coffee and embarrassing their children with the silliest dad jokes ever written.When Kayla Coombs was a kid, she spent hours dreaming up cartoon characters and scribbling stories with crayons. Since then, her artwork has received starred reviews from the BBC, the Kelly Clarkson Show, People magazine, the Webby Awards, and more. Her childhood comics have evolved into a creative career spanning animation, picture books, graphic novels, illustration, and merchandise design. Kayla lives and creates on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia.

From School Library Journal Gr 2-4–Quinnelope has a hankering for some cookies, but when the Cookie King goes missing, it’s up to her and her friends to save the king and bring the cookies back. But what starts out as a simple, “by the numbers” concept quickly turns into an epic adventure that’s refreshing and downright hilarious. Although Brownfield and Coombs throw in the occasional corny reference or potty humor, most of the book feels original and genuinely funny, which will certainly help it stand out with kids. A light tone and high energy stay consistent throughout, and while the focus is Quinnelope, all the characters are given a moment to shine while also allowing the antagonists time to redeem themselves and resolve conflict in earned ways. The art style blends kawaii anime energy with the folky simplicity of Adventure Time’s character and environment creation. The large frames and blown-up pictures pair well with the font, making this a great resource for struggling or reluctant readers. VERDICT A series to watch develop, for sure. –Peter Blenski