When graphic novelist Jonathan Case bought a kayak from me a few years back, he mentioned he was working on a childrens’ adventure story featuring skin on frame kayaks. Jonathan is an impressive illustrator so I was intrigued, but it wasn’t until I saw the pre-release images that I fully grasped the scope and vision of Little Monarchs.
An author of two previous graphic novels who has worked for Disney and drawn for Batman, Jonathan has spent the last 12 years creating 256 pages of watercolor, ink, and hand lettering. This approach to comics isn’t done much anymore, which makes this a very special book. Jonathan actually created much of the book outdoors, sometimes on kayaking trips!
“Set in a world where the sun has shifted causing massive changes to the biosphere, this children’s adventure story follows Elvie, a little girl, and her caretaker, Flora. Flora is a brilliant biologist trying to make a vaccine using scales from monarch butterflies.
Operating just below that story, it’s also a guidebook that invites readers to explore real phenomena in real places. The comic’s panels are packed with skills, science, and often marked with coordinates and a compass heading, so if you like, you can follow the characters’ journey and discover the same butterfly groves, hot springs, and various landmarks for yourself.”
From what I’ve seen of the pre-release material this whole book is just dripping with beauty and science and kayaking, which covers most of my favorite topics! So if you have kids, you still are one, or you just love handcrafted things and supporting talented artists, I would strongly encourage you to pre-order Little Monarchs.
Pre-orders signal to publishers that a book is likely to be popular and effects how far it can ultimately reach. You can pre-order directly from Jonathan‘s website or bookshop.org is an easy way for people to buy online while supporting local book stores. Let’s give this incredible work of art the hard push it deserves!
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