SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

October 2, 2018 by Johanna

Review: ‘Aquicorn Cove’

October 2, 2018 by Johanna   1 comments

Aquicorn Cove

Aquicorn Cove
by Katie O’Neill
Oni Press, $12.99
Ages 7-11

The author of The Tea Dragon Society returns with a graphic novel bound to satisfy her audience. As in her previous book, Aquicorn Cove has the same beautifully colored images, the same confident, sometimes wordless storytelling, similar relationships with unusual creatures, and a corresponding message about the necessity for balance with nature.

Lana and her father have come to visit her Aunt Mae in a coast-side town cleaning up after a substantial storm. Lana’s mother is gone, but Lana still has great memories of time spent with her on the beach. While checking on the damage, Lana discovers a baby aquicorn, a seahorse-like creature that needs nursing back to health.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

O’Neill has once again created unusual but welcome characters. Mae, for instance, is a strong, brawny woman with a darker skin tone than red-headed Lana. Does that reflect Lana’s mother’s background or just more time spent outdoors? It doesn’t matter, and it’s not mentioned, but it contributes to the current yet timeless feel of the story.

Aquicorn Cove

Lana and her father help with the replanting and repairs during the day, and at night, Lana and Mae roast fresh-caught fish and observe the stars that can’t be seen from Lana’s city dwelling. It’s an ideal life, one that raises thoughts of enjoyment of and respect for the ocean. Would that more of us could live such a simple, responsible existence.

O’Neill’s pages aren’t clean-edged. Although the panels are often simple squares or rectangles, there are sometimes gaps where they meet up. They don’t always line up exactly, which adds to the mood of time passing, with individual moments captured from the flow of the scene. Also, it evokes the setting of the story, in an area recovering from a near natural disaster with broken fragments.

There are fantastic elements and more family connections as the story continues, but the underlying message is practical: humans cannot continue taking more and more without giving back. But it’s also a story about accepting and living with loss, with the tale of what happened to Lana’s mother. Due to her experiences, Lana learns to stand up for herself and what she believes in, an inspiring result from this impressively lovely modern fairy tale.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Katie O'NeillnatureOni Presssea life

About Johanna

Johanna Draper Carlson has been reviewing comics for over 20 years. She manages ComicsWorthReading.com, the longest-running independent review site online that covers all genres of comic books, graphic novels, and manga. She has an MA in popular culture, studying online fandom, and was previously, among many other things, webmaster for DC Comics. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

June 2022

Review | Mickey Mouse: Zombie Coffee

by Johanna

March 2022

DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High | Review

by Johanna

March 2022

DC Super Hero Girls: Spaced Out | Review

by Johanna

March 2022

Unicorn Playlist | Review

by Johanna

February 2022

Mickey All-Stars | Review

by Johanna

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review Guess Who? (#173)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Supper Time! A Delicious “How To Eat a Book” Trailer Reveal and Interview

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Blue Lock, vol. 1 | Review

by Renee Scott

Heavy Medal

And now there are 70 Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Suggestions

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Wednesday Books Showcase

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

What’s New? (Part 2) with Meg Medina and Christina Soontornvat

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

13 Graphic Novels To Look Forward to in 2020 | Stellar Panels 

Top 10 Manga of 2021

Free Comics, and Resources on COVID-19, in Graphic Form

Top 10 Manga of 2020

First-Person Graphic Memoirs: 17 Recommended Titles

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Aquicorn Cove – Comics Worth Reading says:
    April 2, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    […] There are fantastic elements and more family connections as the story continues, but the underlying message is practical: humans cannot continue taking more and more without giving back. But it’s also a story about accepting and living with loss, with the tale of what happened to Lana’s mother. Due to her experiences, Lana learns to stand up for herself and what she believes in, an inspiring result from this impressively lovely modern fairy tale. (The publisher provided a review copy. Review originally posted at Good Comics for Kids.) […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022