Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien officially takes the prize for Cutest Graphic Novel Ever.  Long Tail Kitty (abbreviated LTK) is a kitty with a long tail (surprise!).  He’s got two visible teeth and a red stripe around his middle.  He has a number of friends, including a bee that stings him (they’re still friends, don’t worry), Good Tall Mouse (you guessed it, a tall mouse), and three aliens who come for a visit from their home planet (but they must be back in time for breakfast, Mom’s orders).  

The book is a series of five vignettes, and only two of them have any real conflict.  Usually this would be a death sentence for a book, but it works here.  The illustrations are so delightfully cute without being cloying, and LTK’s facial expressions are hysterical.  There’s a huge amount of energy and humor in every panel, thanks to Pien’s wonderful drawings, and despite the fact that not much happens in a lot of the book, it’s always entertaining.

My favorite part of the book involves LTK and his friend the bee, who stings him on the nose (despite the fact that LTK doesn’t really have a nose).  The bee’s stinger is nowhere to be found afterward, and the bee is distraught.  LTK doesn’t understand why the bee is so upset, since he seems to be flying fine without the stinger.  “Just imagine what it would be like if you lost your tail!” the bee exclaims.  LTK imagines just that, and the results (depicted so cleverly in his thought bubble) are hilarious. 

I don’t tend to read a lot of graphic novels for the very young set, and I’m glad I picked this one up.  I read it through in just a few minutes, but it’s worth poring over closely two or three times more.  Pien’s illustrations are simple, but she expresses so much with just a few lines.  There’s a fold-out page in the center that is especially delicious for the eyes.  Pien also includes one page at the end that teaches the reader how to draw LTK her/himself, plus another page with examples of LTK’s many moods (all hilarious and so expressive with a minimum amount of line).  Directions like these are a wonderful way for budding comic book artists to feel inspired and pick up the pen.

Everything about the look of this book is perfect: the cut-out window where we get our first glimpse of LTK on the front cover, the lettering (playful yet readable), the colors (semi-muted with a water color feel), and the final image of LTK dancing on the back cover.  When we talk about books being works of art, this is the type of book we mean.  Everything – page design, illustrations, lettering, cover and spine design, binding, even the type of paper used – works together so well.  It’s best for readers who appreciate illustration as much or more than they appreciate story, since the story is rather slim throughout, but honestly, I can’t recommend Long Tail Kitty strongly enough.