K’s Car Can Go Anywhere!

Two amphibian siblings undertake an audacious impromptu road trip in this madcap graphic novel from Tune and Doughty. J, a tadpole, is enjoying a quiet morning of cooking when older sister K, a frog, proposes they pack up their breakfast and head out in her homemade car. J’s reluctance is countered by K’s enthusiasm (“She’s very smart. But not very considerate”), and the first of the escapade’s many suspense-filled scenes shows K gunning the engine to get from their second-floor home to the street while J sweats with anxiety. Dialogue, narration, and multicolored, thick-lined graphics washed with watercolor textures share equally in the high-octane storytelling as the duo exit Lilypad City, passing “Giant Wheel Snakes” and the pink “Domed City of Fafa,” until ending up at eggplant-hued Waterfall Mountains. But while J contentedly picnics, can-do K tweaks the vehicle so it can climb the nearby cliffs—the first of many modifications (including fins and wings) that serve to amplify their adventure. Meanwhile, tension mounts between the opposite travelers until a crash landing predictably encourages J to appreciate the unexpected. The creators imagine a bright, surreal world with just enough humor and energy to propel readers through the siblings’ wild ride. Ages 7–10. (Mar.)