The Planet of Music

September 15, 2012
With more imperiled planets to save, The Little Prince and the Fox return again to face the nefarious Snake and his Gloomies (The Planet of Wind, 2012, etc.). With his wide-eyed innocence and unflappable devotion to helping others, the Little Prince works to save imperiled planets with the help of the Fox. Here, they stop the Snake from creating war between a music-loving populace and a flower-loving citizenry. In Book 4, The Planet of Jade, our plucky hero and his vulpine companion must stop--gasp!--the Snake from starting a war between a society of stone and an assemblage of brambles who sides with nature; is the pattern evident yet? The authors (who vary by volume) do not stray a hair's breadth from the overarching formula that governs every volume. Some odd idiosyncrasies become particularly visible by this point in the series: For example, the Little Prince changes into a more princely get-up when he needs agility, but he can still perform amazing feats and utilize his magic sketchbook (his "weapon") even when in his plebeian dress--why bother changing at all? On a positive note, Elyum Studio, which illustrates every volume, does a pleasant job of bringing this to life, with a style that's vaguely reminiscent of Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series. More of the same. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)

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January 1, 2013
In each graphic novel, the Little Prince, with Fox's help, stops the Snake from destroying a planet. These stories, based on an animated TV series, lack the charm of the original but might prompt readers to seek out de Saint-Exupiry's original tale. Those looking for a more credible graphic novel adaptation should try Joann Sfar's version.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)