"An enthralling, spooky, diverse collection." -- KIRKUS "An intriguing portal to folklore." -- SHELF AWARENESS "Readers will want to revisit this collection." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL “Do you hear them? Never go outside when you hear THAT sound.” Ghostly warriors, angry gods, and monstrous tyrants? That's just the start of this collection of folklore from the Pacific, retold in comics! The fourth volume of the “Cautionary Fables & Fairytales” graphic novel series is a thrilling, funny, and totally new take on stories spanning the entirety of the region, with loads of lesser known myths and legends from the Philippines, New Zealand, Hawaii, and beyond. Featuring the work of TINTIN PANTOJA, PAOLO CHIKIAMCO, ROB CHAM, TOKERAU WILSON, and more! Gr 6 Up-Ranging in tone from sweet to chilling, 17 Oceanian tales, retold by primarily #OwnVoices comic creators, fill this robust addition to the "Cautionary Fables and Fairytales" series. One of the strongest entries, Yiling Changues's "The Legend of the Coconut Tree," tells the Maui coconut tree creation myth from the perspective of the slaughtered eel, casting the slippery creature as a sad, sympathetic, scorned king who lost his greatest love. Cy Vendivil's "The Turtle and the Lizard" follows two scrappy characters trying to escape the clutches of hungry humans; a quick segment lays out the basics of Baybayin, an old Tagalog script. Iole Marie Rabor's "Tabi Po" and Diigii Daguna's "The Tyrant Has Horns" make excellent use of shadow and contrast to set a menacing tone. Though all the tales are rendered in black and white, they vary in artistic style, reflecting the diversity of the region. Nicole Mannino's "The Story of Benito" has a traditional comic book look; the inspired shading in Sloane Leong's "The Hula Mano" is eerie. VERDICT Readers will want to revisit this collection. Many will be inspired to seek out other installments in the series and research the cultures from which these rich tales originate.-Abby Bussen, Muskego P.L., WIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "An enthralling, spooky, diverse collection of Oceanian legends in comic form." ― KIRKUS "This majority #OwnVoices offering is an intriguing portal to folklore, ferrying readers beyond more familiar Western myths and tales." ― SHELF AWARENESS "Readers will want to revisit this collection. Many will be inspired to seek out other installments in the series and research the cultures from which these rich tales originate." ― SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL “The perfect introductory point to international creators whose work readers may not have had the opportunity to see before.” ― BROKEN FRONTIER "A solid addition to most YA graphic novel collections." ― SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (The Girl Who Married a Skull) “Each black-and-white rendition is solid in its storytelling. An eclectic anthology sure to provoke, amuse, and entertain.” ― KIRKUS (Tamamo the Fox Maiden) "Exposes young readers to rich stories and mythologies from across Asia alongside work from many indie creators." ― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Tamamo the Fox Maiden) Kate Ashwin has drawn and written over 1000 pages of webcomics since 2002, her most current project being the well-received Victorian-era adventure story Widdershins, which is currently on its sixth Kickstarter-funded volume. Kate has also contributed to, co-edited, and provided Kickstarter support to the “Cautionary Fables and Fairytales” books, written a story for Dark Horse Presents, and contributed artwork to critically-acclaimed kid’s weekly comic The Phoenix. Sloane Leong is a self-taught cartoonist, artist and writer of Hawaiian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Native American, and European ancestries. Her work focuses on exploring silenced narratives from her own communities to connect personally with individuals through storytelling, with an aim to cultivate a kinder, more understanding future. She is currently living near Portland, Oregon. Kel McDonald has been working in comics for over a decade ― most of that time has been spent on her webcomic Sorcery 101. More recently, she has organized the “Cautionary Fables and Fairytales” anthology series while contributing to other anthologies like Dark Horse Presents, Smut Peddler, and Sleep of Reason. She has also worked on Buffy: The High School Years. She recently finished her creator-owned series, Misfits of Avalon, and the Eisner-nominated Stone King. She's currently working on her self-published series, The City Between. Her work can be found at kelmcdonald.com.