Meet Ferdinand, a vampire who bites his victims with only one tooth in order to pass as a mosquito, who loves the music of dead singers, and who has no end of trouble trying to make sense of his relationships--some with the living, some with the undead. Vampire Loves follows the strange and comically romantic adventures of Ferdinand and his friends as they flirt with, seduce, cheat on, break up and make up with all manner of strange creatures, including ghosts, other vampires, tree-folk, and golems. Edgy, charming, and filled with Joann Sfar's inimitable blend of tenderness, comedy, melancholy, and philosophy, the four stories in this volume are drawn as much from the Jewish mysticism of eastern Europe as from twenty-first-century Goth culture. At once silly and serious, wild and poetic, Joann Sfar's disquieting tales are filled with intelligence and rich humanity. Vividly illustrated and sensitively written, Vampire Loves is alive with color, wisdom, and humor. Grade 9 Up–From the author of the delightful Little Vampire books (S & S) comes an inexplicably grown-up version of the same character, thirsty for both blood and love. Ferdinand is a sweet, charming bloodsucker who considerately sips from his victims with one fang so they will only think it is a mosquito bite and not panic. When not quenching his thirst, he spends much of his time either with his pet cat or flying around town trying to pick up women. Great characters, weird plot twists, and fantastic drawing and coloration make for a terrific graphic novel that will appeal to Goth teens and vampire aficionados. There are references to implied promiscuity and drug use–this is, after all, a story about an undead creature who gives away his conscience because it is annoying him. An excellent choice for public libraries. –Dawn Rutherford, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 10-12. Sfar's Little Vampire books, revolving around an almost cute, cuddly cast, including ghouls, animals, and a little boy, are filled with adventures and discussions appropriate to middle-schoolers. In this book Ferdinand is Little Vampire all grown up, and his story is for an older audience. Ferdinand is a hopeless (literally) romantic, who bites with only one tooth so he won't damage his (willing) victims or become addicted to their blood. Along with his catlike paramour, a tree maiden, and some nasty humanoids, he cavorts and philosophizes his way through tales set in mansions, aboard ship, and in the forest at night. The patter is clever, thoughtful, and as gentle (for the most part) as Ferdinand's nips. The lush, painterly colors Sfar uses are beautifully produced, and the hand-drawn text amplifies the story's mood: elan tempered by ennui. Give this to older graphic novel fans. Francisca Goldsmith Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review in 3/15/06 Booklist Gr. 10-12. Sfar's Little Vampire books revolve around an almost cute, cuddly cast, including ghouls, animals, and a little boy, that has adventures and discussions appropriate to middle-schoolers. In this book Ferdinand is Little Vampire all grown up, and his story is for an older audience. Ferdinand is a hopeless (literally) romantic, who bites with only one tooth so he won't damage his (willing) victims or become addicted to their blood. Along with his catlike paramour, a tree maiden, and some nasty humanoids, he cavorts and philosophizes his way through tales set in mansions, aboard ship, and in the forest at night. The patter is clever, thoughtful, and as gentle (for the most part) as Ferdinand's nips. The lush, painterly colors Sfar uses are beautifully produced, and the hand-drawn text amplifies the story's mood: élan tempered by ennui. Older graphic novel fans with a sophisticated sense of humor will be the most appreciative audience here. Review in 4/3/06 Publisher's Weekly Ferdinand is a vampire who lives in Lithuania, wears three-piece suits and receives regular visits from an adoptive "grandmother" witch who looks after his Siamese cat when he's off on trips to Paris. But none of this is any protection against the more mundane realities of being a newly single guy stuck forever in that period of new adulthood when hormones meet emotions and confusion results. Ferdinand's exploits, as detailed by award-winning French artist Sfar (Little Vampire Goes to School, The Rabbi's Cat), read like a classic slacker tale—when he isn't sleeping in his coffin, Ferdinand carries his favorite records around in a messenger bag. Ferdinand's adventures and companions are at once otherworldly and oddly familiar. A tree-man has a crush on Ferdinand's ex-girlfriend, Lani, a girl/plant who cheated on Ferdinand with his best friend. Ferdinand alternately longs for and is angry at Lani, finds himself the object of a teenage vampire crush and cruises bars for new love. Just when the troubled re