by Matt Phelan (j Phelan)
Matt Phelan brings his unique,
comical art style to this hybrid juvenile novel — part prose, and part
illustrated graphic novel. In 1783, in France, the Montgolfier brothers
launched the first hot air balloon, and it was occupied by a sheep, a rooster
and a duck.
Phelan takes this historical fact
and weaves a fanciful tale, in which those three animals are actually secretly
heroic agents who work behind the scenes to make sure no one comes to harm.
This short novels involves them and their allies attempting to rescue the
visiting inventor and diplomat Benjamin Franklin, whose fascination with
lighter-than-air travel has placed him in the way of a group of nefarious types
who are hoping to initiate a war between France and England. The three animals
characters, Bernadette the sheep, Pierre the rooster and Jean Luc the duck (and
their fourth, a mouse named Felix), hold their own amongst the human cast (who
mostly are stunned to be interacting with talking animals). Pierre the rooster
engages in swordplay with the villain, Cagliostro, and there’s a budding
relationship between Franklin’s servant Emile and the animals pilot, Sophie.
The Sheep, the Rooster and the Duck is a funny, silly,
action-packed and thought-provoking tale of adventure, appropriate for youth
and adults who are young at heart!
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try any of Matt Phelan’s other books, particularly Bluffton: My Summers With Buster and Snow White.)
( official Matt Phelan web
site )
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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