In this collection of short vignettes, Mr. Pants wants to have fun playing laser tag on the last day of summer, but his sisters Foot Foot and Grommy want to make dolls at the Fairy Princess Dream Factory and shop for school first. Mr. Pants is certain he will be miserable, but he ends up having fun encouraging his sisters, as well as all the other girls there, to make warrior and ninja princess dolls. Trying to rush his family through school-supply shopping, Mr. Pants ends up with a unicorn backpack. When they finally finish shopping in time for laser tag, Mr. Pants learns something about the secret laser tag champion in the family. Young readers will most likely take it in stride that the cat siblings have a human mom. Mr. Pants and his family are a typical suburban family, and the sibling rivalry is authentic, not to mention laugh-out-loud hilarious. Lazzell's simple, bold-outlined, full-color art is easy to follow, and the book uses a simple panel design that allows new comics readers to easily follow the action.

This brightly illustrated graphic novel details the adventures of three cats, Mr. Pants and his two sisters, on the last day of summer vacation. Readers will enjoy following the frenetic antics of these quirky feline characters, who offer plenty of laughs along the way. First in a projected series, the offbeat book is suitable for kids transitioning to chapter books.

Newcomers McCormick and Lazzell blend a chapter-book format with a comic-book sensibility in an oddball story about three cat siblings and their human mother. Mr. Pants, an orange cat with boundless energy, has neglected to clean his room, and now his end-of-summer trip to play laser tag is in jeopardy. Over seven semi-episodic chapters, Mr. Pants clashes with his responsible sister, Foot Foot, over a new toy, back-to-school shopping, and trips to build dolls at the Fairy Princess Dream Factory and, yes, play laser tag. Meanwhile, four-year-old Grommy, a white puffball, just tries to keep up with her siblings. Lazzell-s digital cartoons-simple, flat shapes outlined in black-provide many visual gags for a story that unfolds almost entirely through speech-balloon dialogue (-Why couldn-t she be beautiful and deadly?- Mr. Boots asks the shopkeeper at the doll store after learning that nunchucks and bazookas aren-t available as accessories). The jokes can be hit or miss, but readers with highly demanding siblings will find plenty to recognize in this family-s harried day of activities and errands, while enjoying Mr. Boots-s lighthearted comeuppances. Ages 6-8. (July)

Gr 2-4 An initially obnoxious cat named Mr. Pants takes center stage in this graphic novel. The short chapters detail the adventures and high jinks of Mr. Pants and his two cat siblings, depicted with bright, colorful palette and in varied panels that match the quirky volume. After a jarring introduction to the key players, kids will quickly warm up to the curious feline and connect with his antics and multilayered relationships. Children will also see themselves in the title character as he is open to learning about new things and embraces them with gusto. The perfect book for those who have outgrown their beginner readers but are not quite ready to move on to chapter books. Plot twists keep the tale engaging and add depth to this light fare. Fans will wait excitedly for the next book in this fun, rollicking series. Trina Bolfing, Westbank Libraries, Austin, TX