Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

This comic-format interpretation of Henry David Thoreau's Walden includes selections of his well-known aphorisms and subtle observations. Uncluttered tan and white drawings outlined in black capture the spirit of this naturalist's mission of solitude. Memorable scenes include Thoreau, teeth chattering, emerging from an early springtime dip and a sequence depicting his famous night in jail. A brief introduction provides helpful background information. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Pairing terse extracts from Thoreau's writings with very simple line drawings in squared-off panels, Porcellino artfully presents a compelling sense of the philosopher's voice, his powers of observation and his sensitivity to the world around him. Sandwiched between an introduction by D.B. Johnson ( Henry Hikes to Fitchburg , 2000, etc.) and an extensive closing section of citations and commentary, the account picks up as Thoreau realizes, wandering through Concord, that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." This leads to Thoreau's simple life at Walden Pond and the brief arrest for tax evasion that provided the occasion for "Civil Disobedience," closing with his conclusion that "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." By mixing panels with and without text, Porcellino creates a poetic alternation of words and silences that effectively draws the reader into Thoreau's point of view. This graphic portrait will enrich the insight into his life and character afforded by Johnson's fictionalized episodes, or Robert Burleigh's Man Named Thoreau (1985). (bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 10-14)

ALA Booklist

The latest high-quality graphic-format book from folks associated with the Center for Cartoon Studies introduces another significant historical personage, Henry David Thoreau. Although the life and work of the nineteenth-century transcendental philosopher and protoenvironmentalist might seem an odd choice for adaptation into sequential art, Porcellino, alternative comics writer/artist and master of the minicomic, has found a way to translate Thoreau's thinking into an involving read that exudes lightness and tranquility. Marrying his minimalist line work to Thoreau's minimalist philosophy, Porcellino manages a striking unity of words and art that works as an effective ode to simplicity. Thoreau's writings, excerpted out of chronological order, are recast into a narrative that moves from the philosopher's self-ostracism from society and his time at Walden and into the feeling of calm reverie he took from his experiences. This will be a difficult sell to casual readers, but budding philosophers and readers looking for an unusual work will be delighted. Extensive endnotes include explanations and attributions for the excerpts and a short bibliography.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-This book is true in spirit to Thoreaus writings and to underground comics. It is fairly linear, using short quotes and simple line drawings to tell of the time the philosopher spent at Walden Pond. Porcellino chose many well-known sayings and events and placed them within a spare visual contextthe woods are little more than gray shading, Thoreau himself a few smooth lines in the foreground. Despite its simple design, or more likely because of it, Thoreaus sometimes-difficult philosophical statements are clearly articulated. Best known for his cry of simplify, simplify, simplify, the philosophers ideas are well served by Porcellinos lean interpretation of the work of this seminal American icon. Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI