ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Bigfoot the Third comes from a long line of Sasquatches in the Littletoe Family who are fabulous at being spotted and captured on camera, but he's helpless at it, bungling one attempt after another at photobombing strangers. He soon finds friendship and comfort in Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster who has gone incognito and is hiding from paparazzi. She helps him figure out what he t his family nts to do, and together they learn hat getting noticed can be overrated. The discussion about standing out versus blending in is overt and intentional, and it's charming to view the topic of popularity and fame through the lens of iconic cryptids trying their hand at scrapbooking, chalk drawing, scuba diving, and topiary design. While there's a bit of bumpiness to the flow of the panels at times, the artwork is creative and pleasingly colored, with a distinct Ewok-like appeal to the Littletoes and a winning levity from a land-dwelling plesiosaur in an Audrey Hepburn headscarf, and there's thoughtful diversity included in the human characters represented.

Kirkus Reviews

An adorably legendary pairing unfolds in this creative, cryptozoological graphic novel.Bigfoot Littletoe III just can't seem to stand out. The rest of his family members make headlines with their epic photobombs of humans. Try as he might, Bigfoot keeps goofing it up, tripping, slipping, or stumbling and missing many opportunities to have his picture taken. When, one day, he gets tangled up in some campers' tent, a smartly disguised stranger stumbles upon the forlorn Bigfoot. With the flap of a flipper, she shakes him loose, and after a campfire heart-to-heart, she assures Bigfoot that there's more to life than being noticed. Bigfoot's new pal is none other than Nessie, but the fluffy fella does not recognize her as the Nessie of Loch Ness fame. Nessie suggests Bigfoot stop fixating on fame and start figuring out what he actually enjoys doing, leading to an artistic montage that culminates with Bigfoot finding his true passion: hedge sculptures, which finally bring him the fame he's long sought! Conflict arises when Nessie's true identity is uncovered and Bigfoot has to decide which is more important: the adoration of masses of people he doesn't know or the love of his one true friend. Far from being a one-note monster story, this tale has strong social-emotional elements, like Nessie's calm reassurance, which inspires Bigfoot to create art despite self-doubt, woven into the narrative to create unexpected depth and complexity. The cheerful, manga-inspired artwork pops with color and expression, adding a dreamy quality to the work. Luckily for readers, this darling duo will appear again, as this is the first in a planned series. Humans depicted are diverse.A friendship story as rare as the creatures in it. (Graphic novel. 6-10)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 2–4— Unlike his fame-seeking family, young cryptid Bigfoot Littletoe's attempts to photobomb campers' selfies always result in disaster. After a mysteriously disguised long-necked creature named Nessie rescues him from his latest effort, they bond at a campfire and decide to figure out what Bigfoot enjoys when not chasing the limelight. Exploring different activities like chalk drawing and scrapbooking eventually leads Bigfoot to a newfound appreciation of hedge sculpting. His incredibly realistic sculptures attract unexpected fame for Bigfoot and unwanted attention for Nessie. Young Bigfoot must now decide what is more important—fame or friendship? In this short but sweet graphic novel, Campbell and Knetzger emphasize themes of creativity, uniqueness, and camaraderie. Young readers will appreciate the overall messaging of finding your niche and doing something because you enjoy it, not because of external attention. Nessie's aversion to attention is also relatable. The cute, chibi-reminiscent character design and cheery palette are a great fit for the story, helping to introduce the concept of cryptids in an engaging and humorous manner to audiences who might not otherwise be familiar with them. The wordless panels where Bigfoot and Nessie try out different hobbies are a standout and particularly neat, and the variety of creatures add to the visual interest. Secondary human characters present as diverse. It is not inherently obvious that cryptids and humans exist peacefully together; hopefully, any future sequels might explore Bigfoot and Nessie's world further. VERDICT An enjoyable introduction to legends of Bigfoot and Nessie that is certainly worth noticing. Recommended for public and school libraries.— Pearl Derlaga