Petrik, Mike. One Cool Duck: King of Cool. Hippo Park, 2023.  978-1-662-64018-6. unpaged. $11.89. Grades 1-3.

King of Cool is the first book in the One Cool Duck graphic novel series written for developing readers. The series also includes The Far Out Fort and Summer Games. The first chapter centers on Duck interacting with his family and friends, showing how Duck is the best at everything from skateboarding, to the arcade, to biking. That is, until Cat Zooms down the hill and into Duck’s friends at lightning speed. In Chapter 2, Duck and his friends invite Cat to hang out with them…but over time, realize that Cat is just a show-off who doesn’t treat friends well. The story reaches its climax when Duck has to rescue Cat whose showing-off has gotten him stuck in a tree. The book ends with an apology from Cat for his behavior and the friends heading off to new adventures.  

THOUGHTS: I tested this book out on my first and second grade students, and they LOVED it! The illustrations are saturated with color and work with the author’s dialog to create a unique animal world that engages the reader in the story.  The dialog is snappy and cool and delivers its message about being a good friend without being heavy-handed. Recommended for ANY library looking to grab the attention of developing readers with a book that has just the right balance of fun and social messaging for young readers!

Graphic Novel