ARIOL #4: A BEAUTIFUL COW

Ariol the donkey is back in ARIOL #4: A BEAUTIFUL COW. The stories in this collection are:

"A Night at Grandpa Hoofer and Granny Annette's" – Ariol and his best friend Ramano spend the night at Ariol's grandparents.

"A Bad Flu" – all of Ariol's classmates become concern when they hear about a possible outbreak of the avian flu.

"At the Toto Station" – Ariol helps his father pump gas at a gas station.

"Where Are the Keys" – On his way to school, Ariol loses his keys and Ramano helps him search for them.

"A Visit from Uncle Petro" – Ariol's uncle Petro (his mother's brother) comes for a visit at lunch.

"The Machine for Being the Best in Class" – Ramano brings a device made from a pencil sharpner to class so that he can cheat.

"Tagging" – An older student, JP, teaches Ariol how to "tag" (put graffiti on a building).

"Dong" – Ariol and Ramano wander around in a church when they make a stop there with Ariol's Granny.

"Disco Queen" – Ariol's mom finds her old record player and her and Ariol start dancing to old vinyl albums.

"Fleas" – Students in Ariol's school are concerned that there might be an outbreak of fleas.

"Smile!" – It's picture day at Ariol's school.

"No Luck, Ariol!" – Ariol hurts himself playing soccer.

I really enjoy the Ariol comics. They have a nice balance of humor and real-life elements. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

Graphic Novel Review: ARIOL: JUST A DONKEY LIKE YOU AND ME

Originally published in France, Ariol is a children's comic about a little blue donkey named Ariol. In this collection of Ariol stories we are introduced to Ariol's parents, his best friend, Ramono (a pig) and several of his other classmates, including his crush, Petula (a cow). The stories in this collection are:

"Match Point" – Ariol plays tennis with himself.

"Rise and Shine" – It's winter and Ariol's parents have a difficult time waking him up for school.

"Thunder Horse" – Ariol and Ramono discover that Battlemess (a horse) doesn't watch tv and has never seen Thunder Horse.

"Moo-Moo" – Ariol comes over to visit Petula at her house and learns her pet name from her mom.

"Bucktooth Goes to Town" – Ariol's teacher attempts to teach his class about coordinating conjuctions.

"Operation ATM" – Ariol goes with his Dad into town and to the ATM.

"RAMONO's Stupid Game" – Ramono has a game to play that he says everyone can play, but only a few really can.

"ZOOTZOOT" – Ariol wants to enter a contest with Ramono to win a pair of new ZootZoot shoes.

"As Dumb as a Donkey" – Ariol asks his mom if donkeys are less intelligent than other animals and she becomes very upset by the question.

"Granny Annie" – Ariol and Ramono go to the movies with Ariol's maternal grandmother, Granny Annie.

"Vomit" – Ramono and Ariol try to pull a plank during swimming by placing fake vomit in one of the stalls.

"You Gotta Choose, Ariol" – While on his way to try to run into Petula, Ariol upsets Bizzbilla (a female fly who has a crush on Ariol) and tries to talk his way out of it.

Overall, "Ariol" is a fun and down-to-earth little comic. It's a comic book collection that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Graphic Novel Review: ARIOL #2: THUNDER HORSE

Ariol, the little blue donkey, is back in ARIOL #2: THUNDER HORSE. In this collection of Ariol stories we get to know Ariol's best friend, Ramono (a pig) slightly better, we meet a few more of Ariol's classmates, and we get to meet Ariol's fraternal grandparents. The stories in this collection are:

"Stickers" – There's only one stick Ariol is missing from his Thunder Horse Sticker Collection and he's determined to get it on a visit to Begossian's Bookstore. While there an adult tries to convince the children they will never find the missing sticker because it was never made.

"Chocolate Eclairs" – Ariol learns how to make his mistakes in school help him spend some time with his secret crush, Petula.

"Vaccine Reaction" – Ariol has to get vaccination shots.

"Karate" – Ariol gets in an argument with Timberwolf about who's dad is better than who.

"We're Going to Have Fun" – Ariol's teacher is going to be gone for two weeks so his class is divided into two groups with two other teachers.

"Hide and Break" – Ariol's mom leaves Ariol and Ramono alone for a few minutes at Ariol's apartment while she runs a short errand.

"Ariol's Secrets" – Ariol thinks his parents are keeping a secret file on him when he finds a file in his dad's drawer with his name on it and some black and white pictures.

"Ariol Plants a Tree" – Ariol's class visits a forest to plant a tree.

"Summer Vacation" – Ariol tries to get Ramono to come with him on summer vacation to his grandparent's house.

"In the Train" – Ariol and Ramono ride the train by themselves to Ariol's grandparent's.

"Oh! The Sea!" – Ariol and Ramono arrive and are picked up by his grandpa.

"A Good Book" – Ariol's mom leaves Ariol in the care of Mr. Begossian at his store while his mom runs some errands.

"Ariol" is a fun and down-to-earth little comic. ARIOL #2: THUNDER HORSE is a comic book collection that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Graphic Novel Review: ARIOL #3: HAPPY AS A PIG

The little blue donkey Ariol and his friends are back in ARIOL #3: HAPPY AS A PIG, the third collection of Ariol comics. ARIOL #3: HAPPY AS A PIG contains several different stories about Ariol and his friends. The stories in this collection are:

“After School” – Ariol is walking his secret crush, Petula, home from school and she questions why Ariol always wants to walk her home.

“The Submarines” – Ariol’s best friend, Ramono, comes over to play soccer. Before leaving, Ramono wants to check out the basement, a place Ariol does not want to explore.

“Mrs. Capra” – Mrs. Capra is the woman who watches Ariol while his parents are at work. This is a story of a typical night between Mrs. Capra & Ariol.

“Poetry” – Ariol is supposed to memorize a poem for school, but instead writes a poem to Petula.

“Grandpa-Diving” – Ariol and Ramono play at the beach with Ariol’s grandpa.

“The Book-signing” – Ariol’s dad takes him to a book signing of the artist who draws “Thunderhorse.”

“At Ramono’s” – Ramono invites Ariol over to his house to watch “Thunderhorse” on tv.

“The Light in the Hallway” – Ariol wants the hallway nightlight left on at night so he can play with his toys.

“Granny in the Subway” – Ariol’s grandma goes with Ariol on a trip through the subway station.

“Today’s Report” – Ariol, Ramono, and Bizzbilla are supposed to give a report on volcanoes at school. Ariol and Ramono haven’t done as much work as Bizzbilla. Bizzbilla almost reveals her secret crush on Ariol.

“The Videogame” – Ariol is playing a video game instead of doing his homework. His dad takes his game away and then Ariol’s mom takes it away from Ariol’s dad.

“Before Dinner” – Ariol and Ramono are at Ariol’s grandparents.

Ariol is a fun little comic and it’s exciting to see the characters develop and continue to grow in ARIOL #3: HAPPY AS A PIG.