Kirjahaku

THE MISADVENTURES OF FIVE CHARMING TROUBLEMAKERSAnouk Ricard's Anna and Froga features the adventures of a little girl named Anna and her gang of animal friends. Anna's best friend is the titular Froga, and they often hang out with Bubu the dog (an aspiring artist), Christopher the gourmand earthworm, and Ron (a practical joker of a cat). With a sly humor, Ricard spins yarns that will delight and entertain the whole family. Whether the conflict is driven by eating too many French fries, bossing around Johnny the Tuna, or trying to beat a difficult video game, you know that Anna, Froga, Bubu, Ron, and Christopher will come out all right in the end, which makes the layers of confusion they pile on one another all the funnier. Ricard's characters are sweet without ever veering into preciousness, as they constantly find opportunities for a laugh at one another's expense. Ricard works in a fanciful and childlike style, with vibrant colors and simple story lines. The illustrations in Anna and Froga are inviting and the stories well told, employing short, snappy dialogue. Without sacrificing quality, intelligence, or humor, Angouleme Festival-nominated author Ricard is able to write from childhood effectively and charmingly.

Workplace stresses may be killer in this off-the-rails office satireRichard thinks he's in luck when he snags a job at the cuckoo-clock factory, but things start to go wrong right off the bat. First of all there's his boss, who doesn't seem to have the strongest grip on reality and has an odd penchant for silly hats. Then there are his coworkers, who are alternately evasive and idiotic when asked about anything pertaining to actually getting work done. Finally there's George, the employee Richard's replacing, who supposedly quit but whose family has just appeared on national TV pleading for his safe return. It's all adding up to a very strange workplace, and when the company goes on a retreat, everything spools quickly out of control. From the author of Anna and Froga comes a wry, offbeat whodunnit that centers on office life. Anouk Ricard's subtle, sardonic humor undermines the characters' desperate attempts to be taken seriously, as they bungle kidnappings, misunderstand social cues, and let petty disagreements become feuds. Ricard's dim-witted characters aspire to deviousness but miss their mark, remaining firmly in the domain of slapstick. With cleverly observed dialogue, charming artwork, and brilliantly over-the-top plotting, Benson's Cuckoos will delight the adult fans of Ricard's comics for kids.

In the fifth volume of Anouk Ricard's hilarious modern kids' classic, Anna, Froga, Ron, Christopher, and Bubu continue their non-adventures with bickering, needling, cajoling, and honest friendship. No white lie goes unexposed, no small embarrassment goes unrevealed, no secret is kept. For Christmas, the gang decides to forego shopping malls and make their own gifts for one another; Bubu goes on a retreat to shed a few extra pounds and get in touch with his zen side; a vampire with exceptional Scrabble skills moves in next door; and the five friends embark on an unforgettable trip to Paris, where they stay in an itsy-bitsy apartment. Rarely is friendship treated so realistically and delightfully as it is in the comics of Anouk Ricard.

Pet therapist by day, animal-morphing pet detective by night--fear not, Animan's on the case Inspired by the 1980s TV series Manimal, award-winning cartoonist Anouk Ricard pairs her unique brand of absurd storytelling and impeccable comedic timing to deliver the riotously funny adventures of Animan, superhero pet detective. A radioactive mosquito bite as a baby gives Francis the superpower of morphing into any animal at will. Learning to keep his powers secret from an early age, Francis takes up pet therapy as his day job, the perfect cover for his secret identity as Animan. Francis uses his fantastical gift to treat his animal patients, go undercover to solve murders, and battle it out with his nemesis, Objecto, a man capable of transforming into any and every possible object. And to top it all off, in his free time Francis is an avid watercolorist, who enjoys drawing landscapes and risqu portraits of his frog girlfriend, Fabienne. Winner of the 2025 Grand Prix at the Angoul me International Comics Festival, veteran cartoonist Ricard delivers a fresh take on the superhero genre, imbued with her signature slapstick sensibility, preposterous scenarios, and off-the-wall punchlines.