Setting: Island

Sea Legs: A Graphic Novel / Jules Bakes, Niki Smith (Illustrator)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Sea Legs: A Graphic Novel
By: Jules Bakes, Niki Smith (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 256
Published: February 4, 2025
Publisher: Graphix
Dates Read: July 31, 2025 - August 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Set in 1993, Janey and her parents own and live on a 40-foot steel sailing ship her Dad built that they christened, The Merrimaid. They’ve been docked in Miami, Florida long enough that Janey’s gone to public school and made a best friend, Rae. But Janey’s parents are ready to set sail again, so the family (along with family cat, Sassa) are off. Janey loves the adventurous life at sea, but she still gets bored and lonely – because when you leave ports every few days, it’s hard to make friends.

They drop anchor in Crown Bay, St. Thomas, US Virgin Island, where Janey’s parents find work and they get a P.O. Box set up to begin receiving mail, which means Janey and Rae can write to each other more frequently. It’s here where Janey meets Astrid, another boat kid. Astrid though… can be hard to be friends with, she’s not always nice to Janey and sometimes acts like she doesn’t want her around. Not only that, but hurricane season is right around the corner.

Based on the author’s life growing up at sea, this middle grade graphic novel rocks the boat on friendships and growing up.

This was a bit confusing about whether or not this was a memoir or not, and you don’t really find out until the end remarks (it’s not, it’s based on their life though).

It was kind of fun to see life out at sea through Janey’s eyes – the small space, the rough waters, the isolation, school… This was also set in the early 90’s where computers and cellphones weren’t quite a thing for the general public. I wonder how different it is for people on boats to keep up with one another nowadays.

Overall, beautiful artwork and illustrations and a great insight on the different types of friendships you have growing up (with or without being on a boat).

The Wild Robot on the Island / Peter Brown

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Wild Robot on the Island
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Children’s
Number of Pages: 48 
Published: June 24, 2025
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: July 30, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When Roz washes up on an island, she accepts that this is where she is supposed to be and learns from the animals around her. Before long, the island begins to feel like home – especially when Roz becomes a mother to an orphaned gosling she calls Brightbill.

This is a simplified version of The Wild Robot that Peter Brown wrote because he “wanted to depict Roz’s life on the island with large, detailed, colorful illustrations.”, as per his note in the back of the book.

I’m here to tell you that if you adored Roz in The Wild Robot you will fall in love with her again in this version as well because of the illustrations. The original book has black and white illustrations scattered throughout the chapters, but this is a big, bold, and beautiful children’s picture book version!

The Wild Robot / Peter Brown

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Wild Robot
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 320
Published: April 7, 2020 (1st Published April 5, 2016)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 15, 2024 - October 17, 2024
Format: Paperback

When ROZZUM unit 7134 (but you may call her Roz) first opens her eyes she discovers she’s on a remote island and the only robot – she knows she must survive. At first, Roz is disliked by the wildlife because they all think she is a monster and will eat them. But she learns the animal language and doesn’t eat in general, so the animals begin to relax around her. After an accident kills all but one small gosling egg, Roz makes it her mission to raise and protect the duck.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals of the island, the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, when Roz’s mysterious past comes back to get her.

So, has anyone else in the year 2024 picked up this book because of the movie? Usually I read the book before the movie, but I did this one backwards. That being said, the book and the movie are pretty different from one another – same plot, tad bit different storyline.

This is both a simple and a bit of a complex read. The language is definitely aimed at children, but there were also a lot of descriptions of animal violence and death. The writing is written in a way that presents the bit of the morbid side as being the facts of life (if that makes sense). Children understand the world a lot more than adults sometimes give them credit for and this book doesn’t treat children like they’re too young to understand mother nature. That being said, the language is almost simplified in a way that could present as being childish, but the storyline itself is probably better for an older reader – hence it being (younger) middle grade.

The chapters are short and the simple illustrations really add to the read – rather it’s with cuteness overload, or a funny moment also in drawing.

Overall, this is a fun, beautiful book about learning to care for one another, despite differences, and a big shout out to mothers and caregivers everywhere.