Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

My carpal tunnel surgery went well and I’m definitely healing, but this is my first attempt to type much with my big fat bandage on, so we’ll see how it goes! I did want to review Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel, however, and so I’m committed to trying my best.

K. Woodman-Maynard adapted Natalie Babbitt’s classic and illustrated the resulting graphic novel; she worked with Babbitt’s daughter in the process, and the result is a beautiful and faithful rendering of the story. I especially loved the chapter pages, as each has its own animal cavorting around the ‘Chapter (insert relevant number)’, and they’re fantastic. The rest of the art keeps away from a modern feel–wise, given the plot and theme–and uses its color palette to emphasize that. There are narrated bits in circular formation throughout, which help to keep the weightier theme far more intact than you’d expect in a graphic novel.

As for the story–like I said, it’s faithful to Babbitt’s original novel. I read that in 5th grade during a unit on death, and I distinctly recall having to write a paragraph on whether I’d rather live forever or die young afterwards. (I picked die young, so I definitely got Babbitt’s point.) The thing is, I didn’t actually love it. I didn’t hate it, you understand, but I didn’t love it, and I feel the same way as an adult. It’s an interesting theme, yes, but the Tucks’ eternal plight is more painful for me to think about now, and I have to remind myself that it’s more of a fable in order to stop picking at what would otherwise be plot holes. It makes for great discussion material, certainly, but that doesn’t automatically make it enjoyable. On the other hand, it’s still knocking around, so there’s that. You’ll just have to decide for yourself whether you’re interested in the graphic adaption.