The Boulder Brothers: Meet Mo and Jo

K-Gr 2—Meet the Boulder Brothers, Mo and Jo, in this new beginning reader series in a graphic novel format. In three short chapters, these silly caveboys attempt to eliminate a cave odor, learn how to play hide-and-seek, and solve the problem of being cold. Each spread offers one or two sentences from the narrator, while Mo and Jo's speech bubbles leave out some words, resulting in simplified cave speak. For instance, on one spread the narrator explains, "Jo sees some birds. The birds do not look cold." Meanwhile Mo and Jo say, "Feathers keep warm" and "Need feathers." The uncomplicated illustrations are presented in colors and hues perfectly suited for a caveman setting. The book is slightly larger and thicker than a typical book in the new reader's section, giving the impression of a "sizable" read yet the word count is only a step above Mo Willems's "Elephant and Piggie" titles (Hyperion). In fact, these caveboys' antics are sure to attract Willems's readers who are ready to move on to other titles.