245. Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires

Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires (Canada) - (US)

A Binky Adventure, Book 2

Pages: 64
Ages: 7-10
Finished: Nov. 13, 2010
First Published: Sep. 1, 2010
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Genre: children, graphic novel, humour
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Another one got in.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Kids Can Press.

Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils '10 nominee and required reading for me as a graphic novels panelist.


I absolutely *loved* Binky's first adventure, and while, this, his second adventure wasn't quite as stupendous as the first it didn't fall far. My main issue would be that "Space Cat" had such a rich, full plot while "To the Rescue" is a fairly basic plot comparatively. However, it still has all the wonderful qualities I loved the first time around. Binky is such the quintessential cat and this time he is busy ridding the house of aliens (which happen to be wasps who have a warship nearby). Binky is so involved in his duties that he doesn't pay attention to his surroundings and makes quite a mess of the house and then accidentally falls out a window. This part was hilarious, he sticks a garden hose in his mouth for an oxygen supply, and explores the new world of outer space which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for all the aliens (esp. the wasps).

The humour of Binky is hilarious in an understated manner, he takes himself quite seriously. And the artwork is beautiful. I love the way Spires uses a muted, limited palette of colours mainly browns, blues and greens with just a tiny splash of colour here and there, for ex. the red hat on a garden gnome. A great follow-up that leaves one begging for more Binky books. While these are children's books, I also think they would make perfect gifts for the adult cat lover as they are just so cute.