Yet Another Crossover...
Dory Fantasmagory
By Abby Hanlon
Puffin Books
2014
Guided Reading Level: O
Lexile Score: 550 L
DRA Level: 34
Graphic novel, transitional reader, fantasy, laugh riot. Pick one, they all apply.
Dory is a little kid whom everyone calls “Rascal” for obvious reasons. In this cartoon novel, Dory is the baby in her family and the only thing Dory wants is to play with her older brother and sister. They ignore her and she is forced to entertain herself. But it isn’t hard for Dory to set aside this conflict with an imagination like hers. He flights of fantasy or “fantasmagory- dreamlike state where real life and imagination are blurred together,” as the book describes on page 11, make up the plot of this peculiar book. The whole book arcs toward a resolution of her sibling rivalry and eventually she gets closer and closer to a truly enriching relationship with Violet and Luke, her sister and brother.
This transitional chapter books are action-packed even though the plot is a bit vague. The font is large and the pages of text are clear with effectively used of white space. The pictures provide clues to the text, setting the scene, and providing extra description so that sentences stay manageable.
One of the neatest things about this book is that other than Dory, the roundest characters in this book are Dory’s friend Mary, a Monster that looks like she hopped out of a Sendak book, and Dory’s archenemy Mrs. Gobblle Gracker, a robber who steals little girls and is five hundred and seven years old. And the reader gets the feeling that though those characters mean a lot to Dory they might not really exist.
The pictures offer the first clue that Dory sees things others might not notice. When Mrs. Gobbble Gracker shows up for the first time her siblings do not hear the doorbell ring. And, even though they imagined her, they can’t see her.
In fact, most of the monsters and other creatures are invisible to anyone but Dory. Only she can see the Broken Drawer Monster, the Living Room Monster, and Fairy Godmother, and Mr. Nuggy . This evokes the sense that Hanlon, whose insights into Dory’s internal world are delivered in the third person omniscient point of view, understands how children think. She describes Dory’s world from inside the mind of a young child who tends to live on the boundaries of reality and can slide play and explanations like monsters into any scenario.
Dory’s behavior, however, does not escape notice. She does everything she can to annoy and disrupt her brother and sister, trying to get them to see her.
She turns into a puppy named Chickenbone and finally is allowed to play with Luke and Violet. But when Chickenbone goes on an outing to the pediatrician her mother is not pleased. Dory explains, “I had planned on changing back into a girl when we got to the doctor’s office But I discovered it became impossible to change out of being a dog. I was stuck as a dog and there was nothing I could do about it.”
Throughout the doctor’s visit, her other is embarrassed. She apologizes and explains that sometimes Dory “is a little too imaginative” The pictures show girl-Dory acting the part with her tongue out and captions saying “Woof” And later at home Dory is sent to time out. This is the only time we meet Dory's mom, a relatively flat character in this kid-focused book.
At one point, during the eye exam, Dory pictures herself as a dog wearing glasses. The thought bubble featuring the glasses-wearing dog-Dory gives the reader a peek into her imagination.
There are a lot of these imaginative moments sprinkled throughout the text. This makes them well-suited to the 5-8 year old age group they are geared toward. Kids this age often live inside their own heads and Dory embraces this. Every time Hanlon draws Dory’s monster friends we are seeing inside Dory's imagination. Hanlon has drawn the monsters in darker pencil and they often appear slightly larger than Dory, an indication that they take up a lot of emotional space in Dory-land.
The drawings are sweet and simple. Dory and her siblings are drawn in muted graphite with their clothes are plain. Throughout the book, Dory wears her favorite nightgown, except when she has to leave the comforts of home and go to the doctor. Young readers will identify with this quirky heroine and enjoy watching her wild antics and her ongoing battle against the evil Mrs. Gobble Gracker.
Every single page has a picture and they are perfect for young readers
The pacing is quick and well-suited to ages five through eight. Dory moves from adventure to adventure. And, at the book’s end, Dory shows her brother and sister her courage and loyalty when she rescues a favorite toy from the toilet. They finally accept her as an equal and allow her to dictate the game they will play. And she does.
Read-a-likes I would choose to hand readers who love Dory are books that explore the imagination of childhood
Polly Diamond and the Magic Book: Book 1
Written by Alice Kuipers
Illustrated by: Diana Toledano
Chronicle Books; August 2019
Ages 6-9
A magic book appears on Polly’s doorstep that turns everything she writes into reality. Magical hijinks ensue. This funny book focuses on imagination and the power of the written word and the main character Polly is a” window and a mirror,” offering much-needed diversity to the transitional chapter book universe.
Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant?
Written by: Jake Wolf
Illustrated by Marylin Hafner
Tony wants an elephant, or maybe two. He tries to convince his father that it would be fun to own a series of creative creatures. All the while the illustrations paint a wild picture of what life would be like living in an apartment with these atypical pets. This imaginative picture book for pre-schoolers has a graphic novel feel and uses silly pictures and a lot of thought bubbles and font transitions to add even more levity to the silly story.
And I couldn’t close out a review of Dorry Fantasmagory without mentioning an old friend. Even now, this book made mischief, I had to keep correcting typos because I so badly wanted to spell Dory as Dorrie.
Dorrie’s Magic
By Patricia Coombs originally published in 1962)
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
(re-released in 2010)
This fantasy series of picture books for young readers, written in the early sixties is as relatable today as it ever was. Dorrie is a little witch whose hat is alway crooked and her stockings never match. She and her cat Gink are always getting into trouble, and not the good kind. When Dorrie, our quirky protagonist, is around there are always sideways magic and evil villains to defeat. The reader can’t help but cheer on this intrepid heroine and her absurd antics. Another plus of these books is their use of sophisticated language. Though a little old-fashioned, they don’t talk down to the reader. And there are twenty-nine of them so if you have a little bookworm who loves a fantasmagorical series, these might cast a spell that lasts a while.