School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--Lemon Bird desperately wants to learn how to fly. While practicing one day, she comes across a sad, orange Pupkin entangled in garden vines and frees him. The duo then meet up with other pupkins and make their way back to the farmhouse. In the middle of the night, mischievous Pupkin wakes Lemon Bird up for some late night shenanigans that result in them falling asleep amidst the vegetable harvest in the farmer's truck bed. When they wake up, they are dismayed to learn that they are in town and without a ride! Now Lemon Bird and Pupkin must find their way home--helping others and making friends along the way. This short graphic novel is a plot-driven, accessible first foray into fantasy, thanks in part to the dominant role of the adorable, highly expressive fruit animals. The simple but appealing storyline has a heartwarming message emphasizing themes of positivity and persistence. Young readers will relate to Lemon Bird's frustration and repeated efforts at trying to master a desperately desired skill. Because the plot revolves around an animal's point of view, the worldbuilding details are conveyed largely through the vibrantly colored visuals rather than through text. The action lines and sound effects within the varied page layouts are visually engaging and help to move the story along at a brisk pace. Additional materials include "How to Draw Lemon Bird" instructions, fruit animals examples, and a short bonus comic. VERDICT Sure to be a hit among young readers starting to get into graphic novels, especially fans of Pea, Bee, & Jay and Owly. Recommended purchase for public and school libraries.--Pearl Derlaga
Publisher's Weekly Review
At once surreal and sugary, Ganucheau's (Zodiac Starforce) early chapter book comic doubles down on kawaii and kindness. While practicing aerial maneuvers, non-aerodynamic Lemon Bird, an oblong yellow creature whose peel serves as wings, crash-lands and heroically frees a pumpkin-puppy mash-up--an orange pupkin--from a tangle of vines. When the two mischievously sneak aboard a vegetable truck and fall asleep in a carrot crate, they awaken at a faraway farm stand and must find their way home in time for pupkin adoption day. Along the way, the two pause to assist others by planting a garden, hanging laundry, and doing other good deeds. Sound effects, such as Pupkin's sad "awoooo" and the "whhhzzzzz... fwah" of Lemon Bird catapulting to the rescue, punctuate saturated digital art in a hypernatural palette: a neon-yellow-dappled forest shadowed in deep evergreen reveals a strawberry-hued rabbit, and lofty sunset-pink clouds float in blue-and-yellow skies. Meanwhile, minimal dialogue keeps the pace up (humans, portrayed with varying skin tones and fanciful hair colors, speak in strings of stars and symbols) in this action-intensive story for early readers. Like the gummy candy they resemble, the hybrid animal-fruits possess a comforting sweetness and a fizzy pop style. Ages 4--8. Agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management. (Aug.)
Horn Book Review
Lemon Bird isn't the only fruit-animal hybrid in this cute and kooky graphic novel -- there are pairs of cherry mice (attached by their cherry-stem tails); an adorable pack of roly-poly "pupkins" in a pupkin patch; and a sour Keylime bird, among others. Round little Lemon Bird can't fly, but she can help Pupkin, who's gotten caught in some vines. "Lemon Bird to the rescue!" After she snips through the greenery with her beak, the new pals run around playing, then fall asleep in a pickup truck, which takes them far from Pupkin's home. As they set out to find their way back, the two work together to help others. Even after Keylime is unkind to them, they save her from a vicious cat. (Humans often have skin and hair as colorful as the fruit-animal mixes, and their speech bubbles contain strings of shapes and symbols.) But when Pupkin chases a beetle and runs away from Lemon Bird, Keylime, changed by the kindness they showed her, saves the day -- and teaches Lemon Bird how to fly! All ends well in this offbeat, action-packed adventure illustrated with sweet and surreal pictures in an array of jewel tones. Jennifer M. Brabander November/December 2022 p.83(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Lemon Bird has to save the day when she and her pal Pupkin get lost. Lemon Bird, naturally, is a bird who is also a lemon. Pupkin is a puppy who is also a pumpkin. After some light mischief, they fall asleep in a truck full of produce and are transported to a strange new place. Now they must journey back to the farm where they live. On their adventure, Lemon Bird and Pupkin encounter and help a variety of flora-fauna hybrids and friendly people. They meet Keylime Bird, who bullies Lemon Bird but regrets her actions, while a kind old woman and her pet Boarnana set the two friends on the right path. Some of the animal hybrids are puns, and some are not, but all are adorable. The two humans who appear most, Pupkin's owner and the old woman, have light skin, but other people appear in a rainbow of natural and unnatural skin tones. Many pages have minimal text, and it only gets a bit--comparatively--wordy on a few pages at the end, when Lemon Bird and Keylime take some time to explain the lessons they learned. Featuring endearingly rounded characters, this delightful, colorful graphic novel makes an excellent introduction to the format for adults to read with young children, though somewhat older children will also enjoy reading it on their own. A cornucopia of wholesome cuteness. (how to draw Lemon Bird, concept art) (Graphic novel. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
