Review Detail

What do you get when you mix an unjustly discarded teddy bear, three misfit friends who look like long-lost Adventure Time characters, and a house with a serious case of Casa Pilosa, a degenerating disease that starts with quickly grown hair and ends as the house sprouts legs and walks away? You get The Kurdles by Robert Goodin. Told in graphic novel style with beautiful watercolor illustrations, Goodin tells a quirky story about love, friendship, and finding home.

When her spoiled owner tosses Sally from a car, she enlists the help of Hank, Pentapus, and Phineas of Kurdleton to get her back to her family. But first, they have to remedy a HAIR-mergency at home. The house’s condition worsens as the luscious purple locks covering the house grows eyes, then a mouth, and begins to sing old sailor bards. It’s a race against time to save the Kurdles’ home, as the final stage of Casa Pilosa is the house actually walking away forever. The newly acquainted friends must work together to save their home.

The Kurdles is a bit more complex than your average picture book, but would be a great addition for any child who favors graphic novel styling. The lessons of friendship and teamwork are clear and well demonstrated. The interactions with the characters are full of familiar humor that comes with long-time friends. Eccentric, offbeat, and yet strangely delightful, The Kurdles will make you chuckle, cringe, and then smile as Sally Bear finds a place where she can be loved.