Review by Frank Plowright

Despite the massive explosion in graphic novels, the pre-reading age group remains untapped territory. It’s a peculiar omission as surely having very young children come to terms with reading comics would be worthwhile from a marketing viewpoint at the very least. It means Brazilian creator Henrique Coser Moreira is moving into almost unknown territory with The First Day of May.

Anything is possible to children, and that’s gleefully explored as a young girl realises it’s going to be a sunny day and she’ll be able to head outside again. Outside of course, represents freedom and discovery to young children, and the girl revels in what there is to be seen and enjoyed in the sun.

Despite being aimed at very young children, there’s a feeling Moreira sets the comprehension barrier very high by using sophisticated visual techniques. The sample art requires an understanding that not everything is pictured literally, and how many very young children would know of a magnifying glass? Other concerns include the use of pictograms within word balloons, and imaginative, but for young children puzzling images, such as the girl stretching through her living room in elongated form from the back wall to the door offering access to outside. This is in contrast to other pages where Moreira decompresses time to emphasise importance, such as the four panels of a page being used to show the girl putting her shoes on before going out.

At it’s best The First of May is a lively evocation of the sheer joy of being able to go outside. The page opposite the shoes shows the door very gradually opening and revealing the new world beckoning to anyone stepping through, and the pictures of the girl enjoying herself are simple, yet charming.

The visual complications make this a book children may need help with despite Moreira’s best intentions, but this is very definitely a big step in the right direction.