Review by Ian Keogh

Mika Song’s career to this point has been as an illustrator of children’s books, yet her first graphic novel Donut Feed the Squirrels was considered good enough to be nominated for an Eisner Award.

It’s a comedy aimed at young readers,with Norma and Belly the featured squirrels. They’re not alone in smelling the alluring scent in their neighbourhood, which is tracked down to a mobile donut van. When a legitimate attempt to exchange donuts for nuts is repelled by the owner, the squirrels have to become sneakier to have a chance of tasting what smells so good.

Because it’s aimed at a young audience, Song keeps everything very simple. The characters are the almost sole focus, well designed to look different from each other, and they’re also simple figures, simple enough for a child to draw themselves. However, the mantra of simplicity means they’re only very rarely seen on anything other than a white background, which doesn’t make for great visual interest.

At the end Song reveals the story was inspired by watching the squirrels in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park, which is sweet. It follows the well established animation plot of creatures attempting to get at food, the ingenious methods they employ, and the chaos that causes. As a sideline Song enjoys puns, most obviously seen via the book title, but with other examples inside. Good luck to the parent who has to explain the batter/better pun.

This works as a story providing a few laughs for young children, but it’s not destined to capture an audience beyond through antics anyone older will appreciate. Norma and Belly return for a second outing in Apple of My Pie.