Who's Got Game: The Ant Or The Grasshopper by Toni and Slade Morrison

This book is a graphic novel based on the classic Aesop Fable about the ant and the grasshopper. I was immediately drawn to this book because it was written by Toni Morrison and I've always enjoyed her novels. The illustrations and layout of the pages are very reminiscent of a comic book. In fact, I would probably argue that the only thing that actually separates this graphic novel from a comic book is the amount of text in the book. The text itself has a very loose rhyming scheme that is very similar to a simple melody or piece of poetry. Also, the story is told in a very laid back way that resembles actual talking. For example, the book begins with the line "Foxy G and his ace Kid A..." The story is actually quite sad, and the main character Foxy G is homeless. At one point in the story Foxy G is even living in a cardboard box in the park in the dead of winter. Foxy G, homeless and hungry, goes to his best friend Kid A for food and a place to stay. The narrative is extremely complicated and may not be appropriate for younger students. For example, some of the themes I found in this book were the integrity of being an artist, betrayal, selfishness, etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel and found it to be a very original, unique read. I would certainly recommend this graphic novel to an older reader.