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Ariol #1
Just a Donkey Like You and Me
Ariol is your everyday tween donkey. He lives in the suburbs with his mom and dad. His best friend is a pig. He's in love with a beautiful cow in his class. His teacher is a dog. His gym teacher is a huge rooster. In short, Ariol is just like you and me.
124 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2011
22 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Emmanuel Guibert
151 books148 followersEmmanuel Guibert has written a great many graphic novels for readers young and old, among them the Sardine in Outer Space series and The Professor’s Daughter with Joann Sfar.
In 1994, a chance encounter with an American World War II veteran named Alan Cope marked the beginning of a deep friendship and the birth of a great biographical epic.
Another of Guibert's recent works is The Photographer. Showered with awards, translated around the world and soon to come from First Second books, it relates a Doctors Without Borders mission in 1980’s Afghanistan through the eyes of a great reporter, the late Didier Lefèvre.
Guibert lives in Paris with his wife and daughter.
In 1994, a chance encounter with an American World War II veteran named Alan Cope marked the beginning of a deep friendship and the birth of a great biographical epic.
Another of Guibert's recent works is The Photographer. Showered with awards, translated around the world and soon to come from First Second books, it relates a Doctors Without Borders mission in 1980’s Afghanistan through the eyes of a great reporter, the late Didier Lefèvre.
Guibert lives in Paris with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
September 30, 2017
Hahah aww, poor little Donkey! A fun and sweet comic about Arild, a donkey with his own problems, like wanting to be a superhero horse aaand marrying a cow. Yes. But its really well done and hillarious at times.
March 10, 2024
This is cute.
The daily lives of anthropomorphic animals, focusing on the donkey ariol, and his gang of best friends which includes a horse, a pig, a cow, a fly and others in elemntary school. It's really the usual hukinks of normal kids but added to that some animals details.
The daily lives of anthropomorphic animals, focusing on the donkey ariol, and his gang of best friends which includes a horse, a pig, a cow, a fly and others in elemntary school. It's really the usual hukinks of normal kids but added to that some animals details.
May 4, 2016
This book is Volume 1 of the Ariol graphic novel - well, maybe this is a kids' comic book rather than a graphic novel - series of graphic novels. Like the later volume of Ariol I previously read, I found this first volume surprisingly pleasant and enjoyable, with interesting nuanced characterizations of the protagonist's classmates, his family, their interactions and so forth.
Ariol, possibly a middle-school student, has fantasies - like all of us, especially when we were kids: He identifies with a super-hero - Thunder Horse - yet he is (still) only a small blue donkey. He would rather be a powerful hero - the wish to be powerful absorbs his fantasy- or dream-world. Also, he has fallen in love with a classmate - Petula, a heifer. Meanwhile, a fly, meaning actual fly as in insect fly, class-mate, Bizbilla, pines for him. He has to contrive "chance" meetings with Petula, but every time he does have a chance to tell he he loves her and wants to marry her, he loses his nerve. And so Ariol's pining for Petula mirrors Bizbilla's pining for Ariol. At least Bizbilla tells Ariol she cares for him, whereas Ariol cannot bring himself to say to Petula he loves her. Aside from his obsessions with Thunder Horse and Petula, he's an ordinary mischievous little donkey, participating in the usual pranks and mischief, especially schemes he thinks up with his best friend, Ramono the pig.
This volume consists of series of standalone chapters, I'm not sure if they are supposed to represent a sequential arc or time span in Ariol's life, more like snapshots of life for Ariol, at home, at school, going to the movies, a field trip to a pool with his gym class - which are all quite funny, many times wryly funny, other times perhaps crudely funny, the sort of humor an adolescent might enjoy. I love the characterizations of Ariol's parents - who are ultra concerned and nurturing of their son, but also on occasion exasperated (the dad) although mostly supportive (the mom). The teachers in school are portrayed from a kid's-eye view - somewhat mockingly, although the English teacher is given a fairly positive treatment despite the complicated stories he invents to teach grammar.
The entire series, originally from France, likely is a joy to read - this book was certainly a breeze to read. What will happen with Ariol and Petula? And Bizbilla and Ariol.. will Ariol ever consider her as a possible girlfriend, or continue to reject her because of her hairiness, tininess.
It's strange but Ariol's world seems very similar to my world as a grade school pupil. Starting from kindergarten, I too wanted to be the "dominant" kid in class - and started from day 1 in a rivalry with a flouncy, blonde little girl named Linda, who resembled a sleepy-eyed much younger female version of Bing Crosby. Starting in kindergarten, I too "pined" for a little boy who I only stared at but was too shy to talk to - a little blonde boy with an enigmatic smile named Jonathan, who was an outsider because he was from a poor family that lived in a ramshackle house, and always wore ill-fitting, frayed white shirts. The entire time I was a classmate of his, I was never able to talk to him, but he remained an obsession for me in grade school, until he was supplanted by a new obsession when I moved on to JHS, a boy who I was also never able to talk to and also silently admired or pined for from afar. This entire pattern of shyness combined with an obsession or fixation on one boy, usually an enigmatic outsider, continued through HS - I was never able to speak with the object of my affection the entire time I was in elementary and secondary school, approximately 12 years. I was too shy to speak to boys - but would discuss boys I was interested in with girlfriends. Of course, none of this interfered with school work, or playing with the kids on my block and so forth. I was simply an introvert - living my life in books, and as a kid, incessantly drawing, writing stories and poems, and so forth.
But, back to Ariol: I would recommend this book to all readers, kids, teens, adults. It's a breeze to sail through and filled with laughs, archetypal situations you will recognize and laugh at, or along with. It's simply written, and the simple/cool drawings of the characters convey enough to communicate non-verbal cues, clues to meaning etc. There's a pleasant color palette and kid characters, that is, Ariol and his friends, often stand out since they're usually colorfully dressed.
Since all the characters in the book are humans with animal heads - ranging from birds, to ducks, to dogs, to cats, to pigs, donkeys, ants, and so forth -what will the authors do if/when it comes time to portraying a pet? If the main characters are animal-headed humans, will the pets be human-headed animals?
Ariol, possibly a middle-school student, has fantasies - like all of us, especially when we were kids: He identifies with a super-hero - Thunder Horse - yet he is (still) only a small blue donkey. He would rather be a powerful hero - the wish to be powerful absorbs his fantasy- or dream-world. Also, he has fallen in love with a classmate - Petula, a heifer. Meanwhile, a fly, meaning actual fly as in insect fly, class-mate, Bizbilla, pines for him. He has to contrive "chance" meetings with Petula, but every time he does have a chance to tell he he loves her and wants to marry her, he loses his nerve. And so Ariol's pining for Petula mirrors Bizbilla's pining for Ariol. At least Bizbilla tells Ariol she cares for him, whereas Ariol cannot bring himself to say to Petula he loves her. Aside from his obsessions with Thunder Horse and Petula, he's an ordinary mischievous little donkey, participating in the usual pranks and mischief, especially schemes he thinks up with his best friend, Ramono the pig.
This volume consists of series of standalone chapters, I'm not sure if they are supposed to represent a sequential arc or time span in Ariol's life, more like snapshots of life for Ariol, at home, at school, going to the movies, a field trip to a pool with his gym class - which are all quite funny, many times wryly funny, other times perhaps crudely funny, the sort of humor an adolescent might enjoy. I love the characterizations of Ariol's parents - who are ultra concerned and nurturing of their son, but also on occasion exasperated (the dad) although mostly supportive (the mom). The teachers in school are portrayed from a kid's-eye view - somewhat mockingly, although the English teacher is given a fairly positive treatment despite the complicated stories he invents to teach grammar.
The entire series, originally from France, likely is a joy to read - this book was certainly a breeze to read. What will happen with Ariol and Petula? And Bizbilla and Ariol.. will Ariol ever consider her as a possible girlfriend, or continue to reject her because of her hairiness, tininess.
It's strange but Ariol's world seems very similar to my world as a grade school pupil. Starting from kindergarten, I too wanted to be the "dominant" kid in class - and started from day 1 in a rivalry with a flouncy, blonde little girl named Linda, who resembled a sleepy-eyed much younger female version of Bing Crosby. Starting in kindergarten, I too "pined" for a little boy who I only stared at but was too shy to talk to - a little blonde boy with an enigmatic smile named Jonathan, who was an outsider because he was from a poor family that lived in a ramshackle house, and always wore ill-fitting, frayed white shirts. The entire time I was a classmate of his, I was never able to talk to him, but he remained an obsession for me in grade school, until he was supplanted by a new obsession when I moved on to JHS, a boy who I was also never able to talk to and also silently admired or pined for from afar. This entire pattern of shyness combined with an obsession or fixation on one boy, usually an enigmatic outsider, continued through HS - I was never able to speak with the object of my affection the entire time I was in elementary and secondary school, approximately 12 years. I was too shy to speak to boys - but would discuss boys I was interested in with girlfriends. Of course, none of this interfered with school work, or playing with the kids on my block and so forth. I was simply an introvert - living my life in books, and as a kid, incessantly drawing, writing stories and poems, and so forth.
But, back to Ariol: I would recommend this book to all readers, kids, teens, adults. It's a breeze to sail through and filled with laughs, archetypal situations you will recognize and laugh at, or along with. It's simply written, and the simple/cool drawings of the characters convey enough to communicate non-verbal cues, clues to meaning etc. There's a pleasant color palette and kid characters, that is, Ariol and his friends, often stand out since they're usually colorfully dressed.
Since all the characters in the book are humans with animal heads - ranging from birds, to ducks, to dogs, to cats, to pigs, donkeys, ants, and so forth -what will the authors do if/when it comes time to portraying a pet? If the main characters are animal-headed humans, will the pets be human-headed animals?
May 1, 2020
C’est l’histoire d’un petit âne bleu qui porte de grosses lunettes rondes. Ce petit âne, vous l’avez certainement deviné, s’appelle Ariol, il est le héros de l’histoire. Ou plutôt des histoires car chaque tome en compte plusieurs, d’une dizaine de pages environ chacune. Son meilleur copain est un cochon, Ramono, et Ariol est secrètement amoureux de la belle vache Pétula. Leur héros – enfin celui d’Ariol et de Ramono – est le Chevalier Cheval – et non le Chevalier Chameau comme le pense sa grand-mère.
Chaque histoire raconte leurs aventures et celles de leur camarades – et ils en ont beaucoup – pendant l’école ou en dehors. Elles sont souvent très drôles et relativement faciles à lire, disons à partir du CE1. Les dessins sont très agréables, simples et jouent souvent un rôle dans la drôlerie des scènes. De jolies couleurs rehaussent l’ensemble et incitent à la lecture. Après avoir consulté le texte situé sur le rabat à la fin du livre, nous sommes rendu compte que les dessins étaient réalisés par MARC BOUTAVANT qui n’est autre que le dessinateur de la superbe série animée Mouk et le scénario par le grand auteur de bande dessinées EMMANUEL GUIBERT. En sachant cela ce n’est pas très étonnant que la série Ariol soit d’une telle qualité.
Une série à conseiller pour entrer dans l’univers de la bande dessinée accompagné par deux grands auteurs. N’hésitez pas à vous lancer de nombreux tomes vous attendent.
P.-S.: Merci à ma fille pour la critique et au Père Noël pour nous avoir fait découvrir cette série.
MISE À JOUR
En lisant la suite, nous confirmons premièrement qu’il s’agit d’une excellente série. Deuxièmement il me paraît évident maintenant, peut-être plus qu’au début, que l’on est ici devant un nouveau Petit Nicolas de RENÉ GOSCINNY et JEAN-JACQUES SEMPÉ. Si on pense à tous les noms rigolos des copains, à leur aventures centrées autour de l’école, à ces épisodes qui s’enchaînent, on y est. Alors bien sûr c’est en BD et avec des personnages anthropomorphiques – qui marquent encore plus les caractéristiques de chacun – mais on y est et c’est certainement l’une des raisons pour lesquelles cette série rencontre un si grand succès.
https://www.aubonroman.com/2020/02/ar...
Chaque histoire raconte leurs aventures et celles de leur camarades – et ils en ont beaucoup – pendant l’école ou en dehors. Elles sont souvent très drôles et relativement faciles à lire, disons à partir du CE1. Les dessins sont très agréables, simples et jouent souvent un rôle dans la drôlerie des scènes. De jolies couleurs rehaussent l’ensemble et incitent à la lecture. Après avoir consulté le texte situé sur le rabat à la fin du livre, nous sommes rendu compte que les dessins étaient réalisés par MARC BOUTAVANT qui n’est autre que le dessinateur de la superbe série animée Mouk et le scénario par le grand auteur de bande dessinées EMMANUEL GUIBERT. En sachant cela ce n’est pas très étonnant que la série Ariol soit d’une telle qualité.
Une série à conseiller pour entrer dans l’univers de la bande dessinée accompagné par deux grands auteurs. N’hésitez pas à vous lancer de nombreux tomes vous attendent.
P.-S.: Merci à ma fille pour la critique et au Père Noël pour nous avoir fait découvrir cette série.
MISE À JOUR
En lisant la suite, nous confirmons premièrement qu’il s’agit d’une excellente série. Deuxièmement il me paraît évident maintenant, peut-être plus qu’au début, que l’on est ici devant un nouveau Petit Nicolas de RENÉ GOSCINNY et JEAN-JACQUES SEMPÉ. Si on pense à tous les noms rigolos des copains, à leur aventures centrées autour de l’école, à ces épisodes qui s’enchaînent, on y est. Alors bien sûr c’est en BD et avec des personnages anthropomorphiques – qui marquent encore plus les caractéristiques de chacun – mais on y est et c’est certainement l’une des raisons pour lesquelles cette série rencontre un si grand succès.
https://www.aubonroman.com/2020/02/ar...
October 5, 2013
The days are shorter than recess and Ariol would like nothing better than to migrate South like a bird. But instead he has to leave his warm, comfy bed to go to school every morning. School's not all bad, there's his best friend Ramono who always comes up with cool games to play and pranks to pull. And Petula, who is the prettiest cow Ariol has ever seen. On the other hand there's also Mr. Ribera, the gym teacher who, in fact, has no sense of humor and Bizzbilla who won't leave him alone. If Ariol was Thunder Horse he'd show them all. He'd be the best in gym and always know what to say and no one would be able to tell him what to do. But he's not Thunder Horse, he's just a regular guy like you and me.
This comic is hilarious! It captures so many moments of childhood perfectly from when Ariol plays a game by himself while providing his own running sports commentary to his reluctance to leave his warm, cozy, bed in the morning. Any teacher will be able to recognize the truth and humor in the story where Mr. Blunt tries to come up with a clever story to teach his students prepositions. Ariol leaves class remembering the funny parts of the story without remembering anything about prepositions at all. There's plenty that made me recall my own childhood as well. Like Ariol, I used to stare out my mother's car window and pretend there were bad guys following us that we had to shake. In the midst of all the humor there's some real heart too. The story "As Dumb as a Donkey" deals with prejudice and stereotypes in a sweet way while maintaining the humorous tone of the collection. The drawings are simple, colorful, charming, and expressive. While they satirize childhood, the characters are still drawn with plenty of warmth and love. They made me laugh in recognition of myself and others because they really are just like you and me.
This comic reminded me a lot of another French school comic, Le Petit Nicolas. I'd give it to anyone looking for a humorous comic set in a school. There is one instance of the word 'dumbass' but it is referring to donkeys and it's used in the context of the story about stereotypes so it's discussed and dealt with well. I'd say it's fine for second grade and up.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
This comic is hilarious! It captures so many moments of childhood perfectly from when Ariol plays a game by himself while providing his own running sports commentary to his reluctance to leave his warm, cozy, bed in the morning. Any teacher will be able to recognize the truth and humor in the story where Mr. Blunt tries to come up with a clever story to teach his students prepositions. Ariol leaves class remembering the funny parts of the story without remembering anything about prepositions at all. There's plenty that made me recall my own childhood as well. Like Ariol, I used to stare out my mother's car window and pretend there were bad guys following us that we had to shake. In the midst of all the humor there's some real heart too. The story "As Dumb as a Donkey" deals with prejudice and stereotypes in a sweet way while maintaining the humorous tone of the collection. The drawings are simple, colorful, charming, and expressive. While they satirize childhood, the characters are still drawn with plenty of warmth and love. They made me laugh in recognition of myself and others because they really are just like you and me.
This comic reminded me a lot of another French school comic, Le Petit Nicolas. I'd give it to anyone looking for a humorous comic set in a school. There is one instance of the word 'dumbass' but it is referring to donkeys and it's used in the context of the story about stereotypes so it's discussed and dealt with well. I'd say it's fine for second grade and up.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
June 3, 2020
Ariol è un asinello azzurro con gli occhiali che vive in periferia con la sua mamma e il suo papà. Il suo migliore amico è un maialino ed è innamorato di una graziosa vitellina che è sua compagna di classe. Inoltre il suo maestro è un cane e il suo insegnante di ginnastica è un gallo robusto soprannominato Cribbio, perché ripete fino allo sfinimento quella parola. Insomma Ariol è come noi!
Su questo volume avevo delle aspettative “di mezzo” infatti pensavo potesse risultarmi una scemata pazzesca oppure una figata. Devo dire che ha fine lettura mi sono trovato ad apprezzarlo. Ovviamente non l’ho trovato un capolavoro, ma nemmeno una cagata pazzesca.
Parlando un attimo in modo più approfondito questo volume. Mi è piaciuto molto il personaggio di Ariol perché davvero buffo e rappresenta realmente ognuno di noi. Un’altra cosa che ho apprezzato è stata la scelta di rendere Ariol non una storie lunga e tutta collegata ma dei racconti auto conclusivi e che non sono collegati tra loro. Ho apprezzato questa scelta perché personalmente non avrei visto Ariol in una veste più lunga, mentre con questa sorta di pillola di Ariol sono riuscito ad apprezzarlo maggiormente anche perché con quest’ultima modalità riesce ad essere assai comico. La mia storia preferita è quella in cui il piccolo Ariol va in banca con il suo papà. L’ho amato alla follia perché mi ha fatto davvero ridere moltissimo e perché lo trovo geniale e ben riuscito e realizzato.
I disegni di questo primo volume non si possono definire perfetti, ma sono caratteristici a mio parere per l’opera che è Ariol. In conclusione vi consiglio questo fumetto perché vi farà sorridere e divertire. Ma soprattutto in qualche modo vi farà riflettere su quello che eravate da bambini e quello che tutt’ora siete.
Su questo volume avevo delle aspettative “di mezzo” infatti pensavo potesse risultarmi una scemata pazzesca oppure una figata. Devo dire che ha fine lettura mi sono trovato ad apprezzarlo. Ovviamente non l’ho trovato un capolavoro, ma nemmeno una cagata pazzesca.
Parlando un attimo in modo più approfondito questo volume. Mi è piaciuto molto il personaggio di Ariol perché davvero buffo e rappresenta realmente ognuno di noi. Un’altra cosa che ho apprezzato è stata la scelta di rendere Ariol non una storie lunga e tutta collegata ma dei racconti auto conclusivi e che non sono collegati tra loro. Ho apprezzato questa scelta perché personalmente non avrei visto Ariol in una veste più lunga, mentre con questa sorta di pillola di Ariol sono riuscito ad apprezzarlo maggiormente anche perché con quest’ultima modalità riesce ad essere assai comico. La mia storia preferita è quella in cui il piccolo Ariol va in banca con il suo papà. L’ho amato alla follia perché mi ha fatto davvero ridere moltissimo e perché lo trovo geniale e ben riuscito e realizzato.
I disegni di questo primo volume non si possono definire perfetti, ma sono caratteristici a mio parere per l’opera che è Ariol. In conclusione vi consiglio questo fumetto perché vi farà sorridere e divertire. Ma soprattutto in qualche modo vi farà riflettere su quello che eravate da bambini e quello che tutt’ora siete.
March 27, 2015
This was a really good reading experience. Children's comics can sometimes be a bit condescending, talking down to their young readers. This book is nothing like that. And I should of course have realised, seeing as it is the great Emmanual Guibert who has written these short stories. But being able to create masterpieces for adult readers (Alan's War and The Photographer among others) does not necessarily translate into being able to write for kids. But Guibert masters both.
The stores about Ariol are short, but filled with quirky, believable dialogues and little details that translates into them feeling far from stereotypical or predictable. I laughed out loud several times when reading this book, and I'm about 40 years older than the intended target audience ...
Marc Boutavant is a new artists to me, but he does a beautiful job with Ariol. The characters are anthropomorphic, but far from the cute Disney-like characters that so many emulate. These characters have an integrity all of their own and I love how both the script and the drawings play with the fact that they really are different species.
Oh, and I am of course very happy that this book, and more to come, has been published in Swedish. There are far too few children's comics in Sweden and far too few French comics translated, so this book really hits the spot. More, more!
The stores about Ariol are short, but filled with quirky, believable dialogues and little details that translates into them feeling far from stereotypical or predictable. I laughed out loud several times when reading this book, and I'm about 40 years older than the intended target audience ...
Marc Boutavant is a new artists to me, but he does a beautiful job with Ariol. The characters are anthropomorphic, but far from the cute Disney-like characters that so many emulate. These characters have an integrity all of their own and I love how both the script and the drawings play with the fact that they really are different species.
Oh, and I am of course very happy that this book, and more to come, has been published in Swedish. There are far too few children's comics in Sweden and far too few French comics translated, so this book really hits the spot. More, more!
May 20, 2014
I've been wanting to read this cute looking kids comic series for a while and now that vol. 4 has just been published thought I'd start in. The series ended up being as cute as I had expected but more funny and adult-humour suited than expected. It is the type of humour that kids appreciate on one level while adults on a whole other. A collection of several unrelated (plot-wise) short stories which contain the same characters. The kids (all various animals) are not given an age but are somewhere between teen and young teen, (gr. 7-9) and the stories involve their school lives, friendships, home-life, crushes and trouble they get into. Basically a slice-of life for kids at this age. Main characters are Ariol the donkey and his BFF Ramono the pig. However, there is a huge supporting cast and I've already taken a special liking to several already including Mr. Ribera the chicken gym teacher whose habit of saying "in fact" is an ongoing joke. The art is delightful in that French style that I adore and the cover perfectly displays what you can expect. The book was funny and cute but I'm sticking with a rating of Good (3*) as it wasn't hilarious, but I'm hoping the stories will only get better as we go along. On to Volume 2!
February 11, 2017
Recenzja, jak zawsze, na moim blogu - zapraszam :)
http://magicznyswiatksiazki.pl/ariol-...
http://magicznyswiatksiazki.pl/ariol-...
March 1, 2013
The French are different from you and me. They have better comics for their kids. Sure, America’s been doing passably well in the last few years, but take a look at the graphic novel shelves of your local library or bookstore and you won’t be able to help but notice how many of the names there sound distinctly French. Joann Sfar. Guillaume Dorison. Goscinny. The list goes on. While we've been frittering away our time with discussions of "New Adult" fads, the French have come very close to perfecting the middle grade graphic novel, and Ariol: Just a Donkey Like You and Me typifies that near perfection to a tee. School stories wrapped in the guise of animal characters, Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant have managed to create yet another GN that will be cluttering up our American shelves with its presence. And if we’re going to be honest about it, you’ll welcome Ariol with open arms. If the French keep producing books as good as this one, let ‘em. There’s always room for more.
Split into twelve short stories, Ariol follows the day-to-day life and small adventures of an average blue donkey, his best friend (a pig), his crush (a cow), and his friends. As we watch he and his best friend Ramono go to school, survive gym class, and participate in a disgusting but fun game. On his own Ariol contends with his parents, longs for Petunia (the aforementioned sow), pretends to be his favorite superhero Thunderhorse, and plays pranks. Nothing too big. Nothing too epic. Just everyday school stories from a donkey you’ll love in spite of yourself.
It’s interesting to me how very everyday and down-to-earth Guibert’s stories are. In spite of the barnyard cast (complete with a talking teacher’s pet who also happens to be a fly) there’s nothing magical or out of this world to be found here. Ariol is sympathetic if flawed. His best friend’s a bit of a jerk, but for some reason you don’t hate him. His parents are well meaning without being pushy and his teacher’s put upon. In its review of this book Kirkus said it was “less vicious with the satire” than a lot of the Wimpy Kid type novels out that the moment. I’d agree, but that doesn’t meant the book doesn’t have bite. True it dares to get a little introspective from time to time (Ariol contemplating whether or not donkeys really are as stupid as the prejudiced say) but for every thoughtful contemplation there are at least two instances of characters sneaking fake vomit into their classmates’ changing rooms or nicking movie theater standees behind the backs of their grandmas. Let’s just say there will be plenty of stuff for uptight parents to object to if they really want to do so.
Author Emmanuel Guibert I knew from various graphic novels over the years like Sardine in Outer Space and The Professor’s Daughter amongst many others. Turns out, it's Marc Boutavant who's the surprise here. Not that I didn’t already know his work. It’s just that when you see a Marc Boutavant children’s book in America it inevitably stars big headed, wide-eyed children that seem this close to bursting out into a chorus of “It’s a Small World After All”. He’s . . . . cute. He does cutesy little books with cutesy little themes. There is nothing to indicate in All Kinds of Families or For Just One Day that the man is capable of giving life to a sardonic aquamarine donkey with superhero aspirations. Yet give life to Ariol he does. The art here is sublime. The style is just straight up panels. No messing with the essential design of the book or anything. Within these panels you can get one story from the text and another from the art. For example in the story “Moo-Moo” I got the distinct sense that the mother of the girl Ariol’s been crushing on was more than a bit aware of the boy’s feelings for her daughter. Little interstitial details make the whole thing fun too. I loved the tiny art at the beginning of each chapter. Some of it tells crazy stories, and others tell the story before the story (if you know what I mean).
The tales found here are universal in the best sense of the word. Yet like the Nicholas series by Goscinny (the series to which Ariol bears the closest resemblance) there is something overwhelmingly French about this book. I didn’t notice it at first. Not when the first story in the collection (“Match Point”) was essentially a one-donkey show of Ariol pretending to win a tennis match and become a rock star too while he’s at it. Not when the second story (“Rise and Shine”) compared the act of getting up to go to school with a person’s birth. Not when the furniture in Ariol’s living room looked more like something out of a doctor’s waiting room than a home. No, it wasn’t until we got to the chapter “Operation ATM” that it clicked. In that chapter Ariol engages in a raucous game of pretend in the backseat of the car as his dad drives. He leaps, he dances, he hides, he throws himself bodily all about and if you’re an American parent like me then you spend the better part of the chapter gripping your seat so hard that stuffing is coming out in clumps between your fingers as you growl through gritted teeth, “Where. Is. His. Seatbelt?!?” Kids won’t care a jot, but expect the parents to lift an eyebrow or two here and there.
Oh. And can I just give a special shout out to Joe Johnson for the translation here? Over the years I’ve come to recognize when a translator goes above and beyond the call of duty. I don’t think there’s a kid alive who will read this book and think the language is stilted or funky. Instead it reads like it was written in English in the first place. There’s only the most occasional slip-up and it goes by so fast that no one will ever notice.
In the end, a school set Animal Farm this is not. It’s just regular everyday stories with the slightest French lilt. American kids will gobble it up right quick and then hunger for more. New middle grade graphic novels are rarer in America than they should be considering their popularity. Here’s hoping funny imports like Guibert and Boutavant’s continue to make up for the lack we feel on our shelves every day.
For ages 9-12.
Split into twelve short stories, Ariol follows the day-to-day life and small adventures of an average blue donkey, his best friend (a pig), his crush (a cow), and his friends. As we watch he and his best friend Ramono go to school, survive gym class, and participate in a disgusting but fun game. On his own Ariol contends with his parents, longs for Petunia (the aforementioned sow), pretends to be his favorite superhero Thunderhorse, and plays pranks. Nothing too big. Nothing too epic. Just everyday school stories from a donkey you’ll love in spite of yourself.
It’s interesting to me how very everyday and down-to-earth Guibert’s stories are. In spite of the barnyard cast (complete with a talking teacher’s pet who also happens to be a fly) there’s nothing magical or out of this world to be found here. Ariol is sympathetic if flawed. His best friend’s a bit of a jerk, but for some reason you don’t hate him. His parents are well meaning without being pushy and his teacher’s put upon. In its review of this book Kirkus said it was “less vicious with the satire” than a lot of the Wimpy Kid type novels out that the moment. I’d agree, but that doesn’t meant the book doesn’t have bite. True it dares to get a little introspective from time to time (Ariol contemplating whether or not donkeys really are as stupid as the prejudiced say) but for every thoughtful contemplation there are at least two instances of characters sneaking fake vomit into their classmates’ changing rooms or nicking movie theater standees behind the backs of their grandmas. Let’s just say there will be plenty of stuff for uptight parents to object to if they really want to do so.
Author Emmanuel Guibert I knew from various graphic novels over the years like Sardine in Outer Space and The Professor’s Daughter amongst many others. Turns out, it's Marc Boutavant who's the surprise here. Not that I didn’t already know his work. It’s just that when you see a Marc Boutavant children’s book in America it inevitably stars big headed, wide-eyed children that seem this close to bursting out into a chorus of “It’s a Small World After All”. He’s . . . . cute. He does cutesy little books with cutesy little themes. There is nothing to indicate in All Kinds of Families or For Just One Day that the man is capable of giving life to a sardonic aquamarine donkey with superhero aspirations. Yet give life to Ariol he does. The art here is sublime. The style is just straight up panels. No messing with the essential design of the book or anything. Within these panels you can get one story from the text and another from the art. For example in the story “Moo-Moo” I got the distinct sense that the mother of the girl Ariol’s been crushing on was more than a bit aware of the boy’s feelings for her daughter. Little interstitial details make the whole thing fun too. I loved the tiny art at the beginning of each chapter. Some of it tells crazy stories, and others tell the story before the story (if you know what I mean).
The tales found here are universal in the best sense of the word. Yet like the Nicholas series by Goscinny (the series to which Ariol bears the closest resemblance) there is something overwhelmingly French about this book. I didn’t notice it at first. Not when the first story in the collection (“Match Point”) was essentially a one-donkey show of Ariol pretending to win a tennis match and become a rock star too while he’s at it. Not when the second story (“Rise and Shine”) compared the act of getting up to go to school with a person’s birth. Not when the furniture in Ariol’s living room looked more like something out of a doctor’s waiting room than a home. No, it wasn’t until we got to the chapter “Operation ATM” that it clicked. In that chapter Ariol engages in a raucous game of pretend in the backseat of the car as his dad drives. He leaps, he dances, he hides, he throws himself bodily all about and if you’re an American parent like me then you spend the better part of the chapter gripping your seat so hard that stuffing is coming out in clumps between your fingers as you growl through gritted teeth, “Where. Is. His. Seatbelt?!?” Kids won’t care a jot, but expect the parents to lift an eyebrow or two here and there.
Oh. And can I just give a special shout out to Joe Johnson for the translation here? Over the years I’ve come to recognize when a translator goes above and beyond the call of duty. I don’t think there’s a kid alive who will read this book and think the language is stilted or funky. Instead it reads like it was written in English in the first place. There’s only the most occasional slip-up and it goes by so fast that no one will ever notice.
In the end, a school set Animal Farm this is not. It’s just regular everyday stories with the slightest French lilt. American kids will gobble it up right quick and then hunger for more. New middle grade graphic novels are rarer in America than they should be considering their popularity. Here’s hoping funny imports like Guibert and Boutavant’s continue to make up for the lack we feel on our shelves every day.
For ages 9-12.
March 27, 2024
Наричали ли са ви някога „магаре“? Е, ако се е случвало, да знаете, че вече спокойно можете да го приемете като комплимент, благодарение на Ариол – „Едно магаренце като теб и мен“. Поредицата на Еманюел Гибер и Марк Бутаван е част от вълната детски френски комикси, която достига до българските читатели, благодарение на изд. „Хеликон“. Създателите на поредицата ни пренасят в един пъстър свят, който макар и населен с всевъзможни животни, напомня удивително много на собственото ни ежедневие и ни помага да се изправим пред собствените си проблеми с повечко ведрина и чувство за хумор. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле“: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
June 11, 2021
En español "Ariol: Un burrito como tu y yo". Un cómic recomendado para niños pequeños. De primero a cuarto básico. Es un libro de alta calidad esto debido a variados aspectos pero principalmente el uso de Onomatopeyas y la conformación de las viñetas, el cambio de página y las ilustraciones. Se genera predicciones y expectativas en el cambio de cada viñeta y cambio de hoja. La Onomatopeyas usadas para dar movimiento a las ilustraciones y efectos de "sonido". En cuanto a la curiosidad y entusiasmo se ve fomentado por su fin de entretenimiento y facilidad de seguimiento de la línea de la historia. Esto se ve reflejado en la compra de los tomos siguientes. Es un libro con un efecto "espejo", los niños se ven reflejados en sus actividades de entretención y sucesos cotidianos.
October 23, 2022
Verwarrend genoeg is dit boek blijkbaar in het Nederlands in twee delen uitgebracht. Geen idee waarom. Maar gegeven de boekenprijzen, misschien meer geld? XD
In dit boek volgen we een jongen genaamd Ariol die een ezel is en zijn zijn andere dierenvrienden. Zoals Ramono het varken die vaak streken uithaalt en soms best ranzige ook. Of Petulia een koe waar Ariol verliefd op is. En zo zijn er nog meer karakters. De verhalen zijn gewoon dagelijkse dingen of dromen die Ariol heeft. Vaak komt daarbij het karakter Superpaard, een serie waar alle (nou ja, bijna alle) kinderen van houden. Ik vond het erg leuk allemaal geschreven en ook de art vond ik leuk. Ik hoop dat de volgende delen ook worden uitgegeven (en dan graag in 1 keer).
In dit boek volgen we een jongen genaamd Ariol die een ezel is en zijn zijn andere dierenvrienden. Zoals Ramono het varken die vaak streken uithaalt en soms best ranzige ook. Of Petulia een koe waar Ariol verliefd op is. En zo zijn er nog meer karakters. De verhalen zijn gewoon dagelijkse dingen of dromen die Ariol heeft. Vaak komt daarbij het karakter Superpaard, een serie waar alle (nou ja, bijna alle) kinderen van houden. Ik vond het erg leuk allemaal geschreven en ook de art vond ik leuk. Ik hoop dat de volgende delen ook worden uitgegeven (en dan graag in 1 keer).
June 10, 2024
A simple but very enjoyable comic to read with the kids. My two daughters (one 5 and the other 8) loved the book. Ariol's adventures are funny and easy for them to empathize with. There is no magic, no fantasy, just the everyday life of a little donkey living his life, with his parents or at school.
We will definitely keep reading this series.
We will definitely keep reading this series.
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June 25, 2022Jammer van het woord 'debielen' in de Nederlandse vertaling, dat had heel eenvoudig iets anders kunnen zijn.
Verder serieus fan van de humor in deze serie: losse stripverhaaltjes die precies flauw genoeg zijn, lollig getekend en herkenbaar voor kinderen van een jaar of 8.
Verder serieus fan van de humor in deze serie: losse stripverhaaltjes die precies flauw genoeg zijn, lollig getekend en herkenbaar voor kinderen van een jaar of 8.
November 2, 2025
Totálne rozkošné a vtipné. Oslík a celé zvieratkovské osadenstvo v krátkych stripoch majú vtipné ľudské aj zvieracie poznámky. Horšie je, že som videla, že je doteraz 23 dielov a je jasné, že toľko do slovenčiny preložených nebude. :(
April 15, 2018
If you want a mix of Squish and Big Nate.
April 7, 2019
Brilliant!
February 13, 2020
my fav part is when the little donkey talks about Petula. I love romantic books.
January 21, 2021
Cute characters and this stories works like time machine, being a kid again is nice from time to time :)
August 12, 2021
Ariol ist schon genderstereotyp. Aber ich finde den kleinen frechen Esel einfach liebenswert und den Comic ziemlich niedlich und lustig. Bin auch Fan der Mitschülerin Surrsula, nicht zuletzt wegen ihres Namens. Auch aus Erwachsenenperspektive lesenswert, finde ich.
October 21, 2021
Πολύ έξυπνο και αστείο κόμικ με όμορφες ιδέες και σχέδια!✏️
April 19, 2022
A cute little book about the adventures of a little donkey.
March 17, 2023
childhood fave.
March 26, 2023
Ik weet t, ik ben de doelgroep niet. Ik hoopte op een boekje als Batpig (die is grappiger), Dog Man (knipoogjes naar literatuur) of The first cat (artistieker), maar het zijn vier flauwe grapjes.
June 12, 2023
This is a grate and very funny series that has lots of different mini stories inside on big book.
July 17, 2023
Je les lue en français
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August 27, 2023one of my favourite books from when i was little and i still love it so much now
October 27, 2024
Adorable anthropomorphic amusement.
January 24, 2025
Дуже смішне😀🥰
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews