Akissi: Cat Invasion

Akissi #1

by Marguerite Abouet, Mathieu Sapin (Illustrator)

Poor Akissi! The neighborhood cats are pursuing her to steal her fish, her little monkey Boubou almost ends up in a frying pan, and she's nothing but a pest to her older brother Fofana, but Akissi is a true adventurer, full of silliness and fun, and nothing will scare her for long!

Part of the Sélection Officielle d'Angoulême 2011 Prize at Europe's largest comics festival.
By the author of the critically acclaimed and hugely successful series Aya, with two hundred fifty thousand copies sold in France, translated into fifteen languages. Three books in the series have already been released in French, with a fourth currently in the pipelines.

Marguerite Abouet was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 1971. At the age of twelve, her parents sent her to live with her uncle in Paris in order to pursue her education. Following the tremendous success of her comic Aya de Yopougon, Marguerite is now dedicating all of her time to writing. She's also the director of a charity that she created to help children in Africa get better access to books.

Mathieu Sapin was born in Dijon, France, in 1974. He studied at l'Ecole supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg before becoming a renowned illustrator for children's magazines and publishers in France. He's also the author of a comic for adults called Supermurgeman.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Africa, Comics, Humor, Picture Books, Childrens, Middle Grade

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2010

About the author

Marguerite Abouet was born in 1971 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in Western Africa. She grew up during a time of great prosperity in the Ivory Coast. At the age of twelve, she and her old brother went to stay with a great-uncle in Paris, where they further pursued their education. Years later, after becoming a novelist for young adults, Abouet was drawn to telling the story of the world she remembered from her youth. The result was the graphic novel Aya de Yopougon, published in North America as Aya, illustrated by Clemént Oubrerie, that recalls Abouet's Ivory Coast childhood in the 1970s, and tells the humorous, engaging stories of her friends and family as they navigate a happy and prosperous time in that country's history.

Reviews

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious. my 9 year old loved it too. as for some reviews calling Akissi bratty and ill behaved? stereotypical labeling of a strong girl. if Akissi was a boy character, I doubt readers would bat an eye. i frikkin' love her!

[Ellie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious collection of short stories presented through a series of comics, featuring the mischievous and daring Akissi. This really is a character that will win over both adults and children, someone who so completely knows her own mind and is filled with the best kind of trouble. The majority of the adventures were really enjoyable (albeit slightly bizarre at times - perhaps just me). Abouet and Sapin have mastered comic timing, particularly in the bold expressions and lively speech bubbles, and I can see readers having a lot of fun with this book.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend who grew up in France; interesting look at childhood/growing up in West Africa. I always like GN that are 'reading vacations'; places I know I will never get to go to, but am still very interested in learning more about. REALLY think politicians should read GN that deal with real issues...but I will not hold my breath!

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après avoir lu Aya, j'ai emprunté cette "version pour enfants". Elle contient plusieurs histoires courtes mettant en scène l'intrépide Akissi, une terreur du quartier en modèle réduit. Livraison (ratée) de poisson, disputes avec les garçons, babysitting de l'horreur, chamailleries entre frère et soeur, tout est coloré et vivant, une excellente manière de découvrir un autre pays et une autre culture. Le côté parfois bien crade saura réjouir les enfants, pour ma part je suis traumatisée par certaines histoires !

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I though the artwork was very different and appealing. As an educator, I liked the multicultural appeal of the book. Here is a whole different world that children can spend time visiting while reading the vignettes. As a parent, I was frankly pretty horrified. In most of these stories, Akissi is a major brat. I was left feeling like I was missing the punch line.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art. And the setup and action of each story has a classic cartoon mischief-maker narrative feel. But the "punch lines" didn't really make sense to me. Each section seemed to fizzle out at the end. Maybe it just went over my head. I really love Aya and was excited to read more work by Abouet. I may get the next installment out of the library and see if I connect with it a bit more.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translated from the original French, this graphic novel is a wonderful introduction to life in West Africa for children.

Ms. Abouet's series featuring a young woman named Aya offers a mature and sometimes difficult view of life, but this book featuring an adventurous and often mischievous girl named Akissi is appropriate for readers of all ages.

The illustrations are cartoonish and the scenes are filled with details about life in an unfamiliar location for many readers in our area. The poverty is striking, but so is the joy of life and the fun and shenanigans that children can get up to.

I love that they do not sit around bemoaning the lack of things - they create their own fun, although often with a bit of scolding afterward. I also love that they are depicted as being happy, even without the modern technology most of us today consider indispensable.

Overall, it's an entertaining collection of stories and there is even a fun recipe (for Coconut Goat's Droppings) included at the end of the book.

[Katie Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. I loved the colorful art and thought this was visually appealing, and the cultural aspects were interesting, but I also felt like Akissi was a brat for most of the vignettes. I also don’t think the punch lines/conclusions worked well either (not sure if this is a translation issue or an issue with the writing)

[Xabier Cid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good spin-off from Aya, to a different audience and with a different (less appealing) drawings. It is very nice as a complement, but I didn't feel the urge to read volume after volume, as it was the case with Aya series.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aku Ankkaa lukuunottamatta en ole lukenut lasten sarjakuvia vuosikausiin. Tähän tartuin, koska se on samalta käsikirjoittajalta kuin Aya de Yopougon, jonka viimeisen osan sain juuri luettua pari päivää sitten. Pidän Akissin piirrostyylistä, joka sopii mielestäni hyvin lasten sarjakuvaan. Hyvää siinä on myös sen sijoittuminen Ayan tavoin Norsunluurannikolle, koska länsimaisille lapsille olisi kehittävää lukea myös Euroopan ja Pohjois-Amerikan ulkopuolisista kulttuureista. En ole kuitenkaan aivan vakuuttunut siitä, että kaikki albumin jutut avautuvat länsimaisille lapsille, vaikka aikuinen pystyykin ymmärtämään ne hyvin.

[Liewen · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est écrit pour les enfants, et le ciblage est parfaitement réussi : ma 6 ans a a-do-ré (ça a été l'histoire du soir pendant 3 jours et je pense qu'elle mettrait 5 étoiles), là où j'ai trouvé la BD sympathique sans plus.
Bref, 3,5 étoiles pour ce spin-off assez réussi d'Aya de Yopougon pour les enfants.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akissi is a spunky and mischievous west african girl. Written by the same author as AYA. Love the window into other worlds.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really cool to see some junior comics depicting the life of a modern-day kid in Cote d'Ivoire, & they definitely had a very fun vibe, but I think some things here get lost in the translation process from the French - & some things will definitely need to be explained to young American readers because of the difference in setting, experience, & culture. As a middle-class midwestern American kid, I would have had to have an adult explain pretty much every single thing about the tapeworm "episode", starting with why they have open-air markets instead of grocery stores there, all the way through to why eating food off the ground made her mother have to give her medicine that would make her need the toilet - & as for sneezing worms, well, I have to admit that I just would have assumed that was just something made-up. Not that the second thing is a problem, in fact quite the opposite! Seeing stories about other countries, places, & cultures that still manage to involve kids like the intended readers will have said kids thinking about differences, but also similarities, & getting those differences explained as part of the reading of them is a wonderful way for kids to learn new things & feel more connected to other citizens of the world.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of three short graphic novels for kids, if I've got it right - I got the collected version from my local library - and the only one, so far (apart from the collection?) that's in English. Which I suppose is an excuse to practice my very terrible beginner French, should I come across the others. It's more of a comic format than a graphic novel, with very short little stories that work as chapters, albeit disconnected ones, in Akissi's life. She's a small girl living on the Ivory Coast, and despite me never visiting there her life is instantly recognisable - Akissi desperately wants a pet, and squabbles constantly with her brother. She's a wee bit of a tattletale, is Akissi, and she's got a horrible habit of eating food that she finds on the ground. Honestly, wherever you are, if you look at the little kids roaming around you, you'll see the similarities.

The whole thing's goodnatured and appealing and some of the illustrations are very funny. In the first part, a stray cat steals a fish that Akissi's supposed to deliver to a family friend, and the cat's expressions are just hilarious.

[Kim Tyo-Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impish, irrepressible Akissi tears through her neighborhood in this collection of comics. She gets into mischief in every conceivable way in her African village, whether delivering a fish, finding a pet monkey, playing football with her brother and local boys, playing dolls with a live baby, learning the consequences of tattling, and/or dealing with eating rotten food off the market ground. Translated from the original French, this window into a little girl's West African home and community is hilarious and fresh, perfect graphic novels for upper elementary and middle school collections.

Also includes a truly funny recipe at the end for Coconut Goat's Droppings. Seriously easy, seriously global, seriously yum!

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shenanigans with Akissi! Our West African elementary school aged heroine pursues a cat thief, cares for a baby (unbeknownst to its parents), plays ball, runs a secret-from-father home theatre, demands (unsuccessfully) to be treated as an equal by her brother and his friends, and wrangles a pet monkey in these cartoon- panel short stories.

This is my first English language children’s book set in modern West Africa. Akissi’s home town has a street market, it’s close enough to “the bush” to allow children to hunt pigeons (against their parents’ rules), access to (certain?) TV/movies appears to be a special event, and a monkey is as likely a pet as a meal.

The stories are humorous but not campy... instead it’s all homey, even with a black eye (protector of monkey!) and being dewormed (gross! And also “all in a day”).

I look forward to reading the author’s other series about a teen.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akissi, a young girl, somewhere between three to five years of age, exhibits all the typical behaviors of her age group. They’re humorous to the reader, but often infuriating to her family and the other inhabitants of her Côte d'Ivoire neighborhood. With her braids flying in the wind, she and her friends rush from one outrageous prank to another from feeding the neighbor’s infant some homemade stew made up of vegetables dropped on the ground of the outdoor market to bringing home a monkey for a pet. There’s some cosmic justice for feeding the baby market leftovers, because she later eats some herself, and becomes infected with tapeworms. But she makes the most of this unpleasantness by blowing a worm out her nose and chasing her older brother with it.

[Wim · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai aimé cette BD pleine de petites histoires sur les aventures d'Akissi, une petite fille qui grandit dans un des quartiers populaires d'Abidjan.

Pour tous ceux qui ont été en Afrique de l'Ouest, l'atmosphère est bien intégrée dans les dessins et les histoires: les marchés, les cours des maisons, les jeux des enfants, les boutiques et les surtout les interactions entre adultes et enfants.

Au début, j'étais un peu déçu que ce n'était pas une seule longue histoire, comme la série d'Aya. Mais finalement, je me suis bien amusé en lisant et relisant les belles aventures de cette petite fille !

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a new perspective for me in a graphic novel. Akissi is a West African girl, and her life is quite different than what we are used to. Pet monkeys that get caught and are going to be eaten, the pet monkey eating lice out of the kids' hair, roasting pigeons in the yard, worms that Akissi poops out and come out her nose. Kids will probably be amused, and they will for sure see a kid who lives differently than they do, but still fights with siblings, gets into trouble, and frustrates her parents.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short stories told through comic book style images and well written humorous text. It's fun to see all of the different things that Akissi gets up to day to day and how she always seems to end up in some sort of mischief. Many children will be able to relate to this as it's easy to get carried away when playing and that makes me an even more engaging read. The illustrations are great and convey the different moods of Akissi really well, from having a laugh to being annoyed.

Some very enjoyable stories that make you chuckle!

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

💜🤗🐈‍⬛Adorable !

Akissi est une petite fille africaine débrouillarde, "garçon-manqué" et qui a la langue bien pendue !

Cette BD raconte ses aventures "craquantes" : des bêtises à gogo, le charme et la fraîcheur de l'enfance, sans oublier l'humour !
Nul doute que ça remémorera des souvenirs d'enfance à ceux et celles qui ont connu certains pays d'Afrique...

Il y a ici 7 histoires à ne pas manquer !
Et en bonus, à la fin de la BD, une recette de dessert facile à préparer que le petit lecteur pourra préparer avec l'aide d'un adulte !

A découvrir!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short graphic novel about the life of a child in the Ivory Coast. The short stories are funny and I think suited to all ages. I loved the pictures, the colourful depictions of every day life, the market, the roads, the houses and clothes. Brought me back to my childhood days and to my meanderings in West Africa. Children are the same everywhere, except the tools of play are different. Therein lies the interest and the attraction.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of this crazy little girl! I'm so fascinated by the activities of these children: stealing babies, eating garbage, killing and roasting pigeons...I'm not sure how much of it is accurate to the culture or if any is exaggerated at all. Either way, it's like nothing I've ever read and it's hilarious! Reminds me of titles like Yotsuba and Ariol--humorous and heartwarming slice-of-life stories about children's lives. More, more!!

[Kayla Yirdaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious comic that provided some quick insight into life in West Africa as a child. I laughed thinking of some television shows I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard from African friends, who’s experiences mirrored much of the childhood shenanigans depicted Akissi: Cat Invasion. Though I pulled this from the children’s graphic novel section of the library, it has humor that adults will enjoy as well. Looking forward to more giggles and stories of Akissi’s strong will in the next book!

[Laurie Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book to a little girl when she was seven. Her parents are Sudanese immigrants. Today I visited her and her mother, and they both raved about the book and how it was (and is) her favorite book. Apparently she took it “everywhere” and showed it to “everyone” when she first got it. She told me, “I even got my teacher at the time to read it aloud to the entire class!” I think this is the best review for any book!

[BUG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this hardback copy in spanish. It's just a section from the first book so it won't be anything new if you or your kids have Akissi, tales of mischief, but if you're trying to learn or teach another language it's helpful to have this. These books were originally written in French, so they are greatt for aspiring francophones in my opinion.

[Amber]

Comics about a mischevious little girl, living in West Africa. Don't get on her bad side or she'll threaten you with her tapeworm!

I, uh, don't even know how to react, mostly because this isn't for me. I was a boring child, I'm very white, and I've never been to West Africa but I did enjoy the author's other comic, Aya, and wanted to give it a try.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that after reading this, I felt like I understood life in West Africa better. But, this comic is a little too real for me. One chapter has lice and another is about tapeworms. I know these are everyday realities for people in West Africa but I'm glad they're not for me.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akissi is a rambunctious, curious little girl that lives in West Africa. Maybe her town doesn't look like where someone else grew up, but her spirit is very familiar. She gets into trouble just like any other little girl while showing you the culture where she grows up. Great read.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an amazingly fresh and hilarious graphic novel to broaden your world and blow your mind, then please pick up book one of Akissi. In an unspecified West African country (the author was born in Côte d’Ivoire so that is likely the location) little Akissi gets into all kinds of trouble. Out-running neighborhood cats, borrowing the neighbor's baby to play "mums," getting de-wormed. The stories are full of vitality and mischief. I was entranced and can't wait for more.