Freedom!: Book 1

by Frank Le Gall, Flore Balthazar (Illustrator)

Miss Annie is a kitten with a large dose of curiosity! Even though she's only a few months old, Miss Annie thinks she's big enough for adventure right now. If only she can convince her human family that she can take care of herself—or can she?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Cats, Childrens, Animals, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel was written for a young audience but is entertaining enough for any age. Miss Annie is a darling kitten of four months and this issue is a day in her life. She is finally old enough to go outside but she finds that outside isn’t necessarily as free as she thinks.
This book was delightful. Miss Annie is so cute and you can’t help but fall in love with her. She is naïve which offers a lot of charm, especially when she befriends the new mouse that has moved in. This is a must have for cat lovers of all ages.
The drawings are light and colorful. Miss Annie is drawn as a sweet black and white kitten. I rather liked the more realistic drawings here, though they maintain their cartoon image. All in all, this is a great graphic novel.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh so cute. When I got my new kitten (Clementine, not Annie), she was four months old, just like the kitten in this book. This is one of those books that people who have cats will just squeal over, because it is so adorably accurate and sweet.

The only reason this gets three stars instead of four is that: 1. It's translated from French, and you can really tell. Some jokes and funny things do not translate as well to English as they possibly could have, and 2. There are so many books like this! This is very much like Binky the Space Cat and Chi's Sweet Home -- you would think the genre of "adorably observant cat graphic novels meant for children" would be tapped out. But apparently not. And I keep reading them, so that must mean something :)

But if I had this checked in at the library I'd totally give it to kids.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. I love the illustrations.

This is a graphic novel/comic about a black and white cat named Miss Annie. It shows her meeting a mouse, who becomes her best friend and shows the way she interacts with her owners.

Also, as she is a few months old, she is allowed to go outside for the first time and while she is outside, she meets two other cats.

It's only short but it's just so cute. I really love the way it's drawn and the story was simple but sweet.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, cute, cute. If you have ever loved a cat you will love this graphic novel. Good for all ages, beginning readers to adult. Perfect for younger comic book fans.

[Morgan Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun and engaging book to read to young children. It will catch the eyes of these children because the pages are very bright and colorful. I used this book for my Graphic novel organizer and I was able to get a physical copy of the book and read through it. This novel is good for keeping children engaged in the reading, especially for the students who love kittens! This book is about a kitten who has big dreams for the future but her owner does not believe in her dreams because he thinks she's too young. The kitten wants to go outside and experience the outside world but the owner thinks she would not be able to take care of herself and would get hurt. This book can teach students that they should always believe in themselves even when others don't. It also teaches them that even when they are scared they can still accomplish their dreams. This is a fantastic book to read in the classroom and I highly recommend it. I love kittens so this book caught my eye immediately!!!

[Dani]

Title: Freedom!

Author: Frank Le Gall

Illustrator: Flore Balthazar

Genre: Graphic Novel

Theme(s): Independence, Friendship, Trust

Opening line/sentence: “I’m going for a walk in the park. Guard the house, Miss Annie!

Brief Book Summary: Miss Annie is a five month old cat, who loves to run around the house and cause a ruckus. Even though she likes to run around, her family adores her dearly. She especially likes to sit in and listen to Sarah, the daughter in the family, talk to her best friend, Keisha. Miss Annie then meets a mouse, and befriends her unlike most cats would do. Then, Miss Annie feels the need to experience the outdoor world because she believes she is old enough to explore. One day, she finds an open window and decides to climb out. An old, eighteen year old cat and a younger cat named Rostropovna see Miss Annie and call her to the roof. They explains the rules and dangers of the outdoors, and Miss Annie sees that freedom is not all that she expected it to be. However, she is excited to learn the rules of the outdoors so she can experience it later with her new outdoor cat friends.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1: KIRKUS REVIEW
Miss Annie might just be a kitten, but she’s ready for adventure.
Four-month-old Miss Annie lives with The Dad, The Mom and young mistress Sarah—all of whom readers only see from the thighs down. Miss Annie defends her territory against potted plants and ventures on to The Dad’s desk despite stern warnings because pens and erasers are amusing. After all, there is little that a roll on the back and a purr can’t fix where humans are concerned. Miss Annie’s fondest wish is to go outside despite her mouse friend Keshia’s warnings of danger. When a window’s accidentally left open, Miss Annie leaps at the opportunity and meets old Zeno and beautiful Persian Rostropovna, who teach her about dogs and cars and invite her out to run the rooftops at night. Prolific French cartoonist Le Gall teams with debut graphic-novel illustrator Balthazar and colorist Doo for this first of two simultaneously published urban kitty adventures. In Rooftop Cat, Miss Annie gets a cat door, participates in a neighborhood cat fight with unfortunate results for Zeno and finds a male “friend” for Keshia.
A charming balance of cartoon and natural kitty-ness in full-color, eight-panel pages, this cat's-eye view of life will induce purrs in feline fans everywhere. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Miss Annie is a kitten, and she does all of the expected kitten activities playing with pens and yarn, napping on armchairs, and begging for food. But she does the unexpected, too, like befriending a mouse she knows she's supposed to hunt. On her first adventure outside of the house, she meets two older cats, Zeno and Miss Rostropovna, who guide her through the big, new world. Annie has a wide range of expressions, from her perked ears to the tip of her pert tail, a perfectly captured paragon of kittenhood. With a charming sensibility and lovely art in the vein of adult bandes desin es like The Rabbi's Cat, this gentle story of discovery is kept lively with Annie's antics, interior dialogue, and interactions with the creatures, human and otherwise, in her neighborhood. Ages 7 10. (Mar.)
(PUBLISHER: Graphic Universe 48 pp. $29.27., PUBLISHED: 2012)

Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with these reviews and their statements of the vivid, bright illustrations through this book. This story of self-discovery would be especially relatable for a child who believes they should be given more freedom in their life. I also adore the friendship between Miss Annie and the mouse because it shows the reader that you can be friends with others that are the complete opposite of you. Miss Annie and the mouse, Keisha, go against the norm by being friends, and that is a crucial lesson for children to learn.

Evaluation of Literary Elements: The character development of Annie progressed throughout this graphic novel, which I found to be the most compelling literary element. Miss Annie initially thinks that she is old enough to do whatever she wants, much like most young teenagers and even older elementary school children. She goes behind her Master’s back and climbs out window to the outdoors. When she runs into cats who have been going outdoors for a long time, she quickly realizes freedom is not what she thought it was going to be. She is informed there are rules to being outdoors, and she must follow them to stay safe. Miss Annie matures in a short amount of time once she realizes the crucial rules she must follow in order to be able to experience the outdoors. It is important for a young child to read about Miss Annie’s initial presumptions about freedom and how they change once she is granted independence.

Consideration of Instructional Application: In small groups, students could perform skits of different situations where they have been granted freedom. One of the students would have to be a character like Miss Annie (the person who is seeking freedom). Then there would have to be one/two students who would take the role of someone like Keisha who would play the devil’s advocate in asking if taking this step of freedom is safe and worth it. Lastly, there would be one/two students who would give their wisdom and knowledge to the character who was just starting to be independent. Different skits could consist of being able to walk home alone from school, staying home without a babysitter, playing at the park with friends without an adult, etc.

[Tilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down.

Miss Annie is a cat, who we follow through this short graphic novel as takes her first adventure outside the house.

I'm not sure I really got this, or it was a read for me. I love cats which why I picked it up, well that and it was a short graphic novel that was on kindle unlimited, that I could read in a day whilst waiting to be able to collect the next book on my TBR from the library.

It's cute I suppose, and a bit of a slice of life for a cat, there isn't really that much story or character development. I would pick it up if you want a quick boost on your reading goal and like cats, but otherwise I would just give it a miss.

[Cheryl MacKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for cat lovers

This book explores the world through the eyes of a youthful cat, Miss Annie. You are introduced to her human family and best friend who happens to be a mouse. She is keen to explore the outside world but her human family always keep the windows closed to keep her safe, until one day a window is left open...

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. For me it wasn't much of a story. This could be because I'm an adult and this book is geared toward children. The illustrations are really cute and I love how it's about this one cat, Miss Annie, but overall it was just okay. I didn't like how the family acted towards each other and how we never saw their faces, just their legs.

[Pat Salvatini · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this first book of a new series, readers are introduced to a young black & white kitten, Miss Annie. Although Miss Annie gets into typical kitten mischief, she also befriends a mouse and ventures into the scary outdoors. The simple text and graphic novel format will appeal to young readers.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable! It reminded me a bit of a comic book version of those delightful Jenny and the Cat Club books, albeit more modern.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

To SHORT!

Only a few pages long and was not exiting at all. This book was boooring it had a horrible plot and I did not like it.

[Jon Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exiting book

I love the book because it’s all about adventure and curiosity and it is a very interesting book thank you for writing it. 😁

[liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

the art style is so cute and pretty! <3

[Chuva · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai bien aimé cette BD. J'ai ressenti de la solitude et de la tristesse. Ses maîtres sont méchants avec elle et le monde du dehors est dangereux pour les chats..

[Asa Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a cat named Annie. She is 6 months old and lives with her masters, a married couple and their daughter. Annie guards the house when everyone is away, sometimes making messes. One day she meets a little mouse; she had never met one before. She knew she wasn’t supposed to like mice but the mouse pleaded with Annie not to eat her. Annie agreed and they became friends. One of the things Annie wanted more than anything was to go outside and explore. Annie’s owners weren’t sure she was ready to go outside. Her mouse friend also warned her about the dangers outside but Annie wasn’t scared. The next day Annie saw a window open and decided to go outside. She climbed to a tree branch where she met an old cat on a rooftop. The old cat introduced Annie to a Persian cat named Miss Rostrapovna. Rostrapovna wanted to show Annie what to watch out for when she was outside. She showed Annie the neighbor’s dog and how to avoid cars. Annie was thankful for her new friends and after saying goodbye made her way back into the house. She went to greet her owner and he noticed dirt and leaves in Annie’s fur. He appreciated that she went outside and came back, thinking he should give Annie more freedom. Annie enjoyed her trip outside and couldn’t wait to go out again.

This book would be good for earlier readers or students who are just starting to read graphic novels. This book is more of a comic book style graphic novel but contains different chapters to break up the story. Chapter breaks are important for students to understand because the story might not continue seamlessly from chapter to chapter. This book has a lexile score of 300 which would make it great for grades 1-3 depending on the students reading level. In the story Annie learns about the dangers that are outside but also how to handle them from a friend. Students need to be OK asking for help in life so this is a good introduction to learning these skills. This is the first book in a long series of Miss Annie graphic novels. These would be really fun to have in a classroom library for students who want to read something a little different.

[Emilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first saw this pop up on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it right away. I don't like to make comparisons to other books, but it made me think immediately of Binky the Space Cat. I loved that book, and thought I would like this one, too. Unfortunately, it wasn't as great as I had hoped.

The book is a short graphic novel following the adventures of Miss Annie, who wants so badly to go outside.

I looked up this book and author and it looks like this was previously published in France in 2010. I don't know if something was lost in translation, but the dialogue fell a little flat for me. I would have liked it better if it was written in 3rd person rather than 1st person. The plot was almost non-existent. Miss Annie wants to go outside, meets a mouse, goes outside and then comes back. It could have been a little meatier. The relationship between Miss Annie and the mouse could have been explored more, and what Miss Annie learns when she goes outside. And maybe more suspenseful, with all of the dangers lurking outside. At one point, when Miss Annie is outside, she is chased by a ferocious looking dog, but there was no suspense or sense of danger! I also didn't really like the family. Yes, I have cats, and sometimes they are annoying, but Miss Annie's family didn't seem to like her very much at all.

However, after all that negativity, I thought the illustrations were adorable. Obviously the illustrator is great at capturing felines and is most likely a cat lover. I thought the illustrations of the people weren't as well done, but were made up in the illustrations of the animals. When I first read the book, I didn't realize it was originally published in France, and I wished that could have been illustrated more in the book.

Overall, I thought the illustrations were very cute, but the plot and execution were lacking. I give this book 2 stars: It was OK.

[Wandering Librarians · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Annie may just be a kitten, but she's more than ready to explore the world outside her house, no matter what her owners say! Miss Annie discovers an open window and seeks out adventure.

Originally published in France, Miss Annie has now come to America. The first (very short) volume is split into three stories. First we are introduced to Miss Annie, a kitten with big plans, and her owners, The Dad, The Mom, and Sarah. Miss Annie makes lots of fun observations about her family, while protecting the house from various pens and plants.

Next Miss Annie befriends a mouse, whose name she decides is Keshia, since that's what Sarah calls her best friend, so that's what best friends must be called.

Then Miss Annie makes her dash to freedom when a window is left open. She meets some streetwise cats who give her lots of advice, not all of which Miss Annie takes.

It was a very cute book, great for elementary kids. There isn't a whole lot of depth to it, it's pretty straight forward, but it was certainly fun and Miss Annie gets into mischief and has adventures.

The art is drawn from Miss Annie's point of view, so we never see the faces of The Mom or The Dad or Sarah. They just feet and petting hands to Miss Annie, so that's the only perspective there is. Miss Annie is very expressive with her big eyes. The panel layout is consistent throughout, two panels across, four down, all the way through.

There is another volume of Miss Annie stories, Rooftop Cat, where perhaps we find out what happens to the friendship between Miss Annie and her mouse friend. The outdoor cats were very skeptical.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Annie is a kitten, who is tired of living her life as a housecat. She longs for the freedom that she thinks living outside will bring her.
She gets asked to watch the house alot, but she usually stirs up trouble and mischief instead.
One day, she befriends a mouse. She names it Keshia after her owners' daughter's best friend, since she believes that it is what humans call their best friend.
Keshia's lifetime goal is to find a handsome male mouse, and start a family of her own. When Annie hears this, she explains that her owner is getting her "fixed", so that she can never have babies of her own. Keshia thinks that weird, but also helpful, since kittens would have killed her and her future family.
-------------------
One day, Annie spies an open window, and she climbs outside via that window, only to find herself on a branch. She wonders whether to go up or go down until she hears a voice.
The voice calls her up to the rooftop. It belongs to an old yellow tabby cat named Zeno, who intends to train Annie in the ways of the outside cats.
He also introduces her to Miss Rostropovna, a fluffy white cat that lives nearby, who takes Annie in the "forbidden" garden, where they get chased away by a dog.
After that, Annie returns home.
--------------
I enjoyed this volume, even though it was really short. The drawings were really nice, and I love cats. I also read the 2nd Miss Annie book, and will be reviewing it next. I'd love to read more of this series.
-----------------------------
I checked this out from the Decatur Public Library, via Camellia Net, as an eBook. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to be very good about sticking to my to read list more or less in order. However I snuck this and Rooftop Cat in tonight for a few reasons. 1. I am about to dive into two very long books. 2. I often see these titles sitting on the shelf at work and have always wanted to read them. I will be leaving work in a few months and thought I should act on my desire to pick them up before it is too late. 3. My book challenge was in desperate need of a little boost. What better than sneaking in two quick children's graphic novels.

Anyway about the books (I am going to review them both here as they are a continuation of the same story and appear together in other additions).

Miss Annie is a cute, feisty little cat. The story is fairly simple, with only minor conflict and resolution or growth. The audience is definitely skewed younger than I had originally anticipated. The exposition and dialogue are kept spare and simple, ideal for beginning and reluctant readers. The artwork is clean and bright without being overly cutesy, and I could see a cross gender appeal which I appreciate. Personally I would have liked a little more depth to the story lines. However there is likely enough for children to thoroughly enjoy.

[Sarah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Annie's not much more than a kitten. Energetic and easily distracted, Miss Annie narrates her everyday life. From fighting with slippery pens on off limits desks to taking on enemy leaves, there's plenty to do while guarding the house. Yet Miss Annie longs to go outside even if her owners think she is too young.

Stuck inside, Miss Annie begins to befriend a small mouse she names Keshia. One day the cat discovers a new scent on the air--fresh air. A window was left open and Miss Annie rushes out onto a tree branch in spite of the warnings Keshia gives her. An older cat directs Annie to climb higher. While this didn't worry Annie at all, it made me a bit nervous as I wondered who that cat was and what he wanted.


The illustrations do a great job of capturing Miss Annie's playful spirit in this short graphic novel. I think this would be a good story to read with younger elementary students and would be a better independent read for third-fourth grade. I read an electronic review copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the second book in this series, "The Dad," who is an author, considers writing a book about his cat, which is just what author Frank Le Gall has done. What really makes this book for me are the illustrations by Flora Balthazar. Miss Annie, who is 4 months old, looks SO cute, just like my mother's cat Annie. Balthazar must have a cat of her own, because she captures the attitudes, body language, and facial expressions perfectly. She captures Miss Annie's young innocence, too, by giving her round, innocent eyes, as opposed to the more oval eyes of the other, older cats in the story. As a typical cat, she knows how to butter up her people and look cute when she's done something wrong. The story is about Annie getting into trouble because she's bored and wants to go outside. The only flaw in the story, for me, was Annie's dialogue, which seemed un-cattish to me; her thinking seemed too adult for a 4-month-old. Aside from that, it's awful cute! Cat lovers have to read this one!

[Patrice Sartor · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I wanted to like this more than I did, but overall I found it just okay. The drawing is clean and fine, and Miss Annie the kitten who yearns to go outside is cute. It's the writing that fell flat for me. It's dull and lame and makes the "plot" of experiencing the freedom of the outdoors just limp along.

I am trying to consider who the book is best suited for. Tweens will be too old for it, yet it is a decent way to pass a half hour (or less). My 11-year old son gave it: "3.5 stars. I liked it, but it's not really my thing." There might actually be too much dialogue for younger kids, and I don't think it would work well as a read-aloud book.

I like that Annie befriends a mouse, and her family (The Dad, The Mom, and Sarah) seem decent too. In the end, the artwork is the best part, and the fact that it's so short, making it a quick and easy read for animal-loving graphic novel fans.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a series of stories, Miss Annie, a half-grown cat, wreaks havoc on the house whenever her human companions are away, and ends up befriending a timid mouse that she names Keshia because that's what her owners' daughter calls her best friend. The author and illustrator depict the hijinks typically associated with felines as she spends quite a bit of time playing with objects on the desk, scratching in her litter box and attacking skeins of yarn and a dried flower centerpiece. When a window is left open, she heads off for adventure, but a wise, elderly cat cautions her about the cars in the street and the dangers in the yards of others. While freedom beckons, it also can be risky. Cat lovers will enjoy this title immensely because of how true to life Miss Annie seems. I'll look forward to more of Miss Annie's adventures.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the cover is really bright, active and attractive, I found the story and illustrations a bit dull. The colors are mostly earth tones, suggesting a restful story, but the artist uses a lot of long mostly straight lines that makes me feel like the story is rushing by, like a fast river. 8 pictures of cat in a tree are also not all that exciting, since the variation between them is very subtle. I think that varying the size of the frames and using some radical perspectives would have helped as well. So, this brings me to the story. I have to say that I didn't find Miss Annie particularly likable. She seemed a bit whiney and was nowhere near as interesting as other cats, like Binky the Space Cat or Simon's Cat. Her main goal, freedom, didn't entice nor was her reaction to it all that great. I guess my expectations were a lot higher than they should have been.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Annie is a kitten who is ready for adventure, if only they'd open up a window to let her outside! She's still young, but she knows the ways of her house pretty well by now. There's the dad who is a writer "That means he gets back his own stories in the mail and yells, 'Oh no! They didn't want it!' What a funny job." Then there's the mom who works for a literary journal and is gone during the day. Finally there's Sarah who spends hours talking to her best friend Keshia. Miss Annie knows just who to ask for food, how to use her cute looks to her advantage, and has befriended the mouse that lives with them. But what more adventures will await her when she finally gets her freedom? This is an adorable, light-hearted comic that is sure to appeal to children who love cats.

Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best graphic novel i've read this month is about a kitten and written for the first-third grade reader. one of the most gentle books i've read.
miss annie is four months old, "practically grown up" and really wants to see the world outside her master's house. finally she finds a window... w/out giving anything away, miss annie also finds a couple of mentors that explain that even freedom has rules.
great book, i think this is the first time i've marked a graphic novel as "great read aloud."
this would have been such an easy story to make dry and preachy, instead Frank Le Gall and Flore Balthazar create a well written novel.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Le Gall must have spent a LOT of time with cats because this story of an "indoor" kitten dreaming of life outdoors is so accurate to real life. Miss Annie is still a kitten but believes she big enough now to go outside. Her human guardians are hesitant to let her start being an outdoor kitty, but one day her young guardian leaves the bedroom window open. Miss Annie has adventures with other outdoor cats, some with more experience than others, and is excited to join her new friends again for more kitty shenanigans.

The art is clean and very cute. I recommend this series to all cat lovers.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Miss Annie books, both the first and second volumes, were a perfect match for my cat-loving oldest niece at almost middle school age. My son was interested enough to read them once, at age four, but not many more times. They're quiet "slice of life" books about a cat, including dialogue from the people in the house (that will sound familiar to any pet owner) and also Annie's interactions with other cats and her new best friend, a mouse whom she names Keshia. Very sweet and thoughtful little books.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute comic about a little cat who wants to go outside. The “Binky” books by Ashley Spires are much funnier and more inventive. As are the “Chi’s Sweet Home” manga by Kanata Konami. The story is not the strong point here. But the illustrations are excellent and I think fans of kitty comics (and there are legions of them!) will also enjoy this.