By Jodene Wylie
Hear ye, hear ye! Alas, this is Yorick. But hark! This is Bones.
- Jeremy Tankard and Hermione Tankard
Yorick and Bones is a graphic novel designed for middle grade readers and is the perfect introduction to some familiar Shakespearean nods and references told through the eyes of Yorick, a skeleton (think back to Hamlet and his wonderful speech with a skull), and Bones – a dog who likes to dig holes and chew on a good bone. This graphic novel is broken down into three acts: Love Bites, Man’s Pest Friend, and Best Fiends Forever and follows a journey of awakening, a small quest, and a realization about life and friendship.
There is wonderful word play and language reminiscent of Shakespeare – thou, thee, dost, thine, tis’ which makes this book ideal to be read with an older friend or family member who can assist with some of the interpretation. Yorick’s old English language is mixed with the contemporary language of the modern day people he and Bones interact with which makes this book accessible and engaging on a variety of levels. The story line is also whimsical and completely hooks the younger reader which features games of marbles, soccer, and hot dog stands.
The images are bright and colourful though Yorick and Bones lean towards greyscale except for a pair of bright orange pants and blushing cheeks as all skeletons should feature. The characters are designed with soft edges and there is a playfulness and charm to the composition of the graphic images in each of the cells. At times, you’re bound to laugh aloud.
This novel is written by Jeremy Tankard, author and illustrator of the bird series - Grumpy Bird, Sleepy Bird, Hungry Bird and so on, and his daughter Hermione Tankard. It was developed over many years and in fact began as a sketch when Jeremy was seven years old. He and his teen daughter developed and designed this story to be rich and playful for the young reader and I encourage you to give this a read.