Ariol #11

The beloved funny-animal world of Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant is in full party mode with La fête à la grenouille — "The Frog's Party" — and the cover sets the social stakes perfectly. Ariol the blue donkey is presenting a wrapped gift to a frog character while their group of friends looks on: a small animal in pink glasses, a cow-like figure with curly hair, and a grumpy pig standing off to the side with arms crossed, clearly less than thrilled about the festivities. It's a warm, charming snapshot of kid social life, delivered with the expressive big-eyed character design that makes this BD Kids series such a pleasure for readers of all ages in 2016.