Animal Rescue Friends Box Set - by Gina Loveless & Meika Hashimoto & Jana Tropper (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Welcome to Animal Rescue Friends, where any stray can find a friendly face--furry or otherwise. Each book is a collection of stories of new animals, from dogs and ferrets to cats and birds, as well as the gang of kids ready to lend a helping hand. Perfect for animal-loving kids, this adorable comics series will inspire and uplift.

Book 1: Animal Rescue Friends
A lonely girl living in the suburbs finds happiness with a stray pit bull; a protective mama ferret and her six kits learn to trust a shelter volunteer; a shy boy stands up for himself with the help of a strong-willed bunny; a cantankerous cat helps to mend a troubled relationship; and the shelter's unofficial mascot eventually finds a home.

Book 2: Friends Fur-ever
It's the start of a new school year, and the kids are excited about their new club, Oakville Elementary School's Club for Animal Appreciation, Education, and Rehabilitation--even if their new club advisor, Mrs. Wen, doesn't share their enthusiasm. But as they meet a decidedly unusual crew of animals, including a bearded dragon who won't eat, a therapy pig named Truffles, and a prickly porcupine who needs first aid, the kids and adults alike learn that when people help animals, the animals help them right back.

Book 3: Learning New Tricks
Join Bell, Maddie, Noah, and the rest of the Animal Rescue Friends as they learn to love an affectionate rat named Whiskers, find Sergio the tortoise a forever home that's just his speed, fall for the antics of a chatty parrot with a familiar name, and more! Along the way, they make a few new friends and learn that everyone--even insects--can sometimes use a helping hand.

Book 4: Finding Home
When ARF is flooded with requests for pet-care advice, the kids come up with a great idea to reach lots of people at once: They'll start an animal-care podcast! But when the hard work of creating a podcast leads to lots of new and exciting opportunities outside the rescue, the gang finds itself pulled in different directions. The kids tackle big changes--to their friendships, to themselves, and even to ARF itself--in these stories about friendship, responsibility, and cooperation.

About the Author

Meika Hashimoto grew up on a shiitake mushroom farm in Maine. She is a children's book editor and lives deep in the woods with her husband, two rescue mutts, and a calico cat. She is the author of The Magic Cake Shop and The Trail.

Genevieve Kote is an illustrator from a small town in Quebec who now lives in Montreal. Her work has appeared in parenting and lifestyle magazines, kids' magazines, newspapers, chapter books, educational manuals, and video games. She is the illustrator of According to Aggie--a comic that appears in every issue of American Girl magazine. She is inspired by vintage children's books, Manga, animation, and screen-printing. She shares her studio with a sweet but tired-looking cat.

Jana Tropper, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a writer, presenter, and speech-language pathologist at a public elementary school outside Chicago. When she's not writing, reading, or playing video games, she enjoys visiting schools and has presented as both an educator and author at several events including C2E2, LITapalooza, New York Comic Con, and San Diego Comic Con. She lives with her husband, Josh, and their own three rescue dogs: Ripley, Newt, and Sandy Lambert.

Harriet Low is a children's and YA editor based in Rhode Island. They've edited everything from graphic novels and picture books to nonfiction, including some bestsellers and award-winners.

Stephanie Cooke is an award-nominated writer and editor based in Toronto, and the author of two graphic novels: Oh my Gods! and ParaNorthern.

Chelsea Trousdale is a Character Designer and illustrator based in Salt Lake City Utah were she lives her husband and two cats. She is passionate about character design and storytelling and creating content that is engaging and inspiring. She has created artwork for clients including Waterford Upstart, The Society of Visual Storytelling, Epic!, and Atomic Cartoons.

Barbara Perez Marquez was raised in the Dominican Republic and now lives in Baltimore. She's part of the team behind the Eisner-nominated series The Cardboard Kingdom. Her next graphic novel, The Library of Memories, is due out in 2025.

Katie Longua is an Illustrator and designer with a passion for comics fashion and design.

Megan Kearney is a writer and cartoonist. She lives in Toronto with her family and a very old gentleman rabbit.

Brian McLachlan is the cartoonist behind Complete the Quest: The Poisonous Library and Draw Out the Story: 10 Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics. He lives in Toronto with his family.

Leonie O'Moore is an Irish writer and artist based in California. Her work appears in Heavy Metal magazine, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 40x40, and the Aliens artbook. She has taught comics workshops in schools and museums, and she wrote the curriculum for the degree in comics and graphic novels at Teesside University.

Gillian Goerz is a cartoonist, graphic recorder, and author. Her graphic novel Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer was praised by the New York Times Review of Books and made CBC and the New York Public Library's "Best Books of the Year" lists. Her second book, Shirley & Jamila's Big Fall, won the Doug Wright Award for Best Kids' Book.

Ellen Crenshaw is a cartoonist and illustrator for books, comics, and children's media. She is the co-creator, with Colleen Venable, of Kiss Number 8, which was nominated for an Eisner and longlisted for the National Book Award.

Kasia Babis is a Polish illustrator, comic artist, and politician also known as Kittypat or Kiciputek. She uses her art to comment on current social or political issues and other everyday events. She is the author of picture books for children, and a concept artist in the game industry.

Matt Kaufenberg is a freelance illustrator who's done work for Disney/Pixar, Netflix, Target, and more. He also illustrates children's books, including the recent Toy Story 4 Golden Book. He lives in Minnesota with his family.

Leo Trinidad is an illustrator and storyboard artist from Costa Rica who has worked on productions for Cartoon Network, Disney, Sony, and DreamWorks.

Shadia Amin is a Colombian comic artist and illustrator. Her work includes Aggretsuko, Spider-Ham, and Dumb and Dumber. When she's not drawing, she's cooking or loving on her pets and husband.

Maike Plenzke is an artist from Berlin. She illustrates books, magazines, and more from a plant-filled studio. When she's not making art, she loves to walk in the sun or watch movies with her husband and dog.

Axelle Lenoir is a French-Canadian comic book artist born in the tiny gap between Gen X and Millennials. She has published a dozen books in Canada and Europe, including Camp Spirit and What If We Were, her first English-language books. She's currently working on a weird autobiography titled Secret Passages. Axelle's writing style is a mix of humor, everyday life situations, fantasy, and comic strips.

ANJU Abraham is an Indian illustrator and animation designer. She's from the lush green land of Kerala, grew up in the island of Bahrain, skated the streets of New York and survived the freezing Himalayas. When she's not out on an adventure, she's doodling, devouring towers of chocolates and befriending all creatures.

Whitney Cogar is a comic colorist and illustrator from Savannah, GA. She contributed colors to the two-time Eisner Award-winning Giant Days (Boom! Studios), the Ringo! Award-winning The O.Z., the Steven Universe comic series (Boom! Studios), and Lucy Knisley's Peapod Farm series (Random House). She enjoys building punchy, rich environments in her work and designing enamel pins.