STAR KNIGHTS

A young frog finds a friend and embarks on an adventure that upends a myth.

Tad longs to transform into a Star Knight like those told about in local legends. In the stories, falling stars conferred humanlike forms on the animals living in the forest. They became knights who built a grand, prosperous city on the mountain, but a witch turned them into voracious wraiths known as Fallen Fauna. Tad relates this lore to another small creature and then approaches Sophos the old turtle to help with understanding details about the star wishes. However, the turtle viciously reviles the young frog for being one of the mud dwellers—frogs and salamanders—who are the villains of the story and allies of the Marsh Witch. Soon after, when a star seems to fall into the Milky Way Marsh, a sword-wielding, bright-haired person comes to Tad’s rescue. Tad believes this to be Stello, the Star King, and pledges to help Stello find a way to get back to space. Davault’s characters have a plump, big-eyed, punchy energy, and her angular panels in pleasing colors keep the complex narrative zipping along. Humanoid characters have skin colors ranging from dark brown to eggshell. Unlikely and unexpected heroes and cosmic royalty in disguise underscore the lively quest, while intriguing reversals serve to emphasize Tad’s emotional growth.

A lively hero’s journey, not least for a frog.