TINY TALES

An intrepid firefly tries to show its sleepy diurnal friends the beauty of the night.

A group of creatures, including a ladybug, a roly-poly, a snail, and a couple of slugs, watch the sunset. Firefly shows up and encourages the others to stay up late to see the moonflower bloom. “Bedtime can wait,” they decide as Firefly leads them through the forest. At first, they startle at the nighttime sounds of owls and frogs but soon find them soothing, like a lullaby. “I never thought of it that way before,” muses Firefly. Later, Firefly uses its flash to help turn unexpected and seemingly frightening shadows into playful shadow puppets. But will they make it to the moonflower in time? Maybe not, but what really matters is that these pals have spent time together. Even better, Firefly has learned to see nighttime in a whole new light. As in Tiny Tales: Shell Quest (2021), Waldo makes her cast of creepy-crawlies downright endearing; fans will recognize the snail and the slugs from her previous title. The colorful creatures pop effectively against the deep purples of the night. With just a few panels per page and a limited word count, this short comic will please comics newbies; those in need of some guidance will appreciate the brief explanation of how to read a comic.

An exciting, friendship-filled nighttime romp.