Grace for Gus

When the teacher announces that Gus, the class guinea pig, is lonely, quiet Grace feels a connection with the furry guy. She sets out to raise money to buy him a companion in this almost wordless story, and travels throughout New York city busking with her violin, selling her sketches of people, and doing gymnastics on a subway pole. She happens to have two dads. Cameo background images of famous faces (Spike Lee, Vincent Van Gogh, Patti Smith) and fictional characters from other cartoonists (Charlie Brown, Tintin, and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home) may amuse some adult readers; others may be put off by the fact that two of them, who happen to be watching Grace’s subway dance, are Woody Allen and Donald Trump, as one reviewer pointed out (though the building in the background is perhaps pointedly labeled “Rump Tower”). If you can ignore their presence (and some may not want to), this is an entertaining and amusingly drawn tale of a creative and resourceful child.