Orpheus in the Underworld: A TOON Graphic is an extremely accurate retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in graphic novel form. Yvan Pommaux uses the story to show that a good relationship means that partners listen to each other and care about each other's feelings. Orpheus grows up to be a great artist and meets the love of his life, Eurydice. Pommaux shows them talking and making plans together, so that readers can see that they are on the same page. When Orpheus sees Eurydice’s ghost in the Underworld before he starts his return journey to the upper world, she is blank-faced and silent. As a result, Orpheus worries that she does not remember him or want to return with him, which makes it easy to understand why he wants so much to look back.  

Orpheus in the Underworld is part of TOON books’ easy-to-read comics series, designed to help readers enjoy the story. The action is told mostly in pictures, with word balloons for speech and just a little bit of extra narration. All the names are written out like they sound when they first appear, and there’s a great visual index to help readers keep track of all the names and places. The entire book has a lot of scaffolding to help young readers practice inferential reading of both text and images. Responsible adults will also appreciate the pedagogical guide for visual reading on the last page that explains how to use the book to help their readers practice literacy skills. – Krishni Burns