Tao, the Little Samurai 1

Tao is a young student training to be a samurai, but clowning around comes more naturally to him. His teachers, Master Snow and Master Irons, and his friends, Ray, Lee, and Kat, all try to keep him on the straight and narrow. However, Tao still can't help but show up late to class, damage his teacher's prized sword, and get knocked out of a tree by a bird, among myriad other high jinks. The boy is impish, if not completely lovable. It is easy to see him as a younger version of the popular manga character Naruto. Each volume contains more than 50 stories, one per page. There are slight narrative threads running through the tales, but, for the most part, the single-page stories stand on their own. The vignettes start with titles that read like proverbs ('The Bullheaded Must Be Thick-Skulled, ' 'The Fisherman Must Not Fear Getting Wet') and end with a punch line. The text is easy to follow, making these books good for reluctant readers or those who simply want a quick laugh. While the books are mostly comedic, there are some instructive footnotes to explain various martial arts and cultural terms. The panels are appealing to the eye, with crisp, energetic illustrations and vivid colors. A light, entertaining series for most graphic novel collections. --School Library Journal

-- "Journal"

In this comics series, first published in France, Tao is a bit like Bill Watterson's Calvin by way of the Karate Kid, boasting and making trouble while his martial arts school chums work hard and follow the rules. Richard's episodes usually last just a page or two, and the humor is friendly and lightly slapstick. Tao, in his kendo gear, announces, 'Tao is coming. Tremble before me!' to roars of laughter; his friend Kat has adorned his mask and armor with pink bows. Later, he tries to tie his robe correctly and his pants fall down. There are a couple of fine moments, as when the blocks of wood Tao crushes impressively turn out to be graham crackers, or when the school's Master Snow saves Tao from a falling piece of statuary without Tao noticing ('No way! I'm telekinetic!'). Ryser's style and pacing are polished and professional. The setting and architecture are generically Asian and merrily anachronistic; although backgrounds feature antiques like rickshaws and floating markets, video games and inline skates show up, too. Simultaneously available: Ninjas and Knock Outs! and Clowns and Dragons! --Publishers Weekly

-- "Journal"

Tao dreams of becoming a martial arts master. He is a student at the famous Master Snow's Martial Arts School. Tao is ambitious and tries to follow the teachings of martial arts. However, his wandering mind is always getting him into trouble. In Pranks and Attacks!, Tao is always playing jokes on his classmates, much to the chagrin of his teachers. In Ninjas and Knock Outs!, Tao's pranks become bigger and sillier. Each page is headed with a philosophical teaching of a martial arts concept. The illustrations are colorful and correspond with the text. The back of each book features 'The Making of Tao, ' and outlines illustrating the creation of Tao into a graphic novel. --Library Media Connection

-- "Journal"