Looking for an early reader graphic novel with slapstick humor to grab young readers’ attentions? Look no further!

Lydia Lukidis has visited my blog once before. She is an award-winning author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024) and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and Cybils Award nominee. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter, BlueSky, or Facebook.

GROUCHO THE GROUCHY GROUNDHOG is an early reader graphic novel with plenty of humor. The main character is a grouchy groundhog named Groucho who lives to sleep and eat pancakes. However, when his sidekick Blork (a unicorn pig) informs him that the evil Commander Hare E. Bun Bun is going to steal all the pancakes in Critter Creek, he must spring stumble into action. This comedic duo reminds me ever so slightly of Laurel and Hardy and the setup is hilarious. There are plenty of other surprises in store that I don’t want to spoil for you or your young readers. 

Welcome back Lydia!

Me: I saw that you dedicated this book to your mom who “always encouraged [you] to pursue writing [your] own graphic novel.” Have you been thinking about jumping into graphic novels for a while now? Why dedicate your book to her? Why make the leap into this new genre?

Lydia: The concept of Groucho began in Grade 5 when I started writing comics for my school newspaper. I mostly wrote poetry and stories, but started dabbling in comics. I also created a fictional character that was loosely based on me and my family. My mom always told me I had a talent for comics but I think I never felt confident enough to pursue it until a few years ago where I became obsessed with graphic novels as my daughter was reading them. I decided to finally give writing my own a real shot, and I’m glad I did! My mom played an integral role in inspiring me. 

Me: I love that! I also love the idea of a pancake loving groundhog who fights an evil villain determined to steal them all. What gave you the idea for this early reader graphic novel?

Lydia: The comic I created in Grade 5 was called “Squeak and Squeakette,” and it was pretty much inspired by Garfield. The characters were dogs but as I started carving out Groucho decades later, I decided to explore a different animal and landed on a groundhog. He needed eccentricities, one of which is eating pancakes nonstop and being ridiculously lazy, yet always finding himself smack dab in the middle of all the action. It took me three years to fully develop Groucho and his world.

Me: I grew up on the slapstick movies of Groucho Marx and his brothers. Are they what inspired your main character? Why the name Groucho?

Lydia: Groucho Marx and his brothers definitely played a role in inspiring me. My book is a nod to the things and people that truly make me laugh, like Garfield, Seinfeld, and all slapstick / physical comedy like Mr. Bean. It took me a while to figure out Groucho was a groundhog, and then the name Groucho came naturally, derived from grouchy.

Me: An 80-page early reader is a far cry from a 32-page picture book. Was it harder to write this story with all its wacky twists and turns, or easier?

Lydia: For me, Groucho’s story always had to be told through comic form. I felt an easy reader graphic novel made the most sense since I felt like I was speaking to 6 to 8-year-olds. But yes, creating the world and writing 80 pages of action told visually was a challenge. I had to do it little by little. It’s a completely different structure than a picture book, and each chapter is its own mini story arc, and each page has its own flow and that mostly ends with a panel that lands with a punch. There are many moving pieces that all have to come together.

Me: In early readers, the vocabulary must be accessible for beginning readers. How hard did you have to work at that? Did you write first and worry about that later? Did you have editorial help with the reading level?

Lydia: Great question! I never worry about reading level or vocabulary when I write first drafts. First drafts are all about understanding and then polishing your characters and story arc. I was however mindful to not pack in too many words per speech bubble, 25 maximum, but most have 5-15 words. The story was naturally simple but I did edit it later on to make it appropriate for an early reader. That’s when I realized that Blork also didn’t speak in contractions, so I made those edits. My AMP editor did make some changes as well.

Me: The illustrations by Tara J. Hannon are perfect for this story.  I loved how she drew the characters (especially Blork and the Bandit Bunnies!).  Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Lydia: For Groucho, I knew my best shot was to team up with an illustrator and submit the project as a package. I had already collaborated with Tara on No Bears Allowed, so I was well aware of her talent and the incredible creativity she brings to every project. I reached out to her with the idea, and to my delight, she loved it. She even offered to create character sketches and sample art on spec—a huge leap of faith on her part.

The whole process was honestly a joy. Tara and I just click. She always considered my art notes but wasn’t afraid to tweak things or suggest her own ideas—which only ever made the book stronger. If we couldn’t see eye to eye on something, we let our editor make the final call. Tara shared her sketches with the whole team so everyone could weigh in. In the end, the editor had the last word, but I was thrilled by how in sync Tara and I were every step of the way.

Me: Wow! That’s wonderful! What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story? 

Lydia: I was surprised at how funny I can be! I’m a naturally funny person, but it’s an organic thing and only in certain moments. I didn’t think I could write funny on demand. This is the first time I challenged myself on that. My strategy was to create the right kinds of characters and relationships. With Groucho being a grump and BFFs with Blork, who’s always ridiculously cheerful, it was easy to make their dialogue funny. The same goes for the Commander Hare E. Bun Bun and his doofus associate Ding Dong, it’s set up in a way that just makes everything they say funny. All in all, it was a joy and so much fun to write!

I love that. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog again today Lydia.

Dear readers, this book was published yesterday! If you’re looking for a comedic duo with wonderfully wacky moments that will appeal to young readers (and can be read independently), you really need to track this book down. Trust me when I say you won’t want to miss it!