Early Book Review: Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke is a picture book which is currently scheduled for release on June 1 2016. Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. Every day, Goblin and Skeleton play with the treasure in their dungeon. But one day, a gang of "heroic" adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and make off with Skeleton―leaving Goblin all alone! It's up to Goblin to save the day. But first he's going to have to leave the dungeon and find out how the rest of the world feels about goblins.

Nobody Likes a Goblin meets the bar that I have set for Hatke’s picture books after the absolutely fabulous Julia's House for Lost Creatures. In this book our Goblin’s home is beset by ‘heroes’ that steal everything of his, including his best friends as the goblin hides in fear. He goes off to rescue his friend, and he discovers that the world outside have very strong feelings about goblins. Despite wanting nothing more than his friend back, you can imagine ow the people of the world react to a goblin inter midst. He has quite the adventure, only to discover that while hiding from the ‘brave’ people hunting the little goblin that he is far from alone. A fun, and wonderfully illustrated, story about assumptions, appearances, and friendship. I think children are already more willing to think outside the conventional norms or who is good or bad based on silly things like appearance but this book will only encourage them to think and look further than the surface of those they encounter.

Nobody Likes a Goblin left me with one complaint, that it was too short! Hatke is one of my favorite authors for children’s graphic novels, and picture books of course. This is a delightful read all around. I would recommend to anyone that loves great picture books and any of the author’s other work.