Lowriders in Space

Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper, art by Raul the Third, 112 pages

So stop me if you've heard this one before: An impala, a mosquito and an octopus walk into a garage... No? Well, that's the beginning of Lowriders in Space, an AWESOME graphic novel for kids that explores lowrider cars and their link to Mexican-American culture. The three animal friends work together in the garage of car dealership, but dream of opening their own garage to customize cars and build their own lowrider. Can a competition to build a car be the key to getting their startup dinero? (Previous word is in Spanish because Camper sprinkles the story with Spanish words and phrases, because she's awesome like that.)

Seriously, this is a great book. I loved the story of friendship and teamwork set against a zany plot (they actually go into space, you guys!) and chock-full of Mexican-American cultural references. My favorite part though? The artwork by Raul the Third is flat-out stunning, and what makes it even more impressive is the fact that it's all done with Bic pens. In an author's note at the end, Raul the Third writes that he wanted to go back to his draw-with-anything-available roots when illustrating this book. It's a great message for kids: that you don't need fancy expensive art supplies to do something awesome.