Julia’s House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke

Ben Hatke is one of my favorite author/artists. He is the creator or the inimitable Zita, the Spacegirl. Zita is the heroine of three graphic novels, which are all wonderful. She’s a favorite of mine and of the kids at my library. (Did I mention I’m a school librarian now? I can’t remember.)
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures is Ben’s first picture book. It was published by FirstSecond at the beginning of the month. It’s about and adorable and intrepid young lady named Julia who moves to a new town with her magical and mystical house (It arrives on the back of a turtle.)  The two pages spread of the inside of Julia’s house makes me insanely jealous. I’d love to move in there right now.
The problem is, it’s too quiet. So, Julia makes a sign designating her house “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures.” Before long she has more company than she expected. There’s a patchwork kitty, a sad troll, a mermaid, a dragon, goblins, ghosts, and all kinds of other new residents. Some ground rules have to be established, but the household gets along in the end.
The illustrations in this book are just beautiful! Ben has the ability to make amazingly beautiful art as well as to tell wonderful stories. I can’t recommend his books highly enough. I’ll just leave you with some of his illustrations to tell their own story.

A page from “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures”

Bonus Art for “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures”

Ben’s initial pass on a Wonder Woman redesign