Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voices & Changed the World is the brand new inspiring women driven graphic novel from Knopf Books for Young Readers and the creators of Kazoo magazine. This graphic novel centers around the inspiring tales of 25 different powerful women who made an impact on society. Each story is completely different and is created, written, and illustrated by different women, spotlighting some historic people who made change for the better. The unique stories pared with all of the different art styles makes for a fascinating way to show kids how powerful women are. I think there should be more comics like Noisemakers to give kids a platform for empowerment through some really fun stories. As a kid, I would have loved to learn about important information through such a fun graphic novel, and I think it is a great way to kick off 2020.
Something I would like to highlight in this novel are the incredibly different stories taken on by a highly talented team of people. As a writer, I know how hard it is to try to get very different pieces of writing from many different people to come together and form a cohesive collection of work. Looking at a novel with 25 completely different stories come together in such a seamless fashion, I cannot help but admire the talented people at Knopf Books. Some of the writers include Sophie Goldstein, Little Corvus, Sarah Winifred Searle, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Maris Wicks, and many more. Each story has a certain charm to it, while still being very informative. Along with individual illustrated tales, kids also get a list of traits and fun facts about each woman to learn more about them. I have never read anything quite like this novel, but I know I would have loved this book as a kid, and I will be recommending it to my cousins. This is a super fun way to share some very powerful and insightful messages to a younger audience. I think there should be more books like this. Writing receives a 4/4!
Although the content may be geared towards a younger audience, anyone, especially artists, can appreciate the level of expert detail and craftsmanship that is found in Noisemakers. The cartooning and illustrations reflect each of the creators, showing their personalities and fitting each story flawlessly. Each style is not only representative of the creators but also of the women whose stories are being told. For example, my favorite spotlight was The Fossil Hunter: Mary Anning by Little Corvus. I thought that the story was inspiring, relatable, and so motivational. The art style however may have been my favorite part. The pastel color scheme was truly beautiful and the illustrations seemed to flow from page to page, almost casading. It really stood out to me as one of the most powerful stories in the book because of how well the story was executed with the art. I was truly moved by the grace of it all, and it really shows that even though it is aimed toward a younger audience, anyone can appreciate how incredible the craftsmanship the art is. I would also like to note the cover. Going into the novel I had an idea of what it was going to be about, but wasn’t sure how they were going to showcase all the different styles of the creators and cram it onto one cover. I was happy to see the simple design they used. It was an interesting way to let the reader find out when they got into reading the book, rather than having it all shown to them beforehand. Illustrations and cover art receive a 4/4!
This comic is inspiring, fun, empowering and great for kids! The unique illustrations alongside the incredible stories of influential women make for a unique graphic novel that I can’t wait to share with others. It receives a full score of four on uniqueness. Noisemakers is great for girls of all ages or anyone who wants to learn about some amazing women in history alongside some amazing art. This is the best graphic novel I have read so far this year. You can find Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voices & Changed the World starting February 4, 2020. You can find out more by following Kazoo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. or by visiting https://www.kazoomagazine.com/.
