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How to tempt those readers who have moved beyond picture books but aren't quite ready for middle grade novels? These chapter book graphic novels will do the trick. With humor and heart, these eye-catching books take on everything friendship, mystery, adventure, and even a bit of metafiction (from none other than Dav Pilkey).

Peter and Ernesto: The Lost Sloths by Graham Annable. illus. by author. First Second. ISBN 9781626725720.
When a hurricane destroys their tree, a group of sloths led by anxiety-ridden Peter and adventurous Ernesto journey through the jungle in search of a new home. Though this story is simple enough for the youngest graphic novel fans, Annable’s exaggerated, pop-eyed cartoons brim with emotion, heightening the stakes and making the happy ending all the more satisfying.

Chick and Brain: Egg or Eyeball? by Cece Bell. illus. by author. Candlewick. ISBN 9781536204391.
The humor revolves around comical misunderstandings, Brain’s intelligence (or lack thereof), Chick’s insistence on good manners, and the ridiculous debate that becomes more and more absurd.

Poppy and Sam and the Search for Sleep by Cathon. illus. by author. Owlkids. ISBN 9781771474184.
In this latest installment in the kid-friendly series, a tiny girl named Poppy and her panda friend Sam live in a garden and make plans to hibernate as fall turns to winter. But as hard as she tries, Poppy can’t fall asleep. She seeks advice from their garden neighbors. Unfortunately, their suggestions aren’t helpful.

Fox & Rabbit Make Believe by Beth Ferry. illus. by Gergely Dudás. Abrams/Amulet. (Fox & Rabbit: Bk. 2). ISBN 9781419746871.
Whether Fox and Rabbit are navigating a corn maze or buying ice cream, they are inseparable. Confectionary days of ice cream and playgrounds, coupled with cooperation and respectful communication, make this an easy recommendation for young readers.

InvestiGators by John Patrick Green. illus. by author. First Second. ISBN 9781250219954.
In the first installment of what promises to be a wildly successful graphic novel series, Green (Kitten Construction Company) once again shows off his knack for pun-filled animal tales.

Fuzzy Baseball: Vol. 3: R.B.I. Robots by John Steven Gurney. illus. by author. Papercutz. ISBN 9781545804766.
It’s baseball season, and the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies return to face a new group of rivals, the Geartown Clankees. While the Fuzzies include animals—rabbits, bears, possums—the Clankees are robots in disguise, and when their secret is revealed, the Fuzzies are upset!

Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey illus. by author. Scholastic/Graphix. ISBN 9781338712766.
Cat Kid and his sidekick Molly are running a comic club for Flippy Frog’s many children. Can Cat Kid inspire them to create well-thought-out, tightly plotted stories and classic comic art? No, but he does inspire them to produce ninja poop joke sketches, merry mayhem, andcutely morbid comics. Sure to be immensely popular, this title also serves as a great introduction to the creative process and to the evolving question of “what is a comic?”

Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli. illus. by author. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 9781368054546.
Like countless lovably naive children’s book characters before him, such as Ben Claton’s Narwhal and Sam Garton’s Otter, Baloney the pig may not always know what’s going on, but he approaches every adventure with enthusiasm.

Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best? by Stephen Shaskan. illus. by author. Random. ISBN 9780593123317.
Pizza or Taco? That is the question. Pizza and Taco’s friendship is put to the test when they disagree over who is the best. Their competition soon turns political, and the two must find voters (Hot Dog and Hamburger), campaign, debate, and ultimately hold a fair and balanced election to determine the winner.

Pea, Bee, & Jay: Stuck Together by Brian “Smitty” Smith. illus. by author. HarperCollins/HarperAlley. ISBN 9780062981172.
A rebellious pea rolls away from the familiarity of his farm on a dare and gets lost, finding help from a bespectacled, know-it-all honeybee and a blue jay who’s a nervous flier. Smith infuses his gentle tale of friendship with wordplay, a sense of the absurd, and a smattering of the subversive.

The Sewer Rat Stink by Geronimo Stilton & Elisabetta Dami. adapt. & illus. by Tom Angleberger. Scholastic. ISBN 9781338587302.
A horrible stench has invaded New Mouse City, and citizens are leaving in droves, so Geronimo and his old pal private detective Hercule Poirat venture into the smelly sewers of Mouse Island to investigate. Angleberger, best known for his “Origami Yoda” series, has adapted the escapades about the renowned rat reporter into a graphic novel; fans will be spellbound.

Shark and Bot by Brian Yanish illus. by author. Random. ISBN 9780593173350.
A great white shark and a robot become unlikely but fast friends in this new chapter book graphic novel. There’s enough wackadoo humor here to make the upbeat, slightly hamfisted story go down without a hiccup, especially when Shark and Bot take on a squad of territorial playground kids. Shove Shark and Bot into the bottomless pit that is the elementary schooler’s appetite for funny graphic novel chapter books.