Kids Comics Pitchfest 2023 Showcase

Foogull

Carl, a trusting crab, and Nestor, a bookish turtle, are best buds, until digital-savvy seagulls spread lies about Nestor in order to divide them and snag Carl as a snack. Nestor tries to save Carl from the seagulls’ barrage of bad info, but his former best friend won’t listen and gets snatched. Nestor rescues a much wiser Carl, but the rest of the crabs don’t know better and want Nestor off the beach. As the crab mob closes in, the gulls can’t resist the crab smorgasbord and give themselves away. Carl and Nestor save the day, and everyone is a bit wiser. With the friendship stakes of Bird and Squirrel plus the theme of Chicken Little: The Real and Totally True Tale, FOOGULL humorously helps young readers become canny, digital detectives.

My Why:

With a previous career in PR, I know how information can shape attitudes. Search engines plus social media have amplified disinformation beyond anything previous generations have had to face. Today’s children need more help naming and understanding the social and emotional effects of disinformation. FOOGULL uses humor to help readers, ages 6-10, see how disinformation affects Carl’s emotions and friendships, while Nestor’s attempts to save Carl introduce digital literacy skills specific to recognizing disinformation. But it’s also a story about two friends who work through a big disagreement. I’ve seen the social and emotional cost of disinformation. I want to empower this generation to understand why it works and how to surmount it.