Good-bye Chunky Rice is a different kind of masterpiece in the comic world. It tells the sweet story of a turtle, Chunky Rice, leaving behind is best friend mouse, Dandel, to sail away and find where he belongs. From the very first pages, you get a sense of feeling closeness and hurt, which grows over time. The drawings are cute and childish, but hold heartbreaking weight as Craig Thompson explores ideas of friendship and loss. The frame shifts between thoughts and experiences of side characters as well, developing subplots that are as equally filled with longing and remembrance. Separated either by their distance of land and sea or by their ability to share themselves, the characters relate to each other differently but all have the same underlying pangs that come with remembering intimacy. Each subplot is shown in small pieces with just a few pictures and words, but revisited under different contexts to layer on emotional connection. A simple story, but filled with tenderness.

A touching story about friendship and loss featuring a cast of colorful characters. Chunky Rice, a turtle, is leaving on a journey to find himself and travels by ship. He leaves behind his best friend who is a mouse. She spends her days after he leaves gathering glass bottles that she uses to send Chunky letters in.

Overall, this book made me think. There are many shades to loss and Thompson says a lot on the subject, but in a subtle way without too many words or simply with pictures. His pictures and his characters are the kind that stick with you long after you put the book down. The most moving aspect of this book is the fact that the losses these characters experience color their personalities and their feelings seem just as raw despite the passage of time. ( )

This book just broke my heart. And I mean that in the best possible way. It's a touching tale about friendship, regrets, and letting go. I loved the illustration style, whimsical and fun, the perfect counterpoint to the plot. There's no lesson to be gleaned, or easy happy endings, just life soldiering on with maybe a little solace to be found by the sea. It's a beautiful and perfect book that might just leave you thoughtful if perhaps a bit sad. ( )

In his first graphic novel, Thompson tells the story of a turtle in love with a mouse who looks very much like a deer. Chunky carries his home on his back but still leaves to find his way only to realize that home is with his deer/mouse.
I picked this up for a couple of reasons. I liked Thomspson's other books and because a reviewer said this was a modern day "Little Prince." I'm not sure if I'd go that far, but the story is similar. Thompson's illustrations are wonderful. ( )

It was a little hard to get into at first, and hard to figure out the characters, but then I really grew to like the weird speech and odd personalities. The story is very sweet. For the most part I liked the illustrations, although some pages were just too full and hectic and were hard to look at. I didn't like the overly huge eyes of the mouse, either. But Craig Thompson has some wonderfully creative ways of using illustration to go back and forth in time and represent different ideas. ( )