Destiny Ink uses her trusty sketchbook and creative doodles to turn every childhood mishap into a problem-solving adventure.
Adeola Sokunbi, a senior lighting artist in animation and a self-described “obsessive doodler,” brings a fresh visual energy to the early chapter book genre with her Destiny Ink series. In the first installment, Sleepover Surprise, we are introduced to Destiny, an easy-to-relate to young girl who uses her art to work through the worries and social challenges that come with a night away from home. This series currently offers four books, which gives students a clear path to follow as they grow more comfortable with independent reading.
These books are an excellent choice for students who find long stretches of text intimidating. The pages feature black-and-white, comic-style illustrations at regular intervals to reinforce what is happening in the plot. This visual support is perfect for English language learners because the artwork helps with the storytelling when the vocabulary becomes more advanced. Sokunbi keeps the language accessible by using simple and compound sentences, though she does include useful “tier-two” words like “disappointed” or “hesitate” that are more easily understood through the drawings. Because the characters and the “Inktastic” brand of humor remain consistent, students can build confidence quickly without the stress of learning a new world for every book. In a classroom setting, these stories could easily lead into a “sketchbook workshop” where students create their own visual journals to solve problems, just as Destiny does.
Total Books in Series: 4 Best Starting Point: Sleepover Surprise
