Sesame Street #1

Sesame Street [2024 Oni Press comic book] #1

by Joey Esposito, Alessandro Santoro (colorist), Austin Baechle (cover_art)

Stroll along Sesame Street and join Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and more of your favorite furry friends in this brand-new comic book series for readers of all ages! Grover wakes up to another beautiful day on Sesame Street! But he soon discovers that his friends each have a problem to solve before they can enjoy it. Read along in this brand-new comic book as Grover does what he does lends a helping hand. After all, the most fun on Sesame Street comes from working together!

Genres: Childrens

24 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2024

About the author

Joey Esposito grew up in New England reading comic books, playing video games, renting movies, and writing stories. After high school, Joey attended film school in New York. In college, Joey honed his writing skills, which he soon applied to his love of prose and comics.

After moonlighting as Long Island’s premier Starbucks barista, Joey wrote his first creator-owned comic book series, FOOTPRINTS (with Jonathan Moore), which was featured in USA Today’s Best of 2011 roundup and inspired a sequel, FOOTPRINTS: BAD LUCK CHARM, in 2014. His all-ages superhero series CAPTAIN ULTIMATE (with Ben Bailey and Boy Akkerman) was released in 2013 to overwhelming positive reception and his 2015 graphic novel, PAWN SHOP (with Sean Von Gorman), was released to critical acclaim.

In 2017, he was accepted into DC Comics’ exclusive Writers Workshop. Since his time in the program, Joey has published stories featuring major characters like Batman, Robin, Harley Quinn, Aquaman, and many more on titles such as BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, and more to be announced. His comic book work has also appeared at Image Comics, Valiant Comics, Archie Comics, and others.

In 2024, his new creator-owned series with PAWN SHOP co-creator Sean von Gorman, THE PEDESTRIAN, debuted from Magma Comix.

He lives in Maine with his wife and pets in a house full of soulmates.

He can be found on BlueSky at @joeyesposito.bsky.social.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published June 24, 2025.

5 stars.

Well, it’s no THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, but what is?!?! It’s still the very best Muppet (suck it, Elmo!) He dances, he gets ice cream, he sees lots of Muppet pals (including Sherlock Hemlock, always woefully underused) and he’s a HELPER! What else do you need?

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t mind me over here, I’m just trying to add comic books into my little man’s reading brainwashing regime in hopes of making him as book loving and obsessed as I am maybe some day. Honestly though I think this is brilliant and beyond adorable because I already read many of my comic issues to my little guy, but actually being able to get a storyline/series that he can appreciate and get into just makes it that much better. That’s all without even mentioning my favorite MVP Grover is the main protagonist of this one and we even get special guest appearances from slimy the worm y’all.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Grover greets his friends one morning he realizes they are all dealing with individual problems that might better managed with a little help and cooperation.

I enjoyed watching Grover taking in the big picture and putting the pieces together in a way that made sense.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review submitted to School Library Journal for the upcoming Fiction SMS article.

[Sasha4Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt good to take a walk down Sesame Street after years of being away. I was able to travel to my childhood hangout in 123 Sesame Street: Grover Lends a Hand by Joey Esposito. This book was done in a comic book style so the drawings were done by Austin Baechie, coloring by Alessandro Santoro, with letters by Shawn Lee and the cover is credited to Erin Hunting. The book itself is adorable and vibrant and the story is such a Sesame Street story in all the good ways. The story takes us on an adventure with Grover from the moment he wakes up to a beautiful day to him discovering that his friends just need a reminder about the power of teamwork. It was a fun read and honestly as a 30 year old I needed the push in the right direction about the capability of community like the good folks on Sesame Street. Thank you to the publisher Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group for allowing me to access this book using NetGalley.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Who knew Sesame Street did graphic novels now? I didn't until I read this book! And you know what? Just like all of the other Sesame Street books...it works! I absolutely adore Grover's problem-solving skills and this book's emphasis on friendship/teamwork, because it's so, SO important for little ones to see this early on so that they can mirror it. Additionally, I love how this book incorporated numerous recognizable Sesame Street characters, rather than just using a few. Kids will definitely feel happy and excited when they see their favorite characters in the books that they read, instead of seeing them exclusively on TV. Lastly, since this book was made up of pictures, I want to greatly applaud this book's illustrator. All of the characters were easily recognizable, and the use of color was so impressive! It's difficult to have so many bright and loud colors coexist on one page, but the illustrator managed it. Bravo!!

[Reading Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Sesame Street and have been fans for decades. This
book has the classic Sesame Street vibe we all love. The book is illustrated in a comic book style, with bright & bold colors and exciting art.
In this story Groves has awakened to a beautiful, happy day and he can't wait to share it with his friends. When Grover
finds his friends and quickly learns that each friend has a problem that keeps them from enjoying the beautiful day. As usual kind and caring Grover wants to help. He lends a hand to
help each friend.
I love the messages the story shares. We see the importance of friendship, helping others and the benefits of working together.
This story is great for the Sesame Street fan in your life and any young child. It is also great for early childhood &
elementary school classrooms.
Enjoy the fun with your little ones. A great way to introduce the comic book style to young children.
Enjoy the adventure together.

A million stars

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

Grover has always been my favorite Sesame Street character so I always appreciate a book that puts him front and center. Often times on the show Grover's attempts at helping tend to bring on a little bit of chaos so I also liked that he has the chance to show what a great friend and problem solver he can be. The message of not only being able to ask for help, but to be able to give help to others is a really good one for young children. This book also draws in so many familiar faces from Sesame Street that young readers are sure to see at least one of their own favorites.

[Kaitlyn Bieszk · Rating 4 out of 5]

For young readers this book was very hard to follow as it is presented like a graphic novel. The graphics are very eye catching, but for a young reader it bounced around a lot. The book cover and Sesame Street will catch a young readers attention, but I would suggest this book to a young reader who is getting interested in graphic novels as it is short. Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advanced reader copy.

[Jessica's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright colors are sure to delight the young readers, especially paired with the theme of friendship, problem solving, and helping others. It’s a basic feel-good book on Sesame Street.

Cookie Monster’s eyes were drawn a bit too wild and distracting. The plot also is a little disjointed, but on a whole a fun read to youngsters.

This was an honest review sponsored review through NetGalley.

[Amethyst Maxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC. My toddler had become obsessed with Sesame Street so we’re were exited to read this together. We’ve never read a comic book style book but he enjoyed it. It had a wonderful message about helping others. It contained so many of the characters we have grown to love on Sesame Street. It was bright and colorful and the drawings looked like the show characters.

[Kayli Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grover wakes up to a beautiful day and is sad when he notices that his friends are not enjoying it, as they have many problems that require their help. Grover ends up learning that helping your friends is a great thing to do and that it's essential to ask for help when needed.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to see Sesame Street comics on Wednesday, but I was delighted none the less. The stories are simple but not mind numbing to older readers. The characters all feel like themselves and the art is charming.

[Sarah Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who does not love the inhabitants of Sesame Street? This is a great children’s book about helping others, problem solving, and friendship. Grover learns a lesson, but so do all of his friends and the readers, too! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite as bad as the others in this series, but still wordy, boring, and preachy. Not at all a satisfying picture book experience. I should stop reading these comic book/picture book Sesame Street things.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely adorable kids comic! Perfect for any young fan of these muppets. :) I especially loved that Oscar and Slimy made an appearance ;)

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start right out the gate here! My kids love this one.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel representation of a Sesame Street story. In this Grover is walking along the street and realizes that his friends need a little help. And while he may not be able to help them all, he knows exactly who can help each other to get the results they are both seeking. Grover is a true friend for helping to make every person’s day better.

[John Walthers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember watching Sesame Street as a kid growing up. I requested this book to read with a family member. I will Say that even my puppy seemed to sit and listen to it with us. This Story is geared toward children under 10. I liked that it was put in graphic novel style instead of 1 picture per page. This Story centers around Grover but all the main cast for the most part make some sort of appearance. Grover seems happy and willing to help his friends as he goes about his day but will he be able to solve all the worlds problems or in this case Sesame Streets problems on his own? Definitely not. For children I felt the messages of the story were teamwork, not giving up on your goals and problem solving mainly. Even Oscar who is usually a Grouch was helpful in the story. I will also admit being that I watched the show growing up and have Many Nieces and Nephews of all ages now I found myself reading this in some spots in the character voices especially Elmo’s Parts. This would make a great read with your younger children. Many thanks to #Netgalley OniPress and Joey Esposito for the advanced E copy allowing me to read this and share my honest review with the world.

[JudyAnnLovesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Sesame Street fans of all ages, GROVER LENDS A HAND is a colourful and engaging read that espouses the value of helping others and the beauty that can be found in doing so. The reader is taken on a journey through the beloved community of friends on Sesame Street as Grover does what he does best - be there for his friends. A very important message, especially in today’s ever changing world. This book is a welcome addition to any classroom or personal library. Recommend.