The Joys Of Going Outside In Henrique Coser Mireira’s The First Day Of May

Created by Henrique Coser Mireira. Published by Levine Querido.

The days are getting progressively colder where I am in Australia. There’s a chill in the air, regular rain, and the leaves falling from trees – great indoor weather. However, it’s another story in the Northern Hemisphere – the sun is shining. Being outside is an appealing proposition. Cartoonist Henrique Coser Mireira understands how good that feeling can be. With his silent hybrid graphic novel/picture book, The First Day of May, he aims to capture the joyous sense of discovery and play that comes with a lovely day.

The graphic novel chronicles a little girl’s enjoyment of a spring day. She has been cooped up inside for months due to the cold weather. However, as the calendar flips to the 1st of May, the weather is finally nice enough to go outside – and she will take advantage of the opportunity. As soon as the door to outside opens – shown through a six-panel sequence where the outdoor glow slowly reveals itself – an element of magical realism is introduced. This is encapsulated in the little girl taking off into the air on a gust of wind, where she covers the countryside and encounters the joys of nature throughout.

The girl isn’t a superhero or a magical being – the usual comic book explanation. Instead, Henrique Coser Mireira presents the flying as a metaphor for the joy she feels being outside. For her, it’s a euphoric moment full of playtime possibilities, such as chasing butterflies, meeting friendly animals in the forest, and doing a wiggly dance with bugs. And it’s through these the cartoonist is using The First Day of May to sell to young children that being outside can be a joyous thing. They won’t be soaring through the air, but the graphic novel plants the seed of stepping out of the home and enjoying a lovely spring day can be a wonderful thing.

As mentioned, The First Day of May is a silent graphic novel. The wordless aspect works in its favour, allowing Henrique Coser Mireira to lean heavier on visual storytelling. The cartoonist does this through controlled communication of ideas, where each page is dedicated to one idea. Sometimes, it’s a single panel that establishes a location. Another example is when the little girl gets excited about the prospect of being able to go outside. In this, the room fills the entire panel, and she is represented as an elongated wave pattern, stretched out from running around the room in excitement. Another cartoonist might’ve drawn her in different parts of the room instead or perhaps incorporated speed lines. However, this method works well as it’s both visually interesting and the animated aspect appeals to the young audience.

Other times, it’s over multiple panels that highlight a different movement within an action. An example of this is the little girl stepping into her shoes, as told over four panels. While four panels might seem excessive to older readers, where it could be communicated in one, it requires framing with the intended audience in mind. Younger readers are still developing their visual comprehension. Sequences like the shoe one become vital in helping the youngest readers understand what they’re seeing – especially in the absence of dialogue and narration.

The First Day of May beams with joy and a sense of discovery as it chronicles a little girl’s experience of going outside on a spring day. It doesn’t let the fact that it’s wordless get in the way, with Henrique Coser Mireira using his visual storytelling skills to reinforce this joy. It’s a warming experience bound to give young readers a sense of wonder while encouraging them to have their own springtime adventures.

The First Day Of May can be found at all good comic book shops, online retailers, and Amazon.