Lobster Is the Best Medicine: A Collection of Comics About Friendship

The Little World of Liz Climo

by Liz Climo

Fans have fallen in love with Liz Climo's charmingly quirky animal kingdom, which was first featured in The Little World of Liz Climo-a place where porcupines, anteaters, and grizzly bears all grapple with everyday life with wit and humor.

They are there when we just want to hang out, or need someone to listen. They make us laugh, and lend a shoulder to cry on. Comic artist Liz Climo captures the true spirit of friendship with this quirkily charming collection. Her animal kingdom is a place where sharks, otters, porcupines, and even crustaceans come together to show the best of what friends have to offer.

This little book will remind you to appreciate your own friendships . . . and inspire you to share with a special pal.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Animals, Graphic Novels Comics, Friendship

112 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2015

About the author

Liz Climo grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles after college to work as a character artist on The Simpsons. She started a comic blog, LizClimo.tumblr.com, where Rory and his dad first appeared in 2012. Liz currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Colin, and their daughter, Marlow.

Liz Climo is a character artist for The Simpsons TV series and has worked on The Lebrons and Seth Macfarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy. She also the author of Le Petit Monde de Liz, a comic collection published in France as well as a forthcoming children’s book. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is ridiculously adorable. how have i never heard of this liz climo person before? she has more than one book, so i'm going to go on a tear and get the rest of them as soon as possible.

i mean, not only does she draw one damn fine red panda:





but she also does SHARKS! it's like she knows just what i like and then she draws it just for me!









and there's even a fox for greg!



these are just some really adorable critters, being really adorable, and i don't know what else i can say about them.

i mean, how charming is this, right?



and awwww



there are animals having fun and playing games together!







and animals in love!





animals being helpful to one another





and helpful to themselves





i think we've all learned a little something about bears here today. but they're too cute to judge harshly



this lady can make anything huggable.

alligators



stingrays



porcupines.... okay, maybe not huggable, but cute!



and i love how unexpected the scenarios are



oh, so many giggles.

it's full of animals setting good examples



and dealing with life's problems



and demonstrating good hygiene



i can't wait to snatch up as many of her books as i can because she is my new favorite animal-drawing person.

come to my blog!

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here, look at a lot of the cartoons in this collection, just do it:

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/funn...

You now know Liz Climo draws and is a "revisionist storyboarder" for the Simpsons. She also does children's books. She is amazingly prolific. And so fun and . . . sweet, though she is not cloying. She just, here, shows you what her friends mean to her, and makes this interesting, even to people who are reading (as I am) horror comics and Dostoevsky! {i.e., weirdos and snobs}

Title: Adorable. Topic: Adorable. Each and every one of these two panel cartoons/comics are reflections on friendship, which would seem to be the most important thing in Climo's life: Adorable. And cute. Gary Larson does animals with a little snark and insightful surreality, bizarre humor. Liz is no Larson, exactly but she is consistently funny, in a different way, maybe nicer, maybe sweeter.

I have been reading, too, the cartoons of macabre Gahan Wilson, the humorously grim Edward Gorey, so these are even less in that club, just to state the obvious, to mark territory. The anti-Gorey? Nah, Gorey has a little sweetness in there, too. We are in the Sarah Scribbles club, kinda, but Sarah. . . scribbles, and also adorably, but this Climo woman is a very precise and amazing animal artist, with heart she earns. It's a little book, too, which I always love. The whole family loves this book!

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Christmas present ever!;)
A cute and uplifting way to look at life. A book to re-visit whenever I'm down.
Myself, I can relate to the Bear on page 12: Spring can't come soon enough! o_O

_____________
I need to read this asap!

[Rafia Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

১১২ পৃষ্ঠার রঙিন গ্রাফিক্স নভেল। বিভিন্ন জীবজন্তু-মাছের মজার কথোপকথন ও ঘটনা নিয়ে লেখা। বইটা ছোট বাচ্চাদের বেশি ভালো লাগবে। জীবজগতের বিভিন্ন প্রজাতির মধ্যকার বন্ধুত্বপূর্ণ সম্পর্কের টকমিষ্টি গল্পগুলো ভালো লেগেছে।

[Shadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and wholesome! ✨

[Andrea :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very cute!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a surprise! A customer was buying this for a friend and asked me if I thought it was good and I started flipping through it and the first pages I saw had me laughing out loud. I read the whole thing in a couple sittings. It was the perfect balance of cute and funny and the whole thing warmed my heart. I really loved it. I definitely want a copy for my own collection that's how much I loved it. I think it would be such a great gift for a friend who is going through a rough time just to have a little pick me up. It's exactly that kind of book.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and silly. I love the art.

[Claire Valian]

ty to simrin for lending me this. can confirm it is actually incredibly adorable. huge HUGE fan of these little guys, i especially resonated with the little rat figure. he is a sk8r and loves vampires just like me

[Beatrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and lovely, even though I honestly expected something more from it

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute :3

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sweet, Quirky, Adorable Collection of Friendship. I had been enjoying Liz Climo's cartoons on social media for years before finally reading a hardback copy in 2023.
Read in 2023 and 2025

Related Film: Terminator

Favorite Passages/Scenes:
A Friend in Need
Bunny and Tortoise
Bunny: I'm gonna run to the store
Tortoise: Would you pick up some candles for my mom's birthday cake?
Bunny: Sure, how many do you need?
Tortoise: One hundred and twenty-four.
______

Chameleon and Pig
Chameleon: I'm blue
Pig hugs Chameleon, Chameleon changes color
Pig: not anymore
Chameleon: nope
______

Bird and Deer
Bird: I got kicked out of my place. Can I stay with you for a while?
Deer: Of course you can
Bird nests in Deer's antlers
______

Dolphins and Narwhal
Dolphins: hey Larry, we got you a present
Narwhal: a cork? what's that for
Cork goes on Narwhal horn and dolphins bring out beach ball.
______

Bunny and Bear
Bear: Check out this treasure map I found!
Bunny: This is just a drawing of my wallet
Bear: Can I borrow twenty bucks


Best Friends Forever
Bunny and Bear
Bunny: What kind of pizza should we get?
Bear: The usual
Bunny on phone: Hi, can we get a large half carrot, half salmon and jelly bean?
______

Alligator and Small Bear
Alligator: Can I have a bite of your sandwich
Small Bear: Sure
Alligator bites entire sub sandwich
Small Bear: okay. next time we're cutting it in half.


Hanging Out
Pig and Rat
Pig: Something smells good. What are you making?
Rat: A Mess
Rat points to slop on floor
_______

Owl and Red Bird
Red Bird: Do you have any hidden talents?
Owl: You mean like these?
Red Bird: no, "talents' not talons.
_______

Alligator and Tiny Blue Bird eating from bowls
Alligator: These noodles taste kinda gross
Tiny Blue Bird: Those are worms.
Alligator: Oh. Well in that case they're pretty good
_______

Bunny and Chick
Bunny: Painting Easter Eggs is fun!
Chick: Dude. That's my brother


Unlikely Friends
Bunny visits Bears Home
Bear: So, this is my place.
Bunny: What's with all the roaches?
Bear: Looks like my roommate is having a party
Roach on the wall: Hey guys!
_______

Little Bear and Alligator with Coon Hat
Little Bear: Yikes, don't let Lance see you wearing that hat.
Alligator: That is Lance. He fell asleep up there.
Raccoon shows his face.
_______

Otter and Shark
Shark: Aaaaah! A Jellyfish! Get it off me, it stings!
Otter: Dude that's a plastic bag.
_______

Shark and Otter doing a puzzle on the beach
Shark: Hey how come we never hang out at my place?
Otter: Because I can't breathe under water and your parents keep trying to eat me.
_______

Small Bear and Alligator
Alligator: My skin's been so dry and scaly lately. Do you think it's because of the weather?
Small Bear: No, I think it's because you're an alligator.
______

Bunny and Tortoise
Bunny: Can I get a ride to work?
Tortoise: Sure.
Bunny hops on Tortoise's back and takes out his cell phone
Bunny on phone: Hey, I'm gonna be really late.
_______

Shark and Lobster
Shark: They say that lobster is the best medicine.
Lobster: Isn't it laughter?
Shark: Actually, I think it's aspirin.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I have fallen in love with Liz Climo. For realz. I think we would be excellent friends. We have the same sense of humor (and by that, I mean weird).

[weronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most cute&adorable&funny book i've ever seen ❤️

[Simrin Carlsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will give this book to everyone i remotely care about in my life. this is the cutest thing i’ve read in a while and i wish i could read it again for the first time. the drawings are 🤌🏼 and the animals are SO AWESOME. i laughed in my cube as i read it

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

V. Wholesome

[Pak Badrul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jalan-jalan di kedai buku. Nampak satu buku ni yang dah unwrapped. Apa lagi... pembacaan pantas lah. Nak beli mahal. Haha! By the way, lukisan dan interpretasi Liz Climo ni memang sweet dan kelakar.

[Nandalicios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ❤️

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and cute!

[Huy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cưng xỉu luôn. Mà mỗi con vật đều hài hước theo đúng tính chất sinh học tự nhiên, rất sáng tạo.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every single comic in here is SO. DANG. CUTE!!!! Definitely a warm and fuzzy book that's perfect for when you're feeling down or when you miss a friend.

Ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries.

[Teagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and funny!!!!

[Neil Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, witty and funny!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh out loud and want to hug it after reading.

[Steven Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last part of the book title is "a collection of comics about friendship," and that's exactly what it is. None of the friends are human; they are all animals, of many different types - mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids. They all get along. There are a few hints that animals eat other animals, but that doesn't happen in the world of Liz Climo. (With, I think, just two exceptions - worms get eaten in one cartoon, ants in another.)

This is a short book. There are four sections: "a friend in need"; "best friends forever"; "hanging out"; and "unlikely friends." (Climo avoids most capital letters.) The majority of the comics have two panels; there are a few single panel ones, and one each with three and four panels. The last section is my favorite, and my favorite of all the comics is the final one in the book, which is also the one from which the book title is derived.

The jokes are mostly funny and the drawings are consistently charming. (My favorite drawing is on page 98; it shows a rat, a lion, and a zebra.) In the Introduction, Climo says that she has stopped worrying about how good her drawings are "as long as they make [her] friends happy." The drawings are good, and they do make me happy.

[Lelita P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be a very, very perfect gift for your best friends. :)

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz Climo is the best and the animals are all so cute and relatable. Two favourites (I am probably the snake in this book. Predictably on brand):

[Munem Borno · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading 'Little world of Liz Climbo', i got a suggestion reading 'Lobster is the best medicine' that is also from Liz Climbo and probably It's a franchise of her previous work (Little world), which was about friendship. Liz climbo maintained the consistency of her humor, observation, story and also illustrations from her previous work. I really liked it.

[Maya Gopalakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could say I really liv for days like these where you get a surprise birthday gift (after its long over!) about friendship from one of your friends! A warms and funny book filled with snakes, crocodiles and lobsters! How can you go wrong with that. It's just sunshine ☺️

[lem◍nade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect. It's adorable, funny and uplifting. It's a collection of short animal comics with a great drawing style (see cover), touches of humour and sweetness. Ideal for a bad day when you need a little comfort ❤️