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ENDS IN 2 DAYS! $50 Gift Certificate Holiday Giveaway Enter here:   Mudpuppy Holiday Giveaway  . The Knights Before Christmas Written by Joan Holub Illustrated by Scott Magoon Henry Holt & Co.      9/08/2015 978-0-8050-9932-4 32 pages      Ages 4—8 “’Twas December 24th, and three brave (but somewhat clueless) knights were just settling …

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Which books will you be reading during the 12 days of Christmas? Here are 6 picture books that we know will make you feel merry ... Read the rest of this post

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In this day and age it is prudent of the self-sufficient blogger to warn readers when they may encounter something that will affect the rest of their day, nay, week. And so I say unto you, BEWARE! Be Wary! For in today’s book trailer premiere video for Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants (words by Eric Litwin, art by Scott Magoon) you may find the dreaded earworm. The dreaded catchy catchy earworm. Apparently earworms like nuts. Who knew?

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. And many thanks to Little, Brown for the link.

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The kids have spoken!

The Irma Black Award, given by The Bank Street School,  is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book.  This year’s award went to Big Mean Mike, written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Scott Magoon.  More than 7,500 first and second graders around the world voted  Big Mean Mike as their clear favorite.

There were three other Irma Black honor books, also chosen by kids themselves:

Children also choose The Cook Prize winners, sponsored by The Bank Street School:  The best science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) picture books published for children aged eight to ten. This year’s winner is:

The honor winners are:

Congratulations to all the winners!

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By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 6, 2012

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you know what that means: time to read some love stories! Below are just a few selections with which you’re sure to fall in love. So snuggle up with your favorite little reader and share a good laugh, a cuddle, and a whole lotta love.

Mr. Prickles

By Kara LaReau; illustrated by Scott Magoon

Even though Mr. Prickles may be prickly on the outside, he’s warm and fuzzy on the inside and looking for someone to see past his rough exterior. Thank goodness for Miss Pointypants who knows a thing or two about being judged on her sharp appearance. The deeper message LaReau humorously imparts is how to control one’s anger when ostracized by friends. Little kids who have been banished from the sandbox will love Mr. Prickles. (Ages 2-6. Publisher: Roaring Brook Press)

A Giant Crush

By Gennifer Choldenko; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Ah, young love. This book is absolutely perfect for second and third graders confused by their beloved’s sudden mood swings. When a little bunny falls in love with another funny bunny, what’s a bunny to do? Leave it to a good friend to help him unravel the mysteries and agonies of a first crush. First rule of thumb: you have to speak to the one you love. (Ages 5-8. Publisher: Penguin Group (USA))

Love, Splat

By Rob Scotton

This tale about two star-crossed cats is seriously funny. Scotton’s silly illustrations of Splat the Cat reminded me just a bit of Garfield, but his story is pure fun. Splat goes to great lengths to impress his lady love, Kitten, but when Spike intervenes, it seems all is lost. Leave it to Kitten, with her feline prowess, to choose the best suitor to win her affections. (Ages 4-7. Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers)

Hedgehug

By Benn Sutton; illustrated by Dan Pinto

Two books about pointy critters in one review? Yes, indeed. In this “sharp lesson in love,” Hedgehug discovers love hurts after his many failed attempts to share a hug. In Sutton’s playf

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Not only is Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story the perfect, fresh story for this Valentine's Day, but the author and illustrator also happen to be creative busy bees who have put together a few BONUS items sure to enhance Cupid's special day.

Haven't picked out your valentines yet? Look no further: click here for beautifully illustrated and clever cards and click here for some black and white ones that you can color in yourself!

We don't have to remind you that everyone loves STICKERS. Print these out on Avery labels (style #5293) and use them as envelope seals or lapel decoration.

Calling all teachers and librarians! The color-in valentines and sheet of stickers make a perfect activity to follow storytime.

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Mostly Monsterly
By Tammi Sauer
Illustrated by Scott Magoon
Simon & Schuster (A Paula Wiseman book)
$14.99
ISBN: 978-1-4169-6110-9
Ages 4-8
On shelves now.

After a certain point the sheer number of princess and fairy books a children’s librarian has to handle begins to feel oppressive. The crushing weight of all that pink and all that glitter and all those bows . . . you begin to feel great waves of pity for those little girls who AREN’T into all those things. The kinds of little girls you might find in books like Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don’t). Where are the books for the little girl monsters of the world? Enter Mostly Monsterly a book that contains no princesses. No fairies. No glitter or bows or pink (excepting the occasional pig-tailed monster). That said, I’d bet your bottom dollar that you could hand this book to a princess-obsessed little girl OR a little boy who obsesses over single subject picture books, and still manage to capture their attention and win their hearts. It’s cute, this book, but never makes even the slightest attempts to cloy.

Look, no one’s saying that Bernadette is not a monster. She looks the part (two toes, creepy necklace, etc.) and does the requisite amount of lurching, growling, and mayhem. However, Bernadette harbors what you might call a “deep… dark… secret.” She has a penchant for sweetness. Whether it’s petting kittens or baking muffins, she is only “mostly” monsterly. So when Bernadette starts school with the other monsters you might think she’d try to reign in her cutesy qualities. Not so much. Her classmates, in fact, are horrified as one when they see her attempt a group hug or croon into a microphone. Her cupcakes don’t go over any better, and Bernadette comes to realize that though she is only mostly monsterly, sometimes you have to meet others halfway. So she’ll make everyone in the class cards… but they’ll be gross. And she’ll get a group hug…. Underneath a monster pile-on. Sometimes she’s monsterly and sometimes she’s sweet and both are perfectly a-okay when doled out carefully.

Some folks see this as a parable about learning to be true to yourself, and I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. I’m more interested in the fact that this story is about how Bernadette doesn’t continue to pig-headedly act against the will of the crowd, but rather she realizes that compromise is key. She could have just decided all other monsters were wrong and that she was right and continued to bake cupcakes with sprinkles. Instead, she finds a kind of middle ground with the other monsters. That monsterish instincts do not

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How could I not grab this off the shelf of new books at the library? Mostly Monsterly is an awesome pick for most young readers, especially so close to Halloween - what you haven't bought pumpkins yet?
Scott Magoon's characters, crisp ink work, and flat colors remind me of comic books (Like Lenore - dark but cute). Bernadette will win you over, picking flowers and baking treats.
I love the subtle lesson from Tammi Sauer that we are often more complex than just monsters or sweet girls. And that we can find ways to live in both worlds.

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MOSTLY MONSTERLY, by Tammi Sauer, ill. by Scott Magoon (Paula Wiseman/Simon & Shuster 2010)(ages 4-8). Bernadette is a monster, but she's secretly very, very nice. On her first day of monster school, this doesn't go over very well. Will Bernadette ever be able to reconcile her inner self with societal expectations?

MOSTLY MONSTERLY is a terrifically fun, funny, and fanciful story of a little monster who just wants to be herself. With cupcakes.

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Hey hey!

Are you in the mood for a little Monster Mayhem?

You've come to the right place. Today, we're celebrating the official release of Mostly Monsterly (Simon & Schuster, 2010) by Tammi Sauer and Scott Magoon! You know what that means, don't you? 

We can growl, and lurch, and create major league havoc to our heart's content, a.k.a, be ourselves! For those of you who happen to look a little too sweet and respectable on the outside, feel free to don any one of these monster-friendly masks for the duration of the party:


In this, the third of Tammi's picture books (following the hugely successful Cowboy Camp and Chicken Dance), we have a bug-eyed, pointy-earred, furry fanged little monster called Bernadette.


(click to enlarge)

She certainly looks monsterly, but inside, she's harboring a deep, dark secret: a sweet streak. 

   

Sometimes, she likes to pick flowers (gasp!), or pet kittens (oh, the horror), or even bake (nothing wrong with that). 

    
So when she goes to Monster Academy, she has a little trouble fitting in.


(click to enlarge)

While everyone else is growling, lurching, and focusing on destruction, Bernadette sings and calls for a group hug. Of course, the other monsters are appalled, so Bernadette must pull out her Secret Weapon: *treats* -- more specifically, cupcakes with sprinkles!!


(click to enlarge)

Eeeeee! Yes, yes yes! Brilliant Bernadette!

But no, it doesn't work. The other monsters think cupcakes are gross (sacrilege)! Can Bernadette come up with another plan to win her classmates over, and still remain true to herself?

This simply told, perfectly paced, quirky social acceptance tale with a beastly twist will delight young readers who march to the tune of their own drummers, suggesting that with a little ingenuity, they can make their differences work to their advantage. Bernadette doesn't have to compromise her "niceness" or quash her giving spirit. She just tweaks her final gesture a little to conform to expected behavior.

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Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War and Peas by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Scott Magoon
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152063072
ISBN-13: 978-0152063078
Source of book: Review copy from author and illustrator


Have you ever jumped to a conclusion and confronted someone only to find out later that it wasn't the person's fault at all? But by the time you realized it, your pride prevented you from admitting you were wrong? Nah, me either. In actuality, one such incident that occurred when I was a teenager resulted in my sister pushing me into the bathtub and turning on the shower.

The author and illustrator of Ugly Fish have joined forces again to bring us a story that reveals the ugly consequences of what may happen when you make incorrect assumptions. A rabbit named Rabbit and a squirrel named Squirrel live across the way from each other. They are frequently outside tending to their gardens but have never made an effort to speak to each other until one dreadful day when Rabbit wakes up to find that someone had taken carrots and lettuce from her garden. Immediately assuming it was Squirrel, she barges in on him in his whitey tighties, threatening him to stay away from her garden, or else. The next day, Squirrel awakes to find sweet peas and tomatoes missing from his garden. After declarations of war, name calling, tomato throwing, and a destroyed house, they find out who the real culprit is. But have they gone to far to make amends? Can they forgive each other?

Through this engaging and humorous story, Kara LaReau manages to make an excellent point without ever sounding preachy or condescending. While Rabbit and Squirrel's antics are funny, children learn what can happen if you can't keep your emotions in check and automatically jump to conclusions. Ms. LaReau also makes her point even more clear by not wrapping the book up in a pretty little bow. Instead, readers are left with uncertainty and a small glimmer of hope.

And just look at Scott Magoon's illustrations! A squirrel in underpants! What could be funnier than a sleepy squirrel in underpants?

And check out the illustration below of the warring Rabbit & Squirrel's deranged faces! Anger can turn even the most civil people into raving lunatics, and Magoon does an exceptional job of showing this progression through his illustrations.




Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War and Peas is storytelling at its finest and a sure discussion starter. Highly recommended.



*A special thanks to Kara LaReau for providing the images and for her patience and perseverance through a number of technical difficulties.


What Other Bloggers are Saying:

Three Silly Chicks: "LaReau's smart text is perfectly balanced with Magoon's nuanced illustrations which reveal Rabbit's and Squirrel's surprising breadth of emotion. If you've ever wondered what a vengeful rabbit or a suspicious squirrel might look like, this is the book for you." (Read more...)

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: "This is not a tidy, morally prescriptive tale about fighting and bad manners for young children (but then if you know LaReau’s books, you know she has more respect for children than that)." (Read more...)

A Year of Reading: "There's great power in a cautionary tale such as this one. It gives our children a way to distance themselves from their disagreements and think about the problem in terms of Rabbits and Squirrels." (Read more...)

A Fuse #8 Production: "If you’ve had your fill of garden pest picture books and you feel like you want a break, just give this book a chance before you throw in the trowel. Sometimes war is just a series of miscommunications and sometimes the two parties are communicating perfectly. This book gives it to you both ways. Smart stuff that’s easy on the eyes." (Read more...)

If you have a review of Rabbit & Squirrel, leave a comment with your link, and I will add it here.

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• Consie Powell at Becky’s Book Reviews
• Anna Alter at The Longstockings
• Adam Rex at Booktopia
• Julia Denos at Interactive Reader
• Giles Laroche at Book, Book, Book
• Matt Phelan at A Year of Reading
• Brooke Dyer at Bookshelves of Doom
• Barbara Lehman at The Excelsior File
• Scott Magoon at Just One More Book!!
• Alissa Imre Geis at Wild Rose Reader
• Judy Schachner at Kate’s Book Blog
• Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!
• Genevieve Cote at a wrung sponge
• Ruth Sanderson at Book Moot
• Susan Kathleen Hartung at Wild Rose Reader
• Linda Graves at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• Diane DeGroat at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup
• Susan Mitchell at Check It Out
• R.W. Alley at at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup
• Wendell Minor at Wild Rose Reader
• Melanie Watt at Whimsy Books
• Elisa Kleven at Rozzieland
• Sally Vitsky at Shelf Elf: read, write, rave
• Jimmy Pickering at Shaken & Stirred
• Jeremy Tankard at the excelsior file
• Mark Teague at The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Annie Patterson at Check It Out
• Ashley Bryan
• Diana Magnuson at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Bill Carman at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Elizabeth Sayles at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
• Grace Lin at In the Pages
• Dan Santat at Writing and Ruminating
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Jeff Ebbeler at Sam Riddleburger’s blog
• Margaret Chodos-Irvine at readergirlz
• Nancy Wallace at In the Pages . . .
• Robin Brickman at Greetings from Nowhere
• Joy Allen at Check It Out
• Christopher Demarest at Writing and Ruminating
• Mary Newell Depalma at Wild Rose Reader
• Derek Anderson
• Peter Brown
• Rebecca Guay at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Jui Ishida at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Kathy Jakobsen at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Linda Bronson
• James T. Williamson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Kristina Swarner at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Vladimir Shpitalnik at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Linda S. Wingerter at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Meghan McCarthy at A Fuse #8 Production
• Carin Berger at Chasing Ray
• Salley Mavor at ChatRabbit
• Amy Young at Kate’s Book Blog
• Rebecca Doughty at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Brian Lies at Greetings from Nowhere
• D.B. Johnson at Lessons from the Tortoise
• Jeff Mack at AmoXcalli
• Selina Alko at Brooklyn Arden
• Sean Qualls at Brooklyn Arden
• Randy Cecil at ChatRabbit
• Jeff Newman at A Year of Reading
• Mo Willems at MotherReader
• Karen Lee at sruble’s world
• Shawna Tenney at Kate’s Book Blog
• Julie Paschkis at the excelsior file
• Victoria Jamieson at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
• Juli Kangas at Sam Riddleburger
• Connie McLennan at The Shady Glade
• Kelly Murphy at ChatRabbit

Happy Bidding!!

A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.

Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magooncancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon

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Auction 2 will begin accepting bids on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. with a starting bid of $50 for each snowflake. All bids must be placed before the close of Auction 2 on Friday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 pm.Remember that 100% of the proceeds from this online auction will benefit sarcoma research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and that all but $25 of the winning bid is tax deductible.

Read about all the illustrators who contributed to this auction at the sites linked below. (The order presented is the same as on the auction page.)

• Ashley Wolff at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Karen Katz at Whimsy Books
• Maxwell Eaton III at Books and Other Thoughts
• Matthew Cordell at Just Like the Nut
• Rick Chrustowski at laurasalas
• Lisa Kopelke at Lisa’s Little Corner of the Internet
• Melissa Iwai at Brooklyn Arden
• Susan Miller at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• Joanne Friar at The Longstockings
• Annette Heiberg at Lisa’s Little Corner of the Internet
• Susie Jin at sruble’s world
• Roz Fulcher at Goading the Pen
• Scott Bakal at Wild Rose Reader
• Tim Coffey at The Silver Lining
• Linas Alsenas at A Wrung Sponge
• Ellen Beier at What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Alexandra Boiger at Paradise Found
• Joe Kulka at ChatRabbit
• Kevin Hawkes at Cynthia Lord’s Journal
• Diane Greenseid at Just One More Book!!
• Mary Haverfield at Your Neighborhood Librarian
• Denise Fleming at MotherReader
• Aaron Zenz at Jo’s Journal
• Carol Schwartz at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup
• Theresa Brandon at The Shady Glade
• Janet Stevens at The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Don Tate at The Silver Lining
• Laura Jacques at cynthialord’s Journal
• Sarah Dillard at The Silver Lining
• Teri Sloat at The Miss Rumphius Effect
• Margot Apple at Jo’s Journal
• Rose Mary Berlin at Charlotte’s Library
• Carol Heyer at The Shady Glade
• Cecily Lang at Kate’s Book Blog
• Cynthia Decker at The Silver Lining
• Mike Wohnoutka at laurasalas
• Lee White at Please Come Flying
• Denise Ortakales at cynthialord’s Journal
• Akemi Gutierrez at AmoXcalli and Cuentecitos
• Amiko Hirao at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Amy Schimler at Please Come Flying
• David Macaulay at Here in the Bonny Glen
• Lauren Stringer at laurasalas
• Greg Newbold at The Longstockings
• Holli Conger at Please Come Flying
• Judith Moffaft at Jo’s Journal
• Lizzy Rockwell at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Matt Tavares at Please Come Flying
• Sheila Bailey at lizjonesbooks
• Sophie Blackall at not your mother’s bookclub
• Steven James Petruccio at Blog From the Windowsill
• Sylvia Long at Whimsy Books
• Timothy Bush at Here in the Bonny Glen
• Jane Dippold at Just Like the Nut
• Jane Dyer at Whimsy Books
• Wendy Edelson at What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Paul Brewer at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Brian Biggs at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Calef Brown
• Timothy Bush
• Barbara Lanza
• Lauren Stringer
• Graeme Base at Just One More Book!
• Cece Bell at Jo’s Journal
• Stephanie Roth at Writing with a broken tusk
• Sherry Rogers at A Life in Books
• John Hassett at cynthialord’s Journal

Happy Bidding!!

A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.

Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magooncancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon

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Roger Holland runs down the latest in children's DVDs for PopMatters. I wait for these columns, not because I'm so into children's DVDs, but because Holland's columns are always smart and always funny. This month Flushed Away gets an 8/10 as the highest-rated DVD and Bratz Fashion Pixiez a rare 1/10. Here's why:

• "My sister-in-law once bought my daughter a Brat (that’s the singular, right?), so I ate her liver, barbecue-style with a nice six-pack of Shinerbock. If anyone offers your child Bratz Fashion Pixiez [Rating: 1], you should assume he’s grooming said child and report him to the FBI. And if you ever allow your own little princess to watch this nonsense (the eighth DVD in the series!), you should be prepared to see her making homemade sex tapes and serving 45 days in jail before she reaches 25. "

Head on over and read the entire column.

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