Jamie Michalak's Blog, page 10

Quote of the Week

Mr. Pig LIVE. . . with the PUNK SKUNKS!

Sound check… are we ready? Cue the lights! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. . .

Hey, all you cool cats (and skunks)... dig it: it's MR. PIG LIVE! And have we got a great show for YOU!

I'm thrilled to welcome the ROCK STARS of Trisha Speed Shaskan and Stephen Shaskan's PUNK SKUNKS! Put your paws together for. . .

KIT & BUZZ!
<<Whistles>> <<Applause>>

These two rockin' BSFs really know how to raise the roof! Roll the clip, please. . .


-
First, Kit, I love your shirt. I used to go to ABCDs back in my club hoppin' days. Anyway, on with the interview…

What are your full names?
Kit: We’re like Prince or Madonna. We only have one name. I’m Kit.
Buzz: And I’m Buzz.

What one word best describes you?
Kit & Buzz: Friends

Do you have a belly button?
Kit: I’ve seen Buzz’s!
Buzz: Next question.

What is the best thing about being you?
Kit & Buzz: Rockin’ out!
Kit: I play the drums.
Buzz: I play guitar.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
Kit: My drum set. Wait, it’s too big! I’d bring drumsticks! I’d drum on coconuts! A chocolate malt! Wait, it would melt! Candy bars. I’d hide them from the sun. My skateboard. Wait, it wouldn’t work on sand! A surfboard. That way I could ride it back to the Burrows.
Buzz: My guitar, plenty of pizza (New York style only), my best music…
Kit: What about your bestie?
Buzz: And Kit.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Kit: Time travel. I’d see the first Ratmoans show ever!
Buzz: I’d want Xray vision to look inside of dumpsters.

What is your favorite word?
Kit: Two words: DIG IT!
Buzz: ROCK ON!

What is you least favorite word?
Kit: Be quiet. Or stop talking.
Buzz: Rent

What is your favorite sound?
Kit: The drums! Crash, bam, boom, boom!
Buzz: The guitar! Wahh, wahh, ren, ren!

© 2016 Stephen ShaskanWhat is your least favorite sound?
Kit: Silence
Buzz: Any song by Justin Beaver.

Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
Kit: My favorite shape is a star.
Buzz: I’m a master of Skunk Fu.

If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?
Kit: Cow from MOO! By David LaRochelle andillustrated by Mike Wohnoutka.We’d all go on a wild ride!
Buzz: Rock on!
Kit: I’d invite Lilly from Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes because she wears glittery movie star sunglasses, boots with stars on them, and says, “Wow!”
Buzz: I’d invite Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. He’d draw. I’d paint.

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? 
Kit: My skirt doesn’t have pockets. Buzz carries my stuff.
Buzz: Two pieces of pizza crust I dug out of the dumpster. One for me. One for Kit. A black guitar pick. A piece of butterscotch candy.
Kit: Yuck!
Buzz: It’s not for you. A piece of watermelon gum.
Kit: For me!

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
Kit: I don’t wake up early enough for breakfast.
Buzz: Whatever I found in the neighbor’s garbage. A cabbage leaf. Some rigatoni.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Kit: Oh! Oh! I know Buzz’s! Once he forgot to zip his fly before he went on stage.
Buzz: Next question.
Kit: Whoops.

What was it like working with Trisha and Stephen?                                                  
Kit: Fun! We played at the park, zoomed through the Burrows, and rocked out! We didn’t always get along, but everything worked out. Right, Buzz?
Buzz: It was cool.

We're glad it did! Thanks so much for coming on the show! How about you two jam for a bit, while we get lunch together. Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love has whipped us up an extra special treat! Scroll down or click here to see what's on the menu. 

Kit & Buzz: ROCK ON!

PUNK SKUNKS 
by Trisha Speed Shaskan 
illustrated by Stephen Shaskan 
HarperCollins (Feb. 2016)

Join two rockin’ punk skunks in a fun story about friendship.

Kit and Buzz are BSFs—Best Skunks Forever. Every day they rock out together. But when Kit wants to sing a song about skating and Buzz wants to sing a song about painting, the BSFs get into a HUGE fight!


They try to hum, drum, and strum on their own, but it’s all wrong. Will Kit and Buzz find a way to make up?



Trisha Speed Shaskan has written over thirty books for children, including her latest picture book Punk Skunks, which is illustrated by her husband Stephen Shaskan. Trisha has an MFA in creative writing. She’s been a bookseller, educator, and youth worker. Trisha lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband Stephen, and their cat Eartha, and dog, Bea. Visit her online at www.trishaspeedshaskan.com


Stephen Shaskan is an author, an illustrator, a music maker, and an early childhood educator.  Stephen brings his love of art, music, children, and humor to all his work. His debut picture book A Dog is a Dog was on New York Public Library’s Top 100 Books to Read and Share for 2011, and was a 2011 CCBC Choice. He is also the author of The Three Triceratops Tuff and most recently has illustrated Punk Skunks written by his wife Trisha Speed Shaskan. Stephen and Trisha live in Minneapolis, Minnesota with their cat, Eartha and dog, Bea. Visit him at www.stephenshaskan.com

Literary Lunch

Kit and Buzz are BSFs—Best Skunks Forever.
Every day they rock out together. But when Kit wants to sing a song about skating and Buzz wants to sing a song about painting, the BSFs get into a HUGE fight!
They try to hum, drum, and strum on their own, but it's all wrong.

Will Kit and Buzz find a way to make up? Read the book, munch the lunch, and find out!

Nina from Mamambelly.com made this rockin' friendship lunch:Buzz sandwich made with cheese, spinach and a red candyKit sandwich made with cheese and red pepper and a red candy

The Little Crooked Bookshelf. . . COVER REVEAL of BEAUTIFUL by Stacy McAnulty!

Today on the Little Crooked Bookshelf: A COVER REVEAL for BEAUTIFUL! And author Stacy McAnulty is here to tell us why kids (and grown-ups) are going to love this book...


BEAUTIFUL
By Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Joanne Lew Vriethoff

Available September 6, 2016
Running Press Kids

What it's all about . . .
"This book highlights those moments when girls are most beautiful like when being creative, playing sports, learning, and making friends.  I wanted to look at beauty as a byproduct of confidence and not as an external attribute."

A favorite line…
"Each line works best with Joanne’s gorgeous illustrations. So, if I may cheat, I’d like to use the line we have on the back cover:It’s all about your clothes, your hair, your style WHO YOU ARE."
Why kids will love it…
"Kids will love it because of the colorful, action-packed illustrations, and it shows girls being strong and awesome and, ultimately, beautiful."

Why grown-ups will love it…
"The book will remind grown women that mirrors are not just for putting on makeup. Mirrors are for making silly faces too."

Sounds fabulous, Stacy! We can't wait to add it to our Little Crooked Bookshelf! 


Stacy McAnulty is the gummy-worm-eating, coffee-guzzling, zillion-ideas-a-minute children’s book author of The Dino Files chapter books, illustrated by Mike Boldt; 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang; Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach; and Dear Santasaurus, illustrated by Jef Kaminsky. She lives in Kernersville, NC, with her family and two dogs. You can find her online at stacymcanulty.com and via Twitter @stacymcanulty.

Quote of the Week

Mr. Pig Visits Joyce Wan PLUS A GIVEAWAY!*

Hello, friends! You're just in time. Joyce Wan, author-illustrator of many cute-as-can-be picture books, has offered to give us a tour of her studio! I'm so excited! And nervous. How do I look?

I brought along a copy of her brand-new book -- PEEP AND EGG: I'M NOT HATCHING. Do you think she'll sign it? It's the first title in a funny new character-driven series for toddlers in which a reluctant chick overcomes her fears. Kirkus calls it "delightful and right on target."

 
Oh! We're here. I'll knock on Joyce's door.

<<Knock, knock.>>

JW: Hello, Mr. Pig! You made it!

MP: Thanks for having me, Joyce! You look pretty in pink. Do you love pink, too? I love pink. I am pink. Oh dear. I'm a nervous oinker . . . I mean, talker. Oink!

JW: Don't be nervous. Come on in! I'll show you my studio. Hope you don't mind walking up a lot of steps.


JW: Well, here we are! My workspace is in the finished attic of my home. I’ve only been in this space for less than a year as we moved into this home just last year. Um, do you need to catch your breath?

MP: Me? No! <<pant, pant>> Your studio is adorable -- just like your books. Tell me about it.

JW: The attic was already a finished space when we moved in but I had new floors installed and repainted the space including the chalkboard wall which is one of my favorite parts of the studio! Whenever someone visits I have them make their own mark on the wall.

MP: I love that idea. I'll write "Mr. Pig was here." What's on the other side of the room?


JW: My desks. I work on two desks, a computer desk and a drawing desk, depending on what I’m working on. I’m at my computer desk when working in the digital medium and attending to administrative and marketing tasks. When I’m in the sketching phase of a book or when working on books where I render part of it in pencil I’m at my drawing desk. I often go back and forth between the two desks as I am an expert multi-tasker! 

MP: What are you working on now?

JW: Right now, I am in the middle of working on a few book projects and preparing for the launch of my upcoming picture book PEEP AND EGG: I’M NOT HATCHING. Here are some of the illustrations for it.
From PEEP AND EGG: I'M NOT HATCHING. Illustration copyright 2016 by Joyce Wan. From PEEP AND EGG: I'M NOT HATCHING. Illustration copyright 2016 by Joyce Wan  
MP: Ooooh! I love Peep and Egg. And that beautiful desk on the right. 

JW: Thanks! My drawing desk is a vintage adjustable Anco Bilt drafting table that was made around the mid-20th century. My agent told me about it when she saw it at a vintage furniture store in New Jersey and I couldn’t resist picking it up. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture in my house.

JW: Over here is where I pin up postcards, photographs, quotes, scraps of paper, fabric, notes, and photos that people send me – anything that inspires me or makes me happy.

JW: Being an author and/or illustrator can be a very solitary profession, luckily I have these guys to keep me company. 

MP: Cute! Where did you get the giant Peep?

JW: It was a gift from the Easter Bunny last year.

JW: This is where I put all sorts of fun knick knacks. I love to surround myself with all sorts of cute, happy, and lucky items! I particularly treasure my collection of lucky cats. I think it's really important to create a space for yourself that nurtures your creative spirit.

MP: I agree! Your cheerful studio puts a smile on my face. Thank you, Joyce, for the tour! I hope you can sign my book. 

JW: Of course! Thanks for visiting, Mr. Pig!

READERS, YOU CAN WIN A SIGNED COPY OF JOYCE'S NEW BOOK! 
* To enter to WIN A SIGNED COPY of Joyce's new book -- PEEP AND EGG: I'M NOT HATCHING, written by Laura Gehl -- leave a comment below. 
The winner will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 18th! 






____________

About Joyce Wan Joyce Wan is an award-winning author and illustrator of many best-selling books for children, including YOU ARE MY CUPCAKE, WE BELONG TOGETHER, and THE WHALE IN MY SWIMMING POOL, which was a Junior Library Guild Spring 2015 selection. When she’s not working on books, she teaches courses at The School of Visual Arts in New York City. Joyce is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and currently lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Through all her work, she hopes to inspire people to embrace the spirit of childhood and follow their dreams. Visit Joyce online at www.wanart.com.  














About Joyce's books  
YOU ARE MY CUPCAKEby Joyce WanPublished by Cartwheel Books, August 2011ISBN-13: 978-05453-0741-3 
"Embossed for a satisfying tactile effect, Wan's digitized characters, reminiscent of Japanese animation, have chocolate-brown eyes and rosy cheeks. 'Baby, I could just eat you up!' concludes the adoring final spread. All that's left of the cupcake is its smiling, green liner. Presumably, no actual cupcakes were harmed in the making of this crowd-pleasing plum." --Publishers Weekly








SLEEPYHEADSby Sandra J. HowattIllustrated by Joyce WanPublished by Beach Lane Books, May 2014ISBN-13: 978-1442-42266-7
* "Sleepyhead readers explore a hushed woodland at dusk, where they discover animals nestled in their cozy places at bedtime. Yawning little listeners will fall immediately and effortlessly into the rhetorical rhythms of this surefire good-night book. . . . A superb execution of soporific shapes and sounds perfect for the bedside table." --Kirkus, starred review







THE WHALE IN MY SWIMMING POOLby Joyce WanPublished by FSG, April 2015ISBN-13: 978-0374-30037-1"Her curvilinear and comforting style recalls Hello Kitty and other Japanese pop art in its fat dark lines and squat characters, but the hero has an antic physicality and a wide range of emotional expressions. Her world feels safe and joyful, even as the hero experiences anger and frustration." --The New York Times

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

 Beatrix Potter & the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig

by Deborah Hopkinson Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
This week's pick is from cottager Jamie Michalak
What it's all about . . .
Young Beatrix Potter borrows her neighbor's guinea pig to draw a portrait of it, and well . . . things don't end so well.

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf…
Written as a picture letter to the reader, Beatrix Potter & the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig is a charming story told with tongue-in-cheek humor. It's deliciously illustrated in pen and watercolor by Charlotte Voake. 

Our favorite lines…
Dear Reader, 
You can guess what happened next. That repast of paper, paste, and string took its toll. 

Our favorite illustration…
From BEATRIX POTTER & THE UNFORTUNATE TALE OF A BORROWED GUINEA PIG by Deborah Hopkinson. Illustration copyright 2016 by Charlotte Voake.
Why kids will love it…
As a child, Beatrix had the whole third floor of her house for her playroom, science laboratory, art studio, and menagerie of animals. Who cool is that? And Beatrix's passion for her art might inspire young readers to create their own.

Why grown-ups will love it…
Because it offers an amusing introduction to one of history's most beloved children's book creators -- and delivers a fine lesson on why one shouldn't borrow a neighbor's pet.

Did you know . . .
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter's birth!

Quote of the Week

Mr. Pig LIVE. . . with Snappsy!

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of my hit talk show: MR. PIG LIVE!
We are thrilled to have on the show today, the stars of Julie Falatko and Tim Miller's all-new Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!). Put your hands, feet and feathers together for. . . 
SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR and THE NARRATOR!
<<Thunderous Applause>>
First, let's roll the clip!


Congratulations, you two! And welcome. Let's start with the basics:
What is your full name? 
S: Thank you for inviting me today. I’m Snappsy.
N: No, say you’re Snappsy T. Alligator. And that the T stands for “The.” That sounds more distinguished.
S: Why are you here? I can handle this interview by myself. Mr. Pig, ignore him. Let’s continue.

What one word best describes you?
S: Exasperated.
N: What’s a word that means “annoyingly difficult to narrate because he keeps doing boring things or hiding inside buildings?”

Do you have a belly button?
S: I have a belly. And my pajamas have buttons on them.
N: Just answer the question. Do you see how annoyingly evasive he is? Oh! Evasive! That’s the word that best describes him.

What is the best thing about being you?
S: How I am my own alligator and don’t do things just because other people want me to.
N: Hmph. Mine is my superior capability for storytelling.

What is the worst thing about being you?
S: How this intrusive narrator insists on dictating my every move and forcing me to throw parties.
N: I will not be insulted like this. That’s it. I’m leaving.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
S: A peanut butter sandwich, a good book, and my fez to keep the sun off my head.
N: Oh, I’m back! I love this question! I would bring a boat.

What is your idea of the perfect day?
S: One where I am allowed to do whatever I want. Without interruption.
N: I will not stand for this blasphemy! I am leaving again!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
S: I would like to make a bowl of chocolate pudding appear just by thinking about it.
N: That’s a terrible superpower. 
S: I thought you left.
N: I came back. And I don’t think you understand what a superpower is. Instant pudding is not a superpower. Flying. Now that’s a superpower.
S: Mr. Pig, I changed my mind. I would like to be invisible.
N: No. Pick flying. I can’t narrate a story where the main character is invisible. Do you see, Mr. Pig? How he tries to make our book boring? It’s a lot for me to put up with.

What are you reading right now?
S: I’m reading a great book called How to Live Your Own Life and Not Be Influenced by The Annoyingly Intrusive Voices Around You.
N: I’m reading the complete works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
S: Oh, you are not.

What is your favorite word?
S: Pretzel.
N: Quintafandalingual.
S: Pretty sure that’s not a word.
N: Oh, it’s a word.

What is you least favorite word?
S: Quintafandalingual.
N: Evasive.

What is your favorite sound?
S: The sound of silence.
N: The sound of a complacent main character, doing what he can to make the book compelling.

What is your least favorite sound?
S: An offscreen narrator making up lies.
N: That silence thing that Snappsy mentioned.

Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
S: I have three fezzes: a formal fez, a casual fez, and a fez for gardening.
N: That I am an utter and unabashed delight.

If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?
S: While this is a great question, I kind of just want to be alone right now.
N: I would eat with someone less evasive. A cloud. An aroma. A flittering sparrow who is somehow symbolic of the fragility of life. All would be easier to narrate than Snappsy.
S: I think you’re trying to insult me, but I’m oddly flattered.

If a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for?
S: Well, for starters—
N: Next question!

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? 
S: A piece of popcorn.
N: A typewriter.
S: A typewriter?
N: Sure. You never know when inspiration will strike. I carry a typewriter with me at all times. Also a cheese plate.


[illustration © 2016, Tim Miller]What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
S: Leftovers from a cheese plate someone left at my house.
N: Un croissant au chocolat.
S: Oh, please.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
S: Mr. Pig, I’d rather not say.
N: Please tell us.
S: No, thank you.
N: We’re all friends here.
S: You know what? I didn’t ask to have you come along on this interview! You just showed up! And now you won’t even give me the courtesy of being able to answer these questions in peace!
N: I see how it is. I thought it would be fun, the two of us doing this interview together. But fine. I’ll go.
S: Thank you.

What is your pet peeve?
S: It’s when I’m not allowed to have an interview to myself.

What was it like working with Julie Falatko?
S: She is an utter and unabashed delight.
N: Well, I agree with that.
S: Oh. You’re back.
N: The interview’s over now, and I don’t want to walk home by myself.
S: Fine. I’m out of cheese anyway.
N: I happen to have some cheese with me, quintafandalingually.

Right, er… quintafandalingually, we provide lunch to all our guests. So don't dash off yet! Let's roll the credits, while Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love brings out today's feast! (Want a peek at what she's serving? Scroll down or click here!)


Julie Falatko is the author of Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book), illustrated by Tim Miller (Viking Children's Books, February 2016), The Society for Underrepresented Animals, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Viking Children's Books, 2017), and Help Wanted: One Rooster (Viking Children's Books, 2018). She lives with her family in Maine, where she enjoys cheese plates and trying to make pudding appear just by thinking about it. You can find her at juliefalatko.com and on Twitter @JulieFalatko.

Tim Miller is an author and illustrator of picture books. He is the illustrator of Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) written by Julie Falatko, published by Viking Children's Books. He is also the illustrator of the middle-grade series Hamstersaurus Rex written by Tom O'Donnell, published by HarperCollins in fall 2016. Tim's debut picture book as author & illustrator, Moo Moo in a Tutu, will be published by Balzer & Bray in early 2017. Tim studied at the School of Visual Arts where he earned his Bachelor’s in Cartooning and his Master’s in Art Education. He is currently based in NYC. Visit Tim online at timmillerillustration.com.

Mad Props for Snappsy!

★ "This is the first book for both Falatko and Miller, and it’s an excellent one—Falatko’s writing nimbly zigs and zags around Miller’s bold, goofy cartoons.” – Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

★ “More than merely meta, Snappsy is clearly a book, if not a protagonist, with bite.” – Kirkus (starred review)

★ “Falatko’s debut picture book is a truly laugh-out-loud, mischievous romp, made gleefully goofier by Miller’s straitlaced, deadpan animal characters.” –Booklist (starred review)

“The story’s meta aspect, the alligator’s rib-tickling, madder-by-the-minute agitation, and the simple primary-color-avoidant illustrations outlined in black may all owe a debt to Mo Willems—but it’s still a pretty terrific book. It’s distinguished by Falatko’s ability to sustain the tension at length; by Miller’s savory palette, largely in underripe greens and purples; and by the unvoiced suggestion that when fiction is working well, a character can take on a life or his or her own.” – The Horn Book  

Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Literary Lunch!)

A special treat for the stars of Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko and Tim Miller (Viking Books): this scrumptious and adorable Literary Lunch! And look, it has cheese!

Nina from Mamabelly.com created a narrative bento featuring:fried ricegrape tomato ballonsand a cheese, tomato and cucumber Snappsy

Snappsy the cucumber did NOT ask to be in this lunch!