Jamie Michalak's Blog, page 14

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Cover Reveal. . . Monster Trucks!

This is a treat! Today, we get to debut the cover of MONSTER TRUCKS (Harper Childrens, 7/19/16), a new picture book by Cottager, Anika Denise , illustrated by Nate Wragg!


Ready, set, go! The monster truck race is on in this frightfully delightful picture book.  On a spooky speedway, Monster Trucks moan! Monster Trucks grumble! Monster Trucks groan!
Join Frankentruck, Zombie Truck, Ghost Truck, and more as they race to the finish line. But one of these trucks isn’t quite who you think.
That sounds fun! 
Here's what Anika and Nate said about creating this book:
"I've always wanted to write a Halloween book, since Halloween is my favorite holiday. This one started out as a little scribble of an idea in a notebook, and then, the words came. I hope kids enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it." —Anika Denise
"I felt like I was getting to draw everything my five year old self would have loved to have seen and read about in a book. The whole experience was a blast for me." —Nate Wragg
Vroom, vroom! MONSTER TRUCKS will be racing into bookstores and libraries in summer 2016!

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

it's tough to lose your balloon by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
This week's pick is from cottager Kara LaReau.
What it's all about It’s tough to lose your balloon, and it’s sad to drop your sandwich in the sand. But thanks to this book by renowned author-illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, readers will discover that there can be an upside to just about every bad situation.
Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf… We’re big fans of Krosoczka’s other books, especially his zany Lunch Lady series and his super-fun picture books, like Punk Farmand Good Night, Monkey Boy. But it’s also nice to see him lend his considerable talents to this more contemplative tale.
Our favorite lines…"It hurts to get a scrape…but you’ll get a cool bandage. (It might even glow in the dark!)"
Our favorite illustration…
Why kids will love it… Simple, sweet illustrations will engage young readers to look for the silver lining in every cloud.
Why grown-ups will love it… A lovely lesson in resilience, perfect for sharing any time, but especially during tough times.

Mr. Pig LIVE. . . with Little Red Gliding Hood!

Welcome to my hit daytime talk show, Mr. Pig LIVE! I'm your host, Mr. Pig. Today's guest is from my neck of the woods. She's the star of Tara Lazar and Troy Cummings's brand new picture book! Please give a cozy cottage welcome to. . .

LITTLE RED!

<<applause>>

We like to begin with an easy question. What is your full name? 
Little Red Gliding Hood. I know you’ve heard it’s Riding Hood, but you must have been playing “Telephone.”

What one word best describes you?
Plucky.

Do you have a belly button?
Do you have a curly little tail?

Fair enough. What is the best thing about being you?
My flying camel. (That’s a figure skating term, you know. Real camels don’t appreciate the cold weather.)

Neither do pigs, for the record. We freeze our curly little tails off. What is the worst thing about being you?
My worn-in, worn-out skates.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
I’d bring my skates, of course! And a volleyball.

What is your idea of the perfect day?
Swizzling and twizzling down the river.

FROM LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD by Tara Lazar. Illustration © 2015 by Troy Cummings
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Landing the quadruple lutz.

What are you reading right now?
Grandma’s Cookie Cookbook.

What is your favorite word?
Salchow.

Gesundheit. What is you least favorite word?
Tonya.

What is your favorite sound?
The crunch of the ice beneath my blades.

What is your least favorite sound?
Awwwww-woooooooooo!

I can see why. Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
I’m not really fond of the color red. I’d rather be Little Periwinkle Gliding Hood.

FROM LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD by Tara Lazar. Illustration © 2015 by Troy Cummings
If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?
Oh, I’ve already done that. Jack, Jill and I had dinner at Little Jack Horner’s and he served a delightful plum pie for dessert.

If a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for?
Brand new skates!

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? 
Mulling spice.

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
An apple cider donut.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Oh slippery slush! That time my skate flew off!

FROM LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD by Tara Lazar. Illustration © 2015 by Troy Cummings
Do you have a pet peeve?
When other skaters block the jump corner.

What was it like working with Tara Lazar?
It was an experience I’ll remember happily ever after!

And that is THE END of our interview. Thanks for coming all the way over the river and through the woods to chat with us today, Little Red. I hope you're hungry, because our caterer Nina from Mamabelly has whipped up an extra-delicious Literary Lunch just for you. Click here for peek at Nina's bento of goodies!

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Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books featuring magical places that everyone will want to visit.

Her picture books available now are:

THE MONSTORE (Aladdin/S&S, 2013)
I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK (Aladdin/S&S, 2015)
LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD (Random House Children’s, Oct 2015)
These titles are coming soon:

NORMAL NORMAN (Sterling, March 2016)
WAY PAST  BEDTIME (Aladdin/S&S, Fall 2016)
7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY (Disney*Hyperion, 2017)

Tara loves children’s books. Her goal is to create books that children love.

She writes picture books and middle grade novels. She’s written short stories for Abe’s Peanut and is featured in Break These Rules, a book of life-lesson essays for teens, edited by author Luke Reynolds.

Tara created PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) as the picture book writer’s answer to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). PiBoIdMo is held on this blog every November. In 2014, PiBoIdMo featured over 1,300 participants from around the world.

Little Red Gliding Hood
(Random House BFYR/ October, 2015)
story by Tara Lazar
pictures by Troy Cummings

★ "The reliably fun concept of odd-couple ice skaters is perfectly meshed into a clever narrative enhanced by candy-colored artwork ripe with inside jokes. This one begs to be read, both over the river and through the woods." —Booklist, Starred Review

"An icy enchanted forest is home to a bevy of fairy tale characters, including Little Red Gliding Hood, an ice skater set on winning a new pair of skates in a skating competition. Lazar packs her story with fairy tale-based jokes....Cummings's cartoons feel as slick as ice, creating a playful backdrop for Lazar's wintry nursery rhyme punning." —Publisher's Weekly

"No skating on thin ice here--it's a winner."  —Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderful winter-themed fractured fairy tale with so many clever details that kids will want to read again and again." —School Library Journal

Literary Lunch. . . with Little Red Gliding Hood!

Little Red Riding Hood is one of our favorite fairy tales. We LOVE  Tara Lazar 's clever fractured fairy tale spin, Little Red Gliding Hood, illustrated by Troy Cummings.

In this sweet retelling of the well-known fairy tale, Little Red uses her ice skates to navigate the enchanted forest and to skate to Grandma's every Sunday. Her skates are worn out and broken, and she must win the Pairs Skating Competition to win BRAND-NEW SKATES. The only problem is everyone in the enchanted forest already has a partner. This book is beautifully illustrated and the story is as sweet as can be. Can you guess who might help her compete in the Skating Competition?

Nina from Mamabelly.com created an enchanted lunch, perfect for any winter fun:Organic honey graham competition spectators, and of course, chocolate skatesenchanted berry yogurt with the wolfa Little Red Gliding Hood jelly and chocolate sandwich.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

Leo: A Ghost Story
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Christian Robinson

This week's bookshelf pick is from Cottager Jamie Michalak.

What it's all about . . .
For many years, Leo the ghost lived by himself in a large house on the edge of the city. But when a family moves in, Leo finds himself unwanted. So he roams the city, where nobody sees him. Until . . . he meets a girl named Jane, and becomes her "imaginary friend." Leo loves his new pal. But if he tells her he's a ghost, will he scare her away?

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf . . .
Dream team Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson weave together favorite storytime ingredients -- ghosts, imaginary friends, robbers! -- for a spellbinding read-aloud. Leo is humorous, suspenseful, and touching.

Our favorite lines . . .
"I said I was your imaginary friend, but I'm not. I am just your real friend."

Our favorite illustration . . . 
From LEO: A GHOST STORY by Mac Barnett. Illustration copyright 2015 by Christian Robinson.Why kids will love it . . . 
Christian Robinson's atmospheric art, rendered in shades of blue and black, is enormously appealing, and the story's twists and turns will keep kids' attention until its dramatic conclusion.

Why grown-ups will love it . . .
Those looking for the perfect Halloween or bedtime read-aloud will love Leo. Serve it with a cup of mint tea and honey toast.

Quote of the Week

Deb Pilutti's Five Favorite Books About Unlikely Friendship . . . Plus a GIVEAWAY!*

Today we have a special guest in the Cottage . . . DEB PILUTTI! Yes, really! Deb is the author-illustrator of several picture books, including Ten Rules of Being a Superhero and the brand-new Bear and Squirrel Are Friends . .  Yes, Really! 
Kirkus calls it a "A nifty, expectation-defying read-aloud." 

* ENTER TO WIN a SIGNED COPY of BEAR AND SQUIRREL ARE FRIENDS . . . . YES, REALLY! by leaving a comment below! We''ll announce the winner on Wednesday, Oct. 28th!

From BEAR AND SQUIRREL ARE FRIENDS . . .  YES, REALLY! Illustration copyright 2015 by Deb Pilutti.
From BEAR AND SQUIRREL ARE FRIENDS . . .  YES, REALLY! Illustration copyright 2015 by Deb Pilutti.
We love Bear and Squirrel! Come on, how cute are they? We asked Deb to share her five favorite picture books about other unlikely friends -- a difficult task! Here are her top picks:


The Lion and the Bird 
by Marian Dubuc
Two animals, a small bird and one adult lion, come into each other’s lives by chance. The Lion, who has been living a quiet but fulfilling, solitary life, finds the injured bird and nurses it to health. The bird is unable to join her flock and the two become friends and spend a cozy winter together. When spring comes, the flock returns and the bird rejoins his clan. There’s no high stakes drama, just a tender friendship tale with underlying currents of loneliness, contentment, loss and joy. The charming illustrations expertly match the emotions being conveyed. This book makes my heart sing. 
Arnie the Doughnut
by Laurie Keller
What could be a more unlikely pairing in a picture book than an older gentleman and a doughnut? If someone explained the premise of this book to me BEFORE I read it, I would have thought they were joking. But Arnie wins our hearts from the get-go. He is a fully rounded character (wink) and proud to be a doughnut with all of his glorious sprinkles. When he discovers that the nice man who buys him is actually going to EAT him, Arnie becomes outraged. He pleads his case with Mr. Bing, and Mr. Bing eventually realizes that Arnie makes a much better friend than a snack. Mr. Bing and Arnie have remained fast friends and shared adventures through 4 books to date. Keller gives her characters such amusing expressions, clever conversation and general silliness that any age reader will be laughing throughout. 

Officer Buckle and Gloria 
by Peggy Rathmann
Really good friends shine a light on one another, especially when they are faltering. This is definitely the case in Peggy Rathmann’s very funny Officer Buckle and Gloria. Before the police dog, Gloria, starts appearing with Officer Buckle at his safety talks, students and teachers were dozing off mid-lecture. But thanks to Gloria’s hilarious antics, all performed behind Officer Buckle’s back, the lessons become a huge hit. The only problem is that when Officer Buckle finds out that it is Gloria, not his lessons that are popular, his feelings get hurt and he refuses to give any more safety talks. Gloria tries doing the safety lessons on her own, but the solo attempt is a disaster. The two discover they are better as a team. Rathmann’s expressive illustrations will give you giggle fits.

Owen & Mzee
The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
as told by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
photographs by Peter Greste
I am a sucker for true-life unlikely animal friendships. I’ll watch any internet video or meme if it shows a monkey cuddling a baby tiger or a deer who wanders into a house to hang out on the couch with the family golden retriever and cat. This story of a 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee and an orphaned 1-year-old hippopotamus named Owen is one of the best unlikely animal stories. It starts with the dramatic situation of Owen losing both his herd and mother. After a daring rescue, Owen relocates to the Haller Park animal sanctuary where it is the cranky, standoffish Mzee who is able to comfort the baby hippo. The two bond and become inseparable. 

Leo
A Ghost Story
by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Everyone needs a friend and a ghost is no exception. Especially a young ghost named Leo who has been living in a house for a long time, reading and drawing pictures in the dust. The problem is that no one can actually see Leo. They walk right through him or become frightened by his ghostly actions. Until he meets Jane, a young girl with a vivid imagination. She believes Leo to be an imaginary friend and the two have wonderful adventures. One night, Leo uses his ghostly abilities to scare a sneak thief and discloses to Jane that he is, in fact, a ghost. Jane sees Leo for exactly what he is, a friend. Christian Robinson’s spare, mixed-media illustrations are wonderfully playful and perfectly expressive.

...................................... 
Bear and Squirrel Are Friends ...Yes Really! by Deb PiluttiPublished by Paula Wiseman BooksISBN: 978-1481429139

"This very funny story tests and tickles readers' faith in unlikely friendships before ending up right where it should." --Publishers Weekly

"A nifty, expectation-defying read-aloud." --Kirkus Reviews TEN RULES OF BEING A SUPERHERO
by Deb Pilutti
Published by Christy Ottaviano Books, Oct. 2014
ISBN: 978-0805097597
 
“This story illuminates the fantasy world of one little boy and his favorite toy, Captain Magma . . . will appeal to young superheroes (and their sidekicks) everywhere.” ―School Library Journal

“Instead of opting for braggadocio and mock high drama, Pilutti's duo's self-awareness and low-stakes theatrics have an offhanded, almost improvisational vibe.” ―Publishers Weekly

Deb Pilutti feels lucky to have a job where reading, playing with toys and watching cartoons is considered “research.” Deb has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, most recently for Oliebollen.com, and now spends her time writing and illustrating for children. Her most recent books include: Bear and Squirrel are Friends…Yes, Really! A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster and Ten Rules of Being a Superhero, Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt. She is working on several other books at her studio in Ann Arbor, MI.

To learn more info and fun downloads, visit her website.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

Swan, the Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova
by Laurel Snyder
illustrated by Julie Morstad

This week's bookshelf pick is from cottager Anika Denise

What it's all about...
Swan is a picture book biography of Anna Pavlova, one of the most famous and gifted prima ballerinas of all time.

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf...
Because it’s exquisite. The language is spare and delicate; the illustrations, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Like a classic ballet, it builds steadily to the dramatic transformation of Anna into the Swan, then recedes gracefully through her later career and tragic early death.

Our favorite line(s)
Finally,
she steps into the stage alone. . .
and sprouts white wings, a swan.
She weaves the notes, the very air
into a story.
All those sitting see.
They stare—
Anna is a bird in flight,
a whim of wind and water.
Quiet feathers in a big loud world.
Anna is the swan.

Our favorite illustration...
From Swan, by Laurel Snyder, © 2015 by Julie MorstadWhy kids will love it...
Any child interested in dance or the arts will be drawn to Swan. But all children can take something away from this tale of modest beginnings, rise, triumph and tragedy. The essence of Pavlova’s unique life and talent is captured here, and children will respond to the transcendent spirit of it.

Why grown-ups will love it...
While truly a lovely stand-alone read, it also begs further conversation about life in a Czar-ruled Russia, class struggles, hope, dreams, determination, artistic expression, and the role of art in society. Snyder writes a lovely author’s note at the end about the unique impact Pavolva had on the ballet world. Parents, teachers and librarians can use Swan, and Snyder’s closing essay, to spark an inspiring discussion in young readers.

Quote of the Week