Fowl Play

How did the chicken wake up?  It had an alarm cluck. 

What do you call a chicken crossing the road?  Poultry in motion

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To bock traffic!

Why did the turkey cross the road?  To prove he wasn't chicken!

Those four questions and answers are only a few in a multitude of fowl hilarity. Chickens and their feathered friends have long been the object of comedy routines, jokes, and tall tales.  They've even made it into the world of polka with the famous chicken dance.  Be prepared to grin, giggle, and guffaw as you enjoy this trio of titles recently released.

In two previous books, Interrupting Chicken and Interrupting Chicken And The Elephant Of Surprise, author illustrator David Ezra Stein introduces and entertains readers with the actions and conversations between a lively little red chicken and her patient papa.  In the third title, Interrupting Chicken: Cookies For Breakfast (Candlewick Press, October 26, 2021), the delightful duo take readers once more into the world of the classic written word.  There is nothing like a craving for cookies to get your morning off to an exuberant start . . . for some.

It was bright and early for the little red chicken.

Papa is not ready to wake up on a Saturday morning until little red chicken mentions breakfast in bed.  Cookies are not what he has in mind.  There will be no cookies for breakfast, but Papa reading a book aloud is the next best thing.

Little red chicken snuggles in next to her father eager for him to begin reading nursery rhymes.  Not more than one is read before she interrupts with her own version of completing There Was An Old Woman.  There might be a mention of cookies. 

Again Papa says there will be no cookies for breakfast.  You won't believe what vitamin little red chicken says are in cookies!  This scenario is repeated two more times as the reading aloud resumes.  The charming youngster inserts cookies into nursery rhymes, a proverb, and her own brand of common sense.

Papa is getting a little stressed and asks for a break.  Our clever protagonist pens and draws her own RIME.  A loud sound puts a stop to the comfy morning cuddle between this father and his daughter.  Papa has a most delicious reply to the noise.  

When we read David Ezra Stein's first sentence, we get a hint of how the morning is going to be.  The contrast between the on-fire vigor of the child and her father's desire to keep sleeping are typical and comedic.  Between their laugh-out-loud funny conversations and the nursery rhymes, most reworded by the little red chicken, an engaging cadence is created.  (I counted the mention of cookies and cookie at least twenty-five times.)  Here is a passage.

"Chicken."

"Yes, Papa?"

"I told you, we can't have cookies so early."

"I heard the early bird gets the cookie."

"That's worm."

"Well, you can have a worm, but I'd rather have a cookie!"

Papa yawned.  "We'll have breakfast soon.

Let's just read a little longer."

"Okay!" said the little red chicken. 

Using

watercolor, water-soluble crayon, china markers, pen, opaque white ink, and tea

the artwork of David Ezra Stein asks us to jump into the story with as much liveliness as the little red chicken does onto her father's bed.  On the open and matching dust jacket and book case, her enthusiasm is on full display.  Their humorous conversation is already beginning on the front, right side.  To the left, on the back, with the bedroom wallpaper as a canvas, we read the words of the little red chicken.

I sure like cookies a lot!

The speech balloons on the front and back are varnished.

A bright spring green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the informal title page, David Ezra Stein starts his pictorial interpretation.  The little red chicken is carrying a kitchen chair somewhere.  She has dropped her toy stuffed elephant.  A double-page picture spans edge to edge for the formal title page.  It is a wonderful view of the interior of the chickens' kitchen.  Our eyes move from the refrigerator across an arched doorway into another room, and then to the stove with pots and pans hanging from a rack under a hood to a window with a table and chairs, and finally to cupboards on the far right.

On the left side prior to the first single-page picture and on the right side of the final single-page picture, David Ezra Stein has placed a page using the bedroom wallpaper, green with large yellow flowers with reddish orange centers.  Throughout the book, the images range in size from smaller visuals on a single page to illustrations crossing the gutter to full-page pictures and two-page pictures.

The two-page pictures are the open book Papa is reading to little red chicken.  Included on these pages are her appearances when she interrupts and adds her own dialogue between the nursery rhyme characters.  The limited color palette of the nursery rhyme pages contrasts with excellence to the full-color illustrations of the little red chicken, her papa and their home.  The facial expressions on Papa, the little red chicken, and the nursery rhyme characters are side-splitting.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a picture which crosses the gutter.  On the left, we see Papa in bed with his little red chicken.  She is holding an open book and a pencil.  Her toy stuffed elephant is nestled with Papa on his right side.  The box of cookies is on the left side of the little red hen.  A light glows near her on a bedside table.  The bed crosses the gutter.  Taped on the foot of the bed, we are shown affectionate drawings by the little red chicken for her papa.  Her art materials are scattered on the floor near an ottoman where she was working.  

This third book, Interrupting Chicken: Cookies For Breakfast written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, is as enchanting and funny as the previous two titles.  You can expect to hear a chorus of "read it again" every time you finish reading this either one-on-one or to a group of listeners.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about David Ezra Stein and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  David Ezra Stein has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  David Ezra Stein is interviewed at Judy Newman at Scholastic.  At the publisher's website, you can access and download a nine-page series activity kit.  At Penguin Random House, you can view many happy interior images.

David Ezra Stein discusses Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast from Candlewick Press on Vimeo

According to Merriam-Webster, there are three major definitions for the word magic.  They involve a special power welded by special people, tricks, and influence or skill.  The word impossible is tied to two of these definitions.  What is not mentioned in any of these meanings is the word chicken.  Perhaps the people at Merriam-Webster need to have a chat with two creative talents, author Adam Rubin and illustrator Adam Rex.  This duo's new collaboration, Gladys The Magic Chicken (Putnam G. P. Putnam's Sons, October 26, 2021) gives a new interpretation to that word, magic.  You'll be laughing before you've even finished the first page.

THIS ALL HAPPENED

a long, long, long. long, looong time ago.

Three thousand years before your grandma's

grandma's grandma was born.

In these long ago times there lived a chicken, a dancing chicken.  Gladys, the dancing chicken, was a follower.  Each day she went to the pasture with the sheep, a dog, and a shepherd.  One day, for the first time in his short life, this shepherd saw his reflection in a puddle.  He was stunned.

When Gladys comforted the boy, he wished to be beautiful.  Years passed and that boy became a strong, handsome man.  When a traveling peddler came to town, that man saw himself in a mirror.  (He had never seen a mirror.)  Again, he was stunned.  He kissed Gladys and declared her to be 

"A MAGIC, WISH-GRANTING CHICKEN." (At this point, I am laughing out loud.)

The wily peddler acquired Gladys by giving the shepherd that mirror.  Gladys went from place to place with that businessman who was offering her for sale.  She did not sell and that man made a wish.  Poof! No more Gladys.

Gladys was shocked as she moved from a cooking pot to the arms of a heroic swordsman.  From there she became a gift and the object of a hard-to-forget song.  Before this chicken, said to be magical, could really get settled at a royal palace, she found herself on the high seas with a band of pirates.  What?!

No sooner than one could think avast me hearties, Gladys landed on a deserted beach which was not really deserted because this was Gladys, after all.  A fancy, footwork frolic was observed and a wild ride caused Gladys to yield yet another of her eggs.  That brought Gladys to the best conclusion for a dancing chicken who might or might not have had special powers.  Magical, indeed.

Some of the best kinds of stories are circle stories.  Adam Rubin has written this one masterfully.  The setting he fashions, Ancient Times, allows him to play with language and historical facts.  His named cast of characters describes their occupations and sometimes their characteristics like the

Long-Bearded Bandit and the

Learned Princess.

His blend of narrative, dialogue, and authorial asides is marvelous, just like Gladys.  You will be swept away by his word choices brimming with action.  Here is a passage.

CRASH!

BANG!

BOOM!

The Learned Princess shrieked as a Fearsome Pirate swung through the window, flipped through 

the air, and landed on the floor with a sword clenched in her teeth.  Gladys let an egg go ploop.

"YOU'RE COMING WITH ME." threatened the Fearsome Pirate.

"I'M HERE TO KIDNAP YOU FOR RANSOM!"

"HOORAY!" squealed the Learned Princess.

HOORAY? asked the Fearsome Pirate.  . . .

You will be hard-pressed to look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case without bursting into giggles.  Gladys, in all her dancing glory, is looking a tad uncomfortable at the accolades she is receiving and at being placed on a pedestal.  Her eyes here and throughout the book convey more than words ever could.  Gladys, the flower at her feet, and the title text are varnished.

To the left of the spine, on the back, a continuation of the Ancient Times brushed golden tones acts as a canvas.  Here is a very, very, very old stone portrait of a chicken with the face of a wise man or deity.  It is placed in the upper, left-hand corner like it is holding up a roof at the top of a pillar.

There are four horizontal panels separated by black lines on the opening and closing endpapers.  In these panels Gladys is featured, symbolically, in her travels.  The drawing is precise, almost like it has been cut and stenciled.  In the opening endpapers it is black on a rich deep pink.  On the closing endpapers, the elements are repeated on metallic dark gold.  These pink and gold colors are used again in a beautiful design decision.

The title page is done in hues of pink, purple, blue and gold.  It showcases an old city with lightning coming from the cloud above it.  Gladys sits in that cloud amid the title text.

Drawn digitally, these illustrations by Adam Rex are guaranteed to have readers pausing at every page turn beginning with the map opposite the dedication and publication information page.  The map is titled

THE WORLD OF

ANCIENT 

TIMES

WITH CHICKEN

SNACKS BY REGION.

The pictures throughout are replete with details and bold, bright colors. 

Single-page images blend to the next one.  Smaller illustrations grouped two to a page accentuate pacing.  Double-page pictures are dramatic.  When the ancient language is spoken it is placed in narrow scrolls with a different font.  White space, dark space, and perspective are magic in the skilled hands of Adam Rex.

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page illustration.  It is a dark scene in hues of blue.  We are in the dungeon of the palace of the Purple Pooh-bah.  There is stonework, stairs, and archways leading into seemingly endless hallways.  On the right side a heavy grate is placed in the floor.  From the grate stretch two narrow scrolls.  They read:

CURSE YOU, MAGIC CHICKEN!

cried the Long-Bearded

Bandit.

THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!

Prepare to laugh yourself silly reading Gladys The Magic Chicken written by Adam Rubin with illustrations by Adam Rex.  The combination of text and artwork makes this a classic tale to be told again and again.  You might find yourself humming a tune and singing the words ending with

ABRA-COCK-A-DOODLE-DEE-DOO!

Make sure you have a copy on your personal and professional bookshelves.

By following the link attached to Adam Rubin's and Adam Rex's names, you can access their respective websites to learn more about them and their other work.  Adam Rubin has an account on Twitter.  He also has a more adult website here.  Adam Rex has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view some interior images.  This inventive duo are interviewed about this book at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production, by Betsy Bird.

Chicken Literacy from Adam R on Vimeo.

When the temperature drops thirty degrees in twelve hours with wind chills in the teens, it is cold outside.  No matter how much winter wear you don, the bitter breeze finds a way to give you the shivers.  As you walk from one point to the other, sometimes in place and other times as if a giant hand is pushing you, you wonder if you will ever be warm again.  In Cold Turkey (Little, Brown and Company, November 23, 2021) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call with illustrations by Chad Otis, this bird knows that frigid temperatures equals loads of clothes.  Will this bird survive wandering in his neighborhood?

Turkey woke up c-c-cold.

He wheezed, "It's ten degrees!

I need to b-b-bundle up

before I f-f-freeze!"

Turkey first met Sheep.  She was quivering from the effects of the storm.  Turkey gave her his hat.  Turkey was not quite as warm when he met Chick.  Her feathers and nest of hay were not helping her.  Perhaps Turkey's wing warmers would help her.

No longer standing, Horse could barely make a sound.  Cow could not even crouch to combat the wild wind.  It was a miracle Pig was not purple from the wild weather.  At each stop, Turkey relinquished an article of clothing.

Turkey was no longer bundled.  Turkey was shaking as the blizzard blasted his bare body.  He could hardly wait to get home.  

Unbeknownst to Turkey, his barnyard friends had an unexpected state in store for him.  Each one and Turkey, too, had new descriptive names.  Turkey went from warm-hearted on the inside and from cold to _____ on the outside.

Authors Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call have a knack through inventive wordplay for spinning narratives with a catchy cadence.  Their rhyming couplets for each animal followed by a two-word alliterative descriptor bring smiles to listeners.  These are an open invitation to participate in the story.  As the tale unfolds, readers see the results of a generous spirit and the warmth friendship brings.  Here is a passage.

Cow was qu-qu-quivering.

"I can't help but complain.

This wind is a cow-tastrophy!

It's udderly insane."

QUIVERING

COW

The crisp white background for the front and back of the open and matching dust jacket and book case with scattered snowflakes is certain to induce chills.  Even covered in clothing, Turkey is one cold bird as evidenced by the shiver marks and blowing leaves and weeds.  Notice how those weeds extend over the spine.  

To the left, on the back, Turkey and his friends are shown in a circular image.  Their cold faces all point to him in the center.  Each one of them is labeled with their alliterative names, except for Cold Turkey.

On the opening endpapers artist Chad Otis gives readers a bird's eye view of the barnyard blanketed in snow.  A dotted line indicates the path Turkey takes from friend to friend.  This view offers a hint at the conclusion.  Night has fallen on the scene on the closing endpapers.  There are still a few flakes of snow falling but it is otherwise calm.  The dotted line has been replaced with prints in the snow.  A glow on the far right reveals the toasty conclusion.

These images rendered

in pencil, scanned textures, and digital paint

convey a realistic sense of time and place.  You'll be reaching for your favorite coat, hat, and mittens before you leave with Turkey to go outside.  Evidence of the wind and snow has filtered into Turkey's home.  Brrrr . . .

As Turkey moves from animal to animal, the layering of snow on objects combined with gusts of wind, drifting flakes, and blowing leaves and twigs is highly convincing.  White is used superbly as an element contrasting with the colors of the animals, Turkey and his clothing.  Chad Otis has us initially standing back to watch the exchange between Turkey and the other five animals, but when Turkey gives away an article of clothing and the animal is given their two-word name, we are brought close to the location.  Readers will enjoy the added details and facial expression on the characters.

One of my many favorite images of all these two-page pictures is for the words

HUDDLING HORSE.

On the left side Horse's face and upper portion of his body is highlighted.  Horse is extremely cold, but now his nose is wrapped in Turkey's scarf.  Horse is holding it in place with his two foot hooves.  On the right side of the picture, Turkey is walking away, getting colder and colder.  He is wearing only two more pieces of clothing.  Head bent, he plods through the deepening snow.  To the left of him, a fence is coated in snow.  In the distance, on the right, we can see the outline of the farmhouse.

Readers will be tapping their toes and clapping their hands in time to the wondrous words penned by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call and in response to the enhancing illustrations by Chad Otis when they hear or read Cold Turkey.  This book would make a fantastic reader's theater.  You'll want to add a copy to both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Corey Rosen Schwartz, Kirsti Call, and Chad Otis and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Corey Rosen Schwartz has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Kirsti Call has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Chad Otis has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can download an activity sheet.

Cow-tastic Creations

They are the original dairy queens.  More than eight thousand years ago, humans believed it was in their best interest to have them become a part of their world.  To this day, they continue to provide valuable food ingredients, especially for many people's favorite dessert or comfort food, ice cream.

Cows are beloved for their nature.  In a variety of fabricated forms, they are often children's (or collector's) favorite animal finding places on shelves or as stuffed toys to cuddle for comfort or rest.  Perhaps as characters for storytellers, they are able to linger longer in our hearts.  Two recent publications feature cows in all their bovine glory.  Mootilda's Bad Mood (Little Bee Books, September 1, 2020) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call with illustrations by Claudia Ranucci takes readers on an emotional adventure as one cow youngster wakes up cranky and gets crankier by the incident.

Mootilda woke up in a huff

with hay stuck in her hair.

"What's going on? My pillow's gone.

My doll's way over there!"

Her mother tried to calm her with a treat, but her bad luck and mood escalated.  Mootilda exploded in distress.  Her moomaw thought it would be best if she went outside to join the other cows at play.  Her lack of skill caused even more dismay.

Her friends, like her mother, suggested another remedy for her irritable attitude.  Unfortunately, her dive in the pond was more thwack than swan.  The sheep and pigs offered encouragement along with advice, but nothing worked on this cow's crabby demeanor.  

Believing she is cursed, Mootilda ranted until the chickens took up a chant.  Their day was worse.  Now Mootilda and the chickens were fretting together to the max, until Mootilda decided to use her moomaw's remedy to relax.

They were all enjoying ice cream in cones when another feathered friend made an error in judgment.  Mootilda was shocked, but then she surprised everyone, including herself.  Moody Mootilda discovered what was always there.

One thing is absolutely certain, authors Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call must have laughed themselves silly writing this text.  It's bursting with rhyming and word play.  If a word can be shifted just a bit to include something relating to cows (or another one of the farm crew), it finds a place in their story.

Readers will appreciate the upbeat outlook of the other farm animals with the exception of the chickens.  This supplies the opportunity for contrast with Mootilda's bad mood.  Here is a passage.

"I'm in a bad MOOOD!"

"Hay hay there now, don't have a cow!

We'll get this mess remoooved.

A sooothing swim will cool you down.

Your moood will soon improoove!"

When you look at the matching and open dust jacket and book case, beginning with the front, right, you can't help but laugh.  One glance at the thunderous look on Mootilda's face and you know this cow is having a really bad day.  The swirl of darkness above her head is perfection and a great design choice for the text.  The title text is raised on the jacket.

To the left, on the back, is a similar illustration to one found in the interior of the book.  Mootilda is mooing her discontent along with the clucking cantankerous chickens.  They stand in the sandy barnyard with rolling hills, a fence, and other farm buildings in the distance.  The text reads:

"We're in a bad MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

On the opening and closing endpapers are six moods of Mootilda on a white background.  Each is washed in a rainbow color with connecting rainbow dotted lines.  The moods are not happy.  On the title page Mootilda is upright stomping her back hooves in frustration as she waves her arms overhead.

Each image by Claudia Ranucci accentuates the narrative alternating in size and perspective.  We might find ourselves looking at a full-page picture, several smaller visuals on a single page, or dramatic double-page illustrations.  Sometimes we are seeing a panoramic pastoral view.  Other times we are very close to the characters, especially Mootilda.  Readers will find themselves giggling or laughing out loud with every page turn when they see the expressions on the animals' faces.  Careful viewers will understand why the chickens are having a less than stellar day.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the first double-page picture.  Mootilda is declaring her state of emotion to her moomaw in the kitchen in the morning.  The force of her exclamation blows utensils and a canister off the counter.  The cookie jar is overturned, and cookies go flying.  Family portraits on the wall are now crooked.  The refrigerator and cupboards are pink.  Cow drawings hang on the fridge.  Mootilda's stuffed toy cow is on the floor, forgotten for the moment.

It's perfectly normal to be grumpy from time to time.  In Mootilda's Bad Mood written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call with illustrations by Claudia Ranucci, we see how incidents sometimes happen not as desired, but our perspective can make all the difference.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.  

To learn more about Corey Rosen Schwartz, Kirsti Call, and Claudia Ranucci, and their other work, please follow the link attached to their name to access their website or their agency's website.  It appears that Claudia Ranucci has a website in Spanish, linked here.  Corey Rosen Schwartz has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Kirsti Call has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Claudia Ranucci has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  There are also interior images to see at Simon & Schuster.  This book and its creators are featured on Picture Book Look.  Author Kirsti Call is highlighted at Book Q &As with Deborah Kalb, at author Vivian Kirkfield's site, and at GROG.

When cherished collaborators return, we cheer.  In a companion title to Holy Cow, I Sure Do Love You! author illustrator Tom Lichtenheld and the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal return with an ode to the affection between a parent and child.  Moo-Moo, I Love You! (Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 22, 2020) is moo-velous in every respect.  

Moo-moo, I love you.

I love you no matter your moo-d.

In all six named moods from good to bad, and sad to silly and two in-between, this child knows they are loved.  This mom loves to share things with her child, food, funny jokes, and dancing to their special music.  Best of all, this mom thinks their refrigerator door, and sides, is a 

moo-seum.

Like moms everywhere, this mom loves to see her child enjoying the company of friends as they wait for the school bus.  She notices how her child has the gift of gab, and that of being a good listener.  She continues with a statement regarding the size of her love for her child.

She compares it to being as big as a moose!  The child is astonished.  That's a lot of love.  (The moose needs to be encouraged to move.)

Mom and cow child begin a long journey because there isn't anything this mom won't do to show her love.  They might, if it is a long trip, get assistance from a farmer's hay truck.  At day's end, this mom closes with a universal sign of affection, a promise to recreate a nursery rhyme, and the best phrase in the whole, wide world.

The words in this lovable volume penned by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld place a heavy, hilarious emphasis on the word moo.  It's popcorn at the 

moo-vies.

It's 

sch-moo-zing 

with friends.

With each page turn, we anticipate another round of word play, and we are not disappointed.  The child gets in the last word as they are being carried to bed.

When you open the dust jacket you are immediately drawn to the red on the front, right.  These are the colors you see throughout the book, black and white, and splashes of red with spot color in other hues.  (The illustrations within the book are placed on heavy, matte-finished brown paper.)  The title text on the jacket is textured and varnished.  The mother and child are varnished as is the pink heart on top of their heads.

To the left, on the back, four moods of the child are shown, two on the top and two on the bottom beneath the words:

A book for those you love, no matter their moo-d.

The book case is black and white, like a close-up of the cows' bodies.  The opening and closing endpapers on brown are patterned with a splattering of tiny red hearts.  These surround the mother and child doing a variety of dance moo-ves.

Prior to the double-page picture for the title page is a full page where the book owner can place their name under

This book belongs to-moo:

The title spans both pages.  On the left, the mother's upper body and head are under the o and v in love.  The child, on the right, is placed under the y and o in you.

For every page turn, Tom Lichtenheld has a heavier black frame around two pages, as if drawn in crayon.  The illustrations within these frames were rendered

with Pentel brush pen on watercolor paper, with Photoshop color.  Digital tweakage by Kristen Cella.  

Heavy expressive lines convey every moment found in the narrative.  The facial expressions on the child in its moods are hilarious.  Tiny details add to the comedy such as the youngster holding a tiny teddy bear when their moo-d is worried.

Tom Lichtenheld adds wonderful elements to each image.  The cookie jar on top of the refrigerator is patterned like a cow's black and white body.  Every time there is a double o, they are solid black.  Careful readers will wonder about the full title of the book the mother is holding at bedtime.  

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the mother and child are dancing.  On the left side with the text is a turntable on a record stand with speakers on either side on the floor.  Sound bursts from the speakers.  On the right, the two cows, with eyes closed in contentment, have one foot up in mid-dance move with swaying arms.  The younger one is singing to the music with notes moving up and left to the top center of the left side.

Uplifting and joyful, Moo-Moo, I Love You! written by Tom Lichtenheld and the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal with art by Tom Lichtenheld is a book to read each and every day.  It is to be shared.  It is to be gifted.  No collection would be complete without the happiness of this title.

To learn more about Amy Krouse Rosenthal the link attached to her name is her original website.  For further information about her please visit The Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation website.  The link attached to Tom Lichtenheld's name will acquaint you with his work.  He also maintains accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  You can view interior images at the publisher's website.

She's Big, She's Bad, And She's Back

In the realm of fairy there are villains in need of vanquishing...always. They plague the residents' pursuit of a life filled with peace.  One of the most haunting tales is of children wandering deep into dark woods.  Under the guise of goodness a wicked witch lures them lost and hungry into her home.

The canny canine in The Three Ninja Pigs (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., September 27, 2012) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz with illustrations by Dan Santat and back again in Ninja Red Riding Hood (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), July 10, 2014) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz with illustrations by Dan Santat was permanently put in place by masterful martial artists, a pig phenom and a gal and her grandmother.  Another member of the family is famished, looking for food.  Hensel And Gretel Ninja Chicks (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, May 24, 2016) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez with illustrations by Dan Santat follows a fiendish fox.  Fearless fowl intend to foil her feast.

Once upon a menacing time
two chicks knew a fox was at large. 
Their Ma had been taken
and Pop was quite shaken
so Hensel and Gretel took charge.

In the village dojo, they learned a new form of martial arts mojo.  Silence, shadows and stealth became their friends as they sought to bring this reign of terror to an end.  Imagine their dismay when they arrived home to find their father had been taken away.  Without a minute to waste, they hiked in great haste; leaving crumbs in their wake.

Feeling great fear and fright, discovering their morsels had vanished from sight, they wandered into the night until they saw a light.  Following the glow up ahead they discovered an abode made entirely of corn bread.  Little did Hensel know as she snacked, she was about to be attacked.  Once inside, she knew the vixen had lied.

In a cage Pop had been stuck and Mama was next to be plucked.  Finding herself behind bars, Hensel thanked her lucky stars for her lock picking skills.  In case you're wondering about good Gretel, knowing her family was in trouble, down the chimney she went on the double.  Mother and daughter combined their survival savvy giving the fox a fight.  Pop and Hensel helped to set things right.  Kiya!


Combining their warrior writing expertise Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez create a story moving and grooving to a rhyming ninjutsu beat.  Elements of the original tale are deftly woven into this fractured version focusing on chickens and the foul fox.  The dialogue blended with the narrative is dynamic creating tension and comedy at the same time.  Here is a sample passage.

She gasped, and then dashed 
to the corner,
where Pop was confined in a crate.
"Watch out!" Papa cried.
"You'll be
chicken-pot-pied!"
She sidestepped,
but it was too late. 


When opening the dust jacket, to the left, on the back, readers see a canvas in the same hue as seen on the title text on the front.  In a diagonal panel the fox is pictured engaged in battle with the two chicks, one kicking outside the lines of the frame.  We read the words

Is that witchy fox ready for kung POW chickens?

On the front the no-nonsense expressions on the faces of the chickens and fox and the body stances on all of them foreshadow the events to come; wok in hand the fox will fight for food and the chickens are determined to do battle to spare everyone's lives.  The opening and closing endpapers feature first the coop-like residence of the chickens sitting in a clearing surrounded by the forest.  At the back, in a more mountainous setting, the fox's house awaits the arrival of some unlucky soul, smoke rising from the chimney.

Rendered throughout with Sumi brush work on rice paper and completed in Adobe Photoshop Dan Santat visually begins the story with a two page image on the dedication, verso and title pages; Pop, Hensel and Gretel, worried and wary, are walking to the gates of their town.  A BEWARE sign, with a fox on it, is hanging on the gate.  Nods to the two previous books are seen on buildings as the trio approach the dojo.  Santat's perspective in these first two large illustrations draws our attention directly to the main characters.

Many of the remaining pictures spread across two pages but Santat places pictures within pictures as the action dictates.  Even his single page pictures flow across the gutter forming a wonderful whole. The color palette reflects the time of day along with the correct emotional atmosphere.  Each scene is vivid and vibrant, especially the fighting segments.  There is so much energy in his images they embrace you. You'll believe you can hear voices and sounds.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  Within this picture we see the passage of time and the journey Hensel and Gretel take through the forest.  Clothed in their ninja clothing they move with caution through trees, across a bridge near a waterfall, along a mountainous path and carefully approach the light seen through the trees on the right toward the bottom.  The layout and design fashion a feeling of motion.


Hensel And Gretel Ninja Chicks written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez with illustrations by Dan Santat is fairy tale fun full of twists and turns.  When the words are read aloud with these images, your listeners will be ready to assume positions in defense of whatever scoundrel skulks into view.  This is one of my favorite Hansel and Gretel variants.

To learn more about Corey Rosen Schwartz, Rebecca J. Gomez and Dan Santat and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  The trio can be found on Twitter at @CoreyPBNinja @GomezWrites and @dsantat  Enjoy the book trailer.

Build It Or Bust

Yesterday was the last official day of school for students.  It's a welcome shift for households everywhere.  It's a time to focus more on doing what you enjoy rather than doing what is required, even if you like those required activities.  Friends and family will gather to make the most of every single minute.

It's not unusual to see visible results of imaginations set free in the form of forts or tree houses around neighborhoods in yards or vacant lots.  What About Moose? (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, June 9, 2015) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez with illustrations by Keika Yamaguchi is about a do-it-yourself project with a know-it-all taking control.  When you think you have the inside edge on your pals, you might find yourself suddenly alone.

Fox met her friends, with her toolbox in hand.  "Time to start building!  Now, here's what I've planned."  

Fox's job assignments for her friends are promptly ignored by Moose racing to the site full of too much energy and too much advice.  Moose has no intention of being a member of this construction team.  He wants to take charge of the work done by Bear, Toad, Skunk, Porcupine and Fox.

Megaphone in hand Moose shouts out orders to each of the animals.  Each time one of the companions asks

"But what about you, Moose?"

he puffs himself up full of importance and continues to criticize the efforts of those working together.  He knows what to do but does nothing except strut and shout.

A bit of frustration and disgust is creeping into the animals' attitudes. Who can blame them?  Moose proclaims their workmanship poor and prods them to a faster finish.

Moose is too focused on the tree house's completion.  You might say he has lost sight of the whole picture.  When the final large piece is plunked into place, Moose finds himself in a peculiar position.  Ingenuity wins the day.


Stories with a distinctive rhythm create words readers remember, the beat reinforcing the narrative.  The collaboration of Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez has fashioned an afternoon of teamwork gone hilariously wrong.  Two line combinations ending in rhyming words supply a pace depending on the page placement.  When the tale reaches a peak, an extra sentence provides an added punch to Moose's problem.  Readers will pause in shock much like Moose.  Here is a sample passage.

"Bear, crank the handle 
to tighten that brace."

"Toad, keep on sanding,
but pick up the pace."

"But what about you, Moose?"
Toad asked with concern. (page turn)

"I'm overseeing," said
Moose, looking stern.


Opening the dust jacket (working with a F & G) readers are treated to a double page illustration with smaller characters, a yellow bird, a mouse and a tiny white rabbit, near Moose's Caution painted box on the left.  To the right we can see Moose in all his bossy glory bellowing through the megaphone as his friends look on with varying degrees of concern and disgust.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in two hues of brown, the lighter outlining an assortment of items used in the construction of the tree house, a hard hat, goggles, a toolbox and a blueprint.   On the title page a startled rabbit jumps in the air after Moose races past.  A mouse watches from a pile of wood, a ladder, a pail and Fox's toolbox.  A hard hat is hanging on the M for Moose.

Rendered digitally the illustrations by Keika Yamaguchi, varying in size from double page images, to groups of smaller pictures on one or two pages and single page visuals, are lively, colorful and filled with emotion.  Humor is depicted in the facial expressions in response to Moose's outrageous demands.  Yamaguchi shifts her perspective, zooming in and out, to match and enhance the cadence of the text.

One of my favorite illustrations covers two pages.  The group, Fox, Skunk, Toad, Porcupine, Bear and Moose have moved the action to the floor of the tree house.  The clothing worn by the animals is enough to make you grin but Toad wearing a hard hat and goggles and operating the drill will have you laughing out loud.  When Bear concentrates it appears he chews on his tongue.


For loads of giggles and grins, a gentle lesson in teamwork and the value of true-blue friends What About Moose? written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez with illustrations by Keika Yamaguchi is a fun-tastic choice for story time.  It introduces steps in simple construction, new vocabulary, and forest animals.  You might want to try it as a reader's theater.

To learn more about Corey Rosen Schwartz, Rebecca J. Gomez and Keika Yamaguchi please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  This page at Corey Rosen Schwartz's site explains the reason she wanted to write this book.  Here is a link to several pages of activities which can be printed.  At the publisher's website you can view several illustrations.  Enjoy the book trailer.

He's Big, He's Bad and He's Back...Again!

Some villains simply can't take a hint.  Faced with defeat they retreat only to come back for more.  They cave to their cravings; especially if it involves meat.  One could say they never really learn; or do they?

Such is the case with the wily wolf that faced the proficient porkers in The Three Ninja Pigs (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., September 27, 2012).  Giving credit where credit is due, he is crafty enough to realize he needs to sharpen his combative skills along with his teeth.  Author Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrator Dan Santat have returned in a collaboration of fractured fairy tale frenzy titled Ninja Red Riding Hood (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), July 10, 2014).  Hold on to your gi.  This Red of the Riding Hood will have you shouting whoopee!

Once upon a Ninja-filled time,
a wolf couldn't catch any prey.
He kept getting licked
by the dinner he picked
and was growing more ticked by the day.

What's a hungry carnivore to do?  Disguise himself and enroll in a martial arts school.  Practicing to perfection, his plan is complete.  Into the darkened woods he goes, hoping for something good to eat.

Along comes Little Red on her way to Grandmother's house.  He leads her astray with a promise...the louse.  Sneaking to Gran's he's surprised to discover the old lady is gone; he quickly goes undercover.  Suspicious at seeing her dear relative looking odd, Hood asks familiar questions giving the original tale a nod.

Just as the beast is springing for his first bite, Red Riding takes a stance ready to fight.  It seems the brute has been a fool; of course she went to Ninja school too!  When it looks as if the conflict will never conclude, in walks Grandmother in a bit of a mood.  Who wins on this day?  I'll never say but out of this duel comes a new rule.  It's vegetables all the way.


How can you not begin the think in rhyme when reading the rhythmic words of Corey Rosen Schwartz?  This writer scores a splendid symmetry between her use of language and weaving a narrative stuffed with suspense and surprise.  The verbal exchanges between Red Riding Hood, the wolf and Grandmother are feisty, fresh and just plain fun.  Here is a sample passage.

"And those biceps! My gosh, they look massive.
And your triceps and delts are immense."
"The better for hugging,"
her grandma said, shrugging.
"Dear Red, that's just plain common sense."


One look at the colorful dust jacket and book case, a determined Red Riding Hood ready to execute her ninja moves with the conniving creature lurking behind a fan, is a clear call to readers looking for action. Using Sumi brush work on rice paper, completed in Adobe Photoshop, illustrator Dan Santat continues his skillful cleverness on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first Red Riding Hood is crossing a bridge going right into the forest, golden glows of early morning in the background.  Hues of blue highlight the wolf crossing the same bridge going in the other direction to the left on the final set.

On the verso and title page Red Riding Hood enters the forest, a poster picturing the wolf hanging on a bamboo tree.  Each of the illustrations, whether a full two pages, a single page or pages divided into panels, are bold and lively.  Santat literally brings readers into the action with an enhanced perspective.  It's like a force field surrounding you as you read.  Facial expressions on the wolf, Little Red and Gran tell their own tale accentuating personalities; bringing in the special Santat humor.

Of many favorite illustrations the ones which stand out for me are those depicting the conversation between the wolf and Ninja Red Riding Hood when she questions "grandmother".  He looks so innocent and beguiling in a distinctively wolfish way as her wariness grows.  You can feel the tension growing.

Come one, come all.  Gather near to hear the tale of Ninja Red Riding Hood written by Corey Rosen Schwartz with illustrations by Dan Santat.  It's the best kind of once upon a Ninja-filled time you've read since The Three Ninja Pigs.  Red Riding Hood and company never looked so good.

Please follow the links embedded in the author's and illustrator's names to get to their official websites.  Enjoy the book trailer below.