Start Your Engines...The Race Is On

If your windows are down as you approach, even miles away, you can hear the roar beginning.  It's the sound of more than twelve thousand fans gathering for the day.  The stands and infield are packed with people.  Trucks are parked inside the circular track.  Family and friends are seated in chairs on the roof of those trucks to get a better view.  When the flag drops, those voices are joined by the rumbling of engines as the race at Michigan International Speedway begins.

Shouted conversations speculate on the outcome.  Will the favorite finish first or will a "dark horse" speed and weave around the front runners?  A dastardly, delightful spin on who might win is found in the rip-roaring Monster Trucks (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, July 12, 2016) written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Nate Wragg.

On a SPOOKY speedway...
MONSTER TRUCKS MOAN!
MONSTER TRUCKS GRUMBLE!
MONSTER TRUCKS GROAN!

We meet those lined in a row and ready to go; one with parts started by a spark, another which lifts his hood to howl, a third more dead than alive but ready to drive, another who is a shadow of his former self, and the fifth and final entrant who seeks to drain the energy of everyone.  The flag goes up and then down, the sound is deafening as the competition commences.  The battle is fierce as they circle.  What's this?  Another competitor has arrived!

It's a bus, a little blue bus, bustling to join that bunch of boisterous bullies.  The others tower over the timid truck.  They're ready to feast on her apparent fear when, with a shout, a challenge is issued.  Shifting into high she leaves those snide rides real fast as they fade into the rear.

Maneuvering with skill the smallest takes the lead as the furious five spin and collide.  Now in the open, the little blue bus is a target, a bull's eye for what has burst forth from the mess of metal.  The finish line looms.  Will the mighty of heart meet their doom?  A trick and a twist are revealed under the light of the full moon.


The beat generated by the rhythm of the rhyming, alliterative, and onomatopoeic words written by Anika Denise is sure to have readers and listeners ready to race (or dance at the very least).  The narrative pauses in several places as a familiar refrain, three phrases describing the monster trucks, chants the current mood.  Word choices and punctuation create a cadence that flows and is never forced.  Readers feel as though they are observers of midnight madness, a race run in the absence of daylight and humans.  Here is a sample passage.

It's a monster mash-up!
CLANG!  BOOM!  BASH!  BANG!
Every truck for himself---by piston and FANG!
When out of the pit...with a PUTT and a TOOT
comes a LITTLE BLUE BUS
looking perky ...and cute.


Opening the dust jacket (I'm working from an F & G.) readers are greeted with a full image left to right, back to front, of the five fearsome monster trucks revving their engines as they race down the track.  Nothing is going to stop them as they fight for position.  Nate Wragg uses a full color palette but lights from the headlamps, speedway stands and the full moon cast shadows and an eerie glow to the scene.

On the title page the ghost truck glides in through headstones, looking at the reader with wide eyes.  Three other trucks travel over darkened ground and through trees looking like skeletons on the verso and dedication pages.   A lone gas pump, shaped like a coffin, drips gasoline as vampire truck slurps a sip.  Bats fly across the sky.

Most of the illustrations rendered in acrylic paints with digital color are spread over two pages or a single page, edge to edge.  For one portion of the narrative Wragg uses three smaller horizontal pictures on a single page to heighten tension at a turning point in the story.  The animation on the truck faces is superb, more scary than cute.  Every visual is charged with energy.

One of my favorite illustrations is when the monster trucks are blasting from the starting line.  Their expressions are full of determination as they face forward or give each other the evil eye.  They are going so fast they are nearly airborne.  The sky behind them is shades of orange, full of golden yellow rays shooting upward from the ground behind them.  You actually believe you can hear the engines and the screams from the crowd.


Bright and bold Monster Trucks written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Nate Wragg is a finger-snapping, toe-tapping read aloud; a seasonal selection or for a monster or truck themed story hour or event.  You need to plan on reading it more than once because your listeners will want to participate with gusto in the word play. It's noisy, scary, fun and a little bit tricky.

To learn more about Anika Denise and Nate Wragg please follow the links to their respective website and blog.  Nate Wragg also maintains Tumblr pages.  Anika is a guest post writer at Angie Karcher's RHYPIBOMO site.   Enjoy the sampler and book trailer.

UPDATE:  Anika Denise is a guest at PictureBookBuilders.  Enjoy the interview. August 9, 2016

To Complete A Sweet Beat

Eventually the prize was delegated to the oldie-but-goodie-not-working-worth-a-hoot pile but the recollection of the contest never fails to bring on a smile.  We had been practicing.  We could hardly wait for the night to arrive.  When the familiar tune started, the dance floor was soon packed with competitive couples.  We added extra steps, moving and grooving to the beat.  Before long we were one of a few couples left twistin' the night away.  When we were announced as the winners, we looked at one another and burst out laughing.

Music has a magic to it; a way of lifting your spirits or aligning with your moods, conveying what words sometimes are unable to say.  When you combine it with the spell cast by folklore, you will find yourself reading Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., February 6, 2014) written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton with illustrations by Nate Wragg.  Get out your dancing shoes as the fractured fun unfolds.

Once upon a rock and roll time,
three bears in a band jammed with ease.
The Papa Bear drummed,
the Mama Bear strummed,
and Baby Bear tickled the keys.

Now these bears loved to make music and were good but not good enough to bring in the crowds.  Papa Bear had a plan.  Leaving their porridge to cool one morning, they went on a quest to find a lead vocalist with a range much higher than theirs.

As if by some fairy tale fate, a girl came knocking at their door.  While the smell of breakfast got Goldi's attention, stepping inside made her cheer.  It seemed the bears had a stage jam packed with musical gear galore.

Three sets of mikes were too tempting.  Headphones, three, revealed a tune she couldn't resist.  Now a tough choice presented itself; should percussion, guitar or keyboard be used to assist?

It was sad to note but Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear had no luck.  Coming home they saw a chaotic scene.  It was clear someone had been there; not something they had foreseen.  A dozing Goldi was startled awake; her piercing exclamation relieved their frustration.  A marvelous melody finally fulfilled wishes for the fabulous four.


Corey Rosen Schwartz (The Three Ninja Pigs) and Beth Coulton show readers they have a true affection for word play (and music) giving the story its own rhythmic cadence.  Fashioning a harmonious blend of the original narrative with their rocking and rolling spin, as pages are turned toes will be tapping.  Humor emerges in their choices, combinations of language, and the contrasts it creates.  Here is a single example.

The family returned to their cottage,
distressed from their lack of success.
When they saw the inside,
the Mama Bear cried,
"Egads! What a terrible mess!"


Readers are given a "door's always open" hint at the events to come when looking at the book's jacket.  Rich shades of brown and golden yellow exude cozy warmth.  The grinning mouths, laughing eyes, and movements of the characters frozen in place all say good times are coming.  Throughout the book this color palette and the lively animation of the three bears and Goldi are continued with entertaining results.

Using pencils, painted textures and Adobe Photoshop, Nate Wragg brings spirited life to this tuneful rendition of an old favorite.  Wragg chooses to alter the size of his illustrations; two pages, single pages and smaller visuals grouped on one page, to enhance, extend and interpret the narrative.  His added details are downright hilarious; the insects with thumbs down at the bears' original performance, a speaker popping out, or two pigs plugging their ears as the third one sings.

One of my favorite illustrations is a single page featuring all four characters as if we are on the outside looking into the cottage.  Mama Bear is playing her guitar.  Papa Bear is giving them a beat on his drums.  Baby Bear is placing his paws across the keyboard.  And Goldi?  She is singing her heart out as a crescent moon shines among stars and musical notes.

I've listened to more rock and roll music in the past several days, than I have in years.  Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton with illustrations by Nate Wragg will have readers ready to grab the nearest instrument (or slap a beat on their knees), happily sing or dance around the room.  It's about time Goldilocks and those Three Bears formed a lasting friendship.

For more information about each of the authors and the illustrator please follow the links embedded in their names which will take you to their website or blog.  Follow a link here and here to learn more about the process of writing this title.  To celebrate the book birthday of Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears, which is today, follow this link to a giveaway.

UPDATE:  February 4, 2016 Corey Rosen Schwartz posted on Twitter about an Activity Kit.

Just in case you feel like dancing...