Handheld Hilarity 3

Reading a newsletter yesterday written by a soon-to-be-published romance author, who is also a master teacher and friend, two words tied her series of thoughts together.  Those two words, silver linings, ask us to look beyond our current circumstances.  When we seek silver linings, they will reveal themselves to us.  Sometimes they are a tiny sliver.  Other times, they are huge, life-changing moments.  

For many of us, books which make us grin or giggle, or guffaw are the silver linings every time we read them.  They are silver linings which never fail us.  When a character returns to a series of books, it means more fun is in the offing.  We first met him eight years ago in Crankenstein and again in A Crankenstein Valentine.  He has returned in Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein (Little, Brown And Company, August 17, 2021) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  In this newest entry, a beloved holiday is not as it should be.

Do you know what today is?

Crankenstein knows what today is.

It's a day that rhymes with Schmalloween, and

it's Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year.

His first inkling the day is awry is a throbbing toothache.  It goes downhill further when his brother fails to recognize his costume identity.  And just when he thinks it can't get any worse, it does.  No one mentions a raging rainstorm was coming.

Every activity at school to celebrate the holiday is off kilter.  What are the chances of someone else having the same costume and standing next to Crankenstein in the parade?  That night in his neighborhood trick-or-treating, someone is handing out toothbrushes instead of candy.  What kind of person does that?

Some other neighbor has a weird idea of frightening decorations. Crankenstein is not happy at being scared.  Back home, finally, his sly brother is swiping his candy.  What has happened to 

Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year? 

Wait! Is that the doorbell ringing?  Opening the door, Crankenstein is shocked at what he sees.  He bursts out laughing.  He keeps on laughing when he sees a lot more great minds who think alike.

This author, Samantha Berger, knows comedy.  She understands how delighted readers are in the contrast between the expected and the reality.  AND either through experience or observation, she has included the perfect pairs of opposites.  Initially, she creates a rhythm through the use of the word

EXCEPT

bringing it back to great effect at the close of the story.  She then establishes another cadence which increases Crankenstein's grit-your-teeth frustration and our rib-tickling laughter.  Here is a passage.

EXCEPT---when his brother doesn't know

WHAT he's supposed to be, and laughs till he falls

off the couch.

Crankenstein would say,

MEHHRRRR!

Look at the front, right side of the dust jacket!  Everything screams Halloween and not any ordinary Halloween.  This is a Halloween gone wrong.  There are webs in the title text with a black spider dangling between the K and O.  Bats fly around Crankenstein on an orange background.  The handle on his treat bag is ripped, spilling his collected candy.  His signature reply to his fateful events is carved into the jack-o-lantern.  Crankenstein's face allows for no denying his current mood.  To the left, on the back, in shades of gray is a silhouette of Crankenstein shouting his displeasure.  Across Crankenstein's form is a toothbrush with a jack-o-lantern, TRICK or TREAT tag hanging from the handle.  Adding insult to injury along the handle it reads:

Dr. Spooner DDS 555-9874

On the book case, on a cream background, is Crankenstein.  On the front he is facing us in his 

ROBO AVENGER COSTUME

with all the parts labeled.  On the back Crankenstein has turned his back to us.  Four parts of his costume not previously shown are labeled.

You cannot, I repeat cannot, just glance at the opening and closing endpapers.  Illustrator, Dan Santat, has fashioned a collage of enlarged candy.  Each of the candies have been renamed to depict the spookiness of Halloween.  The wrappers are familiar, but the names are decidedly not.  Have you had

TOOTHROT

It suffices  

or

Original

Skulltills

Imbibe The Spectrum!

Even some of the information on the verso has been "Halloweened." 

Each of the double-page illustrations (and a group of smaller panels) were rendered in Adobe Photoshop.  All the scenes inside Crankenstein's home depict a love of his favorite holiday.  There are ghoulish lamps and lampshades, and Halloween cups, glasses, bowls, placemats, pillows, and blankets.  The exaggerated facial expressions will have you grinning from ear to ear.  For most of the pictures, we are close to the action.  We are a part of this story. 

One of my many favorite illustrations is the only panoramic setting.  Across most of the two pages are hues of green formed into a corn maze. Four costumed classmates of Crankenstein are gleefully running down several pathways on the left.  Across the top of the page is a gray sky with a smattering of darker rain clouds and some parked vehicles on the right.  On the bottom of the image, to the right of the gutter (with one arm crossing the gutter), is a scarecrow.  He is looking grim.  Where is Crankenstein you ask?  Two arms with clenched fists extend straight up in a row on the right.  Above those arms in a speech balloon is a visual of an angry face.  Crankenstein is lost! 

Guaranteed to make you smile at the least and surely laugh out loud, Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat is a feast of fun.  Readers will relate to the mishaps but will be pleasantly surprised by the conclusion.  Treat yourself to a copy for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Samantha Berger and Dan Santat and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Samantha Berger has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Many individuals use meal preparation as an act of love or as an artistic expression.  There are a few others, a very few, harboring an ulterior motive.  One such fellow is found in Chez Bob (Little, Brown And Company, September 21, 2021) written and illustrated by Bob Shea.  This alligator has a voracious appetite but is loath to exert himself.  What he lacks in energy and ambition, he more than makes up for it in ingenuity.

Bob worked very

hard at being lazy.

"Being lazy is making me very hungry,"

said Bob to no one.

Bob hopes his request for birds to fly directly into his mouth will work.  They flee with haste.  He then observes how grass entices birds to it because of its seeds.  Like the proverbial lightning strike, Bob has a plan.

His long snout will house a birdseed restaurant.  It will be so successful, other alligators will want to purchase his idea.  He will be wealthy, but most importantly, he will no longer be hungry. 

The first bird at Chez Bob is impressed.  Bob has to let him go rather than eat him.  He is going to spread the word about the delectable meal on the menu.  Chez Bob is an international success.  Before long, a community surrounds Bob and his restaurant.  There is a school for the youngsters and a library for everyone.  As a member, new member, of this flock, Bob participates in a service project.  He joins a book club? Oh, Bob!  

Mother Nature exerts her will.  Bob has a huge decision to make.  Birds or breakfast?  What could possibly be worth more than fame and fortune?

When author Bob Shea pens a story, his keen sense of humor shines in every sentence.  His blend of narrative and Bob's personal voice and thoughts is true and perfectly paced.  The hilarity escalates with Bob acting and saying one thing and thinking about consuming the birds at the same time.  Then, in the best possible manner, a dilemma is presented.  It is a heightened what-if moment.  Readers will appreciate the choices made by both Bobs.  Here is a portion of one passage and the following two sentences.

"Oh, then I will not eat you,"

said Bob.

"What?" said the bird.

"I said, 'So nice to meet you,' "

said Bob.

And he couldn't wait to meet

the bird's tasty friends.

Soon Chez Bob was

the talk of the trees.

Birds flew in from all

over the world to eat

on Bob's face.

(Please note I am working with an F & G.  I was hoping to have a copy this week, but unfortunately, they have been delayed.  The anticipation grows.)

The expression on Bob the alligator's face on the right side of the open dust jacket has me laughing out loud every time I see it.  That smirky grin with one hand attempting to cover it is priceless.  Bob salting the bird as the bird salts its seeds is over-the-top comical.  The choice of the teal canvas makes Bob and the bird shine.

On the left, back of the dust jacket, Bob is seated on a navy background.  Birds are around him, his hat, and his face.  It is movie night.  On the end of his nose is the screen.  Bob is scooping popcorn into his mouth as birds nibble what is on the ground.

On a spring green canvas with short yellow and blue blades of grass, birds of a variety of colors gather on the opening endpapers.  On the far left, a pink worm looks at the group of birds aghast.  With the same background, the closing endpapers tell a different tale.  It is a blur of bicycles, birds, and Bob . . . on a bicycle.  The verso and title pages present a double-page picture of Bob lazily resting on the edge of the water with the jungle flora and fauna around him.

The color palette of blues, greens, purple, yellow, pink and white welcomes readers to the story.  The images, double-page pictures and single-page pictures, are highly animated.  When Bob opens his mouth, he opens it WIDE!  The tiny details in some of the scenes ask readers to pause.  There are birds in lounge chairs around a pond.  There are birds riding on a roller coaster.  There is a tiny bus with two passengers and a capped driver.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Bob is taking his patrons on a sunset dinner.  Among the lily pads, some flowers holding candles, are a frog happily waving as Bob passes and a turtle rowing a boat nearby.  Bob, mostly above the beautifully hued water, is wearing his chef's hat, eyeing his customers, and smiling.  Across his back are tiny tables with red-and-white-checked tablecloths. Pairs of birds are seated, enjoying their birdseed meals and chirping conversationally.

Sometimes when the best-laid plans shift in their results, so do personalities.  Our protagonist in Chez Bob written and illustrated by Bob Shea is a prime example.  Innocence can soften the cleverest and hungriest heart.  If you are looking for a title replete with laughs that lead toward newfound friendship, this book comes highly recommended for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Bob Shea and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Bob Shea has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This title is featured at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's wondrous Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There are many process pieces there to see.  

UPDATE:  Please enjoy this interview with Bob Shea about this title at Max's Boat on September 16, 2021.

Bob Shea Presents CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

Book Chat with the Illustrator: Bob Shea for CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

Everyone Needs A Chicken . . . Maybe

Not for the first time and hopefully not for the last time, during read aloud today several groups of students and I were laughing out loud . . . repeatedly.  Sometimes it was spontaneous but other times for a split second we would look at each other before bursting into gales of giggles.  These shared moments when the narrative reaches out and touches our collective and universal senses of humor are invaluable.

Even after the book cover is closed, the euphoria remains.  Everyone walks with a lighter step.  When debut author Julie Falatko and debut illustrator Tim Miller introduced readers to an agitated alligator and a bothersome bird in their first collaboration, Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!)(Viking, Penguin Young Readers Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House L. L.C., February 2, 2016), readers could literally not keep a straight face.  I think it's safe to say, this remains truer than true in the second book, Snappsy The Alligator And His Best Friend Forever! (Probably) (Viking, Penguin Young Readers Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 3, 2017).

Snappsy the alligator was the most interesting reptile in the whole world.

As the narrator proceeds to praise all the attributes of Snappsy in his usual extravagant manner, Snappsy is a tad bit uncomfortable with this declaration of friendship.  As the narrator, the chicken, continues proclaiming their closeness, Snappsy turns to exist his own home to go into town.  He requests to go alone.

Before he can even get out the door, the chicken tries to stop him with alternate activities like a sleepover.  Ever the rational one, Snappsy does remind him it's still morning.  When Snappsy finally leaves and arrives at the library, the chicken follows him like a shadow, remarking that they need a book on sleepovers.  Snappsy is not happy.  He craves quiet.  He is a solo sort of soul.

With every one of Snappsy's voiced ideas the chicken counters with ridiculous replies.  Who wears pizza on their heads like hats?  As they leave the grocery store, Snappsy has a handful of vegetables in the cart.  The chicken creates an overflowing pyramid with his selections.  As they get closer and closer to Snappsy's house, Snappsy get more and more irritated.

With every fresh announcement of their BFF-ness by the chicken, Snappsy's exasperation elevates.  (He does learn vital information about the chicken.)  With every offered opinion of what they should be doing, Snappsy's negativeness accelerates.  He snaps.

Finally in the absence of this nuisance, Snappsy can engage in his most desired pursuits.  Or can he?  The great manipulator strikes again.  And the chicken has one final twist to add to this tale.


The fabulous gift of comedic timing we saw in the first book is prevalent in this companion title.  Julie Falatko supplies a contrast in the manner in which the story is told by having not only a dueling dialogue but a narrative text which provides additional contrasts.  You could say the opposites attract theory is full-blown in this book.  For every outrageous, quirky remark the chicken makes, Snappsy gives a decidedly common sense answer.  Here is a sample passage.

Narrator:  Snappsy the alligator, who only occasionally stayed at home by
himself, set off to plan for a night of fun with his very best friend.

Snappsy:  I want to check 
out the new smoothie place.

The chicken:  Smoothies are for a morning of
boring.  Let's stop for popcorn!
Scary movies!


The image on the front of the dust jacket is the relationship of Snappsy and the chicken in a nutshell; both are determined but one is more optimistic about their friendship than the other.  In case readers are wondering why the setting is during the evening, a revelation of the book case offers a possible explanation. To the left, on the back of the dust jacket, within a thin white frame is Snappsy walking to town.  On the winding path, down the hill from his house and behind him are a line of animals, presumably in a conga line.  Beneath this illustration on the same nighttime canvas are two mice.  It looks as though they have popped up from behind the ISBN.  One is holding a magnifying glass and looking at the other.

The book case is fantastic!  That's all I am going to say.  I want you to have the distinct pleasure of laughing loud and long when you see the front and the back.  SQUEAK!  SQUEAK!  SQUEAK!  

On the opening and closing endpapers seventeen items you might see at a sleepover (the chicken's kind of sleepover) have been placed in three rows on a bright, white background.  Readers are treated to a continuation of the visual story from the book case on the title page. Rendered in

brush and ink and computer hocus-pocus

the pictures range in size from two pages to single pages and to several images on a single page with thin black lines framing them.  In keeping with the pacing and to emphasize a point Tim Miller also extends an image to the page edge or creates an oval shape with no frame.  In keeping with design balance and interest, elements sometimes break an obvious frame. 

The expressions on the faces of Snappsy and the chicken as well as their body language are downright hilarious.  Remember the two mice above the ISBN?  Can you find them again? 

One of my many favorite illustrations is the first one.  It is spread across two pages.  We are shown an interior of Snappsy's bathroom. (How can he have a bathroom this big inside that tiny wooden home?)  Snappsy is standing in front of the sink brushing his teeth.  Over the sink is a mirror but he is looking behind himself at the chicken who happens to be standing on the toilet seat.  The chicken is talking and holding this very book.  On a rack next to the sink hangs a towel with an embroidered initial S.  Next to the toilet is a magazine titled Smoothies Monthly.  A vase of tulips is on a small table.

As soon as you look at the book's dust jacket and book case you know you are holding a laughter generator in your hands.  Snappsy The Alligator And His Best Friend Forever! (Probably) written by Julie Falatko with illustrations by Tim Miller is loaded with contrasts as a friendship unfolds.  The text and the images work in perfect harmony to convey to readers the uneven line these two individuals follow toward those results.  When it comes to this chicken, you can be assured of one surprise after another.  You'll certainly want this companion title on both your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Julie Falatko and Tim Miller and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access the websites.  Julie has two very funny videos on her site about this book.  One refers to the first look at the book case and the other introduces us to this story.  (I love the dogs, Julie.)  At the publisher's website you can see one portion of the endpapers.  Julie talks about this book at the Nerdy Book Club.  This book is one of several titles highlighted by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  You get a peek at more interior images.  Tim Miller is interviewed at Brightly.  At KidLit TV Tim show us how to draw characters from Snappsy The Alligator and Moo Moo in a Tutu.

Daily Deception

If you were to visit grasslands, woodlands, a desert, the tundra, mountains, or other various aquatic habitats (rivers, oceans or seas, ponds, streams, swamps, marshes, coastal wetlands), you would certainly be aware of areas and inhabitants to avoid.  Similarly smaller critters living in the wild will most generally avoid those larger in size.  Those who are least aggressive will give a wide berth to disruptive residents.  It goes without saying any prey will become as invisible or unattainable as possible when a predator is near.  

There are some animals that rarely, if ever, need to hide.  They move about sure in the knowledge of their fearsome presence.  Alan's Big Scary Teeth (Candlewick Press, February 23, 2016) written and illustrated by Jarvis is about such an animal.

Alan came from a long line of very scary alligators.  

No one in the jungle was safe from this boisterous beast.  He enjoyed the reputation he had earned.  Each morning he followed a ritual before he left his home, enhancing his frightening figure.

Silently he entered the jungle, then he stomped, growled, chomped, grinned and shouted with glee.  Frogs, monkeys and parrots jumped, fell and squawked in fear.  The more terrified they were, the happier he was.

At day's end satisfied with the chaos he caused, he enjoyed what he believed was much deserved rest and relaxation.  As he did at the start of the day, Alan had an evening routine.  His final act was his best kept secret.

As Alan snoozed in his swamp one morning, Barry the beaver in a state of alarm discovered the alligator's hidden possession.  As you can imagine when he awoke, Alan was shocked to find it missing.  His attempt at business as usual did not go as planned.

A strange sound echoed through the jungle that night.  In the following days promises prevailed.  A tradition continued.


As an author Jarvis welcomes readers into Alan's jungle world sharing his morning habits and daily obsession with scaring the other animals.  The insertion of words conveying loud sounds and the reactions of the frogs, monkeys and parrots allows us to participate more readily in the narrative.  Bringing us into the story makes the secret more surprising and absolutely hilarious.

The technique of grouping events in threes supplies a cadence, a storytelling pace. A huge shift in the life stories of every animal in Alan's jungle is the result of the beaver's discovery.  This skillfully allows readers to see how the art of compromise works to benefit everyone, even Alan and his big, scary teeth.  Here is a sample passage.

Alan went "SNAP! SNAP"
And "GRRR! GRRR!
He said things like
"I'M BIG, SCARY ALAN!
FEAR MY 
RAZOR-SHARP
TEETH!"


On the matching dust jacket and book case Jarvis gets readers' attention with his choice of colors contrasting the bright green of Alan's scales and pearly white teeth with the yellow background, red title text and the turquoise letters and hummingbird.  At this point we know Alan is feared but we realize there might be more to the story.  To the left, on the back, the yellow continues over the spine into a portion of the page.  It ends with a jagged edge like teeth blending into a white background.  Here Alan is pictured casually leaning against a tree as the frightened jungle creatures observe him.  The opening and closing endpapers, done in shades of turquoise and white, feature the jungle flora.

A less formal title page highlights Alan happily grinning.  On the verso and title pages an alligator family tree on the left continues the theme as we zoom in on a startled snail sitting on a rock on the right beneath the title text.  Rendered in pencil, chalk, and paint and colored digitally most of the pictures extend across two pages.  Jarvis alters the sizes asking us to pause or continue at different rates of speed.  Twice he has a series of vertical illustrations grouped together to reinforce particular incidents.

His details amid the lush jungle settings elevate the comedy of specific moments.  Alan's toothpaste is Snap Snap Toothpaste.  He uses Eau De Gator cologne.  The eyes on his characters will encourage frequent bouts of laughter.

One of my favorite illustrations is of Alan lounging in the water of his swampy abode.  Most of his body is submerged except for his head, hands, feet and the tip of his tail.  He is reading The Jungle Times at the end of a long day of scaring.  Framing him are jungle trees, jungle leaves, the hummingbird and a snail floating on a leaf creating a peaceful scene.  It's a perfect picture preceding the shocking discovery on the next page.


Alan's Big Scary Teeth written and illustrated by Jarvis is a hilarious look at the art of deception.  It asks readers to think about our actions and the effect they have on others.  It introduces the benefits change can bring for everyone.  Be ready for merriment to fill the room when read aloud.  No matter how many times I've read it, I can't get to the end without laughing.

To discover more about Jarvis and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  He has posted my favorite picture there.  To view another interior image follow the link to this publisher's website.  Jarvis is interviewed at The Bright Emporium.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Reptile Rollicking And Romping

If we could bottle up laughter allowing a little bit out on those days when we need it the most, I would have saved my dad's laughter.  Once he got started he could not stop.  Tears would run down his face and he would be gasping for breath.

That man had a huge sense of humor.  With two daughters and a wife who got herself into Lucille Ball type situations, he needed it. With him everything was an adventure and an opportunity for us to learn something new.  His favorite saying was actions speak louder than words.  Gator Dad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 3, 2016) written and illustrated by Brian Lies is a fun-filled look at a day with a dad; a tribute to a dad like my dad and many, many others.

Come on---
let's go!
Let's squeeze the day.

Two dozing gators and little gator number three are about to begin their day.   A tasty breakfast and a refrigerator fright get them going.  The happy foursome rush through their necessary tasks so they can enjoy play time in the park.

They teeter and totter, race and run and swoop toward the sky.  With energy to spare, this papa becomes what his hatchlings imagine him to be.  He will go where others might not go and giggles full of glee will fill the air.  A trail of footprints will tell the tale.

Home once more, cozy in a comfy chair they travel to places, wild and wonderful, that soar and surround them from the pages of a book.  Inspired by those stories, they create a furniture and blanket fort of enormous dimensions.  Impersonations and noise sensations fill the minutes and hours.

Scrub-a-dub dubbing in the tub and snuggling with Dad during a storm end with the youngsters back in their own bed.  Shadows on the wall, a soft glowing light and all is right with these gators listening to a final story for the night.  Their day ends as it began with a phrase and a promise.


How can you not get a big grin on your face after reading the first two lines of this tale?  The second sentence written by Brian Lies is sheer genius.  The play on those words comes full circle at the close of the book in an action and a statement.

Having the dad narrate their day's activities and events offers closeness between these gators and readers.  Before we are aware, we feel as though we are joining them in all their merry making.  Lies supplies a rhythm with his words using some alliteration and rhyming.  Here is his phrase for bath time.  Lies certainly has a marvelous way of depicting moments in words.

After dinner, we'll rinse away the day.


Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case, readers are greeted with a panoramic scene of dad and his gang of little gators galloping on a grassy hill enjoying the day.  To the left, on the back, a fully dressed zebra is sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper with the ISBN nestled on the back of the seat.  To the left on the lid of a garbage can, a mouse is reading a tiny newspaper.  In the distance on the far left is a city skyline.  It's befitting the opening and closing endpapers are a "gator" green.

Rendered in acrylic paint on Strathmore paper the illustrations are bursting with cheer and charm.  (Yes, these alligators have an undeniable charisma.) Lies varies his visual sizes from full page, edge to edge, double-page pictures and loosely framed ovals set among white space.  Extra entertainment comes when elements in these smaller images leave the frame.

Readers will enjoy noticing all the details in the images, names on the grocery (mice cream and goat meal) and household items, the swampish metalwork on the hatchlings headboard, the decorative posts on the park entrance gate, and backpack and attire patterns. The text becomes part of the overall design.  And the alligator grins and eyes convey the joy in every moment.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when they are in the park.  Gator Dad is standing on a hill legs apart and arms stretched out and up and face lifted skyward.  The little gators are climbing on him as if he is a tall tree.  Clouds are forming in the background, a prelude to the incoming storm.  (Careful readers will notice how the sky changes during the day.)


Gator Dad written and illustrated by Brian Lies is one of my absolute best book choices about a dad and his children.  We all need to see how dads can seize and squeeze the day.  Read this any time of the day with those you love.  Make sure to have a copy on your personal and professional shelves.

To learn more about Brian Lies and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  For an activity kit created for this title follow this link.  John Schumacher, Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries, featured the book trailer premiere and sentence starters and answers at Watch. Connect. Read.  Brian Lies was interviewed at Mile High Reading by educator, Dylan Teut.

The Glory Of Story

Stories are everywhere.  According to Merriam-Webster story is defined as a history, an accounting, a statement of facts, an amusing anecdote, a fictional narrative such as a short story, the plot of a longer work and a well-accepted rumor.  It would seem the particular meaning assigned to story would depend on the teller.

Nothing is more enlightening than working with a group of students during a storytelling exercise with each person telling one and the others guessing whether it is the truth or a lie. For the most part the tales shared are genuine and without fabrication.  We are wired to tell stories, our stories.

We share those stories when it feels comfortable to do so.  Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!)(Viking, Penguin Young Readers Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House L. L. C., February 2, 2016) with words by debut author Julie Falatko and pictures by debut illustrator Tim Miller elaborates on a day in the life of an annoyed alligator.  Truth, lies and humor abound.

Snappsy the alligator wasn't feeling
like himself.
His feet felt draggy.
His skin felt baggy. 
His tail wouldn't swish this way and that.
And, worst of all, his big jaw wouldn't SNAP.

Actually Snappsy is not having feet, tail or jaw problems.  He is simply hungry and in pursuit of food.  This intrusive unseen yarn spinner is prone to exaggeration.

When this is pointed out by none other than the protagonist, the teller takes another approach.  They drone on without expression stating what readers can easily see in the illustrations.  An increasingly frustrated reptile responds to these duller-than-dull statements which in turn elevates the false adjectives attached to the story line.

Snappsy finally arrives at the grocery store only to have more untruths spouted by the vexing voice.  Retracing his route Snappsy returns home, placing a no-nonsense sign on his door,

No Narrators Allowed!

before he closes it with considerable force.  This is indeed frustrating.  What could Snappsy possibly be doing inside?  The speculations offered are not flattering.

At his wit's end and feeling provoked the green guy proposes and proceeds with plans for a party.  As the festivities reach a high note, someone is peeking in the door.  One surprise after another will leave you as bamboozled as Snappsy.  You'll be giggling with glee too!


The comedic pacing in this story is priceless.  As written by Julie Falatko Snappsy is an unassuming, average alligator who wants nothing more than to enjoy a good meal and a good book.  On the other hand, the narrator seesaws between exaggeration, blandness and unwanted advice and comments while deftly evading reality and manipulating Snappsy and readers toward a desired conclusion.  The alligator's answers in dialogue clearly depict his growing agitation and eventual desire to be the best kind of character.  Here is another sample passage.

"It's just a store.  A grocery store! It's where I buy my FOOD."

Snappsy looked hungrily at the other shoppers...
...while loading his cart with pudding, peanut butter, pita bread, and popcorn.  


The dust jacket is the first funny indication of the story within a story we find in this title.  Snappsy holding a copy of the book as a group of character critters watch is already feeling peeved.  As you can see the gator is a sharp dresser (which has nothing to do with the quality of his teeth) sporting the stiff white collar and pink tie.  To the left, on the back, three stellar authors share their praise of the book.  Responses by Snappsy and the narrator will have you laughing.

The opening and closing endpapers on a white background show Snappsy engaged in ten different activities such as brushing his teeth, reading while wearing his fez, doing the hula and enjoying bath time with his rubber ducky.  They are identical except for two on the far right at the end.  The narrator is revealed.

Rendered in

brush and ink and computer hocus-pocus

Tim Miller brings considerable playfulness to the story in his images.  Snappsy's physical features begin the merriment with his thin body, long nose and wide eyes.  To match the cadence of the narrative Miller alternates between full pages framed in white, single pages with a closer perspective when Snappsy is speaking, and several illustrations on one page.  At one point two pages convey Snappsy's current state of mind in no uncertain terms.  Although his holding of a feather duster does defuse the emotion behind his statements.

Readers will relish all the tiny details included in the pictures. In the opening image two bugs are sitting behind a rock reading a book, later Snappsy searches for food using a telescope, a girl in the grocery store parking lot is reading a copy of this book, the items in the grocery store are shelved alphabetically and a duck is puzzling over the yellow ducky floating in Snappsy's kiddie pool outside his house.  What is the tiny mouse doing as he rests in Snappsy's little red wagon?  Is it the same one with a balloon problem at the party?

One of my favorite illustrations is Snappsy, hands on his hips, standing in the jungle on his way to the grocery store.  He is admittedly disgusted with the narrator's choice of words.  A flock of frightened birds are flying in panic.  A herd of bunnies are frantically fleeing.  Tiny creatures are peering from among the foliage.


Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!) written by Julie Falatko with illustrations by Tim Miller is loaded with non-stop laughter.  The discrepancies between the unseen voice and the alligator's dialogue propel the plot toward a conclusion which only the clever narrator could foresee.  Don't be surprised if your readers begin wearing a pink tie, a fez, or party hats.  They might also start to crave chocolate pudding.

To learn more about Julie Falatko and Tim Miller please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  These will take you to their blogs also.  On Julie Falatko's blog there is a link to a series of five fun activities which you can use.  Tim Miller has several posts on his blog filled with his artistic process for this title plus a recent picture of him reading amid the huge east coast snowfall.  On Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher's blog Watch. Connect. Read. Julie Falatko visits as a guest for the cover reveal.  Tim Miller is interviewed at Miss Marple's Musings and at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  If you want to get a peek at the opening endpapers stop by the publisher's website. Both Falatko and Miller can be found on Twitter at @JulieFalatko and @TM_Illustration

Don't take off Snappsy the Alligator's jacket! https://t.co/cva9RbK6yz

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) January 18, 2016

Hosting Snappsy's Party from Start to Finish... #Snappsy #countdown https://t.co/0YR3e7SdJ9 pic.twitter.com/nNJqyUMiTH

— Tim Miller Illustrat (@TM_Illustration) January 26, 2016

Snappsy Did Not Ask to Be in This Video About How to Draw Him from Tim Miller on Vimeo.

Snappsy Shnibbles from Tim Miller on Vimeo.

UPDATE:  To celebrate Snappsy's release on February 2, 2016 blog posts appear on Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read., super-stand-on-his-desk-yelling-I-Love-Reading teacher Colby Sharp's sharpread and the Nerdy Book Club. 

Julie Falatko and Tim Miller are featured on the podcast, Let's Get Busy, Episode #233

Author and teacher librarian Carter Higgins features the book on Design of the Picture Book

This interview at The Little Crooked Cottage is hilarious. 

UPDATE:  February 16, 2016  This title is the focus of a round table discussion at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.



Update:  February 25, 2016 Tim Miller is interviewed at Brightly.

Update:  February 29, 2016 You'll enjoy this interview of Tim Miller at Awesome Artists.

Update:  August 6, 2016 Julie Falatko is interviewed at HenryHerz.com---Kidlit, Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Use Extreme Caution

After fourteen years living in northern Michigan you would think I would be used to the wind; more days are windy than not.  As a weather nerd (I frequently check NOAA National Weather Service to follow local, state and national weather) I've noticed this year in addition to Small Craft Advisories or Gale Warnings, a new type of alert, Beach Hazards Statement.  This advises people to watch for high wave action, longshore currents and rip currents.  People know wind combined with these headlines are serious.

There are other times when an alert, advisory or warning is an invitation to do the exact opposite of the request.  Perhaps you or someone else are doing something particularly annoying; one or the other will utter these oft-heard words, "I'm warning you, ..."  To the frustration of one, the other continues with glee.  The very finest demands to ignore though are found within the pages of a book.  Every single page turn in Warning: Do Not Open This Book! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 27, 2013) narrated by Adam Lehrhaupt with illustrations by Matthew Forsythe is a tantalizing temptation.

Maybe you should put this book back.
You don't want to let the monkeys out.

Immediately you are wondering how and why monkeys got trapped inside a book.  You are compelled beyond your control to turn the next page.  This completed compulsion is greeted with a question.

The narrator is inquiring as to why you are here and not back where it is safer.  If you stay on this page, you are still in a risk-free area.  It would be a very good thing to remain right where you are.

Desire to discover the truth has deepened.  What's the worst that could happen?  It's a book after all.  Right?

Uh...Oh...

Here they come.

First one, then eight more monkeys of all shapes and sizes scamper across the pages carrying art supplies and a musical instrument.  What are these roaming rascals going to do?  It's a jungle, a rather sloppy jungle, but they've painted a jungle!  Whew, okay...this is a situation which can be handled without fear. Why are we readers being cautioned to stop turning pages?

Yikes!  I guess if you have tropical trees an invasion of toucans is a given.  Above the chaotic noise another sound is heard.  It's not a good sound....not a good sound at all.  Readers are now wishing they would have listened.  They should have heeded the advice of the faithful narrator.  Will a fruitful trap be able to save the day?


Readers could not ask for a better narrator, author, than Adam Lehrhaupt to tell this tale of playful pandemonium.  Each sentence is structured, despite words to the contrary, to entice readers to proceed.  As readers fall farther under the spell he has verbally cast, they realize there is no turning back.  Even if they could they don't want to; they're having too much fun with Lehrhaupt as the perfect partner on this adventure.


Digitally rendered illustrations by artist Matthew Forsythe enhance and extend this story from the matching front jacket and cover onward.  From the tape, chains and glaring messages on the front to the opening endpapers, the results of not taking the title seriously are clearly delineated.  A pattern of various style signs with wit and wisdom warn and question; my favorite is HERE IS THE LAST GUY WHO READ THIS BOOK with an arrow pointing to a skull.  (At this point I can barely contain laughter.)

Grays, browns, golds and greens in earth tone hues color pictures varying in size and position.  Some are front and center, others cover a single page or extend across the gutter.  Backgrounds shift from white, lots of white, to a pale golden, and to a deep gray green. Once the first monkey head peeks from the lower right-hand corner of a double-page spread  the jungle jive begins; those primates move, groove and rest with a passion.  I think one of my favorite text and illustrative combinations is

Can you stop now?
Everything used to
be so good.
Wait! Did you hear...

The two-page spread of the monkey faces close up with the accompanying toucans, wide-eyed and questioning, is loaded with premonition (and hilarity).  The closing endpapers and back jacket with corresponding cover are all part of the story, too.


Four words come to mind when thinking of Warning: Do Not Open This Book! narrated by Adam Lehrhaupt with illustrations by Matthew Forsythe, impeccable pacing and relentless humor.  Reading it aloud makes it even better.  This book is meant to be shared.  Believe me...your listeners will ask for this title over and over.  I'm tempted to pair this with James Stevenson's Don't Make Me Laugh.

Please follow the links above to the author and illustrator websites for more information about each.  Here is the link to a recent interview of Adam Lehrhaupt at Watch. Connect. Read. by John Schumacher.  Please visit the blog post of the debut of the book trailer.  Have fun and open this book at will... as long as you have a banana.

Have No Fear, Alligator Is Here

Year after year I've stood outside the school watching the buses arrive on the first day of school, outside the library doors in the hallway or inside the library on open house night as parents and their sons and daughters arrive excited, anxious and for new students, wondering and wide-eyed.  No matter what they have read or been told, the experience is a change.  It's the not knowing, the never-been-here-before and never-done-this-before feeling, which can be overwhelming.

Each person, no matter their age, has a method in place for dealing with stress.  Quite frankly, children have the best idea of all---carrying their favorite toy with them, a friend that never fails.  The first day of school ever, starting kindergarten, is shown to be less intimidating in Oliver and his Alligator (Disney Hyperion Books) written and illustrated by Paul Schmid.  Oliver's alligator is different, very special and...agreeably hungry.

Oliver sometimes felt his brave 
wasn't nearly as big
as he needed it to be.

He decides to pick up an alligator at the swamp on his way to school for the first day.  As soon as Oliver arrives at his classroom door, the fear grows.  His mom isn't there for starters.  She has been replaced by a unknown woman who wants to know his name.  A name which escapes him at the moment.

All he can think to say is "Munch, munch!"  These two words turn out to be a code communication between him and his reptile pal.  The stranger disappears into the stomach of the alligator.  Walking into the classroom is clear now but there are new children in the room.

One, a little girl, has the misfortune to approach Oliver asking him about his favorite animal.  Overcome by shyness the only two words he can utter are..."Munch, munch!"  The belly of the gator is getting noticeably bigger.  Maybe school isn't going to be so bad after all when you've got a buddy like Oliver has.

There were more boys and girls.  Alligator is getting huge.  There are inviting educational patterns and designs on the walls.  Alligator is now ginormous.  Ah, yes...that's more to Oliver's liking, peaceful and quiet and...wait...could it be...boring?

There's a sound.  Oliver wants to be a part of the sound.  There's only one thing for Oliver to do and he does it.


The simplicity of the text, the ease in which it flows, all contribute to the appeal of this title.  Paul Schmid writes specifically for his intended audience, knowing the heart of a child on the first, very first, day of school.  In using two, single syllable words repeatedly to alleviate any problem Oliver encounters, readers can feel, like Oliver, the same sense of relief and finally a sense of belonging.

Using pastel pencil and digital color Paul Schmid creates pages where readers can be comfortable stepping into Oliver's world.  On the book's jacket the cool, soft minty green, the textured dusty blue of Oliver's sweater, the rosy red of the apple in his hands appear again on the jacket's spine.  On the front we see only the tail and the back portion of the alligator's body.  His nose and the rest of his body are on the back of the jacket looking at Oliver. When you remove the jacket the cover unfolded is all white except for three stripes of green (including the spine).  An upright alligator is on the front.

The opening and closing endpapers, in lavender with a partial circle of lighter turquoise in the lower right and left corners, respectively, are actually part of the story, as is the dedication page (For Maurice) with Oliver forlornly staring into his cereal bowl, an apple sitting on the table.  The lines used to create Oliver are soft, delicate, sketch-like; making him all the more endearing.  The same holds true for his alligator.  Readers will want to hug them both.

Throughout the book Schmid alters his layout and perspective making liberal use of white space, along with a gray, the turquoise, the alligator green, the lavender, the rosy red, introducing a lime green and spots of pale yellow.  Every time Oliver speaks the "Munch, munch!" words with the girth of his alligator expanding, Schmid's portrayal of the loyal companion gets funnier and funnier.  The paper stock coupled with the medium and artistic techniques make the reading of this book a very tactile experience.  My two favorite illustrations are of Oliver resting on his alligator's stomach after the teacher and little girl have been consumed and the alligator alone spread across the gutter after Oliver wonders if all the students can fit inside his friend, They could.


Oliver and his Alligator written and illustrated by Paul Schmid is one of those books you wish you could give a copy to every new student entering your building.  It speaks directly to those fears, apprehensions, children have.  Paul Schmid is attentive to children's feelings and he knows how to make everything okay.

It would be interesting to read this title to any age, asking them to write or draw what they would bring to school on the first day (or another time they might be frightened) to give them comfort.  I think it might be a good idea to have the first day of school be Bring Your Stuffed Animal Day.  There are days I wish I still had my sock monkey.

Please follow the link embedded in Paul Schmid's name above to access his website.  Follow this link to an interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There's lots of artwork.