What R We Going To Do?

Over the years most of us will enjoy sharing our lives with a pet.  Their companionship is invaluable, even though most of them cannot speak our language.  In fact some of the most peculiar pets are not even alive.  In 1975, Gary Dahl subsequently became a millionaire with his introduction and invention of the Pet Rock.  Cleverly packaged with instructions, it was an instant phenomenon.  In the early 1980s another kind of pet, this one a living plant, skyrocketed to fame.  Chia Pets are still being produced today thanks to Joe Pedott and his company.

Regardless of the kind of pet in your life, you probably would be as shocked as the protagonist in this story when she wakes one morning.  My Pet Feet (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, August 23, 2022) written by Josh Funk with illustrations by debut picture artist Billy Yong is an alphabetical quest.  Through a laugh-out-loud narrative with equally funny images, we journey to right a wrong realizing we need the total twenty-six member team.

Today I woke up and was about 

to feed my pet when---

"What happened to my pet feet?

I mean my pet feet.  Why can't I say 'FEET'?"

It seems that Doodles, this child's pet ferret has become her pet feet.  Pet feet?!  Scanning her room for possible answers, she notices the letter r is missing from her alphabet mural.  Running to her friend Lucas for help, this girl is in for another series of surprises.

The world minus the letter r has turned into mayhem.  Lucas is no longer her friend but a fiend.  She and Doodles run from a flock of cows (crows) seeking shelter at the doo (door) of the town hall, but they obviously cannot get inside.  In desperation, the girl and Doodles climb to the top of a cane (crane) beside the structure.

From this vantage point, she ponders this problem.  What has happened to all the eighteenth symbols of the alphabet?  In her frustration, she declares she does not want pet feet forever.  At Doodles' hurt expression, she hurries to apologize, but Doodles runs away.  She tries to catch him.  She tries to find him.  Doodles is nowhere to be found.  

Determined not to give up, she finally discovers him at a sandy beach.  Across and on the water, they spy a pirate ship.  Oh, yes my friends, a pirate ship.  Boarding the vessel after a swim, guess what they discover? Quickly, one letter r and a second letter r are given to Doodles.  Back home, everything is normal, or is it? Bedtime supplies the duo with another startling stumper.  

Stellar wordsmith Josh Funk presents readers with an instant dilemma.  It's not every day you wake up to find your pet ferret has been reduced to feet.  With a combination of first person narrative and dialogue, we traverse this mystery with the girl and Doodles.  The tension is heightened when it is apparent no one else notices this travesty except the girl and her furry friend.  Alliteration contributes to the fast-paced cadence.  Here is a passage.

"Come back!" I shouted.

I chased Doodles past a fog and toad,

by the old babbling book, down a tail,

and into a gassy field.

Digitally rendered, the illustrations by Billy Yong are as highly animated throughout the book as we see on the dust jacket.  (I am working with an F & G.)  The bright, light blue canvas spans the entire jacket.  By the wide-eyed expressions on the girl and her ferret we know, even before opening the book, disaster has struck.  To the left of the spine, within a circle we see the girl hugging her beloved pet, her whole pet.  There is a vivid green border around this image.  The first sign of this illustrator's cleverness and attention to detail are four bees buzzing in the lower, right-hand corner just to the left of the spine.  One of the bee's wings covers the letter r in Schuster.

The opening endpapers in a midnight blue feature drawings in a light blue.  They are elements created by the missing letter r.  On the closing endpapers, in a dark rust, the drawings in light brown showcase items after the letter r has been restored.

Billy Yong makes use of every single space to tell his pictorial story.  The double-page picture for the title page is a scene of the child's home with large palm trees to the left.  In one of the windows, she is waking up, stretching her arms, and yawning.  The top of the home's two windows are decorated with the likeness of the top of a ferret's head.  On the first two-page visual we get another hit of the conclusion to the story as we look outside from inside the girl's bedroom.

The images' sizes shift from double-page pictures to single-page illustrations and then to a series of smaller visuals to indicate a thought process.  Readers will enjoy the two-page vertical image when the climb is made to the top of the crane.  White space is used to excellent effect.  Careful readers will notice humorous details.  (I nearly fell out of my chair when I realized what was dragging a bagel across the street.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is the second two-page picture.  This is when the girl first steps outside her home.  On the street winding past her home and through the neighborhood, kids are racing by on go-cats.  These vehicles are pure fun.  The one on the left is close to readers.  The child in the driver's seat is having their best day ever.  Across the street on the right is a park.  Here a policewoman is barely holding onto a wild hose.  Water, in jet mode, shoots out the end as the hose twists and turns.

Author Josh Funk and artist Billy Yong have taken "what if" to hilarious new heights in My Pet Feet.  Certain to generate laughter in readers and listeners as well as promote discussions about the importance of letters, words, and language, this title is a welcome addition to the picture book realm.  You will want to have a copy for your professional collections as well as a spot on your personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Josh Funk and Billy Yong and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Josh Funk has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  Billy Yong has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Josh Funk was a guest blogger at Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) earlier this year.  Billy Yong was interviewed several years ago at Character Design References.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images including the entire dust jacket.

Be sure to visit other stops on the virtual tour for this title.  You never know what you will learn.

To The Dogs #2

If you want to have a complete sensory experience, consider a canine companion.  Their heightened abilities will alert you to something long before it registers in your ears, eyes, or nose or before you venture to taste or touch it.  Dogs walk through their surroundings ready to react.  You learn to observe their every look, twitch of their nose, or swivel of their head.  When they stop, you need to stop.  

Sometimes, they are alerting you to something.  Sometimes, they are telling you about themselves.  In Hot Dog (Alfred A. Knopf, May 24, 2022) written and illustrated by Doug Salati, his first as both author and illustrator, a pup is collapsing under the weight of summer in the city.  Fortunately, his human finally understands.

City summer

steamy

sidewalks

concrete 

crumbles

sirens

screech

A dog and his human make their way down city streets, she with a list of errands in her hand.  After their first stop, the dog is increasingly bombarded with a series of loud sounds compounded by the heat.  After visiting the third building, the pup is nearly frantic with sensory overload.

Unable to take another step, the dog stops right in the middle of the road.  The woman, awareness dawning, kneels down in the crosswalk, nose to nose with her furry friend.  Picking up the dog, she yells for a taxi.

From taxi to train and then to ferry, they get farther and farther away from the city and the heat.  They are closer and closer to a cool light wind and the salty scent of the sea.  They arrive at an island with tall grasses, long stretches of sandy beach and white foamy waves.  The dog runs in pure ecstasy.  

There are hours of digging, barking, shaking, sniffing, finding, rolling, and romping.  As the shadows lengthen, the pair enjoy the last rays of the sun and the soothing sound of the water washing on the shore.  Under the light of a moon, they make their way home retracing their previous path.  Cuddled together at their city apartment in their bed by a window, they fall asleep.  Can you guess what fills the dog's dreams?

Spare, vividly descriptive text written by Doug Salati draws us deeply and immediately into this narrative.  Two word alliterative phrases build toward a critical moment for the dog and his human.  As the story shifts, the phrases are longer; longing is replaced with a wondrous reward.  Concluding words lull readers, the pup, and his person into blissful dreams.  Here is another phrase.

sun sinks down, swallowed by the sea

On the front, right side of the open dust jacket, the dog is in a state of bliss, away from the heat of the city, cooled by the sea.  The closed eyes indicate a serene mental moment.  In its mouth is a found treasure from hours of digging.  To the left of the spine, on the back, on a canvas of sandy yellow is a picture of the dog looking at readers through their window in the city apartment.  A double window fan supplies relief for them in their home.  Beneath this image words by two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall read:

"An utter joy from beginning to end!"

Across a hot orange background on the open book case is an extended scene from the book.  It is the point where the woman goes to her dog stopped in the crosswalk in the middle of the road.  They look into each other's eyes, nose to nose.  Lines of the crosswalk spread from left to right.  On the left, a pigeon flies away from a piece of half-eaten pizza and a paper plate on the crosswalk.  Traffic sounds in a variety of fonts spread across the book case.  This is a tender moment with the woman holding the dog's mouth and nose in her hand and a raised paw in her other hand.

In shades of reddish pink, the dog is drawn in numerous poses on the open and closing endpapers,  In only one of the poses is it completely colored.  The filled-in pose is different on each set of endpapers.  On the title page, we see the dog in the apartment window.  Its back is to us.  This is a reversal of the viewpoint from the back of the dust jacket.  On the verso the dog and his human are leaving their apartment building

These full-color illustrations 

created using a combination of pencil and gouache on paper and Photoshop

are placed like panels on pages (horizontally and vertically) with sketchy outlines for framing with white space making columns for text or fashioning space between two images on a single page. The pictures are highly animated and intricately detailed.  At times people will be only sketches on the edges of illustrations.  Prior to the duo leaving for the beach, there are a lot of warm colors in the city settings to indicate the heat and the frustration the pup is feeling.  For dramatic effect, there are several single-page pictures, edge to edge.

Once the pals get to the sea, the borders are loose and indicative of breezes.  There are six pages of wordless pictures of all sizes which speak volumes.  You want to cheer for this dog and his woman.  She loves that the dog is loving the beach.  As they return to the city, the framing is a blend of the hot day visuals and the breezy sea images.  Careful readers will notice one new item the woman is carrying home.  It is a promise.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture, edge to edge.  It is after the woman stops in the crosswalk in the middle of the street to kneel down to her dog.  In this image on a hot orange-red background with yellow radiating lines, the woman stands, her one arm raised as she cries

"TAXI!!"

Her large straw hat and large blue-rimmed glasses frame her face and hair, hair the same color as the dog's fur.  In her other arm she carries her pup, yellow leash dangling down.  The dog is wide-eyed and smiling.  

At times all individuals are overwhelmed by their surroundings and current situation.  This is when it is time to take a break.  In Hot Dog written and illustrated by Doug Salati, two friends find solace by the sea.  Renewed they return to the city, ready to sleep and ready for their next adventure.  I highly recommend this book for both your personal and professional collections.  The words and illustrations provide a partnership as perfect as that between the dog and the woman.

To learn more about Dog Salati and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Doug Salati has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  Doug Salati and this title are showcased by Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There is process art and final art as well.

Dogs like humans have distinctive personalities and characteristics.  After time spent together, you begin to understand them and they begin to understand you.  You, as a human, come to accept there are things you will never change about your dog.  You, also, realize they have wisdom beyond your capabilities.  The thing is, this wisdom is not always applicable to a human's world.  With over-the-top hilarity in words and pictures, author Dev Petty and illustrator Mike Boldt bring us Don't Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog)(Doubleday Books For Young Readers, May 31, 2022).  This dog is all dog.

I am a smart dog.

I am only 7, but that is practically

50 in person years, so I already know

several important dog things.

To begin, Chip relays his opinions on cats and litter boxes, burying bones, and the unbelievable array of dog sizes and shapes.  He then shifts to his most favorite thing in the world, eating.  He loves chewing socks, but advises to avoid bees.

Paper, especially homework by his younger human, is one of his delectable delights.  It keeps them with him longer when they have to redo their work.  He also loves the Thanksgiving turkey. (Or is it the chase?) At all costs, he reminds us to avoid bees.

Grandpa's teeth are tasty.  So is the cat's food.  In fact, there is not much that Chip won't consume, except for bees and a couple of other yucky things, like fire.

By now you might be wondering why Chip is so persistent about not eating bees.  It is a secret secret which this writer will not reveal.  And of course, the cat is seeking revenge for the loss of its food as the comedic conclusion unfolds.  Oh, Chip!

Told from Chip's point of view, this story penned by Dev Petty is laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to the end.  Chip's initial claim of being smart followed by his commentary and logic is a constant cause of giggles and grins.  Dev Petty's use of do and don't and a pro tip create a rhythm as the narrative is read.  It invites us to keep turning the pages, so we can keep laughing.  Here is a passage.

Do: Eat the cat food.

Just because you can.

Who's a dumb dog

now, Mittens?

Not me.

I don't eat bees.

How can you look at the front, right side, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case without laughing?  Wide-eyed Chip who loves to eat everything is seriously thinking about gulping down the bee buzzing around him.  The dotted yellow line indicating the path of the bee appears whenever Chip mentions not to eat bees.

On the back, to the left of the spine, on a turquoise canvas is a retro menu of 

Chip's

DINER

Since 7 Years Ago

Under the headings of appetizers, entrees, and dessert are listed those items Chip mentions loving to eat in the story.  Paw prints appear on the menu and as part of the menu heading.  In true Chip fashion, the lower, left-hand corner of the menu has been bitten off.  The ISBN is part of the menu.

Above a flower-covered field along the bottom of the opening and closing endpapers is a wide blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds.  The clouds are not the same on each set of endpapers.  In a different path on each set of endpapers is the yellow dotted line of a bee's path.  This path continues on the verso and title pages.  Chip, on the left, eyes the bee with extreme caution as it flies toward a flower on the right.

These lively, humorous pictures by Mike Boldt are placed on a variety of backgrounds and make excellent use of white space.  Most are single-page pictures, but for dramatic effect (and maximum hilarity), there are five double-page pictures.  The facial expressions, the eyes, and body postures like Chip's pointing paw add to the comedy.  

The placement of Chip on the page and his size in the scene further contribute to the fun and funniness of this book.  When Chip is speaking about Mitten and the litter box, all we see of Chip is the upper part of his head along the bottom of the page, looking up as the cat walks away from the smelly box.  When Chip is running away with the Thanksgiving turkey, we are privy to the entire chaotic event of the table tipping, chairs falling, dishes crashing to the floor, and adult arms reaching toward Chip as he scampers away on the right of this two-page image.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture on a bright yellow canvas.  Chip is front and center with a tilted head.  He is wearing a goofy grin exaggerated by the presence of Grandpa's false teeth.  We see Chip's head and a small portion of his upper body.  Around him, laughing are the daughter, Grandpa, and the mother.  The daughter is hugging her stomach.  Grandpa is crying, he is laughing so hard.  And the mother is holding her phone, either because she has taken a picture or will take one soon.  Chip's eyes are crossed.

Whether you are a dog person or not, everyone loves to laugh.  This book, Don't Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog) written by Dev Petty with illustrations by Mike Boldt is so funny, you know parts or all of it are probably true. (I don't dare take my dog anywhere a bee might be.  As we take our morning walks, if a bug comes near her she snaps it right out of the air and swallows it.)  You'll want to add this title to your personal and professional collections to hear the sound of laughter ringing out as you read it.

To learn more about Dev Petty and Mike Boldt and their other work, including their previous collaborations, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Dev Petty has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Mike Boldt has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  John Schu interviews both Dev Petty and Mike Boldt about this book on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Dev Petty stops by author Tara Lazar's blog, Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), to chat about writing this book.

UPDATE:  Dev Petty is a guest author at the Nerdy Book Club, July 12, 2022, in a post titled The Space Between: Why Humor Matters in the Dark.  This title is part of the discussion.

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.

Handheld Hilarity 2

Undoubtedly, humans with canine or feline members in their families can agree on certain shared experiences.  The unconditional love of our furry friends, some shown more easily than others, is without question.  This love supplies us with an incomparable form of companionship.  Each dog or cat has their own unique personality regardless of their breed.  Their individual quirks generate an endless supply of joy and laughter.

Our social media accounts are filled with photographs of our dogs and cats in their most precious, to us and sometimes to others, moments.  In Bloop (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, July 6, 2021) written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Mike Boldt, an extraterrestrial is sent to Earth to prove his worthiness.  Imagine his surprise at discovering the wonderful life enjoyed by its rulers.

Training to be the next ruler of Planet XYZ was hard work, Bloop tried to follow all the emperor's rules, regulations, and robots.

But . . .

Bloop made so many mistakes, he was issued an ultimatum. In one week, Bloop needed to become the supreme ruler of Earth.  It was his last hope.

Upon arrival, he quickly noticed fluff balls, dogs, were in charge.  Why else would the larger beings chase them, cuddle them, or scoop their poop?  He learned as much as possible about these creatures, but control of them seemed impossible.  An SOS to the Emperor on Planet XYZ gave him another option to pursue.

Bloop hid his floofers and engaged in doglike activities.  It was superb until he was snatched up by the royal guard (animal control).  At the facility he was attended by servants.  A small one decided she wanted Bloop to live with her.

If Bloop thought acting like a dog was superb, living in a home with these beings was superb plus.  His accomplishments did not go unnoticed by the emperor.  Bloop had decisions to make.  The most crucial one involved his new mission.  It was PURR-fect.

Author Tara Lazar is gifted in crafting clever comedy.  In this story, she takes what we accept as ordinary and gives it a twist.  The perspective of Bloop, a visitor from another planet, is hilarious with a capital H.  Dogs rule this world!  To him fire hydrants are identical to robots on his planet.  He delights as a dog in giving them their due.  Furthermore, Tara Lazar has him view Earth as a realm.  Squirrels are commoners, and his new family are loyal subjects, a lady-in-waiting, a footman, and a very small servant.  Text and dialogue are used to excellent effect.  Here are two passages.

Bloop had plenty of gourmet nourishment and squishy, squeaky gizmos.

He realized these were for calling the servants.

A small, sticky one approached.

"Oh, Mommy, him, him,

him. PUHLEEZE?

"Let's see . . . must be a rare breed," said

the lady-in-waiting.  "Yes, let's take him!"

The open and matching dust jacket and book case tell an interesting tale.  To the left, on the back, on a green background similar to the color of Bloop is a spacecraft.  It has crashed into the dirt, sideways.  The hatch is open.  Leading from the vehicle are paw prints.  When you pair this with the front, on the right, the floofers are the finishing-touch clue as to Bloop's origin.  Look at the faces on the dogs!  Bloop and the text are varnished on the jacket.

On the opening endpapers Bloop, inside his spacecraft, is zooming through space in various positions.  Moons, comets, planets, and stars in a dark sky are his only comfort.  On the closing endpapers, Bloop is enjoying the life of a dog.  Tucked in the upper, right-hand corner is the Animal Control truck.  These images are placed on a bright yellow canvas.

On the title page, looking like a conquering hero, Bloop is front and center.  He is standing tall on planet Earth, leaning forward.  In his right paw he holds a large light-colored flag.  There the title is placed.

These digital images by Mike Boldt were created using

Painter and Photoshop.

They are a vivid, full-color collection of double-page pictures, smaller vignettes, and single-page visuals.  They are as lively as the characters with expressive facial features and body postures.  You can't resist smiling or laughing out loud.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page image.  It is on an orange canvas with a splash of bright yellow in the center.  Bloop was hoping his gathered treasures (dog toys) would ease him into the spot of ruler of planet Earth.  Instead, three dogs race around him, charge and grab at the toys, covering him in dog slobber.  They are blissfully happy, he is not.

If you are looking for laughter and a fresh perspective on the way of dogs on planet Earth, Bloop written by Tara Lazar with artwork by Mike Boldt is the title for you.  Not only does the humor flow freely through the combination of words and illustrations, but it offers us a means to ponder how the same thing can be seen differently.  You'll want a copy of this book for your professional and personal collections to add loads of humor to a story time.

To learn more about Tara Lazar and Mike Boldt and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tara Lazar has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Mike Boldt has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal and book trailer premiere were hosted by librarian, lecturer at Rutgers University, and writer John Schumacher on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Tara Lazar and this title are showcased at Rhys Keller's site, Jena Benton's site, and at Laura Roettiger Books.

If you are a dog person, your experience tends to be limited with cats.  You rely on your cat-person friends' stories to inform you about their behaviors. And then, there are all those sleepovers with girlfriends and waking up to find the one's cat always sleeping on your head.  That particular tactic was puzzling to everyone, except for the cat.  Cat Problems (Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, August 3, 2021) written by Jory John with illustrations by Lane Smith explores the mind and attitude of at least one cat.  Or is it all cats?

Where's that sunbeam going?

HEY!

SUNBEAM!

GET BACK HERE!

Unfortunately, the sunbeam continues to move, and nineteen hours of sleep have been interrupted.  From this moment, events get worse.  The food dish is empty.  And another cat cannot remove itself fast enough from not one, but three special spots this cat, our protagonist, claims.

Bath time is necessary . . . alone if at all possible.  A box provides a temporary distraction and possible napping place.  Suddenly, a loud sound roars through the house.  It is clearly upsetting.  Wow! It's time to skedaddle to safety!  Threats are made.

The cat with problems believes it needs to leave this disaster of an existence.  Its frustrations are escalating.  It roams from space to space not satisfied with anything. Soon it sits on the top of a chair wishing and watching a squirrel on the outside.  The squirrel proceeds to give the cat a very complete lecture on its backward thinking.  The cat in turn wishes the window screen was gone for just enough time to grab that squirrel.

Feeling bored out of its mind, the cat does what cats do best.  

Mraowww!

is spoken over and over and over again.  Initial results are not as desired.  Again, the meowing is raised to a din.  A peak point in an otherwise dull day is reached.  And then . . .here we go again.

Telling this story through the first-person (cat) voice doubles the hilarity.  Every nuance of this cat's day is vocalized through the spot-on words selected and written by Jory John.  This cat finds fault with everything!  What pushes the humor over the top is the squirrel's speech and the cat's response.  Here is a passage.

sniff

sniff

sniff

Wait, why did I just sniff

that catnip toy?

Sheesh.

Now I'll be awake all night!

Goodness gracious.

Why can't I stop smelling this shoe?

I have to stop.

Still . . . it's intriguing.

What is it about

this shoe?

Is this what the 

OUTSIDE

smells like?

The matching dust jacket and book case begin the mirth found throughout this book.  Even though this cat is pleased with the box, for a split second, it looks stunned by its ho-hum life.  Even relieving its stress by clawing several letters in the title text does not work.  To the left, on the back, the background is covered in rows of 

Mraowww!

The narrator, only neck and head visible, is yowling from the bottom of the image.  Its displeasure is highly evident. 

The opening and closing endpapers mirror boards (or fabric) scratched with vertical lines spaced close together.  (You will see this pattern again.)  On the title page, the cat is snoozing in the sunbeam beneath the text. For most of the book, the color palette seen on the jacket, case, endpapers, and title page remains the same with pops of vibrant hues for the other cat, the vacuum incident, a portion of the living room, and the catnip toy.

These visuals by artist Lane Smith 

created in oil paint mixed with cold wax and digitally in Procreate

ask readers to reach out and touch them.  We believe we can feel the torn places in the title letters, the warmth of the sunbeam, the fur on the cats, the roughness of the cat's tongue, the surface of the box and foil ball, and cloth of the catnip toy.  We are offered various perspectives depending on the size of the illustration; these elevating the narrative.  

Full-page pictures, half-page pictures, horizontally and vertically, sometimes crossing the gutter to become larger, collected squares to portray panic, and a few double-page images give the story excellent continuity.  The eyes on the two cats and the squirrel send the humor soaring.  They reveal a range of emotions.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a half-page image.  The cat is on its back.  Its tail is curled and its back legs are straight up.  One arm, the left, is next to its side.  The other paw is holding a foil ball and resting it on its stomach.  Its eyes look a little crazed.  The words say:

I gotta get out

of this house.

Whether you are a cat lover or not, this book, Cat Problems written by Jory John with illustrations by Lane Smith, will have you howling with laughter due to the veracity on every page.  The words and art form a story time treasure.  No personal or professional bookshelves would be complete without a copy of the title.

To learn more about Jory John and Lane Smith and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their name.  (I don't just say this as routine.  You will be pleasantly surprised by what authors and illustrators include on their websites.  You might want to start with Lane Smith.)  Jory John has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.

Handheld Hilarity

For those who read aloud, whether to a single soul or a group of listeners, when the story generates, first, giggles and then outbursts of laughter, the atmosphere in the setting changes.  It is charged with a special connection.  Uniting through happiness is lasting, sometimes for decades.  You don't forget it.

When it comes to wishing, you need to carefully weigh all the consequences attached to a wish.  Our favorite grumpy, not fun-loving bear is back (somewhat) in a new title, The Bruce Swap (Disney Hyperion, May 4, 2021) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins.  His housemates, the mice, Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs, and the geese, wish Bruce was less like himself and more like them.  Due to the paper-consuming geese, a comedy of errors unfolds on this day.

There was a letter in the mailbox

at 13 Go Away Lane.

No one would ever know except for a reader what the letter said because a goose ate it.  It announced a visit from Bruce's fun, fun, fun cousin, Kevin.  Bruce detested fun.  In fact, that night each of Bruce's housemates made wishes about Bruce because he lacked any inclination toward fun (or sandwiches).

The next morning Bruce left the house to go fishing.  He wrote a note explaining his absence.  Guess who ate it? Guess who showed up at the house looking like Bruce but acting like the housemates wishes came true?

Even when the bear said his name was Kevin, no one believed him.  They knew their wishes were granted.  The fun started in earnest.  Candy was bountiful.  Multiple pizzas were ordered.  Outdoor activities were celebrated inside the house.  And the noise was deafening.  Moving to the outdoors, downright dangerous stunts were performed.  

Kevin's fun, fun, fun friends arrived and added to the craziness.  Three mice and four geese looked around, saw a humongous mess and realized too much of a good thing is not a good thing.  Kevin did not like messes, so he drove away with his pals. 

Can you imagine what Bruce was going to say when he got home?  You'll be surprised more than once as this story concludes.  Three cheers for grumps!

With every sentence author Ryan T. Higgins pens in this title, you can feel the humor growing.  He uses the repetition of a single word or phrases for emphasis and to fashion a cadence.  One two-word combination he inserts into the story is guaranteed to have readers and listeners rolling on the floor laughing.  His blend of narrative and dialogue is flawless.  Here are two passages.

Early the next morning, before the first rays of sun crept

across Soggy Hollow, Bruce woke up to go on a fishing trip.

Alone.

By himself.

He left a note, of course.

Gone fishing.

Don't make

a mess!

---Bruce---

But nobody read that note either.

NOM NOM NOM

One look at the open dust jack, front and back, and you know something the exact opposite of ordinary is in the offing for Bruce and his housemates.  On a blue background on the back, to the left, is a photograph of Bruce and Kevin.  Their facial expressions could not be more different.  There is one grump and one goof featured.  This photograph is varnished.  On the front, to the right, Bruce on the left is totally unaware of Kevin.  His fun, fun, fun grin is shocking to Rupert.  On this image the title text is varnished.

The book case design mirrors that of a pizza box in red and white check.  In the center is a circle framed in green.  On the front and back a bear, wearing a chef's hat, is showcased in red on white within that circle.  One is Kevin and one is Bruce.  Let the hilarity commence.

On the opening endpapers Bruce has placed sixteen signs around his home, advising people what they can't do.  The final sign in his paws reads:

NO PLAYING.

Behind the signs and Bruce are his home on the right and the lake across both sides.

Kevin has worked his fun on the closing endpapers.  The lake, trees, and Bruce's house are all the same.  The signs have all been changed by Kevin.  Each NO has been crossed out and GO is written in green next to the crossed-out NO.  Kevin stands at the NO PLAYING sign with a green marker in his paw.  He has already altered that sign.

These illustrations by Ryan T. Higgins 

created using scans of treated clayboard for textures, graphite, ink, and Photoshop

send the hoopla soaring (much like Rupert who finds himself attached to an airborne kite).  The facial expressions on all the characters depict every emotional moment from glee to despair and other moods between the two.  Readers will pause at every page turn to enjoy all the details.  Images span single pages but cross the gutter to join spot visuals on the previous page.  Other single-page pictures, panels and partial-page illustrations accentuate pacing and the story line.  For dramatic effect double-page pictures tell a story all their own.  Most of the conversation is found in speech balloons.

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page image.  We are in the living room of Bruce's home.  It has been transformed into an indoor swimming pool.  Water is nearly up to the window casements.  Kevin wearing a red-and-white striped swimming suit, floaties on his arms, a bathing cap, and swim goggles is having fun.  The geese and mice are not so sure.  One is grasping the floating telephone.  Two others are using a door as a raft.  Rupert remarks:

This might be an 

electrical hazard.

Regardless of how many times The Bruce Swap written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins is read, laughter will resound each and every time.  The return of beloved characters coupled with the narrative, dialogue, and comical illustrations are an unbeatable combination.  You'll want to have a copy of this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about other titles by Ryan T. Higgins go to his page at the publisher's website by following the link attached to his name.  Ryan T. Higgins has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a link to a lengthy guide on the work of Ryan T. Higgins.  It would be great for an author study.

Several weeks ago, when I stepped out on the front porch with my canine companion to begin our last stroll for the day, panic and a stench overwhelmed me.  It was not quite pitch black outside yet.  Where was the skunk?  Was it on the lawn?  Was it under the porch?  Was every person's nightmare about to unfold?  We were lucky this time.  Something Stinks! (Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, June 15, 2021) written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske is about a being with an experience similar to mine with one huge difference.  A skunk can't figure out where a horrible smell is emanating.  (I don't know about you, but I am laughing already.)

Pee-yew!

Something STINKS!

The narrator continues by telling us how fortunate we are not to smell what he is smelling.  We are then told exactly how stinky it is.  Comparisons are made to three kinds of stink.  How can it be stinkier

than a rotten tuna and onion sandwich?

Skunk then informs us he will track down the source of this odoriferous aroma.  No nook or cranny will be overlooked.  When he offers up the source as underpants, he is mistaken.  The scent is increasingly worse.

It seems to be following Skunk.  He then asks the reader to move in closer so he can make sure it is not they who stink.  Really?  

By now Skunk is getting nauseous.  He asks for readers' help.  When there is a response, he can't comprehend the words or gestures.  Skunk is at his wit's end.  Suddenly, a change clears the air.  What has happened?  We know, but Skunk is oblivious.

From the first words out of Skunk's mouth, written by Jonathan Fenske, the hilarity begins.  We are active participants in the story as Skunk speaks directly to us in short sentences.  Questions are asked and replies are given.  To elevate the humor, another character, a fly, adds commentary.  Here is a passage.

Wonderful.

Now the smell is

getting WORSE.

Like someone or someTHING

has been dragging a great big

cloud of stink everywhere!

The two hues of green shown on the front and back of the open book case clearly indicate an odor capable of inducing illness.  By the placement of the darker of the two, readers realize the origin of the stink.  The presence of the fly, first smiling on the front, and then with eyes crossed in displeasure on the back, suggests the extent of the stench.  The text on the back is an introduction to the story with Skunk speaking to us.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a pattern of Skunk, much smaller, standing almost sheepishly amid the smell.  He has no idea he is the cause of the odor.  Zipping around him in loops and swirls is a dotted white line on the green canvas.  This is the flight pattern of the fly who makes an appearance on the closing endpapers.  On the title page, a perplexed Skunk stands trying to locate the source of the stink.

These illustrations by Jonathan Fenske range in size from double-page pictures to single-page images, and groups of smaller visuals to supply pacing.  Often, we are brought very close to Skunk, further inviting us into the story.  His expressive wide-eyed looks, exaggerated facial features, and gestures contribute to the laughter factor.

Background colors are either gruesome green or crisp white.  Every line is spotlighted.  This raises our awareness of the situation in which Skunk finds himself.  You can't help but laugh!

One of my many favorite pictures is on a half-page.  Skunk is trying unsuccessfully, to figure out what the reader is telling him.  In this image he is saying:

I see you pointing.

On the green background with the green odor gathering at the bottom is the upper part of Skunk's face with one arm.  His hand is placed on his forehead as he tries to see.  His eyes are wide open.  He is looking squarely at us.  He just doesn't get it.  Therein is increased comedy.

With a book like Something Stinks! written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske, you know how readers will respond.  Even now I can hear peals of laughter.  And once this laughter starts it won't stop, even when the story ends.  This is going to be a much-requested story time favorite.  You'll need a copy in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Jonathan Fenske and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Jonathan Fenske has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you get a peak at the initial title page.

Comedy Times Two #3

On one thing most scientists can agree, the strength of laughter to elevate our well-being.  Laughter pushes everything else aside for those moments you are laughing.  If you are not alone in your laughter, it lasts a lot longer.  If you have the giggles, a simple look, sound, or body movement can ignite another bout of guffaws shared by those gathered.

As soon as you read certain books (in between bursts of laughter), you know you are holding hilarity gold in your hands.  Today, two book releases fit this description.  Both have imbedded facts, making them fun and funnier.  On February 26, 2019 readers were able to enjoy a generous serving of humor reading The Very Impatient Caterpillar (Scholastic Press) written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  The outspoken, exuberant caterpillar is back after having the patience to make it through metamorphosis. In The Little Butterfly That Could (Scholastic Press, April 6, 2021), our butterfly friend finds the thought of migration a tad bit terrifying. 

 

HEY! Have you seen

a group of migrating

butterflies?

They went that way.

Excited the group is close, the butterfly is shocked to discover they are 200 miles away.  When asking the whale how to travel 200 miles, the whale says flight is the only solution.  In a fit of drama, the butterfly believes this is impossible.

In the ensuing interlude, the butterfly recounts how much simpler life was as a caterpillar, and then as a chrysalis who patiently (HA!) waited to become a flower-seeking butterfly.  It seems a fog descended, and the butterfly lost his migrating flutter friends.  With calm, the whale counters every possible thing the butterfly believes will hinder its success.  It is okay to be afraid.

When the whale says he gets butterflies in his stomach, in reference to possible obstacles, the butterfly wants to hide there.  Certainly, inside a whale's stomach is preferable to flying 200 miles!  Finally, the butterfly starts flying.  It is more of a struggle than true flying.  He moves two feet!  For this butterfly there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but the whale keeps offering encouragement.  You must believe.

Voicing mantras of inspiration, the butterfly, fortified with confidence, begins at last.  First, he makes 25 miles.  Then he makes 50 miles.  At every point closer to the 200 miles, the butterfly pushes forward with words and an affirmative mindset.  Does the spunky insect reach its pals only to discover there is yet another challenge in the offing?  Read on, readers.  Don't give up.

Told entirely in dialogue, this book is a study in humor, contrast, and education.  Ross Burach manages to make us laugh as the butterfly's frantic fear is countered by the whale's calm composure.  The over-the-top outbursts by the butterfly engage us in every moment.  We all understand this feeling.  This is why we laugh.  It is pure genius how facts about butterfly migration become a part of the butterfly's explosions of speech.  Here is a passage.

WAIT!

Can't I just live in your

stomach FOREVER?

No.

How about

a one-year lease?

No!

You have

to keep

trying.

(My copy is on its way, so this post is being completed using an F & G.)

On the front of the dust jacket, in bright bold colors, matching a bright bold personality, the wide-eyed, little butterfly is jittery with worry.  Here over an ocean, what's a butterfly to do?  On the back, the butterfly is offering no-nonsense words to readers about the value in reading the first book, The Very Impatient Caterpillar.  It needs to be read NOW!

(I am looking forward to seeing the endpapers on the finished copy.  The opening endpapers on the first book feature a row of white caterpillars along the bottom of an orange background.  On the closing endpapers in white is the little butterfly with a couple of flutter friends.  They are hovering over some flowers on a purple canvas.)

Ross Burach's art was created with pencil, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital coloring.

Each visual is loaded with exaggerated animation.  Ross Burach alternates between two-page pictures, single-page pictures, and groups of smaller illustrations.  His shifts in perspective keep the pace moving quickly.  One minute you are looking at the vast display of the ocean across two pages with the whale and the little butterfly small in comparison.  The next minute you are inside the whale's stomach as the butterfly moves through three scenarios of setting up possible residence there.

As if there is not enough comedy to be found in the little butterfly, the whale, and other butterflies' bodies and expressions, readers need to notice the details.  When the little butterfly is sobbing, out of nowhere in the middle of an ocean, the whale is holding a box of tissues.  When the butterfly is worrying about getting lost, an upside down map is in its hands.  It is holding a pair of binoculars up to its eyes.  When the butterfly is looking inside a refrigerator inside the whale's stomach, the only thing stored inside is krill.

One of my many favorite illustrations is one of three on a single page.  It is the center visual.  The little butterfly is at mile 150.  Its wings are down in their flapping, or perhaps it is gliding.  The little butterfly is wearing a runner's head band.  It's squirting water from a bottle into its mouth.

Nothing is better than laughter except when laughter and learning are combined.  We understand the importance of a can-do attitude and butterfly migration after reading The Little Butterfly That Could written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  I know you'll want this title in both your personal and professional collections. 

To learn more about Ross Burach and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You'll find loads of extras there.  Ross Burach has an account on Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view some interior images.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher reveals the cover for The Very Impatient Caterpillar and chats about The Little Butterfly That Could with the author illustrator on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Here is a link to the recent Book Joy Live event with Ross Burach and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

When spring rolls around after more than a year of enduring a global pandemic, everyone is ready for a seasonal change at the very least.  The sound of spring peppers encourages you to join them in song.  Leaves of tulips and daffodils are pushing their way through dirt.  Soon their stems will extend, and blossoms will form.  We want to join them by shedding our winter wear for t-shirts and shorts.  Teeny, tiny buds on sprouting from shrub and tree branches.  We want to stretch out our arms and embrace this newness.  Down on the farm, most of the animals are ready for spring, too.  In Not Now, Cow (Abrams Appleseed, April 6, 2021) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings, everyone is welcoming the season, except for one.  Cow is confused. 

SPRING

Duck is ready.

Helps things grow.

Sheep is ready.

Skips below.

Goat is ready, too.  Cow is not.  Cow is standing under a tree wearing mittens, a scarf, and a snow cap.  Rooster states this is not the time for winter wear.

When summer comes Chick, Goat, and Pig all dive into appropriate activities.  Cow stands ready to race down a snow-covered hill on a sled.  Rooster is exasperated.

Horse, Chick, and Sheep enjoy the out-of-door fun fall brings.  There is leaf-raking, apple-eating and pumpkin carving.  And Cow, well Cow, is not getting the autumn vibe at all.

Finally, winter arrives.  (I'll bet Cow can hardly wait.)  Pig, Horse, and Duck are frolicking in the snow and on the ice.  To Rooster's utter amazement, Cow's seasonal clock has tick-tocked into another hemisphere.  The final sentence (the whole book, truthfully) will invite loads of laughter.

Is this book perfect for a read aloud? Yes.  Is this book perfect for reader's theater?  Yes.  Is this book perfect for a puppet show?  Yes.  Tammi Sauer writes for readers to experience this book completely.  She establishes a cadence for each season with three animals participating in an activity followed by Cow's lack of understanding and Rooster's frustration.  She repeats phrases.  The final words in sentences rhyme.  It's pure playful perfection.  Here is a passage.

Pig is ready.

Leaves a trail.

Cow is . . .

Oh, Cow.

Not now.

How can you look at the front of the book case and not laugh out loud?  Look at Cow wearing beach gear and ready for some fun in the sun in the middle of winter!  Cow's grin and Rooster's incredulous look tell a story themselves.  On the back amid the continued snow scene is information about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings similar to that found on the back end flap of a dust jacket.  Beneath the text are Goat, Chick, and Sheep appropriately attired for winter.  They are looking slightly mystified at a green and yellow polka dot beach inner tube laying in the snow.

Not wasting any space, Troy Cummings uses the opening and closing endpapers to start and conclude the story.  Rooster is shouting out the news of spring's appearance prior to the verso and title pages.  There a double-page picture shows Cow ambling in from the left as Rooster races off the right side.  They are placed amid a pastoral scene on the farm.  At the end, the entire barnyard crew is staring at Cow.

These digitally created images have a rhythm to them as does the text.  Each season is given a full-page picture.  This is followed by two animals sharing one page and another one on a single page.  For the 

Cow is . . .

phrase, this stands alone in a loosely framed image.  A two-page visual closes out the season.  It depicts Cow's clueless demeanor contrasting with hilarity to Rooster's look of disbelief.  Readers will enjoy looking at all the extra elements in the clothing, facial expressions, and actions of the other animals.  Chick nibbling on and carrying an apple bigger than it is while wearing oversized work boots is a real rib-tickler.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The countryside is all aglow with colors of fall.  Standing on a pile of leaves is Cow.  Cow is wearing a purple puffer coat, bright mittens and earmuffs and ski goggles.  In one hand is a ski pole.  In the other hand is a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Ski boots and skis finish the ensemble.  Rooster perched on the fence is gritting its teeth.  Its eyes are rolled, and one wing is to its forehead. 

Expect a chorus of read it again from story time listeners after reading Not Now, Cow written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings.  Between all the grins and giggles, each season is explored.  Be sure to place a copy of this title in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tammi Sauer has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Troy Cummings has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Tammi Sauer penned a post at Picture Book Builders about this title.