Comedy Times Two #2

Readers know you can't judge a book by its cover, but we also know a cover can be an incentive.  A cover can ask us to stop and look.  There, if we look closely enough, we see a bit of a story.  This bit of a story offers an overture to what might unfold in the body of the book. 

If there are characters portrayed on those jackets and cases, we can take clues from their facial expressions and body language.  We Love Fishing! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 23, 2021) written by Ariel Bernstein with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal examines the concept of the word we.  In the events in this tale, there is a me who has a contrasting outlook.  Therein the comedy resides. 

Bear, Porcupine,

Otter, and Squirrel

love fishing.

When you keep reading each one, Bear, Otter, and Porcupine, issues individual statements in agreement, except for Squirrel.  Squirrel says---

They love fishing.

Bear, Porcupine, and Otter glorify the merits of fish consumption.  Squirrel can't stand the odor of fish.

Walking through the woods to get to the fishing spot is sheer delight for the exuberant trio.  Squirrel lacks even the slightest desire for exercise, finding fault with ever step taken.  As you can surmise, fishing from the boat is a pastime enjoyed by three and abhorred by a fourth.

When the rain begins, comments by Bear, Porcupine, and Otter are the height of optimism.  Squirrel laments the condition of his fur.  When it appears as though a fish is hooked, happiness is met with confusion.  Keeping the fish in the net, unfortunately is Squirrel's task.

A mishap is met with stunned silence . . .initially.  Will the bonds of friendship hold?  Only Fish knows.

The sentences written by author Ariel Bernstein and the rhythm they generate make this narrative a joy to read, silently or aloud.  First, we read a declarative statement, followed by three collaborative assertions and one dissenting remark.  What elevates the humor is Squirrel is apt to make several verbal observations, all in contrast to the majority opinion.  In the true style of a storyteller, Ariel Bernstein fashions a pause, a point of reflection, before the cadence resumes.  Here is a partial passage with a sentence by Otter and several, but not all, by Squirrel.

I don't know 

what I love more.

Walking or

fishing.

Can we take a taxi?

I stepped on

a pebble.

Ack! I see a fly!

Look at the cheery faces on Otter, Bear, and Porcupine on the front of the dust jacket.  Then, when you focus on Squirrel, you get a hint as to the divergence in points of view and fun to come.  The color choices imply a happy-go-lucky day outside in a relaxed natural setting.  The wide spine with the row of fish also offers a clue as to the upcoming happening.  The wide blue border continues on the back.  There we see Squirrel repelled by the slippery Fish, barely in the net.  Squirrel, the net, Fish and a small portion of the boat are set on the cream background.  The title text is raised and varnished.  The fish on the spine border are varnished.

On the book case, on a canvas of the same bright blue as the spine border, the image from the back of the jacket is placed in a smaller circle.  On the front is the same illustration as on the front of the jacket, smaller, and framed by an oval blue-green line.  Bordering that line is an wider oval of cream, framed in a green line.  Within this is the Fish pattern.  This is placed on the bright blue background.

On the matching opening and closing endpapers, we are greeted with an underwater scene. Waves in varied shades of turquoise are a superb canvases for fishes and Fish.  They are swimming in two different directions.  Bubbles form in two vertical rows, top to bottom, one on the left side and one on the right side.  Fish is approaching the hook on a line.  On the title page the foursome is gathered, three gleeful about fishing and Squirrel totally grumpy.

These images by Marc Rosenthal 

were rendered in Prismacolor pencil and digital color.

White, cream, is a strong element in all the pictures.  Texture, shading and light figure prominently.  The illustrations shift in size to accentuate the pacing.  Readers will enjoy all the added details; the lures in Bear's collection, Otter's love of supreme ice cream sundaes, Porcupine's intensity, tongue out, as he fishes, and Squirrel's passion for acorns.  

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It features a close-up of the red and yellow boat ono the lake.  Bear, eyes closed, is stretched out on his back in the bow of the boat.  A pole behind him has a line in the water.  Over him Porcupine holds a reel and pole with another line in the water.  At the end of Bear's feet, Otter, wearing his fisherman's cap, holds the net.  On the back seat Squirrel sits, hands on either side of his face.  Just off the right side of the stern, Fish is poking its head above the water.  This picture complements the text splendidly.

Throughout all our lives, our friendships will always be tested.  In this book, We Love Fishing! written by Ariel Bernstein with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal, the art of compromise, amid grumbling, is displayed wonderfully, full of laughter and yes, love.  You will enjoy having this title as a part of your personal and professional collections.  It's sure to promote discussions after the giggling dies away.

To discover more about Ariel Bernstein and Marc Rosenthal and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Ariel Bernstein has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Marc Rosenthal has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.

Sometimes as soon as you read a title aloud, bursts of laughter can be heard throughout the gathered listeners during a story time.  Certain words are overloaded with hilarity.  That hilarity, though, can vanish in a second if the word is used to diminish an individual's character or worth.

Don't Call Me Fuzzybutt! (Sleeping Bear Press, March 15, 2021) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Susan Batori shows us how anger can escalate.  In that anger, civility is set aside.  Taking the high road seems out of reach.  The Golden Rule is forgotten.

Bear needed a lot of sleep.  Two hundred and

forty-three and a half days, to be precise.

Anything less and he turned grizzly.

In addition to needing the specified number of days for sleep, Bear could hear the softest noise.  He could hear the sound of one raindrop.  It woke him up.

He fashioned attire to block out noise.  Through signs, he notified his neighbors of his need for silent sleep.  And he cut down trees to make a soundproof door.  On his first hibernation day, he went blissfully to sleep until . . . 

PECK!

PECK!

PECK!

woke him up.

What Bear did not know was the trees he cut down were architectural wonders created by Woodpecker.  Woodpecker was dismayed to find all his homes were gone.  Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel had no clue as to the disappearance of said structures.

Woodpecker hung up flyers offering a reward.  He finally noted sections of his houses strewn in a path to Bear's new den door.  Using his signature work ethic, Woodpecker was taking back what was his.

With every peck, Bear's frustration grew.  He roared.  Outside his den, he asked a question horrifying Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel at the use of one word.  Woodpecker heard it and confronted Bear.  Bear stomped back inside and fell asleep.

Considering his ability to hear even the softest sound, Woodpecker unintentionally woke Bear again, this time with a different noise.  In a much longer encounter, tempers of both parties flared into a nasty blaze of name-calling.  Two wounded individuals called a truce and constructed a plan.  After two hundred and forty-three and a half days, spring was not the only renewal enjoyed by forest friends.

With her first three sentences, author Robin Newman opens the door for a problem to enter.  The slight tension increases when we learn of Bear's hearing abilities.  With the presentation of Woodpecker's dilemma, we understand a clash is coming.

Robin Newman uses the storytelling rule of three with skill.  The repetition of key phrases and application of alliteration provide a cadence welcoming reader participation.  The combination of descriptive dialogue and equally illuminating narrative achieve a flawless flow.  Here are two passages.

Before Bear could say "salmon and honey on toasted pumpernickel bread," he was asleep.

But lately his houses were disappearing.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY RUSTIC RANCH,

COZY COTTAGE, AND SOLAR-POWERED DUPLEX?"

Woodpecker went looking.

On the double-page image spread from the left to the right, back to front, on the matching dust jacket and book case, readers are given a view of Bear's den with the door built from Woodpecker's houses, the autumn forest with its golden glow, and the cast of characters.  Clearly Woodpecker and Bear are disgruntled.  Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel are skittish about what has happened and about what might happen next.  Illustrator Susan Batori first exhibits her inclusion of tiny details in the flight of the honeybee above the final title word and in the items on and near Bear's den.

The opening and closing endpapers are a crisp white.  Bear and Woodpecker, with angry glances and arms-crossed stances, are on the title page.  The other three creatures are looking at them, afraid.

To enhance and complement the pacing of the story Susan Batori employs a blend of full-page pictures crossing the gutter, smaller insets grouped together, full-page pictures, edge to edge, and dramatic double-page pictures.  Emotions are heightened with alternating perspectives.  We are brought close to characters or given a larger view of their forest setting, even from a bird's eye view.  

What is notable about these images are the facial features on the characters, specifically the eyes.  The wide-eyed looks convey a range of emotions.  Underlying the seriousness of what unfolds, there is a current of humor in the pictures and individual items.  Bear's nightshirt includes a pattern of honeybees.  On the flyer Woodpecker posts it reads:

WANTED

(pictures of houses)

REWARD

BUGS

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page picture toward the end of the story.  It's a close-up of Bear all snuggled in bed, dreaming of a honeybee and its honeycomb.  He is wearing his knitted cap and earmuffs.  His teddy bear is under the covers with him as he sleeps.  Off to the left side is Woodpecker, wing to his beak, making the SHHH gesture.

Relevant and timely, Don't Call Me Fuzzybutt! written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Susan Batori will engage readers from beginning to end with the clever, rhythmic language and lively pictures.  This book is guaranteed to inspire discussions and group projects.  I hope you will all add a copy to your personal and professional collections.  

By following the link attached to Robin Newman's and Susan Batori's names, you can access their websites learning more about them and their other work.  Robin Newman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Susan Batori has accounts on Behance, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal with an essay by Robin Newman is hosted at Nerdy Book Club.  At Books of Wonder on March 13, 2021, there is a virtual launch.  You can view some portions of interior illustrations in Susan Batori's Instagram feed.  Here is the link to a post on Robin Newman's Facebook page for a follow-up activity. 

 

Farmyard Tom"fowl"ery

If you call out to a group of children asking them who wants to play a game, you will get a unanimous chorus of me.  If you tell them they need to search for clues to solve a mystery, the excitement grows.  Guys and gals love to laugh.  They are perfectly wired to sense the humor in almost any situation; the sillier the better.  They also become attached to characters in books they enjoy.  They will reread these books over and over because they don't want to leave those fictional individuals.

Fans of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold who we met in The Case of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) have returned in their second thrilling episode combining mystery and hilarity.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, April 2, 2017) penned by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is about a most heinous heist.  The only thing in hot water might be the criminal when caught.

Boys and girls, this case is about a poached egg on Ed's farm.

Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

Policemice Wilcox and Griswold know something is about to happen even before they get a call early in the morning on Tuesday.  Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular is going to be held on Wednesday.  The competition is fierce among the fowl friends.

Henrietta Hen is frantic.  Her precious Penny has disappeared.  Is Penny her mother, sister or daughter?  No, she is not.  Penny is an egg, a very fine egg.

When the Missing Food Investigators arrive at the coop, feathers are frantically flying.  Henrietta Hen first shows them a ransom note with unfamiliar handwriting.  No one has been near the coop except for Gabby Goose and Colonel Peck.  Colonel Peck is far from helpful during his questioning preferring to focus on his lack of corn kernels.  So far the evidence, egg shell samples, feathers and prints, reveal nothing unusual.

Detective Wilcox has an epiphany while eating a cheese donut when they are stopped at the Milky Way for cows to cross.  There's something odd about the letter e in the note.  Interviews with Gabby Goose, Miss Rabbit and Porcini the Pig leave the duo more puzzled than ever.  There is no time to lose.  What if the egg happens to hatch?

Will Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular disclose more than a winner?  Will the egg burglar blunder?  Let's hope the conclusion leads to cracking the case and not precious Penny.

With every reading the language written by Robin Newman gets richer and richer with one comedic comment, thought or sentence after another.  Her command of word play will have you laughing out loud at the same time you wonder in amazement how she manages to create combination after combination of words with more than one meaning.  The references to chickens, other fowl and farm life are astonishing. 

The blend of dialogue, spoken and silent accounts by Detective Wilcox and the lack of speech but knowing looks by Captain Griswold make for an eggs-cellent contrast.  The use of time of day and place at the beginning of each chapter add to the law enforcement atmosphere.  Detective Wilcox usually manages to close chapters with astute observations.

"If we don't find Penny fast, I whispered to the captain, "she might end up in an omelet.  Or worse, in a bucket of fried chicken!"

We had to scramble on this case.  Scramble before we had scrambled eggs indeed.

Here is another sample passage.

Knock. Knock. "MFIs," I hollered.

"Door's open.  Come on down," shouted Miss Rabbit.

We slid down the rabbit hole and landed in the kitchen.

"Detectives, how nice of you to drop in," said Miss Rabbit.  "Would you like some carrot cake?"

Illustrator Deborah Zemke has a keen eye for making the book case look like a well-used file folder or pages from a case file.  Placing the A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery logo inside a poached egg is sheer design genius.  The cracked egg shells and fowl prints carry across the opening endpapers which includes the verso and title pages.  Every detail references to policemice work.  

On the two introductory pages a map of Ed's Farm is placed over MFI photographs of Captain Griswold and Detective Wilcox.  With every page turn small images on placed within the text, reflecting the narrative.  Each chapter begins with an oval image at the top.  To emphasize a moment the illustration might cover a half of the page or be spread across the bottom of two pages.

The eyes on the chickens, the body posture and facial expressions on all the characters, and their clothing add to the humor.  It's particularly funny that the MFIs are much smaller than most of the animals on the farm.  Readers will find themselves chuckling at some of the details; Colonel Peck's oversized comb, the names of the chickens written on their boxes, and Gabby's pouch for carrying her egg, Gertie.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is at the beginning.  There is something about Detective Wilcox's and Captain Griswold's car being a wind-up toy which I find hilarious.  In the lower half of the page they are leaving MFI Headquarters which happens to be a Sneaker Squeakers box.  As Griswold opens the driver's side of the car, Wilcox is turning the key to get the car moving.  Their hats and coats are totally in keeping with the old style vision of law enforcement attire.

Sleuths are going to get caught up in this farmyard whodunit trying to piece the clues together.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is bursting with the imaginative use of words.  I don't think you will ever look at an egg the same way again.  Early readers are going to savor every page.  

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke and their other work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website you can download a curriculum guide for this title. Robin Newman was a Featured Member at KidLit TV.  Enjoy the book trailer. 

Clamorous Calamity

Your best of what you do best has been done all day long.  The last little bit of light bows, ushering in twilight.  All the items on your mental checklist have been completed.  You look forward to a nice, long rest.

Without warning a sound shatters your solitude.  Bustling bat wings, what's that?  Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep (Creston Books, April 12, 2016) written by Robin Newman (The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) with illustrations by Chris Ewald introduces readers to a clever, rather charming, witch with a dilemma demanding her undivided attention.

There's a little-known secret about Hildie Bitterpickles.  She needs her sleep.

As regular as sunrise and sunset Hildie runs through her bedtime routine.  Snuggled, cozy and comfortable with her cat, Clawdia, she is rudely disturbed.  A new arrival in the neighborhood is raising a ruckus.  A fee-fi-fo- fum friend from the land of fairy is operating an elevator of the vegetable variety.

With a quick exit and an equally quick return, she puts an end to the noise but low and behold, it's back the next night with a new addition.  You-know-who living in a shoe with a horde of guys and gals has moved in next door.  There is no slumber for Hildie as they engage in their favorite pastime during the darkest hours hitting home runs against the side of her residence.

A wolf with exceedingly bad aim misses the mark on the new pigs' place and Hildie finds herself without a roof over her head.  At her wit's end, Hildie has to locate somewhere else to live.  Monty, the real estate rat, does his best to accommodate her demands.

Nursery rhyme characters create a commotion in one new abode after the other.  In a quirk of fate Hildie finds it necessary to use the previously mentioned cleverness and consummate charm.  A little bit of mix-and-match hocus-pocus may bring about the solution our weary witch is seeking.


Like her created character Hildie, Robin Newman weaves a masterful spell with words.  Employing a classic and much-proven storytelling technique of events in threes she forms a cadence, a sense of expectation, for her readers.  An extra layer of rhythm is supplied with the repetition of a key phrase which welcomes us all to participate.  More fun is found in the onomatopoeia of noisy neighbor characters from well-known folklore.  Here is a sample passage.

"I need a quiet house," said Hildie.  "WITHOUT NEIGHBORS!"
"You've come to the right rat!" said Monty.  He scampered through his files.
"This farmhouse with three blind mice seems promising."
"Are they quiet mice?" asked Hildie.
"Quiet as church mice!"
Hildie and Clawdia move in.



The atmospheric front of the book case with a worried-looking Hildie searching for help by reading, her trusty cauldron and potion-filled flask next to her, will cause readers' curiosity to heighten.  You can already see evidence of the attention to detail provided by Chris Ewald, debut picture book illustrator, in the placement of the tiny cobwebs.   On the back, to the left of the opened case, are a blurb and two recommendations above a sleeping Clawdia underneath Hildie's hat.

The opening endpapers depict a close-up view of Hildie's magical work space, glass vessels, a closed and open book in her own handwriting with a drawing, a skull and a tail belonging to an unknown creature.  The closing endpapers reveal the results of Hildie's ingenuity.  Ewald shifts his image sizes to enhance the text while enveloping readers in every fantastical and funny moment.

There are single pages, edge to edge, double-page pictures, edge to edge, two smaller images with elements extending into the other visual and small groupings framed in white space with a color palette reflective of the time of day.  Perspective is altered also to increase the intensity of a selected scene.  Readers will find themselves pausing at every page turn to notice all the extra items Ewald has included; a cow clinging to a crescent moon, classic flamingo yard ornaments in front of the shoe house, the hip old woman has vivid green tennis balls on her walker, the dish and spoon grinning as they sit on a cabinet in Hildie's house and Humpty Dumpty (as a mover) wearing two band-aides on his forehead.  The facial expressions on all the characters are the crowning comedic glory.

One of my favorite pictures is when Hildie and Clawdia have moved into a cottage with a bunch of black sheep, supposedly quiet.  By the glow of candlelight they are crowding into the room with our duo, all wanting to sleep in the same bed.  The expression on Hildie's face and the placement of Clawdia's paws tell a tale all their own.  Someone who has lost her sheep is peering in the window.


Look for knowing nods from listeners as Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Chris Ewald is read aloud; famous fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters replete in the narrative and images.   Get ready for bursts of laughter and requests for read it again. Have a witch's hat handy and a friendly black cat for company.

To learn more about both Robin Newman and Chris Ewald and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names. By following this link you can access another site maintained by Robin Newman.   For a peek at one of the two-page images access the publisher's website.  Robin Newman is a guest at KidLit TV in an interview loaded with information and activity ideas.  Here is the link to a twelve page teacher's guide for Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep.  Enjoy the videos!

Disappearing Dessert

To discover characters you've come to enjoy will be returning in another story is like celebrating your birthday more than one day a year.  They are friends you can take with you anywhere, experiencing their adventures, their joys, their tears and their fears.  Over time, books in a series allow you to watch characters grow.

While reading about these fictional pals we can see little pieces of ourselves in them.  Sometimes we notice something before they do, willing them to share in this realization.  One of the best things is when they make us laugh, completely unaware.  Yesterday teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher hosted author Robin Newman on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  After reading the post I knew I had to move her debut title, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery), Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) to the top of my stack.  Late into the night I was bursting into laughter at her words and the funny detailed illustrations of Deborah Zemke.

Boys and girls, this case is about thieves on Ed's farm.  The names have been changed to protect the good guys.
Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

The phone at the MFI (Missing Food Investigators) office rings at ten on Monday morning.  It would seem that a carrot cake, baked by Miss Rabbit in anticipation of an upcoming party, has vanished.  Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold, two vigilant policemice, head to the scene of the crime in their squad car.

After sliding down the rabbit hole, they see crumbs, carrots and frosting all over the kitchen, even on the pajama-clad Miss Rabbit.  Clearly she is in a state of extreme agitation.  The sleuths are stumped as there is no evidence pointing to a culprit.

Three possible suspects are questioned with due diligence, Fowler the Owl, who would enjoy consuming a particular rabbit and two nearby mice more than an evil-smelling carrot cake, Porcini the Pig, a corn-loving thief with a list of priors, and Hot Dog, a dog with gourmet cooking skills and an appetite to match.  Their replies only add to the who-done-it mystery.  A cake consumer is on the loose.

Detective Wilcox devises a plan to ensnare the wily rogue, employing a cook's culinary confection and a tried-and-true technology.  Nearly twenty-four hours of waiting end when a shout of sheer chagrin pierces the air.  Another heist has happened.

Can this carrot cake case be cracked? Will the gumshoes get the sticky-pawed prowler?  Read and savor the delectable conclusion.


Be prepared to grin and grin again from the first page to the very last courtesy of clever word play written by Robin Newman.  Readers are treated to case-solving lingo, puns and well-known phrases expertly inserted into the narrative and dialogue.  Detective Wilcox carries the conversations while Captain Griswold's stares and glares make their own statements.  Each episode ends with a definitive thought by Wilcox,

A hard nut indeed. or
Slower than molasses indeed. 

for example.  To heighten the thrill of the chase, times and places begin the chapters and portions within chapters.  Here is another sample passage.

Porcini's cheeks turned the color of a red hot chili pepper.
"I may take the cake as the best corn thief in town, but sirs, I am not a common cake thief!
Oink!"
The captain handed me Porcini's rap sheet. (That's a record of arrests for all you non-cops.)
It was a mile long for corn robberies, but he had no cake priors.
"Seems like you've spent some time in the pen," I said, hoping his reaction would give me a clue.
"Why peck at the past?  I did my time and now I'm clean.  I bet Hot Dog ate the cake.
That slobbering hound has a sweet tooth."


The crumpled paper spattered with cake crumbs covers both the front and back of the book case.  On a file folder with a tab reading CAKE, CARROT book blurbs are featured on the opened left.  One look at the determined faces of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold framed in the oval on the right and you know the crooks will be captured.  The opening and closing endpapers continue the theme with the Case Report containing the publication information opposite the title page at the beginning.  The dedications are paper-clipped to the top.  At the end an evidence folder appears on the left with wanted descriptions of the author and illustrator on the right.

The illustrations rendered by Deborah Zemke using a full-color palette are a blend of spot insertions, oval headers for chapters, full page pictures framed in a white border, smaller images on a single page and a two page illustration surrounding the text.  These variations in size enhance the pacing to perfection.  She skillfully maintains perspective with the animal sizes on the farm. Facial features and body language add to the comedy.

Zemeke's details are as playful as the text.  The squad car is a wind-up toy.  When taking pictures at the crime scene, Captain Griswold uses an old-style flash camera.  At one point Fowler The Owl is wearing a gas mask.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the squad car traveling down the road at the start of the story.  We are given a bird's eye view of the farm complete with two chickens crossing the road in a crosswalk with an appropriate sign at the side.  I dare you not to laugh when you see the wind-up key sticking out the side of the policemouse car.


This early reader, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke, is one you don't want to miss.  Whether you read it to yourself or as a read aloud plan on a chorus of "read it again" and shared smiles.  It's one case you won't want to close.  I would stock multiple copies.  An every-last-crumb-will-be-consumed Mollie Katzen's Carrot Cake recipe is included at the end.  A second book is coming in the fall of 2016. Hooray!

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke please follow the links attached to their names taking you to their websites.  Here is a link to Robin Newman's blog. A Curriculum Guide for Educators & Readers is located here.  Enjoy the book trailer.



The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake from Robin Newman on Vimeo.