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Young Readers

A Curious Little Rabbit

Apr 11th, 2013
by rodney.
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Adam Henry is a an animator, storyboard artist, and animation director. Over the years he’s worked for Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Klasky-Csupo, and most recently Dreamworks — where he is a director on the hit TV series Dragons: Riders of Berk. On a more personal level, Mr. Henry has created Bibby the Bunny, a young rabbit with a positive attitude, a lucky streak, and a curiosity that older bunnies find downright dangerous.  The first book in this new illustrated children’s book series, Bibby: A Bunny’s Journey, is available now at Mr. Henry’s Bibby the Bunny web site. It’s also available on iTunes, and will soon be coming out in other digital formats.

image c. 2013 by Adam Henry

… and They Can Talk To Him

Mar 31st, 2013
by rodney.
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We’re fresh back from WonderCon in Anaheim, and me-oh-my is there a lot to talk about. Starting with…

Here’s one we somehow missed over the past couple of years, but we found out about it now, finally: Alex Walker and the Circus of Secrets, by Michael Mayo. “On the run from  his father’s deadly plans, Alex and his mother stumble upon a small traveling circus in a Kansas field. A strange accident awakens a hidden ability: He can speak to the animals — and they can speak to him. He meets an elderly cocker spaniel, a macaw, and a Siamese cat who tell Alex he is their long-prophesized savior. Alex must learn to fight for their lives — and his own.” This young adult novel is available now in paperback from Valstar Publishing, and also in a Kindle edition. Another bonus: Proceeds from the sale of the book go to various no-kill animal shelters.

image c. 2011 Valstar Publishing

One Odd Duck — or Two

Mar 27th, 2013
by rodney.
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We like this description of Odd Duck, a new illustrated storybook: “Theodora is a perfectly normal duck. She may swim with a teacup balanced on her head and stay north when the rest of the ducks fly south for the winter, but there’s nothing so odd about that.  Chad, on the other hand, is one strange bird. Theodora quite likes him, but she can’t overlook his odd habits. It’s a good thing Chad has a normal friend like Theodora to set a good example for him.  But who exactly is the odd duck here? Theodora may not like the answer.” Author Cecil Castellucci (Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd) hooks up with illustrator Sara Varon (Chicken and Cat) to create an unusual story of an unusual friendship. It’s coming this May in hardcover from First Second.

image c. 2013 First Second

Amphibian Ambitions

Mar 15th, 2013
by rodney.
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Trevor Pryce is a 14-year veteran of the NFL who played defensive end for the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Jets. Now, he’s taken on a completely new career: Fantasy author. In the  first book of the new Kulipari series, Mr. Pryce (aided by Joel Naftali) tells the story of An Army of Frogs. “It’s frogs versus scorpions in this new series by professional football player Trevor Pryce. For years, the frogs of the Amphibilands have lived in safety—protected by an elite group of poisonous frogs named the Kulipari and by the dreamcasting spell of the turtle king that cloaks their lands in mystery. Now the spell is threatened by the Spider Queen, a talented spellcaster, and Lord Marmoo, leader of the scorpions. With the Kulipari off training in secret, the Amphibilands have never been so vulnerable. Enter Darel, a young frog who dreams of joining the Kulipari, despite his utter lack of poison and limited fighting skills. With the help of a motley crew of friends, Darel has the chance to become the warrior of his dreams.” This new series of hardcover fantasy novels is illustrated by Sanford Greene. According to Amazon, it’s due to hit the shelves this May from Amulet Books.

image c. 2013 Amulet Books

Sweeping the Clouds Away

Mar 3rd, 2013
by rodney.
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Oddly enough for an international institution like Sesame Street, it has never had its own comic book — Until Now! Ape Entertainment’s Kizoic imprint presents the first regular Sesame Street full-color comic, written by Jason M. Burns and illustrated by Amy Mebberson. The first issue hits stores this April, and features one of five full-color covers that interlock into an ultra-wide poster.  “From television to the comic panel, Ape Entertainment will portray the characters that millions of parents and children have come to know and love in a comic series that will be produced in full color and available in stores this fall in standard comic sized printed editions for $3.99 and digest sized hardcover comic book editions for $7.99. They will also be available as a digital comic book that will be available through Apple’s App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.”

image c. 2013 Ape Entertainment

Cats with Swords

Feb 24th, 2013
by rodney.
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Sofawolf Press have announced that Caterwall, a new full-color young adult graphic novel by Spain Fischer, will be arriving this summer. Originally announced last spring, this sword & sorcery tale follows the adventures of Pax, a feline would-be adventurer. Pax is ” the orphaned son of the kingdom of Katia’s greatest knights. His family name and reputation has been tarnished, however, and Pax is to blame. When the young cat intercepts troubling news from the neighboring kingdom of the dogs, Dewshire, his warnings fall on deaf ears. Banished from Caterwall after insulting the Dewshire diplomat, Pax must decide if he will try to stop the dangerous tide approaching Caterwal l– or turn his back on the home which cast him out.” The story will be told in a series of three 100-page graphic novels. We’ll admit to some confusion regarding the web site for this project. Some promotional posters released at Further Confusion and elsewhere give the web site as www.caterwall.net, which leads you to a “Coming Soon” page with an illustration. More actual information, however, can be found at www.caterwall.com, which includes artwork and background write-ups.

image c. 2012 by Spain Fischer

If Polly Ran The Ship…

Jan 23rd, 2013
by rodney.
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Another discovery from Further Confusion — and we wonder how we missed this before.  Black Beak the Parrot Pirate is a creation of Jennifer Sopranzi, Catherine Van Riper, and Tony Sopranzi, featuring CGI tricked-up photos of real animals as illustrations for their rousing sea adventure stories for young readers.  “In the crystal blue waters of the Southern Seas lies the home of the fierce pirate parrot Captain Black Beak. Welcome to Conure Cove, the beautiful Island home of the brave and gentle beasts and birds who live in this mystic land. These are the first seven tales of Captain Black Beak, the greatest pirate parrot to sail the seas. Long may his tales be told in stories, songs and poems.” Now the first seven short books in the series (all of them available on Amazon) have been collected into a single volume, Black Beak: Pirate Saga, which also includes some new material. You can find out more about all of this at the home page of  Black Beak Press.

image c. 2013 Black Beak Press

Little Girl to Little Cat

Jan 17th, 2013
by rodney.
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Well-known fantasy author Charles De Lint has teamed up with well-known illustrator Charles Vess to bring us The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, a new hardcover full-color illustrated book coming this March from Little Brown Books For Young Readers. “Lillian Kindred spends her days exploring the Tanglewood Forest, a magical, rolling wilderness that she imagines to be full of fairies. The trouble is, Lillian has never seen a wisp of magic in her hills–until the day the cats of the forest save her life by transforming her into a kitten. Now Lillian must set out on a perilous adventure that will lead her through untamed lands of fabled creatures–from Old Mother Possum to the fearsome Bear People–to find a way to make things right.” From the review at Amazon, of course.

image c. 2013 Little, Brown Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with that, we’ll say TTFN (ta ta for now!) until after Further Confusion in San Jose, California. Take care!

Adventures in the Ice Age

Jan 10th, 2013
by rodney.
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Hey look — we’re back to Free Comic Book Day stuff!  First off, did you know that Ice Age: Continental Drift had the highest world-wide box office take of any animated film in 2012?  Well it did, by a comfortable margin of millions. Now Boom! Studios’ Kaboom! imprint is carrying on the story and the world-famous characters with their offering for Free Comic Book Day, Ice Age: The Hidden Treasure. “When Crash and Eddie hear about a haunted treasure in a place called Bone Valley, they can’t get the idea out of their heads! After convincing Peaches and Sid to join them on their journey, they set off to become treasure hunters…but what surprise awaits them where X marks the spot?” Crash and Eddie are two rather manic opossums, Sid the sloth is their friend, and Peaches the mammoth is their niece.  Yes, it somehow all makes sense! Hidden Treasure was written by Caleb Monroe and illustrated in full color by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb.  Remember, Free Comic Book Day is May 4th.

image c. 2013 Boom! Studios

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