The Childrens Book Review » Humor

Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:57:41 +0000

Reading level: Ages 7-10

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Video courtesy of MacmillanChildrens: “It’s election season! The cats on Main Street are split along party lines. Will Bad Kitty really be elected to run the Neighborhood Cat Coalition? Is she up for the task? With more than 3.2 million books in print, Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty is taking the chapter book world by storm… and now its time to get out the vote! Visit badkittybooks.com to play games, collect books, and watch hilarious video of Bad Kitty running amuck!”

Do Graphic Novels Qualify as Books?

Bianca Schulze — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:53:02 +0000

By Nina Schuyler, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 11, 2012

Back in the days when we drank gallons of Tang and ran wild in the neighborhood like dogs without leashes, these books were called comic books. Now they’re graphic novels and have fancy covers and binding so they don’t fall apart. They’re still action-packed, with lots of sounds spelled out in capital letters and exclamation points (KLANG! OOF! SLAM! WHOOSH!). The plot usually involves the forces of good versus evil. My husband tells me graphic novels, unlike comic books, tend to involve humor.

A confession, of sorts. Yes, I had to ask my husband, who read comic books as a kid. My mother was an English teacher and in her world, comic books did not qualify as books and therefore were off-limits. I still carry a residue of that high-brow distinction, but my eight-year-old son loves them. So how did I open my front door and invite them in?

(1) As I said, my son gobbles them up. He’ll sit on the couch for a solid hour and read. He’ll even tell me not to bother him; he’s reading.

(2) My son (his name is Fynn. He gave me permission to reveal it) has even taken to writing his own comics;

(3) Graphic novels are a great way to transition from shorter books to something longer. This has to build a certain confidence in a kid;

(4) Pulitzer Prize Winning writer Michael Chabon read comic books growing up, (how else to account for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay). Look what happened to him.

With that said, here are some graphic novels that your kids might devour:

Sidekicks

Written and Illustrated by Dan Santat.

In Sidekicks, written and illustrated by Dan Santat, Captain Amazing is getting old and decides he needs some help. He announces to the citizens of Metro City he’s going to hold auditions for a sidekick. Captain Amazing, who’s been so busy fighting crime, hasn’t been home much, so he doesn’t realize that his pets, his dog, Roscoe, his hamster, Fluffy, and chameleon, Shifty, have developed their own superpowers. They’d all love to be Captain Amazing’s sidekick, mostly because they’d get to spend more time with him. An intense competition results—who will get to be the captain’s sidekick?

According to my son, Fynn, “The pictures are amazing. And the story is really funny.”

It’s true. The pictures are amazing, in full color, with lots of blue tones to indicate the city and night time and a brownish tone to signal a flashback. It’s great fun watching a hamster take on the evil Dr. Havoc. And yes, it’s a fast read, with lots of POW! And HURRY UP! AND STOP! filling the pages, but there is a story and a sweet ending and your kid will be able to say he/she read a 217 page book. (Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.. Ages 8-11)

Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit

Written and Illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

The Lunch Lady graphic novel series, written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, also uses humor, action, and unexpected superheroes. In this case, as the title suggests, the lunch lady at public school is the superhero fighting crime. Krosoczka kicked off the series in July, 2009, with Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. When Mr. Pasteur arrives at school as a substitute teacher for Mr. O’Connell, Lunch Lady is suspicious. Mr. O’Connell hasn’t been sick once in twenty years. At the same time, the Breakfast Bunch, three kids at school become suspicious of Lunch Lady: what does she do after school? The wackiness ensues, with Lunch Lady wielding chicken nugget bombs, fish stick nunchunks, and a spatu-copter, a spatula that allows her to fly.

Lunch Lady has gone on to fight evil in Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians, Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta, Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown and Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco.

Krosoczka continues the zaniness in his most recent, Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit. The school has planned a bake sale to fund an upcoming field trip (Krosoczka manages to capture the dire financial shape of many public schools), only to have all the goodies stolen by someone. Lunch Lady and cafeteria worker, Betty, get busy. The fun comes in the many devices Lunch Lady uses to solve the mystery—a mirror broom, rubber glove suction cups to climb the walls, a cookie camera and a spork phone.

The only complaint my son has about this series—“I wish there were more and they were longer.” (Publisher: Random House Children’s Books. Ages 7-10)

Nina Schuyler‘s first novel, The Painting, (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/2004), was a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards. It was also selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books for 2004 and a “Great Debut from 2004″ by the Rocky Mountain News. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco and is working on a third novel.

E-mergency! By Tom Lichtenheld & Ezra Fields-Meyer

Bianca Schulze — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:18:33 +0000

Reading level: Ages 5-8

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Video courtesy of ChronicleBooks: “It’s an E-mergency! The letter E took a tumble and the only way to get her back on her foot is for people to stop using her. But who can take her place? The other letters have to make a decision ASAP. Z is too sleepy and Y asks way too many questions. Thankfully, O rolls in to try and save the day. Now E can rost up and got bottor . . . as long as ovorybody follows the rulos. Chock-full of verbal and visual puns, this zany book by Ezra Field-Meyer and New York Times bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld is sure to tickle both the brain and the funny bone.”

Super Diaper Baby 2, Behind the Blankies

Bianca Schulze — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:45:42 +0000

Reading Level: Ages 7-9

Add this book to your collection: Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers

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Video courtesy of TheScholasticChannel.

Sasquatch’s Big, Hairy Drawing Book

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:30:39 +0000

Publisher’s synopsis: This hilarious and inventive drawing book by animator Chris McDonnell features page after page of off-the-wall gags and fillin doodle prompts. McDonnell’s infectious humor recalls MAD magazine at its finest. Ideal for an instant laugh or for anyone looking to spark their creative side, this interactive volume is the ultimate resource for fun with pen and paper.

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Scaredy Squirrel has a Birthday Party

Bianca Schulze — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 07:56:10 +0000

Add this book to your collection: Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt

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Review: Bailey by Harry Bliss

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:42:22 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 29, 2011

Bailey

By Harry Bliss

Reading level: Ages 3-7

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (August 1, 2011)

Source: Publisher

It’s no ordinary school day when Bailey the dog is around. From choosing what to wear, to the school bus ride home, all of the school day staples are covered with hilarity. Using watercolor and ink, simple lines and curves give Harry Bliss’ character, Bailey, definition and persona—the bags under the eye in the opening illustration when Bailey is awoken by the early bird are priceless. Thought bubbles splatter the pages and add comedy to the crisp story-line—alas, it’s a truthful confession, the dog really did eat his own homework. Bailey by Harry Bliss is a great choice for a preschool or kindergarten back-to-school read, or even a mid-year read when the days need a little pick-me-up.

About the author/illustrator: HARRY BLISS is a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker magazine. His first book, A FINE, FINE SCHOOL by Newbery-award winning author, Sharon Creech, was a New York Times bestseller. He went on to illustrate many other books, including WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER BE, by William Steig; COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN by Alison McGhee, and DIARY OF A WORM by Doreen Cronin, a #1 New York Times bestseller as well as ADVENTURES OF A CHICKEN by Kate DiCamillo. Harry lives in South Burlington, Vermont.

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Christine and Christopher Russell on Writing Together

Bianca Schulze — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:19:31 +0000

By Christine and Christopher Russell, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 24, 2011

Authors Christine and Christopher Russell are a husband and wife team writing children’s books together. The Warrior Sheep Go West is their second book, following closely on the hooves of The Quest of the Warrior Sheep (February 2011). Christopher Russell had a successful career in British television drama before becoming a children’s novelist and Christine has always been closely involved in his work.

We’re often asked how we collaborate, if we ever have disagreements and if so, how we settle them.

Well the initial ideas, wherever they have sprung from, are developed on the hoof. Sitting at a desk at this early stage sends us to sleep so we plot the storylines and invent characters whilst we’re walking, usually on the beach or the cliffs near our home. There’s nothing like a howling gale to keep the brain spinning. Then we take turns at writing chapters. Whichever one of us is the bravest or keenest dives in first and hands the results to the other. And that’s when the fur sometimes flies. But disagreements are usually resolved during heated but short debates – or maybe that should read explosions – and then one or other of us goes back to the drawing board and tries again. We don’t always wait until we’re both happy with a chapter. Sometimes it’s better to plough on regardless then go back and revise bit by bit.

The one thing we never do is sit side by side at a desk working. Christopher needs peace and quiet. And he writes longhand! Yep. He’s Mr Biro. Well, you can chew the end of a pen but it’s not easy to chew a laptop. Christine works straight onto the keyboard and revises a million times per page.

It’s unusual for two people to write together. And even more unusual if they’re married to each other. But we’re used to being under each other’s feet the whole time. Until recently Christopher was the sole writer. He produced scripts for a number of major television series in the UK. Christine helped at initial ideas stage and with plotting and then later in the process with script editing.

The same applied for the first four novels Christopher wrote for children. But then we got the idea for the Warrior Sheep Series and decided to have a go at actually writing together. It just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. And it seems to be working: we’re having fun and we love the thought that our efforts are making people laugh.

In The Warrior Sheep Go West, the follow up to the critically acclaimed sleeper hit The Quest of the Warrior Sheep, by Christine and Christopher Russell, the courageous and loveable ovine heroes are back for another sheep-tastic adventure with, if possible, even more hilarious fun than before. The “Eppingham Posse” of Oxo, Links, Jaycey, Wills, and Sal hoof it to Las Vegas for a new epic mission. This time, it is the entirety of sheepdom that hangs in the balance, and it will take their combined fleecy genius to outwit the monster named Red Tongue (evading in the process a mad scientist, joyriding teenagers, a flash flood, a sword-wielding magician, and a menacing bear) and save the, ahem, eweniverse.

“Another preposterous romp full of wild coincidences, evil scientists, mad magicians and enough misunderstandings for three novels.”—Kirkus Reviews

The adventurous episodes keep things moving along, while the hilarity takes hold especially during the second half of the book. —School Library Journal

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Review: The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book

Bianca Schulze — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:06:53 +0000

By Tina Vasquez, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 24, 2011

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book

By Jeff Kinney

Reading level: Ages 8-12

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Amulet Books (May 2011)

Source: Publisher

Children’s author Jeff Kinney continues to pump out his Wimpy Kid—related books—and for good reason. To date, there are five books in the series with a sixth in the works and each installment is as charming, fun, and engaging as the last.

Kinney’s latest effort, The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, isn’t really a continuation of the series. Rather, it’s an interesting take on a children’s journal with page after page of fun fill-in questions, comics, and drawing opportunities. Sure to tide enthusiastic Kinney fans over until the November release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6, The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book will also prove to be valuable keepsake for parents. This is because the series of prompts featured in the journal encourages kids to record information about who they are now, often cheekily referencing the fact that children will want to remember these things when they’re “old,” which is 30-years-old in Greg Heffley’s world.

The book opens up with a prompt about desert island picks, featuring spaces for children to write in their favorite video games, songs, books, and movies, but this is just the beginning. Though many of the journal’s 224 pages are left blank with the intention of being used for actual journaling, there are dozens of fun writing opportunities that will enable parents to get to know their kids better (if they’re allowed to read the journal), while also enabling kids to get to know themselves better. It’s rare that children are encouraged to write outside of school and chances are that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to illustrate what’s in their brain, record their finest moments, write five things nobody knows about them, or make their own comics if it weren’t for Kinney’s journal.

Though some prompts are framed in a way that seems sort of trivial, like having kids design their dream house, practice their autograph, or create a sandwich to be named after them—all for when they become “rich and famous” (which is referenced several times throughout the journal), it’s all in good fun and, if actually followed through with, children and parents alike will be happy to have this keepsake when the little ones aren’t so little anymore.

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Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (Caldecott Honor)

Bianca Schulze — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:10:17 +0000

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