Five Family Favorites with Josh Funk, Author of Mission Defrostable

Josh Funk | The Children’s Book Review

Guess Again!

Written by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Adam Rex

We’ve never laughed as loud or as long as we did with this book. The rhyme will fool you time and again and you’ll want to share this book with every person you know.

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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | September 15, 2009 | ISBN-13: 978-1416955665

Under a Pig Tree

Written by Margie Palatini

Illustrated by Chuck Groenink

It was supposed to be “Under a Fig Tree” but somewhere in the publisher’s office things got mixed up and the illustrator drew pigs instead of figs. It’s hilariously meta! And you just might learn a few facts about pigs- I mean, figs.

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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers | April 14, 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-1419714887

The Gardener

Written by Sarah Stewart

Illustrated by David Small

You may not think a historical fiction picture book about the Great Depression written entirely in letters would be all that appealing. But you’d be wrong. Every time I think about Uncle Jim on the rooftop seeing the garden for the first time I get chills down my spine … and maybe I tear up just a little…

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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers | April 14, 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0374325176

Chicken Cheeks

Written by Michael Ian Black

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

It’s basically a list of animal butts. Do I really need to say any more? Okay, fine. The illustrations also show not only one plot, but an additional subplot (keep an eye on the ants). Also, there’s a duck-billed platypus gluteus maximus.

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Ages 3-8 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | January 6, 2009 | ISBN-13: 978-1416948643

Boats for Papa

Written and Illustrated by Jessixa Bagley

I don’t want to give too much away because this probably my favorite book of all time. It’s about a little beaver named Buckley whose father is no longer around, but it doesn’t stop him from making boats and sending messages out into the ocean. Some might say this book is about loss, but I see it more as a book about an amazing mother who is raising an equally amazing and empathetic child.

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-8 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | January 6, 2009 | ISBN-13: 978-1416948643

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Mission Defrostable

Written by Josh Funk

Illustrated by Brendan Kearney

Publisher’s Synopsis: Our favorite breakfast food friends are back and all bready for their next adventure! Can they save the fridge before all the food is iced? It’s mission . . . defrostable.

“And now with the two of you out of the fold,
I’ve got my revenge and I’m serving it cold!”

Brrr! There’s a frost in the fridge—and it’s hardened Pudding Pond and frozen Yogurt Falls. Agent Asparagus is on the case, and she begs Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast to join her superspy team. But when the enemy snatches Asparagus, Pancake and French Toast have only one dough man to turn to for help: the evil Baron von Waffle! Will he help them save the fridge . . . or are they doomed to become frozen food?

Ages 5-9 | Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books | September 25, 2018 |ISBN-13: 978-1454928119

Available Here: 

About the Author

Josh Funk is the author of Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast (Sterling), followed by its sequel The Case of the Stinky Stench (Sterling), Albie Newton (Sterling, 2018), It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk (Two Lions, 2017), How to Code a Sandcastle (Viking), Lost in the Library (Henry Holt), and more. He lives in Concord, MA.

About the Illustrator

Brendan Kearney is also the illustrator of the first Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, its sequel The Case of the Stinky Stench, and Bertie Wings It (all Sterling). He lives in St. Albans, U

Josh Funk, author of Mission Defrostable, selected these five family favorites. Discover more articles on The Children’s Book Review tagged with Family Favorites.