UPCOMING: Picture book MUST HAVES

 

June 15: Help—Dino-Gro won’t stop growing bigger and bigger! From Matt Myers, the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Battle Bunny comes DINO-GRO, a laugh-out-loud story of a little sponge dinosaur that keeps growing...and growing...and growing....

Cole is very excited about his new Dino-Gro toy. He can't wait for it to reach its full size! But when Dino-Gro becomes much larger than intended, Cole goes so far as to put Dino-Gro on a liquid-free diet and an exercise regimen, which don't seem to make a difference! As Dino-Gro becomes so big that he can't fit in the house, Cole learns that growing up and getting bigger can have advantages too, even if you're not a dinosaur.

 

DINO-GRO falls into the “what-if” category of picture books—what seems like an ordinary story takes a turn into the extraordinary. For fans of Tiny T. Rex and We Don't Eat Our Classmates, this sweet and hilarious read-aloud is perfect for kids to learn the importance of growing up big and strong.

 

MATT MYERS the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Battle Bunny, as well as numerous other children's books, including A Dog Named Doug and the Infamous Ratsos series. For more about the author, and to see a gallery of his work, you can visit him online at myerspaints.com, and on Instagram and Twitter at @myerspaints.

June 29: Bees can't ride bicycles, penguins can't pick up pennies, and zebras can't go zip-lining. No one is good at everything, but that shouldn't stop you from trying! T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES by debut picture book author Anna Lazowski and illustrated by Steph Laberis, is a fun and encouraging alphabetic book about all the things animals CAN'T do but kids CAN!

Follow a hilarious alphabet of animals and see all the things they can't do but kids can—from doing gymnastics to flipping pancakes to playing a xylophone. Along the way, young readers will learn that it's okay if they can't do everything; they can still have a LOT of fun trying!

 

Combining animals, humor, and social-emotional learning, this ridiculously funny alphabet book is ideal for back-to-school when preschoolers and kindergarteners are learning new skills, be it tying their shoes, riding a bike, or spelling their names. Parents teaching their young ones new skills will be happy to have this super-positive picture book on hand, because even though the animals in the book can’t do certain things, no one is ridiculed. Instead, a cheerful last scene shows all the animals helping each other out and having fun trying new things. Additional back matter includes a list of interesting animal facts and all the amazing things animals CAN do!

 

ANNA LAZOWSKI is an award-winning senior producer at CBC Radio, based in Winnipeg. She has an MA in journalism from the University of Western Ontario and a BFA (Honors) degree from the University of Manitoba. T. Rexes Can't Tie Their Shoes is her first book. Learn more about Anna's writing at annalazowskibooks.com, and follow her on Facebook at @AuthorAnnaLazowski, on Twitter at @anna_lazowski, and on Instagram at @annalazowski.

 

STEPH LABERIS graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. She creates art for children's products and books, including the Grumpy Cat books for Little Golden Books, My Little Golden Book About Sharks, and My Little Golden Book About Dinosaurs. Learn more at stephlaberis.squarespace.com, and follow her at @StephLaberis on Twitter and @steph_laberis on Instagram

July 20: Grab a ticket and hop aboard the bus for a trick-or-treat bus ride! In THE WHEELS ON THE BUS AT HALLOWEEN illustrated by Sarah Kieley, the favorite children’s song “The Wheels on the Bus” gets a Halloween twist!

The ghosts on the bus go “Boo! Boo! Boo!” on a spooky Halloween!

 

Families will love creating a new Halloween tradition as they sing along to this joyful, boisterous version of the classic song “The Wheels on the Bus.” With a gaggle of adorable Halloween passengers—including pumpkins, witches, cats, and candy—this bright and festive book is sure to have children eager to read and sing it again and again!

 

The clever peek-through “windows” in the front cover will offer kids a glimpse at some of the characters inside the bus and children will love the fun holiday changes to the classic song, with a bus full of charming Halloween characters driven by a friendly monster bus driver. Sarah’s illustrations are delightful (and not too spooky), making the book perfect for families looking for a bright and cheery Halloween book to read together with toddlers and preschoolers.

 

SARAH KIELEY is an illustrator, comic maker, and animation designer from Toronto, currently living in Vancouver. She graduated from Sheridan College with a bachelor’s degree in animation and has since worked at many animation studios. Surrounded by a family of avid readers and artists, Sarah has always had a huge love for children’s books, comics, and beautiful illustration. See more of Sarah’s work at sarahkieley.com, and follow @magicalnarwhal on Instagram and Twitter.

May 4: Welcome to the biggest contest of the seas, where sharks from every corner of the ocean come together to find out who is THE greatest shark of all! In I AM THE SHARK, New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub makes a splash with bestselling illustrator Laurie Keller to deliver an entertaining undersea story filled with the greatest shark facts in the ocean!

Meet our contenders in this hilarious fish-out-of-water story:

 

Hi! I am the Great White Shark, and if you get this book, you’ll read all about ME—the greatest shark in the sea!

 

Not so fast! Greenland Shark here. I am the oldest shark in this book and that makes me the greatest.

 

Did someone say fast? I’m Mako Shark, the fastest shark in this book! Eat my bubbles!

 

Hello there! I’m Hammerhead Shark. You don’t need my special eyes to see that there are a lot of great sharks in this book, so sink your teeth into I AM THE SHARK now!

 

Pairing one of the most popular nonfiction topics for kids—sharks—with laugh-out-loud prose, I AM THE SHARK is sure to deliver lots of giggles and entertain the littlest learners and their caregivers. With backmatter providing summary of unique facts of all the sharks featured, I AM THE SHARK is filled to the brim with fun and informative facts! Watch out for the second book in the series, I AM THE BEAR, coming in 2022!

 

Joan Holub has authored and/or illustrated over 150 children's books, including the Goddess Girls series and the Heroes in Training series (with Suzanne Williams); the New York Times bestselling picture book Mighty Dads, illustrated by James Dean; Little Red Writing, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and Zero the Hero, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. She adores line dancing to the Jaws theme, reading Sharkspeare, and vacationing in Finland. joanholub.com

 

Laurie Keller is the author and illustrator of many books, including The Scrambled States of America, Potato Pants!, Arnie the Doughnut, Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners, the Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut chapter book series, and We Are Growing!, part of the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series and winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. When Laurie isn't busy making books, she enjoys playing the banjo, traveling, cross-country skiing, and splashing in Lake Michigan, where as far as she knows, there is not a single shark. lauriekellerbooks.com

*Click on the book covers to purchase! Afflink*

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The Academy Saga Blog Tour

About The Academy Saga

• Publisher: BrandyLight Ink
• Paperback: 515 pages

Kate Connelly should be careful what she wishes for.

Just seventeen, she already feels like she’s suffocating. Since her mother’s death, her father’s basically checked out, so she’s stuck raising her brothers by herself out in the New Mexico scrub. All Kate wants is a little distraction from the same-ole, same-ole that is her life.

When two mysterious guys show up at the diner where she works, she thinks her wish has come true, until they start giving her a hard time. Like her life isn’t hard enough. Something about them niggles her, but she brushes it off. She’s never going to see them again anyway… right?

Then they appear in an alley one night to either rescue or kidnap her (she’s still not sure which) before disappearing like figments of her imagination.

Kate decides to put the bizarre encounters out of her mind. She has bigger problems to worry about: like that elite military academy that’s been pursuing her gifted little brother. When one of their cadets shows up at the high school, he creates instant pandemonium. And just happens to be one of those mysterious guys. Coincidence? Mama said there’s no such thing. And to always trust her instinct. But that might be kind of hard, because every time she’s around Cadet Peter Davenport, her gut starts flip-flopping on her. And her heart.

Can Kate keep it together long enough to stop Cadet Davenport’s mission? She’s about to find out. And—once again—how neatly life can be split into before and after.

My Review-Don't Miss This One!

This was a quick read that had me engaged from page one. Kate is trying to prevent her brother from being recruited into an elite military academy, and when a guy shows up to mentor him the trouble begins. With a fast-paced plot and an extremely likeable protagonist, readers will find this series a perfect start to your summer reading. 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

About CJ Daly

CJ Daly grew up on the scrabbly plains of Eastern New Mexico. When she was supposed to be helping her six siblings with chores on the family ranch, she was really sneaking behind dusty haystacks to read. And dreaming about becoming a writer.

After graduating high school, CJ moved to Big D (Dallas) where she quickly put herself through college while trying to rid herself of her country accent. She had better luck with college, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English literature. After teaching a few years, and pausing to have back-to-back boys, she began writing in earnest.

A few years later, “The Academy Saga” was born. “The Academy” is her debut novel, and “The Academy, Cadet-in-Training” is the sequel. CJ is so proud that both books earned Readers’ Favorites 5-STAR seals of approval. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her running from one athletic field to another, feeding the array of wild animals that show up at her back door, or kicking back with her gal-pals to sip cocktails and gossip about favorite books and TV shows.

Please feel free to stalk CJ on social media or visit her at her website: https://www.theacademysaga.com and don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter: http://bit.ly/TheAcademySagaLove to get all the inside scoop, exclusive giveaways, & sneak peeks at what’s coming up next!

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PUZZLOOIES!

 

*AFFLINK

Click above to purchase! Check out all the books coming in the series!!

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO LAUNCH

PUZZLOOIES!

A NEW SOLVE-THE-PUZZLE ADVENTURE SERIES

PRODUCED BY BIG YELLOW TAXI, INC.

Written by game designer and author of the Samantha Spinner book series Russell Ginns, PUZZLOOIES! is perfect for readers in grades 2–6 who love Brain Game for Clever Kids, the A to Z Mysteries, and Mad Libs! The first four books in the series will be published on May 11, 2021, right in time for summer vacation.

 

Each stand-alone PUZZLOOIES! book mixes word searches, secret codes, brain teasers, optical illusions, and other puzzles with a wacky story packed with jokes and humor. Every book culminates in a final challenge that requires readers to call on puzzle solutions from previous chapters. The series is perfect for readers who like to write, decode, cipher, and trace their way through a story, and for parents looking for a new puzzle-book series their child can binge-read (and solve!).

 

The Puzzlooies! series will launch its first four titles on May 11, 2021, including:

 

Puzzlooies! Space Cats to the Rescue, where readers head to deep space with a ragtag crew of astronaut cats on a desperate mission to prevent our planet from being pulverized by an incoming giant meteor

Puzzlooies! Mystery at Mallard Mansion, a hilarious whodunit where readers cross eggs-amine witnesses to discover the bird responsible for the murder of the most famous web-footed movie star, Marvin Mallard

Puzzlooies! One of Our Giant Robots Is Missing, where readers will go on the lam with a 500-foot-tall robot that escaped from the RoboWorld theme park

Puzzlooies! The Last Donut, a mouthwatering race to find the yummiest, gooiest, tastiest, and most valuable baked treat to ever come off the glaze line

RUSSELL GINNS is a writer and game designer who specializes in puzzles, songs, and smart fun. He has worked on projects for a wide variety of organizations, corporations, and publications, including Sesame Workshop, Girl Scouts of America, Nintendo, and Scientific American. Russell lives and writes in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the Samantha Spinner book series, among others. To learn more about him, follow @rginns on Twitter.

 

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Brave as a Mouse - Picture Book Review

 

Click on the image to PREORDER!

OUT MAY 25! 

*Afflink 

Upon first glance at this story, I was so taken away by the illustrations - they are so clean and smooth, it just felt good to look at. The anticipation build up of the shadow images of cats wanting to play with the fish, too - I can only imagine the inferring discussions I could be having with my students. The mouse leading the cats with his trickery, so clever. In the classroom I would be using this moment to come up with some figurative language to describe what the mouse is up to - then by using all of the adjectives the story used, students can come up with their own examples as well. The ending was not at all how I expected the story to take a turn. Loved it. Beautifully done.

A goldfish and a mouse become fast friends as they play in and around the goldfish's bowl.

But when three cats crash the party and terrify the poor goldfish, the brave little mouse gets an idea. She leads the three black cats on a wild and epic chase up and down and over and around until they find themselves surrounded by absolutely irresistible food in the pantry. The cats gorge themselves so much that they fall into a deep sleep, but the mouse knows they won't sleep forever. So the brave little mouse gets another idea to keep the goldfish out of harm's way for good!

 

This is a heartwarming story with a simple text and gorgeous illustrations about the lengths one brave mouse will go to in order to save her friend. Perfect as gifts and for the classrooms, this book is packed with an inspiring message—it is not always easy standing up for someone; but with tenacity and quick thinking, even a mouse, the smallest of creatures, can defeat a much larger enemy.

 

Nicolò Carozzi is an up-and-coming author-illustrator to watch. His lyrical and cinematic art style is new, yet familiar. While he started illustrating in 2013, BRAVE AS A MOUSE is his debut picture book in the US. Pairing Nicolò’s rich and beautiful illustrations with a time-honored tale of cat and mouse, this story has the makings of an instant classic.

Nicolò Carozzi is a Veronese architect, teacher, and illustrator. He was awarded first prize for the EurHope illustration competition in 2013 and has been a shortlisted illustrator for three Folio Society competitions. He made his illustration debut with the Italian picture book The Magic Lamp of Aladdin by Davide Calì. See more of his work at nicolocarozzi.com

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Replaced Parts Blog Tour

Replaced Parts

In the year 2163 a corrupt World Government controls everything on our planet and beyond.

Sixteen year-old Sierra has been so caught up in her own world of saving animal test subjects and her father’s disappearance, she hasn’t paid much attention. When she finally finds his location, she and her friend set off on a covert interplanetary mission to rescue him, she begins to see the corruption first hand.

Discovering that her father has been on the front lines secretly trying to save human test subjects inspires her to join a revolution. But she is afraid of the collateral damage of hurting the people she loves. Will she find the strength to make a deal with the mad scientist Cromwell to save not just her friends and family but everyone?

My Thoughts:

Sierra is 16, and on a mission to find her missing dad. Her mission takes her to Planet Vortex, where she must devise a plan to save her dad from the evil Dr. Cromwell. This has all the hallmarks of a suspenseful Sci-Fi: action, secret codes, a corrupt government, advanced technology, and far-away planets. Bonus-a female scientist!                                                                                                                                                                

 My sixth graders are in the middle of their second round of book clubs this year, and they're focusing specifically on world-building. So when I started this book, set on Planet Vortex, I knew immediately I wanted to pull some excerpts like the one below, to use for mentor texts in class. 

"...I look out the school windows and see only the steel and glass of surrounding buildings. Their reflections mirror the sky. Today the unending blue gives the impression of being in the middle of the sea. On gray days, it’s as if I’ve been swallowed by thunderclouds. I can only imagine how green fields would look. People used to love the smell of fresh-cut grass. That was before an asteroid broke through the atmosphere damaging our ecosystem and killing all plants, causing our world to work together to save Earth and its remaining, limited vegetation. The only vegetation left is kept in guarded areas and labs." 

About Stephanie Hansen

Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft Award Winning Author. Her short story, Break Time, and poetry has been featured in Mind’s Eye literary magazine. The Kansas Writers Association published her short story, Existing Forces, appointing her as a noted author. She has held a deep passion for writing since early childhood, but a brush with death caused her to allow it to grow. She’s part of an SCBWI critique group in Lawrence, KS and two local book clubs. She attends many writers’ conferences including the Writing Day Workshops, New York Pitch, Penned Con, New Letters, All Write Now, Show Me Writers Master Class, BEA, and Nebraska Writers Guild conference as well as Book Fairs and Comic-Cons. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community.Find out more about her at her website, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Purchase Links

Fire & Ice | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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IMWAYR: 5.3.21

 

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Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey - Out May 4

 

*Link takes you to my Instagram account:)

“Utterly endearing!” —Annie Barrows, New York Times-bestselling author of the Ivy + Bean books

"Hilarious and heart-melting.” —Sara Pennypacker, New York Times-bestselling author of Pax

Introducing eight-year-old Marisol Rainey—an irresistible new character from Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling Erin Entrada Kelly!

Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey is an illustrated novel about summer, friendship, and overcoming fears, told with warm humor and undeniable appeal. Fans of Clementine, The Year of Billy Miller, and Ramona the Pest will be thrilled to meet Marisol.

Marisol Rainey’s mother was born in the Philippines. Marisol’s father works and lives part-time on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. And Marisol, who has a big imagination and likes to name inanimate objects, has a tree in her backyard she calls Peppina . . . but she’s way too scared to climb it. This all makes Marisol the only girl in her small Louisiana town with a mother who was born elsewhere and a father who lives elsewhere (most of the time)—the only girl who’s fearful of adventure and fun.

Will Marisol be able to salvage her summer and have fun with Jada, her best friend? Maybe. Will Marisol figure out how to get annoying Evie Smythe to leave her alone? Maybe. Will Marisol ever get to spend enough real time with her father? Maybe. Will Marisol find the courage to climb Peppina? Maybe.  

Told in short chapters with illustrations by the author on nearly every page, Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey is a must-have for early elementary grade readers. Erin Entrada Kelly celebrates the small but mighty Marisol, the joys of friendship, and the triumph of overcoming your fears in this stunning new novel for readers of Kevin Henkes, Meg Medina, Andrew Clements, Sara Pennypacker,  and Kate DiCamillo. 

Features black-and-white artwork throughout by Erin Entrada Kelly.

Marisol Rainey is the most down to earth 8 year old I’ve ever met in a story. She’s so real, so raw. I love that Erin shared she’s a reflection of herself as a kid, which makes it all that more indulging. You get to know Erin as a child through the character development of Marisol.
Marisol has fears. She sometimes feels ashamed of these fears, but with a best friend, Jada, who is always supportive, she knows deep down she can do anything. Maybe, just maybe, she will muster up that courage. Especially to climb her tree, Peppina. This is the best for an early chapter book! Look out for it in May!

Here are some friends reviews! 

*Afflink to help support Teachers Who Read when you click to purchase! 

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