City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems and Jon J Muth review

City Dog, Country Frog

Okay, so I’ll admit I’m a BIG Mo Willems fan- it still makes me giggle that he recognized me!  But this book is not your average Willems story.  It’s about life and death, which is a journey we all take, even kids, when a pet or relative passes. While that sounds super heavy, he handles the subject matter with a light and funny touch.

In the book, City Dog moves to the country and becomes friends with Country Frog.  They play and learn from each other, but as the year passes the frog gets older.  When City Dog goes to find Country Frog in the winter, he is gone. I found this book to be extremely powerful, and its theme makes me smile and remember the importance of loving those around you now.

I read an interview where Willems said he didn’t feel his illustrations were right for this book, and I agree.  His work is so comical, it might have lessened the impact.  Jon J. Muth’s watercolors are beautiful and sweet and are serious enough to pull off this story.

The fantastic writing and beautiful colors that totally capture each season win this fun-but-serious book my enthusiastic recommendation!

Liberty Porter First Daughter by Julia DeVillers: Ryan review

Liberty Porter, First Daughter by Julia DeVillers
Last week I was at a get-together and met Julia DeVillers.  She was super nice and had the best stories, but I had never read any of her books!  So I got “Liberty Porter, First Daughter” and I’m happy to say it was as awesome to read as Julia was to meet.
It stars a girl whose father has just been elected President.  The story is about the day they move into the White House.  Liberty is a great character, full of quirkiness and fun.  She knows a lot of strange facts about the White House, which I greatly enjoyed: “Did you know that there have been many strange pets in the White House? Like a badger named Josuah, lion clubs, alligators and a pygmy hippopotamus?”
This is a great book for any kid interested in the White House. The characters and writing are fun and engaging. Ryan recommends!

Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace Ryan Review!

Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace by Eric Wight

I met Eric once at BEA and then hung out with him down at ALA, and yet had never read a Frankie Pickle book.  So I got one and I only wish I had read it sooner. I FREAKING LOVED IT!  It’s the perfect blend of chapter book and comic. The story’s is centered around Frankie’s math problems; these sections are in chapter book form.  When he starts to daydream and imagine the numbers as monsters, it becomes a comic book. This worked great and made for a easy transition from reality to fantasy.
The story is simple but fun, and the art was great. The comic pages had great rhythm and action.
I wish I had books like this when I was a kid!  If you have a young reader this book is for them.  LOVE IT!  I highly recommended it and can’t wait to read another Frankie Pickle!

Zoe and Robot review from “The Unshelved Book Club”

Zoe and Robot got a great review from ‘The Unshelved Book Club
(It’s a the bottom of the page)

ROBOT says: Thank you Unshelved Book Club, Robot appreciates the review!”

What’s Carol Reading? Zoe and Robot review!

What’s Carol is reading blog said ” The illustrations are fabulous!” Doesn’t get much better than that in a review! Thanks Carol!!

Read the entire post here!

ALA video interview, by Good Comics for Kids

Check out this video of me at the American Library Association’s summer conference by Good comics for kids!

Carrots Are Orange – review

Check out this great review of my book! “The book introduces color concepts while emphasizing new vocabulary and healthy foods. My dream come true.” Now that’s a great review!

Read it all here!