Children's Book Week Celebrates Graphic Novels

It’s Children’s Book Week – where we celebrate how amazing books for kids and teenagers are!  Macmillan's First Second is celebrating the awesomeness of kids comics this week with a blog tour that features a star-studded line-up of graphic novelists, talking about the creative process, their inspiration, and the books they love.  Follow along throughout the week to see some of your favorite comics creators – and meet new ones, too!

John Patrick Green: How did you get into illustrating comics? Do you have favorites from when you were a child?

Kory Merritt: I was writing and illustrating prose stories for Universal Press Syndicate's website, and the editors recommended me to Jess Brallier of Poptropica and FunBrain for some freelance comic illustration.  My favorite author-illustrators include Bill Peet, Shel Silverstein, and Gina Pfleegor.  My favorite writers are Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, George RR Martin, and Neil Gaiman.

JPG: As the co-creator and illustrator of Poptropica, what is the collaborative process like? Does the writer, Jack Chabert, send you a full script?  Or do you brainstorm parts of the story together? What are the pros and cons of working with a collaborator compared to being both the writer and artist of a book?

KM: For Poptropica, I only do the illustration.  The writer (Jack for the first book and Mitch Krpata for the sequels) sends me a script.  It can be fun to interpret ideas, and both Jack and Mitch are very supportive and great to work with.  I also write and illustrate my own kid's books: my print debut, The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York, was released by Andrews McMeel in fall 2015.
 
JPG: Do you have any advice for young cartoonists just getting started?

KM: Read a lot!  Not just comics and picture books, but lots of prose too (good prose allows you to use your imagination and build the characters and scenes in your head, instead of simply looking at someone else's interpretation).  Also, it's always good for an illustrator to have a "Plan B."  I taught elementary school art for six years before I had anything published in print.
 
JPG: Where do your ideas come from? Are you a constant doodler?

KM: Yes!  I doodle all the time.  When working on my own stuff, I'm most interested in animals, especially aquatic creatures.  

JPG: What other projects do you have on the horizon? Is there a subject you'd love to tackle through comics?

KM: Check out The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York, published by Andrews McMeel.  I'm working on several middle grade picture books in the same vein.  I like to write/illustrate anything that involves wildlife, the ocean, and monsters.
 
JPG: What's on your nightstand?

KM: Old pens, a wrinkled notebook, dental floss, Stephen King's 11/22/63, Terry Pratchett's Making Money, loose change, and dust.   I should probably do some cleaning. 

For more information about John Patrick Green: Macmillan Website | author website

For more information about Kory Merritt: Abrams Website | illustrator website

Follow the tour: 

Monday, May 2nd – Forever YA featuring Gene Luen Yang

Monday, May 2nd  – Read Write Love featuring Lucas Turnbloom

Monday, May 2nd – Kid Lit Frenzy featuring Kory Merritt

Tuesday, May 3rd – Sharp Read featuring Ryan North

Tuesday, May 3rd – Teen Lit Rocks featuring MK Reed

Wednesday, May 4th – Love is Not a Triangle featuring Chris Schweizer

Wednesday, May 4th – SLJ Good Comics for Kids featuring Victoria Jamieson

Thursday, May 5th – The Book Wars featuring Judd Winick

Thursday, May 5th – SLJ Fuse #8 featuring Eric Colossal

Friday, May 6th – SLJ Scope Notes featuring Nathan Hale

Friday, May 6th – The Book Rat featuring Faith Erin Hicks

Saturday, May 7th – YA Bibliophile featuring Mike Maihack

Saturday, May 7th – Supernatural Snark featuring Sam Bosma

Sunday, May 8th – Charlotte’s Library featuring Maris Wicks

Sunday, May 8th – The Roarbots featuring Raina Telgemeier

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin Blog Tour and Giveaway

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
by Elinor Teele
Cover Illustration & Blog Tour Header: Ben Whitehouse
Walden Pond Press (April 12, 2016)
Fiction * Siblings * Runaways
Audience: Grades 4 to 7
Indiebound | WorldCat

Summary from GoodReads: 
A quirky, humorous, whimsical, and heartwarming middle grade debut about a young boy who runs away from home with his sister to escape working in the family coffin business—and discovers even more adventure than he bargained for.

John Coggin is no ordinary boy. He is devising an invention that nobody has ever seen before, something that just might change the world, or at least make life a little bit better for him and his litter sister, Page. But that’s only when he can sneak a break from his loathsome job: building coffins for the family business under the beady gaze of his cruel great-aunt Beauregard. Having lost their parents when Page was a baby, how else are they supposed to survive?

Perhaps by taking an enormous risk—a risk that arrives in the form of a red-haired scamp named Boz. When Great-Aunt Beauregard informs John that she’s going to make him a permanent partner in Coggin Family Coffins—and train Page to be an undertaker—John and Page sign on with Boz and hit the road. Before long, they’ve fallen in with a host of colorful characters, all of whom, like John and Page, are in search of a place they can call home. But home, they realize, isn’t something you find so much as something you fight for, and John soon realizes that he and Page are in for the fight of their lives.

Elinor Teele’s picaresque debut is a rollicking tale filled with wild adventures, daring escapes, and—thanks to Boz—more than a little catastrophe.

Check out the official book trailer:

As I looked through the other posts on the blog tour, I wondered if people were checking out all of the great reviews and interviews. Hopefully by highlighting some of the other posts, readers will not only want to check out these great reviews and interviews, but also get their hands on a fabulous debut adventure by Elinor Teele.

Here is a sneak-peek....

April 11 - Bluestocking Thinking - Nicole shares some quick thoughts about The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin to kick off the blog tour.

April 12 - Novel Novice - Elinor Teele kicks off a series of character interviews by interviewing John's and Page's great-aunt, Miss Coggin. Great-Aunt Beauregard is not always forthcoming in her responses but no one said it would be easy to get answers out of her.

April 13 – This Kid Reviews Books - Erik shares a review and his thoughts about The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin. I have to agree with Erik when he says that the book "can happen anywhere and maybe even anytime." This timelessness is a great quality in the book and one that I hope will help kids relate to it.

April 14 - Maria's Melange - Elinor interviews John Coggin on Maria's blog. Find out what John thinks about his friend, Boz.

April 15 - Unleashing Readers - Remember hearing about Boz on Maria's blog? Well get to know more about this firecracker of a character with Elinor's interview of Boz. Kellee also shares some ideas for using The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin in the classroom.

April 18 - Next Best Book - Mindi shares her thoughts on the book and hosts a giveaway. 

April 19 - Foodie Bibliophile - Beth is hosting a giveaway of The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin on her blog. 

April 20 - For Those About to Mock - Interested in hearing another perspective on The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin? Check out the team's review and their musings about who would most enjoy this adventure.

April 21 - Walden Media Tumblr - Check out the exclusive interview with Miss Patricia M. Doyle, an archeologist found within the pages of John Coggin's story. I loved this interview of Miss Doyle by Elinor Teele. 

April 22 - Charlotte's Library - Elinor Toole interviews Maria Persimmons, the kindly baker, in The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin. Learn about some tips to live by in Maria's responses to Elinor's questions.

April 25 – Flashlight Reader - Check out the giveaway for extra chances to win a copy of the book.

April 26 - Teach Mentor Texts - Check out Jen's interview with Elinor. Learn how Elinor tackles character development and creates unique and multi-faceted characters. She also talks about the best writing advice she received. 

April 27 - Librarian's Quest - Check out Margie's very in-depth review and interview with Elinor Teele. Stop by and find out where Elinor spends her time writing. 

April 28 - Kid Lit Frenzy - That's us! 

April 29 - Novel Novice - Check out their post on Friday.

And don't forget to check out the Educational Activity Kit, here.

About Elinor Teele:
1/2 Brit and 1/2 Yankee, Elinor Teele currently resides in New England. She lived with her family in New Zealand for eight years and still considers it a beloved homeland.

In 2000, Elinor took a slow plane to England for doctoral work in Anglo-Saxon literature at the University of Cambridge. She wrote her thesis on the Old English Riddles, a compilation of bawdy and lyrical poems in the language of Beowulf. She graduated with a PhD in 2005.

To earn her daily bread, she is a freelance copywriter with her own business, Squam Creative Services.   For more information, check out Elinor's website here.

THE GIVEAWAY! 

One winner will be selected to receive a signed copy of The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin

Terms & Conditions: Winner must be 13 years or older and have a US mailing address. Please complete the rafflecopter entry below to enter. 

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Pipsie, Nature Detective Blog Tour & Giveaway

Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Lunchnapper
by Rick DeDonato; Illustrated by Tracy Bishop
Two Lions (April 12, 2016)
Audience: Ages 4 to 7
Fiction * Nature & Natural World
Activity Kit | Website
Amazon | Worldcat

About the book: 
Pipsie and her turtle friend, Alfred, are on the best school tripever—a nature scavenger hunt! The team who finds “Seven Wonders of Nature” first wins. But that isn’t all Pipsie and Alfred have to find. Someone has stolen their PB&Js!

The search is on for the lunch that left, and soon Pipsie and Alfred are following animal tracks and discovering deer, birds, and even some beavers. Can Pipsie make this mystery histor yand finish the scavenger hunt? And hopefully before lunchtime, because Alfred is one hungry turtle!

My thoughts on the book:
Pipsie is back and this time she and her turtle, Alfred, are on a school trip and nature scavenger hunt. While on their nature hunt, Pipsie and Alfred discover that their lunch has disappeared. The two set out to find each of the items including the missing lunch. 

Children who enjoy a mystery and discovering things will enjoy this new adventure. As I was reading the book, I wanted to go on my own scavenger hunt. At the end of the book, a few fun facts are included for readers to learn more. Additionally, there is a chart of woodland tracks.

Look for a copy of Pipsie at a local bookstore and plan your own scavenger hunt to celebrate earthday.

About the author: 
Rick DeDonato started writing and drawing storybooks for his two kids, Alexis and Matt, when they were little. They’re grown now, but Rick is still creating stories. He is the author of Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Disappearing Caterpillar, illustrated by Tracy Bishop. When he’s not dreaming up new adventures for Pipsie, he’s an award-winning creative director in advertising. Born in New Jersey, he now lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with Nancy McAleer; their two dogs, Tugger and Nacho; and their turtle, Alfred E. Turtle.

About the illustrator:
Tracy Bishop won an art contest in kindergarten, and she’s been creating art ever since. A graduate of San Jose State University, she is also the illustrator of Not the Quitting Kind by Sarra J. Roth and Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Disappearing Caterpillar by Rick DeDonato. She lives in San Jose, California, where she is inspired on a daily basis by her son, husband, and a hairy dog named Harry.

Follow the Tour: 

Mon, Apr 11      Geo Librarian
Tues, Apr 12     The Children's Book Review
Wed, Apr 13      Kid Lit Frenzy
Thurs, Apr 14    Sincerely Stacie
Fri, Apr 15         Where Imagination Grows
Mon, Apr 18      A Rup Life
Tues, Apr 19     Inspired by Savannah
Wed, Apr 20    Picture Book Palooza
Thurs, Apr 21    The Late Bloomer's Book Blog
Fri, Apr 22        Mile High Books

Giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive a copy of PIPSIE, NATURE DETECTIVE: THE LUNCHNAPPER (U.S. addresses).

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Book Review & Giveaway: Where My Feet Go by Birgitta Sif

Where My Feet Go
by Birgitta Sif
Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 16, 2016)
Audience: Ages 2 to 5 years
Fiction * Bedtimes & Dreams
ndiebound | Worldcat

About the book: 
Meet Little Panda. He's awake and ready for adventure. Where will his feet take him? Do they walk a normal walk down a normal street? Or will they find a new way to carry him through the day?

Maybe a tree branch can be a shaky bridge. A sandbox a desert. A bath an underwater adventure. Maybe little feet can go anywhere. . . . There's a whole world to explore!

Young children will see themselves in Little Panda and find inspiration in Little Panda's big steps.

My thoughts on the book: 
I fell in love with Birgitta Sif's work when I read her book, Oliver. There was something wonderful and quirky about it and I really liked her artistic style. 

Sif's recent book is Where My Feet Go about a young panda and the adventures he goes on throughout the day. Though the main character is a young panda bear, young children will relate to each of the places panda goes with his feet. 

There is an element of imagination that winds throughout the pages of the book. Tall mountains, an ocean, a creaking bridge, a trip to the moon have their roots in very common every day activities as portrayed in the illustrations.

Young children will enjoy this read aloud at any time of day, and will look forward to multiple read throughs. 

Pick up a copy of WHERE MY FEET GO at your local indie bookstore or check out a copy at your community library. 

About the author: 
Birgitta Sif was brought up in the U.S. and Scandinavia and now lives in Sweden. She is the author-illustrator of the Kate Greenaway–nominated picture book Oliver and the illustrator of Knopf's Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats.  You can find out more about Birgitta Sif on her website: www.birgittasif.com

Giveaway: Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of WHERE MY FEET GO. Winners must be 13 years old or older and have a US mailing address. 

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Once Was a Time Blog Tour - Guest Post by Leila Sales

Thank you Leila Sales for stopping by Kid Lit Frenzy to talk to us about your research process when writing. 

I do research for all my books, and sometimes my research gets pretty weird, like when I’m googling whether the air conditioner in your car uses up gas, or whether anyone still “grinds” at school dances. For THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE I read an entire book about how to DJ, and while writing PAST PERFECT I was reading a bunch of theory on the nature of memory and time. But ONCE WAS A TIME probably involved more research than any of my other books so far, because the protagonist, Lottie, is from Bristol, England, in the year 1940. So I had to find out what her whole life and environment would have been like.

Here are some of the ways I did research:

I was on vacation in London, and I went to the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. I took copious notes, but also just being in that space gave me a sense for what it felt like to live in a country under attack. I already had Lottie’s time travel story in mind, and when I saw this placard at the museum, I knew that I was on the right track. Here’s what it said:

Professor Frederick Lindemann, scientific adviser
“I have always looked upon Mr Churchill as a scientist who missed his vocation”
Churchill always believe in exploring new and different ways of fighting, no matter how strange they sounded.
Churchill loved new inventions and supported the scientists and engineers working on highly experimental technologies. One research establishment because known as “Winston Churchill’s toyshop.”
Some inventions were spectacular failures. Many others turned out to be crucial to winning the war.”

I read that and I thought, “I know I’m making up this whole story, but also that really does sound like a man who would have funded time travel research if he thought it might help win the war.”

I also read this terrific nonfiction book by Juliet Gardiner, called The Children’s War: The Second World War Through the Eyes of the Children of Britain. My author friend Sharon Biggs Waller, who’s an amazing historical researcher, recommended it to me, and I’m so glad she did because tons of the details in Lottie’s everyday life came from that book, about rationing, the blackout, etc.

ONCE WAS A TIME doesn’t really go into the children who were evacuated from the cities, but the chapter about the evacuees in The Children’s War made me cry. It described the experience of a boy from a poor family, who was being sent out of London with his sisters, and their mother couldn’t go with them of course, so she just kept polishing their shoes. “It’s very important that we get these shoes polished,” she kept saying. “Wherever you go, they need to know that you’re from a good family with a mother who cares enough to polish your shoes.” They were so poor that they had only one tube of toothpaste, and the mother kept worrying about how her children would all be able to brush their teeth if they were split up. It was so heartbreaking. She couldn’t protect her children, and she might never see them again, so she was focusing on these small things that she could control, like their shoes and toothpaste.

Another part of my research was that I brought in an expert on historical British language. She read Part One of my draft and gave me feedback on how Lottie spoke, if she was using words that someone in that time and place would have known. I also had one of my British friends read for general accuracy. I’d once lived in Bristol (Lottie’s hometown) for a year, so I was familiar with some Britishisms and sentence constructions. But some I’d never realized—like that they don’t say “faucet” in England, or what the distinctions are between referring to something as “British” versus “English.”

Also to help get the language right, I re-read kids’ books that were actually written in England during that time period, like Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes and Enid Blyton’s The Twins at St. Clare’s. Those were some of my primary sources!

Research is an important part of telling any story, and even more so if the story is based in a far-off time and place. Sometimes it’s frustrating when you can’t find the precise information you’re looking for. But it’s worth it because, along the way, you turn up all sorts of gems you didn’t even know you needed.

Once Was a Time
by Leila Sales
Chronicle Books (April 5, 2016)
Fiction * Fantasy & Magic
Audience: Ages 10 and up
Indiebound | WorldCat
ommon Core Teaching Guide

About the book:
In the war-ravaged England of 1940, Charlotte Bromley is sure of only one thing: Kitty McLaughlin is her best friend in the whole world. But when Charlotte’s scientist father makes an astonishing discovery that the Germans will covet for themselves, Charlotte is faced with an impossible choice between danger and safety. Should she remain with her friend or journey to another time and place?

Her split-second decision has huge consequences, and when she finds herself alone in the world, unsure of Kitty’s fate, she knows that somehow, some way, she must find her way back to her friend. Written in the spirit of classic time-travel tales, this book is an imaginative and heartfelt tribute to the unbreakable ties of friendship.

About the author: Leila Sales is the author of many critically acclaimed young adult novels, including Tonight the Streets Are Ours and This Song Will Save Your Life. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at leilasales.com

Follow the tour: 
Tuesday     4/5/2016     Cracking the Cover

Wednesday  4/6/2016   Book Nerd Canada

Thursday    4/7/2016     Mother Daughter Book Club

Friday     4/8/2016        Laurisa White Reyes

Saturday  4/9/2016      The Book Cellar

Sunday    4/10/2016     Good Books & Good Wine

Monday   4/11/2016      Novel Novice

Tuesday   4/12/2016     Kid Lit Frenzy

Giveaway:
Winner receives a copy of Once Was a Time! Participants must have a US or Canadian mailing address and be 13 years or older to enter. Please complete the rafflecopter below.
  

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