The Great Chicken Escape

A brood of chickens see their opportunity for a getaway and seize the day.  They flee the coop and head out for a good wander through the forested terrain of their island home.  It’s a very spare, charming text and as always, Nikki McClure’s cut-paper art is quietly whimsical, joyful and unique.  We’ve always appreciated her point of a view as an artist living in the the Pacific Northwest, very much in touch with the ebb and flow of the wild, beautiful life there.  An author’s note recounts Nikki’s experience living with “a small group of monastics on Spruce Island, Alaska” and the event that inspired this wonderful story.

The Great Chicken Escape was written and illustrated by Nikki McClure and published by Cameron Kids.  It’ll be out soon on April 24 and is available to pre-order now.

Rooster Summer

A brother and sister spend the summer at their grandparents’ farm, making their daily rounds hunting for eggs in the chicken coop, “barking the cows home,” and spending some quality time with the watermelon in their grandmother’s garden.  Their circle of companions during this “rooster summer” includes Ginger-Tea the farm dog, Seed-Sack the mule and a rooster named Rexter.

Written in verse, this special collection of stories evokes the warm, wild and carefree cadences of summer and are based on poet Robert Heidbreder’s childhood experiences.  Paired with Madeline Kloepper’s unique art with its charming, vintage quality and energetic line, these poems make for a humorous and lively read-aloud, any season of the year.

Rooster Summer was written by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper and published by Groundwood Books.

This Is M. Sasek and This Is the World

Say the name M. Sasek and you’re immediately transported into the pages of your favorite “This Is...” book.  His travel books have taken millions of children exploring around the world.  His graphic aesthetic and bold, geometric and witty style are immediately recognizable.  His playful narrative has a ring of nostalgia to it and evokes a bygone era, yet its vintage charm still very much resonates with young readers and families today.

This Is the World is a hefty anthology featuring abridged versions of some of M. Sasek’s most beloved books — This is New York, This is Paris, This is Greece, This is London, This is Australia, This is Texas, This is Munich, This is Rome, This is Britain, This is Hong Kong, This is Israel, This is San Francisco, This is Edinburgh, This is Venice, This is Washington D.C., and This is Ireland.

His biography, aptly named This Is M. Sasek, celebrates his life as an artist, author, incidental radio broadcaster, traveler and epic picture book maker.  The book includes a thoughtful bio that gives us insights into his life as well as excerpts from his correspondence with others written during his stay in each city as he painted and wrote his books.  Miroslav Sasek left a lasting legacy — his books are still being printed today and his influence is still felt in the work of countless artists.

This Is M. Sasek was written by Olga Cerna, Pavel Ryska and Martin Salisbury and This Is the World was written and illustrated by Miroslav Sasek.  Both were published by Universe.

Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Would you let the pigeon drive the bus?  “I’ll be your best friend!”  Click here and scroll right for a stop motion video we made today, and an outtake.

Thank you to Yottoy for sending us their Pigeon on the Bus plush.

Little Lit Book Series: Writers and Writing

This month we’re sharing books about writers and writing for #littlelitbookseries.

“Yes, it all began so well,

There was I down in my writing shed:

early morning, cup of coffee,

blank page, teeming brain.”

An author starts off writing the best book ever about a “desperate, crafty, sneaking crocodile” and is on a roll.  He’s pounding out verses at a pretty good clip until flying cats, spilling cups of coffee and a forgotten-about family vacation to the seaside happen.  And then, horror of horrors — paper-eating snails.  But that’s not all that can go wrong before this poor chap’s book can make it to print — oh no, that is not all.  It’s shaping up to be the worst book ever.

A highly amusing story about the writing process.  If you’re a fan of Allan Ahlberg’s work, seek this one out.  He delivers hilarity, high jinks (many of them involving four-year-olds) and some really funny laugh-out-loud moments in MY WORST BOOK EVER.  Illustrated by Bruce Ingman and published by Thames & Hudson, it’ll be out on April 17.

Visit @littlelitbookseries to see other books about writers/writing throughout the month and head over to #littlelitbookseries on Instagram to find out what everyone else is sharing today.