board books
Happy 626 Day from Stitch…and Me!
Today is “626 Day,” an annual fan-fueled holiday in honor of Disney’s Stitch, aka “Experiment 626.” And as you may know, over the past four years, I’ve written several Stitch children’s books for Scholastic.
Three of them are available now. They are:
1) The Book of Mischief, an activity book which you can learn more about HERE. And as you can see from the image I’ve posted here, the cover of this book even looks like Stitch! The cover has Stitch’s eyes, nose, mouth, and floppy ears, and it’s made of fuzzy blue plush fabric, so it even feels like Stitch. And yes, the cover of this book is very similar to the cover of ANOTHER Stitch activity book I wrote a few years ago, titled The Adventures of YOU and Stitch. You know what? That’s life sometimes: stuff resembles other stuff. Or in this case, new stuff resembles old stuff. Anyway, this is the official publisher description of The Book of Mischief:
For fans of Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, this new plush activity book features fun writing prompts, drawing prompts, activities, and games.
2) Out-of-This-World Numbers, which you can learn more about HERE. Now, you might assume that this book teaches kids about numbers from 1-10 or something like that. And that’s not actually true. This book teaches kids interesting science facts! But it does that in a very sneaky way: in the book, Stitch tells Lilo about some “interesting and awesome numbers,” each of which is tied to a specific science fact. Like the number 80,000, which is the number of miles the average person walks during their lifetime. Here’s the official 
publisher description of Out-of-This-World Numbers:
Stitch tells Lilo he really likes numbers. In fact, he thinks they are out of this world! Embrace a cosmic attitude and read along to find out which numbers leave Stitch starry eyed!
3) Friends Rock, which you can learn more about HERE. This is a board book which teaches young children about emotions. It also features a squishy replica of Stitch’s head on the final spread. Kids can squish and knead the squishy Stitch head! Which kids (especially very young ones) are wont to do! Here’s a publisher description of Friends Rock:
Lilo is disappointed when Stitch doesn’t want to dance. Stitch is nervous that his plan to cheer Lilo up won’t work. Follow along in this heartwarming friendship story to identify and explore feelings with Lilo and Stitch!
I should also mention that these three books are only available for distribution through the school market. In other words, they’re exclusively available through Scholastic Reading Events (aka Scholastic Book Clubs), so you won’t be able to find them on Amazon. But you CAN find them via the links I’ve provided above.
Happy Thanksgiving from “Pumpkin Spice”!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And to celebrate the holiday (while also shamelessly plugging a recent project), here’s a cropped image from the “Thanksgiving dinner” spread in Pumpkin Spice, a children’s book which was written by yours truly and illustrated by the super-talented Monique Dong. Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. (In other words: Plug-Pluggity-Plug!)
Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“…a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great.” —LitPop
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced… well, everything… each autumn.” —Kids R Us
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
“This sweet board book explores autumn through the senses…with lush illustrations sure to grab attention.” —Cracking the Cover
And here’s a look at the complete, un-cropped “Thanksgiving Dinner” spread from Pumpkin Spice:
Last but definitely not least, if you’d like to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve talking gourds), click HERE.
“Pumpkin Spice” Is Featured in “Cracking the Cover,” “Kids Bookshelf,” & “Kiddos Magazine”!
My children’s book Pumpkin Spice has been getting a good amount of media attention lately. Also, it’s almost Halloween and this book features a talking jack-o’-lantern as one of the main characters (as well as a scene that takes place during Halloween), so it seemed like the right time to put up a Pumpkin Spice-related post. Anyway…
Pumpkin Spice is one of the 8 books featured in this Cracking the Cover article by Jessica Harrison called “Celebrate Autumn and Halloween With Books for Babies and Toddlers.” You can read the article HERE.
Here’s what Jessica had to say about Pumpkin Spice:
This sweet board book explores autumn through the senses. Excitement builds around the changing colors and tasty smells and spices. It’s a simple narrative with lush illustrations sure to grab attention.
Pumpkin Spice was also reviewed by Christina Lewis over at Kids Bookshelf. You can read the review HERE.
Here’s what Christina had to say about the book:
Pumpkin Spice is getting ready to paint all the leaves red, orange, and yellow, but when she meets an actual pumpkin she learns that Fall leaves become those colors all on their own. Jack the pumpkin tells her that autumn colors can be found everywhere – where squirrels gather nuts, on a fruit tree, on Halloween, and on yummy foods served at Thanksgiving. A fun board book that focuses on our senses during the fall season.
And last but definitely not least, Pumpkin Spice was featured in an article in Kiddos Magazine called “Book Suggestions to Read this Month.” You can read the article HERE.
Pumpkin Spice was written by yours truly and illustrated by the wonderful Monique Dong. The book is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“…a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great.” —LitPop
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced… well, everything… each autumn.” —Kids R Us
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve talking gourds), click HERE.