Wolf! Wolf!

Wolf! Wolf!
by John Rocco
Hyperion
ISBN 0-1-4231-0012-3

Wolf is old, tired and friendless. He spends his days fighting a losing battle against the weeds in his garden. When he hears a far-off voice calling, "Wolf! Wolf!" he hauls his creaking, cracking joints down the mountain to see if someone is inviting him to share a meal. He arrives to find a boy who should be minding his goats, but prefers playing tricks on the villagers. Wolf, who (surprisingly) doesn't like tricky boys or angry villagers with sticks, sneaks away. When the boy cries, "Wolf! Wolf!" again, Old Wolf treks back to see if another wolf is stealing the goats. Instead he finds more angry villagers. (Dang those angry villagers!) But when the boy tries to trick those townfolk for the third time, it's the boy who gets tricked and Old Wolf who ends up with a friend and a weed-free garden.

In this clever retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, John Rocco weaves a tight story to show that things aren't always as they seem. From the villagers' point of view, events follow the classic tale. The wolf's vantage point offers a much different reality. His behind-the-scenes account of what really happens might make readers rethink other classic tales. Rocco sets his rendition in long-ago China and illustrates it with warm tones and slightly angular lines. This is a well-written, quietly funny book that is perfect to share with any tricky kid who loves a good tale.

In The Coop with Esme Codell!

We have a little saying here in Illinois, and it goes something like this: WE LOVE ESME. Okay, so it's not exactly the best catchphrase, but it's heartfelt. This smart and sassy writer is the author of many wonderful books, including Vive La Paris, Sahara Special, and Diary of a Fairy Godmother. If you haven't visited her website (for gosh sakes, what is wrong with you? Is your hand broken or something?), please go to www.planetesme.com right away. You'll thank us later.

(Fun Fact: Esme has an impressive wig collection.)

How do you know when what you write is funny?

I pee a little.

There are other clues. I get the wonderful sinking feeling I used to get in about the seventh grade, when I knew I was doing something wrong but did it anyway. It's a delicious indigestion reserved especially for class clowns. When I get that feeling while I write, I have to stop and read it aloud to somebody to check.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Thanks for suggesting that my books are funny. I write about things like being mislabeled as a special education student or finding out about the Holocaust for the first time or living on welfare. Badda-bing-badda-boom!

I guess my advice would be to tell the truth. The truth is funnier than fiction. The more you can make people speak and act like they do in real life, the more the humor feels natural and believable. There really is humor even in terrible situations. Humor is our signal that there is still hope and warmth, still some neurons firing, still some humanity to pull is through.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?

Both in and out. All the time. Daily. Hourly. But my big problem is sometimes people think I'm trying to be funny when that's not necessarily my objective. There was a notorious incident in which I did an interpretive dance of Madonna's THE ENGLISH ROSES in my skivvies, at a very nice conference luncheon, as a little experiment in public speaking. One of the waiters said I was very funny and asked me for a date. But I wasn't trying to be funny. I was probably just a little jealous of Madonna. If rock stars can be children's book authors, why can't the reverse also be true?

A lot of people thought my first book talking about my classroom experiences, EDUCATING ESME, was very funny. But then I couldn't seem to land a teaching job in the Chicago Public Schools for a few years after. Ha-ha! How's that for a punch line?

What are some of your favorite funny books?

THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK starring Grover from Sesame Street, that was my favorite funny book when I was a kid. I liked Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Robert Krauss, Russell Hoban and Richard Scarry a lot, too. They had a kind of an edge. I liked their books because characters didn't always do the right thing. People got in trouble. People who weren't me. That was very entertaining...and reassuring, too.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?

I do live in my books. All of my books come from very real places in both my geography and my emotional life. I can't seem to unload the real estate.

Who do you like more, The Marx Brothers or The Three Stooges?

Marx brothers, no contest. The Three Stooges make me nauseous. All that poking and hitting.

What was your best Halloween costume?

I was a Halloween costume repeater, generally alternating between Tinkerbell and Raggedy Ann. I used to wear those plastic masks from Woolworth's, the kind that assumed your face was flat and that your eyes were the size of pistachios; I think they must have been manufactured by space aliens. I always wanted to be the kind of kid who would be something cool and original and Marcel DuChamp-ish, like a ham sandwich or a washing machine, those cool things I see in parenting magazines now. But the lure of Tinkerbell's chartreuse zig-zig hemmed skirt and Raggedy Ann's sweet little calico was waaay too strong. My son is better at making up original Halloween costumes. One year he was Zombie John Stossel. Another year, he wanted to be Ninja Harry Caray. He's an inspiration.

What is your Dream Job for a day?

I would like to be a waitress at Hamburger King, that little joint near Wrigley Field. I don't know why. I just always wanted to be that. They serve some kind of Egg Foo Young, I imagine it would be very satisfying to put a big plate of that in front of somebody. I'd also like to be Justin Timberlake. But, is that really a job? I practice a lot, in case.

Clown Vs. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Clown. Mime can't yell for help.

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?

Ernie Kovacs. Zero Mostel. Ring Lardner. Ann Miller. Rosalind Russell. Just one? The dead are funnier than the living these days.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

For sure, "It's a Most Unusual Day" sung by the lovely Jane Powell. My husband always says "that's your theme song!" when he hears "Make Up" by Lou Reed. But I'm pretty sure that song is about a transvestite. Oh, well. As long as he thinks I'm pretty.

Princess Justina Albertina

Princess Justina Albertina
written by Ellen Dee Davidson
illustrated by Michael Chesworth
Charlesbridge Publishing
ISBN 978-1-57091-652-6

The title character of this cautionary tale, Princess Justina Albertina, is one of those horrid little girls you love to hate. She's nasty and bratty, spoiled and mean; a despicable twit who could easily give Veruca Salt a run for her money. You know the type.

Her nanny, on the other hand, rocks the casbah. When Justina demands a pet, nanny comes through. When Justina demands a BETTER pet, nanny comes through again. When Justina demands an EVEN BETTER pet, her unflappable, invincible nanny comes through yet again...until Princess Justina Albertina finally gets the pet she deserves.

Heh, heh, heh.

We won't tell you what happens next, but let's just say the princess suffers a fate worse than Veruca's. But lest you wonder whether the finale's a bit too grim for youngsters, rest assured that our unofficial focus group (a spry group of kinders from Ottawa, Illinois) found the ending so delightfully delicious, they immediately asked for seconds...and so will you!

Michael Chesworth's illustrations are a winsome hoot, the perfect accompaniment to Ellen Dee Davidson's wry, clever text. Don't miss this one!

Say cheese-y!

The three silly chicks had an egg-cellent time at the Fifth Annual Children's Literature Breakfast last Saturday, thanks to Becky Anderson, Jan Dundon, and Jill Brooks of Anderson's Bookshop, not to mention the several hundred fabulous teachers and librarians in attendance from the mighty Land-o-Lincoln!

While there, the tall chick proudly debuted our new line of fowl fashion from CafePress. Although we haven't had an occasion to sport the chick bib yet, we think it's to die for. Go on, take a peek!

The Adventures of Max and Pinky: Best Buds

The Adventures of Max and Pinky: Best Buds
Written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN 0375938036


Max and Pinky are best friends. Max is a boy. Pinky is a pig. (An odd pair, you say? Frankly, we can't figure out why there aren't more stories about boy/pig friendships.) One day, on Adventure Saturday, Max can't find Pinky anywhere. Max worries that Pinky might have been taken away by a gang of crazed bunnies. (We often have this same fear when we can't find something.) Fortunately, the rear end of a polar bear reminds Max of the snack food Pinky loves so dearly. Max hurries to Pinky's not-so-secret stash and finds his pal happily pigging out on marshmallows. Phew! All is well in their world (and ours!) once again.

We love the quirkiness of this story. (Pigs, polar bears and marshmallows? Hey, it works for us!) The simple illustrations and straightforward text will appeal to three and four year-olds. We hear there will be more adventures with Max and Pinky, and we couldn't be happier!

Note on a Blog...

Sometimes, the interwebs can be so silly. And don't even get us started about blogging software.

This week, one of our favorite bloggers is having trouble. Seems someone tried to send Cynthia Leitich-Smith a basket of fruit and some snack crackers down those tubes and now her blog is having some trouble. She has asked us to help spread the word that her blog is down for the moment. So here goes.

Bwock! Bwock!!! (That means, "Hear ye! Hear ye!")

Cynthia Leitich-Smith's blog is down, but she is guest blogging on her husband's page, at http://www.greglsblog.blogspot.com/ (which is syndicated for LJ at: http://greglsblog.livejournal.com/

And remember folks, if you send fruit or crackers into the interwebs, you have to squish them up, first!

This has been a public service announcement.

"Bwock! Bwock!!! (That means, "We now return to our regulary scheduled blog.")

365 Penguins

365 Penguins
Jean-Luc Fromental &
Joëlle Jolivet
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN 978-0-8109-4460-2

It’s hard not to love penguins. They are such spiffy dressers and great tap dancers. (This was actually documented in a recent motion picture!) Imagine how exciting it would be to receive a penguin in a box on New Year’s Day with only a simple note to explain, “I’m number 1. Feed me when I’m hungry.” Now imagine the surprise and joy of receiving another penguin the next morning. And the next and the next and the next . . .

For a full year, the family in this funny picture book receives a penguin a day and problems multiply as their flock grows. Dad becomes obsessed with organizing the penguins. Mom gets more than a little crazed and the kids just go with the flow. Or is that floe?

Simple graphic-arts style illustrations in a limited palette and a large trim size for this book make it great for young kids who will get a kick out of counting the very silly penguins and finding the one with blue feet who shows up on day 144. (Visualize a penguin-Waldo who eats fish.) Older kids and parents will enjoy the family’s reaction to the penguins as the year progresses and they are so horribly outnumbered. A bit of math and ecology play into the tale, but never overload the story in this delightful book. Makes you want to put on a tux and dance like a penguin!

Chicks Sighting!

Dear Readers!

The chicks are leaving the coop!

Next Saturday, February 10, we will be attending the Fifth Annual Children's Literature Breakfast hosted by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois. This event brings together dozens of children's authors and hundreds of teachers, librarians, and other folk who love children's books!

Here's the link for more information about this wonderful event:

Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast

<----- Julia, Carolyn, and Andrea will be signing our books!

If you are attending this great event, please stop by and say "Bwock!"

But wait! You have a question!

"How will you recognize us among so many other authors?" you ask.

Just look for the fluffy yellow authors with funny glasses!!!!

17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore

17 THINGS I’M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYMORE
by Jenny Offill
Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Schwartz & Wade Books
Random House Books for Children
ISBN – 978-0375-83596-4

There are some things in life that are just plain funny. Stapling your brother’s hair to his pillow is one of them. Watching him cling to your mother’s waist with the pillow still attached is another. In the fabulous new picture book, 17 THINGS I’M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYMORE, Jenny Offill explores the trouble an earnest kid with great ideas can get into. From telling her brother’s fortune (He’ll soon be eaten by hyenas.) to freezing a fly into the ice cube tray to running away to live with the kind and happy beavers, the main character gets in trouble at every turn. By the end of the book, she has 17 things she’s not supposed to do anymore. Fortunately, she has 18 brilliant ideas!

This book is a joy! Carpenter’s art combines her perfectly expressive illustrations and photography to capture the heart of this exasperating and endearing character. We only wish she had 30 things she couldn’t do anymore so we could read more about her! Bravo!

In the Coop with Kevin O'Malley!

We have a visitor in the coop! Who can it be?

He's bigger than a breadbox, stronger than a batch of Aunt Melma's Rum Cookies, and able to leap a frog in a single bound!

Of course, he's Kevin O'Malley, illustrator (and/or author) of over 40 picture books including WHO KILLED COCK ROBIN?, ONCE UPON A COOL MOTORCYCLE DUDE, and the Miss Malarkey series. We are so excited to welcome Kevin to the coop!

http://www.booksbyomalley.com/

How do you know when what you write is funny?
I think a lot of stuff is funny. A lot of stuff I think is funny makes it into the dummy books I pitch to publishers. Publishers often don't share my sense of humor.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?
Read as many humorists as you can. Don't read anything written by Russians.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?
I gave my 5th grade teacher an Irish seven course meal (a six pack and a potato). He called my dad. My dad sat me down. I thought I was done for. My father told me, with a twinkle in his eye, "Next time give him the cheap stuff."

What are some of your favorite funny books?
There are just too many to name.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?
That's a stiffening question. I can't imagine living in any of them. I'm a 3-d guy. I couldn't live all flattened out and getting dusty on a B&N shelf.

Who do you like more, The Marx Brothers or Three Stooges?
The Marx Bros without a doubt. I love reading the humorist S.J. Pearlman. He wrote several of the screen plays for their movies. I will skip a good party to watch 'Duck Soup' or 'A night at the Opera.'

What was your best Halloween costume?
My mother dressed my three brothers and me as convicts in striped prison garb complete with ball and chains. We marched along in the schools Halloween parade. We killed 'um! My mother followed along with a big stick in her hand. She said "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

What is your Dream Job for a day?
Playing jazz guitar along with my big brother on the up-right bass.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.
It would be over in seconds. Mimes in the ring. The sight of the bozo make-up terrorizes him. First he'd try to make the 'trapped in glass box'. Then he'd fight a strong wind as he tried to get out of the ring, but the clown would just keep coming, seltzer bottle in hand. A quick blast of water and it would all be over. The mime is revealed to be a Vassar Grad who majored in Elizabethan poetry and thinks Marcel Marso is hot. Happily the clown spends months in rehab after tangling his oversized shoes in the roping and tumbling to the floor.

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?
Jean Shepherd or Erma Bombeck.

Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything

Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything
written by Toni Buzzeo
illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
Upstart Books
ISBN: 978-1932146752
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/

This weekend, millions (if not thousands) of librarians will descend upon Seattle for the mid-winter American Library Association conference. What better way to celebrate this conglomeration of literature lovers than to review a brand new book about (wait for it . . .) a librarian? Luckily, we have the brand-spanking new offering by one of our favorite authors, Toni Buzzeo.

Mrs. Skorupski is the school librarian at Liberty Elementary. Word in the school is that she won't tell you anything so don't even bother asking. And it's true. Robert wants a book . . . she takes him to the card catalog. When he wants an article online . . . she makes him do the typing. What's that about? This lady is on a twinkle-eyed mission to raise "library success stories" and she succeeds.

Mrs. Skorupski is a school librarian's dream come true. With a twinkle in her eye, a bounce in her step, and glasses so cool it makes silly chicks drool, she reminds us a bit of Ms. Frizzle - without the bus! Yoshikawa's bright and playful illustrations compliment the text wonderfully and keep the mood light even while readers learn just a tad about using the library. Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything is a great addition to any elementary school library!

Slugs in Love

Slugs in Love
Written by Susan Pearson
Illustrated by Kevin O'Malley
Marshall Cavendish
ISBN 978-0-7614-5311-6
www.susanpearson.net
www.booksbyomalley.com

Why we're crazy about SLUGS IN LOVE:

1. No cute teddy bears, bunny wabbits, or puddy tats to be found here. Just slugs. All slugs, all the time.

2. While it's true that they're romantic, pining, poetry-writing slugs...these slugs write poems with their own slime.

That's right. Slugs + Slime + Poetry = Love. Here's the scoop:

Marylou, a shy slug with charming pink bows on her eye stalks, loves Herbie...but Herbie doesn't even know she exists. Marylou starts leaving Herbie romantic poems in various locations. Herbie tries to leave poems for Marylou in return, but his attempts are always foiled.

Marylou is in despair. Why won't Herbie notice her?!

Herbie is in despair. Who the heck is Marylou?!

Fortunately, Pearson and O'Malley come through with a happy, slime-filled ending guaranteed to please slugs and readers alike. Vive l'amour!

Mr. Pusskins, A Love Story

Mr. Pusskins, A Love Story
Written and illustrated by Sam Lloyd
Atheneum
ISBN 1416925171

Emily adores her cranky cat, Mr. Pusskins. She combs him, plays mouse games with him, and tells him what a handsome boy he is. None of that matters to Mr. Pusskins, who is bored with all her "blah blah blah." He decides to leave one night in search of adventure and naughty fun with the Pesky Cat Gang. After a while, though, he starts to miss Emily and her kind ways. His naughty fun isn't quite as much fun as it used to be. He wants his Emily back!

Lloyd's loose, expressive brushwork and bright palette make for exciting spreads, and her comical style captures Mr. Pusskins in all his scowling glory. This funny tale of unconditional love will be a welcome change from the more typical "I Love You" Valentine's Day books on the shelves now.

Happy Bird-Day Carolyn!

Happy Bird-day, Carolyn!
May your feathers ever stay fluffy!

For all our readers who might not know. Here are 3 things about Carolyn. Only 2 of them are true. Can you guess which is not?

1. Carolyn Crimi is the author of MANY funny and wonderful children's books including these wonderful titles and the new and very funny THE LOUDS MOVE IN. She has lots of other titles coming down the road, too! Hurray!

2. Carolyn Crimi has been named Chicken Dance World Champion seven years in a row! She says the secret to her success is in her sound effects. "Bwock. Bwock. Bwock." We think it's the way she dances with glasses on. No other Chicks can do that!

3. Carolyn Crimi is the silliest chick in the world and we love her!

Happy Happy Dear Chickie!

Andrea & Julia

In the Coop with Cyn and Greg Leitich Smith

We think Cyn and Greg are the cutest Christmas couple around! Cyn's fab books include Indian Shoes and Rain Is Not My Indian Name. Greg has written the wonderfully funny middle grade novels Ninjas, Piranhas and Gallileo and Tofu and T-Rex. Santa Knows is their first collaboration. We hope it's the first of many!

You are husband and wife and you've written a book together. We think this is a little insane. Can you explain the process?

Cyn: Greg and I had been talking about how there just can't be enough uproariously funny picture books, including those with boy protagonists—or at least there should be more, and I was speculating about how hard it was to hold to the “magic” of childhood in today’s high tech, super rational world.

So I wrote a rough draft, explaining that Santa’s “magic” was really the product of “elf science and technology.” We mere humans just aren’t brilliant enough to fully understand…yet.

In my house, Greg is the one with the two electrical engineer degrees, so I went to him first to help me explain the more nuts, bolts, and interdimensional portal aspects.

Greg: After we generated the first draft, we sent it off to our agent, who sent it to a couple of publishers, who—sadly—were clearly not ready to face the truth about Santa Claus. Finally, our agent sent it to Mark McVeigh at Dutton, who replied with a four-to-five page revision letter, single spaced (which needless to say was longer than the manuscript). We talked about it and generated a new draft over cocoa and Christmas carols.

How do you know when what you write is funny?

Greg: We’re holding Ed McMahon prisoner in our basement. We read something to him, and if he laughs, you know it’s got to be funny.

Cyn: Shhh.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Greg: You have to write what you think is funny. You can’t rely on some notion of what you think “kids” think is funny. Also, the humor has to work thematically. No matter how funny a scene is, if it’s ultimately irrelevant to the story, then it doesn’t belong.

Cyn: For me, the humor springs from the characters. If they’re funny, the story is funny. It’s more about them than me.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

Greg: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar (Dutton, 2005); The Wizard, The Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou (Razorbill, 2005); Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman (Hyperion, 2002).

Cyn: Exempting books by my honey and those gorgeous silly chicks, on the picture book front, I'll add: Altoona Baboona by Janie Bynum (Harcourt, 1999); Chance by Dian Curtis Regan, illustrated by Dee Huxley (Philomel, 2003); Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Simon & Schuster, 2000); Hop Toad by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt (Harcourt, 2003); What a Truly Cool World by Julius Lester, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Scholastic, 1999).

I also echo Greg's novel choices and add: Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (Arthur Levine, 2003); The Amazon Papers by Beverly Keller (Harcourt, 1996); Burger Wuss by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick, 1999); Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler (Dutton, 2006); Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won The Girl by D.L. Garfinkle (Putnam, 2005); and Terry and the Pirates by Julian F. Thompson (Atheneum, 2000).

I could go on, but let me just add that I also admire Joan Bauer's ability to interweave humor and sensitive themes.

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

Greg: The Marx Brothers. Largely because WGN in Chicago used to play Duck Soup every New Year’s Eve.

Cyn: Neither. Jeepers. I’m a girl.

What was your best Halloween costume?

Cyn and Greg: Our critique group traditionally holds a Halloween meeting in which we come dressed as characters. Last year, we came dressed as Santa (Greg) and an elf (Cyn).

Greg: The coat was really hot (I think it was about 80 degrees over Halloween here in Austin).

Cyn: I only wish I could wear bells every day.

What is your Dream Job For a Day?

Cyn: I would like to be one of those creepy people painted silver who strike thoughtful poses on the streets of Paris.

Greg: Pretty much what I’m doing now, only I’m independently wealthy, have staff, and have much more time to write. J

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Greg: Ideally, they would self-destruct, but if I were forced to choose, I’d pick clown, but only because I have fond memories of Bozo’s Circus from when I was a kid in Chicago.

Cyn: Mime (see above Paris dream job).

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?

Greg: William Shakespeare.

Cyn: Gilda Radner. Hint to the universe: picture book biography?!

And the winner is . . . .

Bwock! Bwock! Bwock!

We have a winner in our first ever caption contest! And boy was it tough to decide! The entries really cracked us up. Thanks to all who entered and all who dropped by just to get a good laugh.

And the winner is ............ drum roll, please .........

"Happy Hollandaise, everyone! And now I'd like to introduce the panel of speakers at our first annual Christmas Chick Lit Writers Conference: Shell Silverstein, Yolko Ohno, Egger Allan Poe, Al Bumen, Ben Laid, and Ova Ezee." -- Elaine Magliaro

Congratulations, Elaine! (Please send us your snail mail addy at Three_Silly_Chicks@yahoo.com and we'll send you some snails. . . oops . . . some yummy peppermint bark).

Thanks to everyone who brightened our holidays just a bit with your very funny entries.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays!!!!

The Three Silly Chicks

Contest Deadline LOOMING!

Hey Lovely Readers!

Remember, the deadline to enter our Caption Contest is tomorrow at midnight! We have some mighty fine entries and choosing will be tough!

The winner will be posted by Monday!!!! (Maybe sooner!)

The Management

P.S. Bribes will be accepted until the winners are actually posted. Enormous bribes will be accepted ANYTIME!

Merry Un-Christmas

Merry Un-Christmas
Written by Mike Reiss
Illustrated by David Catrow
HarperCollins Publisher
ISBN 9780060591267
A new bike, a computer, roller skates and a pony! What could be more exciting for Christmas? When you've just celebrated Christmas 364 days in a row, how about NOT getting a pony? The latest holiday book by author Mike Reiss and illustrator David Catrow, explores Christmas City in the state of Texmas where Un-Christmas comes but once a year. And what a treat that is! Un-decorating the tree! Taking down the lights! NOT shopping!

Reiss mines all the possible angles of this scenario and provides some fine laughs along the way. Can you guess what chubby man with a sack comes to visit on Un-Christmas.? (We can't tell and spoil the surprise!) Catrow, whose trademark illustration style is fun and funky as always. Ho! Ho! Ho! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Chick Alert!

Our own Julia Durango has just announced a contest on her blog! She's giving away signed copies of 3 of her fabulous books!!!!!

Quick! Go enter! What are you waiting for? Julia's Drawing

And don't forget! Just 9 days left in our Holiday Caption Contest!

Santa Knows

Santa Knows
Written by Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith
Illustrated by Steve Björkman
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN 0525-47757-8
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/
http://www.gregleitichsmith.com/
http://www.stevebjorkman.com/

Alfie F. Snorklepuss is a very silly boy. He does not believe in Santa and wants all the world to know it. He tells his little sister, Noelle, who thinks he's nuts. He scolds the kids at school, writes wicked letters to the editor, hits the radio and tv talk show circuit, and blabs his news on the World Wide Web. No one believes him. Still, Alfie is not to be stopped. On Christmas Eve, he waits up for Santa "to not arrive." What a surprise Alfie gets when the man in the big red suit shows up!

The authors expertly create a fun tale that explores Santa's world and provides some very surprising answers to those nagging questions about Santa and his mysterious magic. How does Santa travel so far in one night? How can he possibly carry such a load of toys? Inquiring minds want to know! From our first glimpse of Alfie on the title page, we know that he is a boy with an attitude. Björkman's animated watercolor perfectly capture Alfie's range of emotions from defiant to exasperated to remorseful and finally joyful. Santa Knows is a holly jolly read for the holidays.

Christmas in the Coop

We love this time of year! It's a time for caroling, merriment, gingerbread lattes, sleigh bells, shopping for gifts, waiting in lines, looking for parking spots, running up credit card limits, gaining weight, snapping impatiently at idiotic salespeople who don't know their own stock--

Oh my. Let's start over, shall we?

We love this time of year! It's a time to browse through all the heart-warming holiday books extolling the beauty of the season. We're all in favor of new authors creating new books, but we still have our sentimental favorites. Here's our list. We'd love to hear about yours, too!

Carolyn's favorites:

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry. My best friend and I used to read this every year while eating ice-cream sandwiches. It's entirely possible that it's my favorite because of the ice-cream sandwiches.

My favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story. If you have any doubt as to why this is such a classic, I have three words for you: Pink Bunny Suit.

Andrea's favorites:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by the man! Just because you gotta love the Grinch!

How Murray Saved Christmas, by Mike Reiss and David Catrow. I love this because it makes my kids roll on the floor laughing.

The Christmas Crocodile, by Bonnie Becker, illustrated by David Small. I especially love the eccentric family in this book. They remind me of my own family!

My favorite all time Christmas movies: It's a Wonderful Life. The Grinch. Holiday Inn. And quite possibly the best animated short movie ever--The Snowman.

Julia's favorite:

Santa Mouse and the Ratdeer, by Thacher Hurd. Why? Because the Ratdeer's names are Blunder, Basher, Lousy, Loopy, Bugsy and Twizzlebum.

Now there's an author after a silly chick's heart!

Okay, folks, spill it! What are your favorites and why?

Contest! (Deadline Dec. 15)

Ho! Ho! Ho! What do you know?

The holidays are here and We Three Chicks are full of cheer . . . and hot chocolate . . . and cookies . . . and yummy holiday treats. (Except Eggnog, of course. That would be wrong.)

We wanted to share our cookies with our readers, but we had a tragic accident in which we ate them all. (The cookies. Not the readers. Readers aren't very tasty though they are crunchy.)

We wanted to share our brownies, but we baked them ourselves and that ended in a different kind of tragedy. [Note: The Three Silly Chicks Legal Department wishes to state that the Three Silly Chicks (of the first part) claim no responsibility for any accidental damages or injuries involving but not limited to a triple-chocolate chunk brownie batter, a Lady Norelco Shaver, and the couple who were standing on the corner of 9th & Washington at about 4:00 last Saturday. We're just saying.]

Luckily, we have one remaining treat. Peppermint Bark! And yes, we bought this! We tried making it ourselves, but couldn't find any peppermint trees to peel. We substituted the bark from a shrubby little oak plant. It was high in fiber and tasted great with calamine lotion. The swelling and itching are almost gone now, but we're saving the last of our home recipe for our annual New Year's party.

Alas, Dear Readers, we have only one container of Peppermint Bark and there are so many of you. How to decide? We shall hold a caption contest!!!!!

Give us a funny caption (to the picture above) before the deadline (December 15). We will judge all the entries and announce the winner on December 20!

You can enter more than once! Make sure you sign your entries (fake names are okay) so you can claim your prize on the 20th if you win!

Happy Holidays!

The Three Silly Chicks

Wolves

Wolves
Written and Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Simon & Schuster Books
for Young Readers
ISBN 1-4169-1491-9

Rabbit goes to the library and picks out a book about wolves. Rabbit reads the book while walking home from the library and learns many interesting facts about these wild creatures. So engrossing is the book, that Rabbit does not notice the shaggy, hooded wolf who sneaks up from behind. So engrossing is the book, that Rabbit walks unwittingly up a bushy tail, through dense fur and right to the end of a wolf's sharp snout. However, Rabbit becomes keenly alert when reading about the wolf's diet which includes "large prey such as deer, bison, and moose. They also enjoy smaller mammals like beavers, voles, and . . ."

Wolves is a fresh, funny, ironic and slightly creepy book with more than a dollop of black humor. While small or very sensitive kids might be disturbed by Rabbit's fate, others will laugh out loud at the story's alternate twist ending. Illustrated with a combination of sketches, watercolor, collage and photography, Wolves is a smart and VERY tasty treat.

In the Coop with Aaron Reynolds

Aaron Reynolds is the author of one of our favorite funny picture books, Chicks and Salsa (Bloomsbury), and the upcoming sequel, Buffalo Wings. Both are illustrated by Paulette Bogan. Aaron is also the author of the Tiger Moth graphic novel series (Stone Arch Books) and many fabulous and funny future picture books.

Break out the chips and salsa and let's Cha Cha!

How do you know when what you write is funny?

Well, there’s four kinds of funny. There’s funny-but-not-funny-enough-to-actually-laugh funny, there’s laugh-inside-my-head funny, there’s laugh-out-loud funny, and there’s laugh-so-hard-that-you-accidentally-fart funny. If my writing makes me do one of the last two, then I figure I’m on the right track.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Extremes are funny. I have to constantly push myself to take a funny idea further. In Chicks and Salsa, I started out with gourmet chickens who make salsa. But it wasn’t until I added connoisseur ducks making guacamole and pigs whipping up nachos that the story started getting funny. And the ending wasn’t working until I took the whole thing the next level with the foodie farm animals. When the rooster ditches the whole thing to cook French crepes…that’s when humor finally felt like it paid off. When you come up with a funny idea, imagine the farthest you could possibly take it…and then take it one step farther. Chances are, that’s when you’ll have something really worth laughing at.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?

I remember at Boy Scout camp once, I was the ring-leader in tying our Scout Master to his cot while he was sleeping in it (we did it with belts, by the way). Then we bodily lifted his cot, with his prone sleeping form still in it, and dumped him in the lake. Seemed like a funny idea at the time. He didn’t think so. I may have lost a merit badge or two over that incident.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

There’s books that are “ha-ha” funny like The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathman, the Babymouse books by Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler, Ka-Pow by George O’Connor, and anything by Jon Scieszka. Then there’s books that are dark and weird and goofy funny, like Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders, Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales, and The Day I Traded my Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman. I’m a huge fan of both.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?

I’d probably pick my newest book, a graphic novel series called Tiger Moth, Insect Ninja. Eric Lervold, who illustrated it, has created a weird and wonderful world where the bugs are very humanized, yet very buggy, and the colors are wild and vivid. Not to mention, there’s no shortage of humor, action, and a whole lot of HI-YAH! Every boy’s dream.

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

I have to confess, I’m really too young to like either. Sorry about that. Even The Little Rascals, I only saw in re-runs. In lieu of that, I’ll pick Ginger as my favorite Gilligan’s Island castaway, Marcia as my favorite Brady Bunch member, Daisy as my favorite Duke of Hazzard, (see a pattern anywhere in my hormone-induced adolescence?) and The Donny and Marie show over Sonny and Cher as my favorite lame variety show.

What was your best Halloween costume?

Has to be the year I went as Ponch from CHiPs. It was cold out that year, so my mom made me wear my coat over my plastic jump-suit-with-the-outfit-printed-on-the-front costume. Luckily, I had a bomber jacket that year, so I looked even more Ponch-esque than I would’ve without it. But, bummer of bummers, the elastic band from my mask came loose from it’s staple halfway through the night, so I had to hold it in place with my hand. This limited maximum candy-scoring-potential significantly. But still…who was cooler than Ponch?

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

I’m doin’ it, you silly chicks.

Minnie and Moo Wanted Dead or Alive

Minnie and Moo
Wanted Dead or Alive
Denys Cazet
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0-06-073011-0
An I Can Read Book: Level 3

It's trouble on the farm when Mr. and Mrs. Farmer can't pay the bills. As Moo knows, such trouble can only end in dust storms and floods. That's bad news since she doesn't know how to swim. Luckily, she has a plan. Minnie and Moo dress up and head to town to ask the bank for some of its extra cash. Unfortunately, with their fancy suits (the bank will give them more money if they are rich) and their violin case (they need some way to carry the money), these good-deed doing cows look remarkably like the bank-robbing Bazooka Sisters. What follows is an accidental bank robbery, an unintentional getaway, and a story that will have new readers (and old) laughing out loud.

Minnie and Moo are the bovine queens of comedy. Their winsome world view gets them into trouble and right back out without missing a beat. Cazet packs a remarkable amount of humor into the short text and matches it perfectly with his expressive and slightly exagerated art. Sophisticated and silly at the same time, Minnie and Moo: Wanted Dead or Alive is a pure joy!

Coco All Year Round

Coco All Year Round
by Sloane Tanen
photography by Stegan Hagen
Bloomsbury Children's Books
ISBN: 1582347093
http://www.sloanetanen.com/


Thank goodness. The elections are over and the chicks can get back to silly business. While the rest of you were voting for the Lesser of Two Weevils, we here at Chick Central were getting acquainted with Coco (no relation to the monkey, Puffs, or Ms. Chanel).

Coco is a chick with a style all her own, no matter the season. In double-spread dioramas, Coco celebrates each month's holiday in true silly chick fashion: she dyes herself green for St. Patrick's Day, dons a T. Rex costume for Halloween, and designs the best-hat-ever for Grandma on Christmas Day. We are especially fond of Coco's favorite toy (a giraffe on wheels) and her pet turtle named Raoul. Better than Barbie any day of the week, Coco shows us that all a chick needs to be cool is a dash of moxie and a big pink bow. Coco in 2008!

That's Just Silly

Come on all you silly chickens! Let's dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TsRdkrxl4g

Clementine

Clementine
By Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN 0786838825

Clementine's week started out fine. On Monday she had exactly enough bananas for every mouthful of cereal AND she was excused from Journal Writing. Two lucky signs for sure! But when her best friend Margaret experiences severe hair problems, Clementine takes it upon herself to fix them, which is not an easy task with those plastic art scissors. As soon as the art teacher sees Margaret's hair she goes all historical, and then Margaret goes all historical, and Clementine winds up in the principal's office for the umpteenth time that month. So begins Clementine's catastrophic week, filled with ceiling snakes and Pigeon Wars and a bazillion trips to the principal's office.

This young chapter book should be tucked into every third grader's backpack. Pennypacker has created a thoroughly believable, quirky character with a unique voice and a fresh take on life. Clementine is a giggle-filled masterpiece stuffed with love, humor, pointy things and cats named Mascara. Move over, Junie B, Eloise, and Ramona. Clementine is in town, and we couldn't be happier!

In the Coop with Lisa Yee

A Three Silly Chicks Interview

Lisa Yee is the comic-quirky-brilliant author of MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS and STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME. The Three Silly Chicks are absolutely crazy about her, even though she occasionally tortures peeps.


How do you know when what you write is funny?

My daughter claims that I'm always cracking myself up. It's true. For example, I'll be in the grocery store and remember something weird, like the time broccoli came out of my nose, and start laughing. This causes the people near me to slowly move away.

I am aware that things I find funny, others might not. (My husband thinks that objects that come out of other people's noses are disgusting. BTW, it is my theory that in relationships there is always one person who doesn't mind looking at someone's scab, and another who totally squeamish.) Oh dear. I'm drifting. Back to funny. I guess I'm always afraid people won't get my sense of humor. It's so quirky. So I test it out on my family. If they laugh, then it's good. If I have to explain it to them, then it's not.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

The best way to write a funny book is to write an unfunny book first. By that I mean, the story has to hold up without the humor. There needs to be emotion and pathos in it. Well, not all funny books, but the ones I like best. The ones that are about a character we care about, and not just a slapstick situation.

To test this, take out your best jokes or funniest parts. Does the story still hold up? If yes, then you've created a wonderful foundation to build the humor on.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?

Yes.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

On the adult side: I am a HUGE fan of Anne Lamott and David Sedaris's essays. I enjoy the twisted humor of Edward Gorey, and the quirky characters from James Wilcox's books. Anne Tyler is hysterical, in a very quiet way. And I recently read QUEEN OF THE ODDBALLS by Hillary Carlip. I liked it so much I sent her a fan letter.

On the kid side: SOMETIMES I'M BOMBALOO by Rachel Vail and Yumi Heo wonderfully combines visual humor with irony. D.L. Garfinkle took an embarrassing situation and crafted it into a LOL story with STORKY. You can't beat Calvin and Hobbs for sheer delight. I adored the humor, emotion and angst in ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT . . . by David LaRochelle. And I love all things Beverly Cleary.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?

Both my first two novels (and number three, SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS) take place in the imaginary town of Rancho Rosetta in Southern California. They are overlapping stories. I idealized Rancho Rosetta because I felt the kids had enough angst in their lives, and I didn't want to have to have them worry about safety and bad guys and taxes and pollution and whatnot and therefore.

However, my forth novel, CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008) takes place in Kissimmee, FL and Hollywood, CA. So, I guess of those places, I'd live in the imaginary town of Rancho Rosetta and hang out with Millie, Emily and Stanford.

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

The Marx Brothers. I love wordplay.

What was your best Halloween costume?

One year, in college, I wore one of my mom's old pink taffeta cocktail dresses, long gloves, and lots of (fake) pearls. I hardly ever dress up, so it felt very chic and irreverent at the same time. I suppose if I wore that today I'd look like Gwen Steffani, minus the blonde hair, musical abilities, and clothing line.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

To be an author on the day the first hardcover copy of your book arrives in the mail. Oh wait, that's really happened!!! (It is sooooo surreal and totally cool.)

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Oh dear. This is a tough one. I don't suppose they can cancel each other out? Hmmmm, I have to really think here. I am scared of clowns, but mimes also freak me out. I get really quiet around mimes. But I don't get all clown-y around clowns. Not sure if that is significant. I guess if I had to choose, the mime would win. And then, to celebrate the victory, I would take him/her to a movie. Only, not a silent one. To sit next to a mime during a silent movie would be torture.

Funniest dead person you’d like to meet?

Dorothy Parker.

BONUS QUESTION! Halloween Candy: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thoughts?

I am totally in favor of Halloween candy. Love those tasty fun-sized treats. I just hope my kids never find out that I eat their candy when they are in school. Shhhhh. I do it for love though. Too much sugar is bad for children.

I guess the good would be anything chocolate. The bad would be anything with hair stuck on it or the word "filet" on the package. And the ugly would be, well, the same as the bad.

The Squampkin Patch

THE SQUAMPKIN PATCH: A Nasselrogt Adventure
by JT Petty
Illustrated by David Michael Friend
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Ages 9-14.
ISBN: 1-4169-0274-0
http://www.pettyofficial.com

When Milton and Chloe are slightly orphaned by a tragic tanning bed accident, they end up in Urchin House Orphanage where they must eat brown goo and make zippers. Like all good literary orphans, they run away. They take refuge in a house abandoned by a missing confectioner whose obsession to create the perfect Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip cookie led him to grow a dangerous squash-pumpkin hybrid. The squampkin. Following clues in the baker's journal, the kids unravel the details of his frightening disappearance and begin to understand the growing danger around them. The orange, walking, clawing, hissing danger of the SQUAMPKINS!!!!!

Petty brings together a cast of odd figures, a generous sprinkling of smart puns and clever wordplay, and a delightfully absurd plot to create a book that is serious about being funny, but never takes itself too seriously. Best of all, The Squampkin Patch is funny and suspenseful (even a bit grim near the end). And you thought only zucchini could be scary! Best suited for readers 9 and up.

And the Winner Is . . .

The time has come to announce the winner of our first ever contest at Three Silly Chicks!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to wish us well and to tell us your favorite funny book for kids! We have added new shelves to the coop for all the wonderful titles we learned about!

Without further adieu . . . or Mountain Dew . . . or dippety doo. . . the winner is . . .

Royal trumpet music and drumroll, please! Bwock! Bwock-bwock!

Jenlibrarian!

Jenlibrarian come on down! You've just won a copy of the delightful new book, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road! And that's not all! You've also won a pair of chattering teeth and your own little rubber chicken!

(Please e-mail us at three_silly_chicks@yahoo.com so we can pop your prizes in the mail to you!!!!!)

Congratulations and thanks again to all you silly people out there!

That's Just Silly!

Dear Readers,

Alas, but mostly alack! Our chicken coop is a mess. The rafters are strewn with dirty socks, stale eggnog, and Moon Pie wrappers. It is time to clean! Therefore, we are forced to take the only possible action left to us. We must waste hours surfing the web. And so is born a new segment on our blog called "That's Just Silly!" It's a chance for us to waste time and feel good about it by sharing our finds with you!

And speaking of finds . . .
1. http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/badgers/
2. www.thetalkingpug.com
3. http://www.sfpg.com/animation/liteBrite.html#
If you have especially silly sites you'd like to share, just e-mail us at three_silly_chicks@yahoo.com!
Hey! We're out of Twinkies in here!
The Three Silly Chicks

My Haunted House

My Haunted House
Written by Angie Sage
Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 0060774819

Not only does Araminta Spookie have a name to die for, but she lives in the best old house ever. Unfortunately, her Aunt Tabby’s getting tired of doing all the housework and maintenance while Uncle Drac does nothing but sleep all day. When Aunt Tabby puts the house up for sale, Araminta hatches a ghoulicious plan to keep realtors and buyers running scared from Spookie House.

My Haunted House is the first in this early middle grade series, featuring a fun Addams Family-esque cast of characters perfectly rendered by illustrator Jimmy Pickering. Share this book with readers who like their goosebumps served with a cauldron of laughs!

Grumpy Gloria

Grumpy Gloria
Written and Ilustrated by Anna Dewdney
Viking
ISBN 0670061239
Gloria the bulldog wasn't always grumpy. She and her little girl used to play catch and chase soap bubbles. But when her little girl gets a spiffy new doll, Gloria is left out of their games. The family tries to cheer her up with disastrous results. A bath? A jog? A game of dress-up? No wonder Gloria is a pouty pooch!

The lively, rhyming text is pitch perfect in this sweet and funny book, but the real star is Gloria herself who is portrayed with such warmth and humor. It's impossible not to fall in love with her. Kudos to Dewdney for her clever use of end papers to tell the backstory. Gloria is simply glorious!