A Bounty of Bloggers at the Kidlitosphere Conference

On Saturday, a very exciting thing happened. A veritable bounty of bloggers descended upon Chicago. They came from all over just to meet and talk about kid-lit and blogging. One of the Three Silly Chicks was there.

Sadly, the other two had to stay in the coop and keep the bean dip chilled. Or warmed. Or something.

While Andrea was a bit sad to venture from the coop without Julia and Carolyn, she was mighty glad to meet so many cool and very funny folk.

And, best of all, beause they are bloggers, so many of them posted about their adventures in Chicagoland! Here are only a few of the posts about the weekend.

Thanks especially to Robin Brande for organizing this wonderful weekend! And to Esme Raji Codell for bringing together some of Chicago's authors to meet and greet folks.

It was so much fun. We wish the coop was bigger so we could have everybody over for salsa at our place. Oh boy! The feathers would fly (with fun) for sure!

These are just some of the great blogs represented at the conference. Hope you enjoy some of these great posts and pics!

Just One More Book - check out their podcast for Carolyn's DON'T NEED FRIENDS, too!

Check it out

Read Write Believe

Jimbo Jabber

Grow Wings

Got Art?

Gotta Book

MotherReader

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast - Can you find the picture of the Silly Chick with the two fabulous blogging goddesses?

Planet Esme

Pictures from Just One More Book's Mark Blevis! Thanks, Mark!

Book Buds

Jen Robinson's Book Page

Big A Little A

A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy

Fuse #8 Production

Miss Rumphius Effect
Publish Post
Confessions of a Bibliovore

I know I'm missing some of you who attended and posted, but I'm all tuckered out!!! Thanks for a great event! Hope to meet you all again soon!

Perhaps we'll add a second story to the coop and have a party!!!

What Will Fat Cat Sit On?

What Will Fat Cat Sit On?
Written and illustrated by Jan Thomas
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN 0152060510

There have been many deep and philosophical questions asked in literature. What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? But we think the question Jan Thomas poses tops them all. What, Dear Readers, will Fat Cat sit on?

It is most definitely a question worth pondering. Will Fat Cat sit on the cow? The pig? Certainly not the chicken! (If that had happened we would not be reviewing this book--no siree!) Finally the wise mouse comes up with a solution that pleases everyone. In this rollicking book, the reader gets in on the fun as the narrator asks what Fat Cat will sit on with every spread. Each animal is hoping it's someone else, and their witty asides make this book a pleasure to read out loud. We think it's perfect for threes and fours, but older kids (and adults!) will also love the irreverent humor.

Simple, whimsical illustrations complete this perfect package. This is Jan Thomas's first book. We can't wait to see what's next!

Iggy Peck, Architect

IGGY PECK, ARCHITECT
by Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by David Roberts
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13: 978-0810911062

www.AndreaBeaty.com


Hip! Hip! Hurray! Iggy is here!

Tomorrow morning, something very exciting is going to happen. Andrea's new book, IGGY PECK, ARCHITECT, will be released into the wild!

Iggy is born to build. And build he does. At the age of two, he builds a great tower out of diapers and glue. Are they clean diapers? Not exactly. But, hey! When a boy's gotta build, a boy's gotta build!

Iggy has it made until he meets his match in second grade. His teacher, Miss Lila Greer, has a lot to say about architecture. She has issues. (She was scarred for life when she was lost in a skyscraper as a young girl and found by a French Circus Troupe. It was tres tragique.)

When she bans Iggy from building, it turns second grade into a bore. But one catastrophic field trip turns everything around when Iggy proves to the world that "there are worse things to do, when you're in grade two, than to spend your time building a dream!"

This book has it all. dirty diapers, a wacko neighbor, cool buildings, and fun, funny, funky, fabulous illustrations by David Roberts. He rocks! You can check out some of the pics here.

We hope you'll stop by Andrea's website in a couple of weeks. She's planning lots of cool school activities and helpful downloads for teachers, librarians, and booksellers. It will take her that long to get them done, though, because she's too busy right now celebrating by chowing down on bean dip, salsa, and chips and doing the cha-cha with a chicken on her head! It's so wrong. So terribly, terribly wrong.

Marcel Marceau

1923 - 2007

We are a little sad today at the coop, having just learned that Marcel Marceau has died. Here's a link to the NY Times Obituary.

It's true that we like to poke a little fun at mimes. Actually, we like to poke a lot of fun at mimes, but we do it out of love. (And because mimes, like clowns, can be a really scary sometimes.) However, there is a warm spot in our chicky hearts for Monsieur Marceau. He was a kind man dedicated to peace, a truly amazing artist, and a member of the French Resistance!

We shall think of him next time we are riding a bicycle, being buffeted by the wind, or trying to get out of a box. Things he could do better than anyone else!

Watch a video!

Piano Piano

Piano Piano
Written by Davide Cali
Illustrated by Eric Heliot
Charlesbridge
ISBN 9781580891712

Any child or chick who's ever been forced to take piano lessons will not only marvel at the tragicomic tour de force that is Piano Piano, but will immediately be tempted to send a copy to her well-meaning yet strongly misguided mother who made her practice the piano every day for YEARS, driving everyone within earshot to great despair and needless misery. (But we digress.)

In Piano Piano, young Marcolino would rather be anything other than the grand pianist his mother wishes him to be: "a grand pirate...a grand flying acrobat...a grand karate champion...anything but a grand pianist!" But taskmaster Mom lays a guilt trip on him big time. When Marcolino asks her why she doesn't become a grand pianist, she blames him: "...after you were born, I didn't have time to practice." Ouch! It takes a little talk with Grandpa and a few old photos before Mom sees the error of her ways and cuts Marcolino some well-deserved slack. While Davide Cali's text pokes fun at the mother, it's done in a loving and forgiving way, while Eric Heliot's sharp, modern illustrations heighten the humor in all the right ways. A perfect composition!

In the Coop with Mo Willems

We love Mo Willems. And though we already know so much about him from the very useful clues in our contest, we wanted to know more. So we asked. And Mo answered!

Mo's Website
Mo's Blog
The Pigeon Presents

We are especially excited because Mo has a new book out in stores even as we speak. It's called Knuffle Bunny Too. To read more about it, check here.

Thanks, Mo! And thanks to all our readers who stopped by to play along in our last contest! Here's to a great new year at Three Silly Chicks!

When you create a book, do the pictures or story come to you first?

Pictures or words never come to me, I actively seek them out.

As a cartoonist, I find the supposed division between images and words perplexing and arbitrary. It’s like asking if I walk with my feet or my eyes; take away either at any time and I’m guaranteed to stumble.

Is your latest book Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity autobiographical?

Everything in that book is true except the parts I made up.

The non-fiction is that I live in Brooklyn, NY with an irrepressible daughter and wife who, unlike me, is wiser than she is tall. The fiction is the part that reminds me to be a better dad than I actually am.

How do you know when what you write is funny??

The trick is to develop the ability to tell when your writing isn’t funny. Then all you have to do is take the unfunny out and trust your audience to enjoy whatever is left.

Can the pigeon operate other large motorized vehicles?

The Pigeon’s skills are limitless, his insurance premiums, however, can be problematic.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Short answer: Keep the body count very small or very, very large.

On a practical level, the characters I create don’t know they’re funny. Instead, they approach the absurd situations they’re forced into with utmost seriousness and determination. The funny comes from watching them fail wholeheartedly.

Do you have any tips for illustrating funny books?

Short answer: Keep the body count very small or very, very large.

On a practical level, the characters I create don’t know they’re funny. Instead, they approach the absurd situations they’re forced into with utmost seriousness and determination. The funny comes from watching them fail wholeheartedly.

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

Oh yes, both. During high school, I was nearly suspended for including the word ‘fart’ in a cartoon in the student paper, a notorious scandal quickly labeled “Fartgate” (I know it sounds crazy, but you must remember that I attended a conservative prep school in the South during the late Renaissance).

Any-hoo, to clear the air, I was compelled to pen a public mea culpa to all offended Faculty members and student body. Contritely, I produced a document apologizing for my “uncivilized and regrettable mention of anal gaseous emissions in one of the State’s oldest running publications” and added as a post-script, “P.S. This whole fart thing stinks, but it will blow over soon.”

And you know what? It did.

What are some of your favorite funny books?????

I grew up on Peanuts and Doonesbury anthologies, Woody Allen’s Without Feathers and the radio scripts for Doug Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but choosing favorites is like picking teams in second grade, someone funny always gets left out.

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

The Dull Adventures of the Lucky Little Boy Whose Wife Made Bolognese Every Night And Never Had to Do the Dishes

Do you prefer The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?

Are you kidding? Even without Harpo the Marx Brothers would be the funniest comedy group ever to grace The Great White Way or The Silver Screen. Harpo’s gleefully surreal shtick adds sublimity to the mix.

The Three Stooges punch each other, right?

What was your best Halloween costume ever?

An other time I got in trouble in High School was when I arrived on Halloween in khakis, pressed oxford shirt, and letter jacket. Satire trumps Vampire, I say.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

Sheep farmer.

Seriously.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch.? Pick your winner.

Who’s Mime Deathmatch? She sounds all sexy and goth and obtusely mysterious. I’ll take the clown.

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet??

The dead are, by and large, the least funny people you are likely to meet, which is, frankly, odd. I mean, they don’t have to worry about deadlines, or book reviews, or marketing plans, do they?

Actually, Harpo

Happy Birthday, Chicks! And the Winner Is . . . .

Happy Birthday!

Three Silly Chicks!

Dear Readers,

It's our first blogging birthday, and we want to thank you for coming to visit our coop during our first year. We've had so much fun and can't wait to keep on rolling with lots of wonderful book reviews, contests, pie fights, pie eating, bean dip, and of course wonderful interviews with super-talented funny authors and illustrators!

We hope you've enjoyed the year, too, and will keep stopping by the coop to visit!!!

Thank you so much!

The Three Silly Chicks


--------
And now, it's time to reveal our Mystery Guest! Drum roll . . . . .

The Mystery Guest is the Amazing Mo Willems!

But wait! Can we prove it? Why yes we can! Let's consider the evidence:


1. Mo Willems is bigger than a breadbox. This is true. We actually placed Mo in a breadbox to see if he would fit. He did not (in one piece). He did, however, leave footprints in our Wonder Bread and complain that we needed a bigger breadbox. Preferably one with airholes.


2. Mo Willems has more hair than Kenny Chesney and less hair than Chewbacca. See for yourself:



3. Mo Willems is living. (Though he is a little bit squished up and now has bits of Wonder Bread stuck between his toes. Sorry, Mo!)


4. Mo Willems writes and illustrates kids' books. And the world is a better place because of it!

5. Mo does not write in rhyme. At least not at this time. At least we haven't seen any rhyming books by him. (But then, we didn't really check, so maybe we were cheating a bit on this one!) Bad Chicks.


6. Mo Willems is for the birds. And our favorite bird is the Pigeon.


7. Mo Willems is not a grouch (except when stuffed into a breadbox), but he probably knows one! And of course, we're talking about Oscar the Grouch here! As many of you know, Mo has 6 won Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street. And you know we Chicks love Sesame Street! Big Bird is our hero.


We're so excited to welcome Mo to the coop! We will post our interview on Monday! (And it's a hoot!)

And now, the MO-ment we've all been waiting for!

It's time to announce the winner of our Mystery Guest Contest!

There were so many good guesses from our lovely readers. (And some less good ones, but we loved them all!) Six of you guessed correctly: Tammi, Linda Skeers, Jenny, Renee, Lisa Yee, and Pamela.

Your names were entered into a drawing conducted by the same people who pick the winners for the Oscars out of a hat! (And you thought someone voted on them!)

And the Oscar (or the Super Duper Bag O'goodness from the Three Silly Chicks) goes to Jenny!

Congratulations, Jenny! Just send us your snail mail addy to Three_Silly_Chicks@yahoo.com, and we'll send you your prize!

Also, Chris, Lisa Yee, Linda Skeers, Joann, & Cyn all win Chick Magnets for being the first five folks to enter our contest! Send us your addresses, folks! And thank you for playing!!!!

Final clue!

Just a quick little note to remind everybody that today is the day we announce our Mystery Guest!

We've had some wonderful guesses so far. Some of them may be wrong. Some of them may be right!

If you haven't guessed yet, do it now!

If you have guessed, guess again!

We will pick the winner from all the correct guesses.

And for one final clue: Our mystery guest is not a grouch, but probably knows one!

Hmmm. Who could it be? Just leave us a message with your guess!


Winners will be announced tonight when the Chicks are done with dinner. That means about 6:30 central time (Or longer if we eat taffy for dinner. Which we often do.)

Good luck!

Mystery Guest Contest: Clue Three!

Sing along, everybody:

Mystery Guest . . .
Are you ready for our Mystery Guest?
Will he be a dream? Hmmmm?
Or a dud? Awwww!

No way our guest is a dud. No way at all!

Though we didn't think we would tell before the contest ended, we have changed our yellow brains and decided to say that no one has yet guessed our guest! Say that five times fast!

So, it's time to break out some new clues, one or two. (Typed up in blue.) We love a rhyme. Don't you?

Just post a message to enter your guesses! Contest ends on Friday!

Mystery Guest Clues:

1. Bigger than a bread box.
2. More hair than Kenny Chesney but less than Chewbacca
3. He's living (at least the last time we checked)
4. Writes AND illustrates kids' books
5. Does not write in rhyme. At least not at this time.
6. He's for the birds.


Good luck!

Mystery Guest Contest: Clue Two!

Remember folks, this contest is like a Chicago election. You can vote early and vote often. Heck, you can even vote if you are dead! Everyone else in Chicago does!

Here's Clue Number Two!

Clue Two: Our Mystery Guest has more hair than Kenny Chesney and less hair than Chewbacca (see scientific figure 172.3)


Scientific figure 172.3:









Pretty obvious who it is now, eh?

A Celebration and a Contest, too!

What's going on?

The Three Silly Chicks are fluffin' up our feathers, cleaning off our glasses, breaking out the tortilla chips, and getting ready to celebrate!

"Why?" you ask. "Because," we answer, "our anniversary is almost here!"

We began our blog on September 14, 2006 and what a year!

We've read so many great & funny books and interviewed some of our favorite funny writers and illustrators: Lisa Wheeler, Lisa Yee, Aaron Reynolds, Cyn & Greg Leitich Smith, Kevin O'Malley, Esme Codell, David Lubar, Kara & Jenna LaReau, John Manders, Dori Chaconas, Margie Palatini, Kelly DiPucchio!

Interviewing fantastic, funny people is our favorite thing (next to bean dip), so we can't wait to interview more fantastic, funny people!

But first, we feel like having a party and nothing puts us in the party mood faster than bean dip! Sadly, nothing ends a party in a small coop faster than bean dip.

So we're going to have a contest, instead! And here it is:

Mystery Guest

Are you ready for our Mystery Guest?

1. Contest begins NOW!
2. Guess the secret identity of our Mystery Guest! (Click on "comments" down below to leave your guess.)
3. All correct guesses will be entered in a drawing for the grand prize*
4. Grand prize winner will be announced on September 14!
5. First five entries will win a Chick Magnet**
6. First Clue: Our Mystery Guest is bigger than a bread box

* Grand Prize is one of the following:

• A vat of bean dip
• An emu
• An emu in a vat of bean dip
• A super-duper-bag-o'-goodness from the Three Silly Chicks. Bag includes autographed copies of books by Andrea Beaty, Carolyn Crimi, and Julia Durango. Also includes assorted items from our drawer of silliness (not to be confused with our silly drawers as shown here.)

** Chick magnets are not guaranteed to attract chicks, hot babes, hot Emus or hot tamales. May present a choking hazard to Emu, ostriches, and other humorously large birds. Chick magnets are guaranteed to look extremely cute and hold scraps of paper on your refrigerator door so you can ignore them while searching for bean dip.

A Dog Needs A Bone

A Dog Needs a Bone
Written and Illustrated by Audrey Wood
The Blue Sky Press
ISBN-10 054500005X


One silly chick couldn't believe her luck when she passed a book on the bookstore shelves that featured a PUG and was written and illustrated by the fabulous Audrey Wood. Swoon City! True, she had to push aside a few pesky four year-olds who naively thought the book was for them. But honestly, that's what they get for standing in the way of a Chick on a Mission.

The persistent Pug in this tale wants just one thing--a bone, goshdarnnit! He will gladly sweep floors, answer phones and treat his mistress like a queen on a throne, all for a simple bone. We can relate. The three silly chicks have been known to do all that and then some for a scoop of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce.

We love that Audrey Wood created these illustrations with crayons on brown paper bags. What could be easier than to have kids make their own books using these materials? Kids will also love finding all the bones hidden on each page.

Not only does Audrey Wood own two Pugs, she also has 20 chickens. Paging Audrey Wood! We want a chicken book, please!

Uneversaurus

Uneversaurus

by Professor Potts
David Fickling Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-75119-3

It's a funny thing about non-fiction picture books. They usually aren't very funny. But now and then, a book shows up that tickles our funny bones and teaches us just a little bit, too.

Uneversaurus is just that kind of book. Okay, we must admit that were a little slow to get the title (You-never-saw-us!). We thought it was the actual name of a chick-eating dinosaur, but we are small birds with glasses and are a paranoid about things that eat small birds with glasses.

Kids will be drawn to this book's cool cover with an eye that changes to a dinosaur and will giggle over the funny illustrations and comments from the two narrating dinosaurs. All the while, readers will learn some important scientific concepts. How do scientists use clues to figure out what dinosaurs really looked like? How would environment, predators, prey, gender and age affect how they (The dinosaurs, not the scientists) looked? Did old dinosaurs wear false teeth and use canes?

Uneversaurus is a book both serious and silly! Great for art classes and science classes alike!

Dear Readers: What are your favorite funny non-fiction books? Enquiring minds (and Silly Chicks) want to know!

In the Coop with Kelly DiPucchio

Kelly DiPucchio is the author of some of our favorite funny picture books, like Bed Hogs, Dinosnores, and Mrs. McBloom Clean Up Your Classroom! She is smart, funny, skinny and blond, and yet for some strange reason we still adore her. We are hoping that her character Grace from her upcoming book Grace for President is elected when she grows up.

www.kellydipucchio.com

How do you know when what you write is funny?

When my dog laughs. And usually after I’ve written something that totally cracks me up I can’t wait to call my husband at work to remind him just how funny I really am.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

Shy away from certain topics like nursing homes, flesh eating bacteria, and dying family pets. Sure, just the right combination of all three could be downright hysterical, but on their own, not so much.

You should also remember who your audience is. Have you ever had a 5-year old tell you a joke? They usually go something like this, What did one French fry say to the other French Fry? Hey! We’re both French fries! I’m not suggesting that as children’s writers we have to completely dumb down our humor, but I’ve come to learn over the years that sometimes simple really is better.

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

My parole officer could probably answer that question better than I can.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

Just how far down can this page scroll?

MY LITTLE SISTER ATE ONE HARE by Bill Grossman, THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A BOOT and MRS. BIDDLEBOX by Linda Smith, MEET WILD BOARS by Meg Rosoff, LEONARDO, THE TERRIBLE MONSTER by Mo Willems, JUNIE B. JONES by Barbara Park , and pretty much anything by Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, Lisa Wheeler, Carolyn Crimi, Margie Palatini, Mike Reiss, Lauren Child, M.T. Anderson, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Edward Gorey, and Beverly Cleary.

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

Hmm…probably not BED HOGS. That story takes place in a pig sty. Mrs. McBloom’s cluttered classroom already strikes an eerie resemblance to my home. I’d have to say, LIBERTY’S JOURNEY because that book features New York City and San Francisco.

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

Call me a knucklehead, but I’m really more of an Abbott and Costello kind of gal.

What was your best Halloween costume?

If you must know, I’m a costume curmudgeon. I’m just one step away from wearing one of those lame THIS IS MY COSTUME t-shirts. The funny thing is, I so love and appreciate the clever and creative costumes that other people create. I’m just not a very crafty person so you can pretty much count me out of anything that involves a hot glue gun and a trip to the fabric store.

However, one year, when Martha Stewart was in prison, I did show up to a Halloween party wearing prison stripes and I brought a tray of pretty pink cupcakes that were decorated with cute little nail files. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to eat the pretty cupcakes because, as it turns out, nail files in pink baked goods just don’t scream, Yum!

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

That’s easy. I would be a Fairy Godmother. Does that count as a job? Just think how much fun it would be to go around granting wishes for people all day long!

If I absolutely had to pick a dream job that was a little more grounded in reality, I would probably choose to be a landscape photographer on location in Hawaii.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Mime. He’s a silent killer.

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?

Funny or not, I’m not so sure I want to meet any dead people.

If you could create your own TV show, what would it be about?

I’d create a new reality TV show called SO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACT.

The show would track the lives of several children’s book authors who go on Hollywood auditions, informing influential casting directors that they are qualified and entitled to star in feature roles on television and in film because they write books for kids.

Heh-heh-heh.

Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet

The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet
Written by Brian Anderson
Illustrated by Doug Holgate
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1-4169-1366-5
www.ZackProton.com

Leapin' Leptons! Commander Zack Proton is back in a third installment of this illustrated chapter book series featuring a bumbling Inspector Clouseau-type space hero and his brainy primate sidekick, Omega Chimp. Interspersed with comic strips, top-ten lists, quizzes, instructional manuals, and tips for young space heroes, these easy-to-read books provide a smorgasbord of slapstick humor with a side of banana peels.

In book three, Commander Zack, Omega Chimp, and their FE-203 robot, "Effie," are detained on their mission to find Zack's missing spaceship, the Risky Rascal, by a disappearing planet, 16 million smelly pigs, and a bad drycleaning incident. But not to worry! In a classic comedy of errors, our space heroes once again save the day and restore peace to the galaxy in a wacky, freshly-scented finale. Introduce this series to your favorite comic book-loving 7 to 10 year-olds, then point them to the "Fun Stuff" at www.ZackProton.com, including printable coloring pages, a Zack proton ad-lib story, and an alien transmission for fans to decode.

In the Coop with Margie Palatini

We here in the coop anxiously await the next Margie Palatini book the way some people might wait for the next in the Harry Potter series. The author of Piggie Pie and Moosetache is Queen of the Funny Picture Book and always good for a giggle. In fact, we'd make her a crown out of eggs and feathers if we could figure out which glue to use.


How do you know when what you write is funny?

Do you ever really "know?"
Funny is so personal. What one person thinks is humorous, another doesn't get at all. But I will usually have a feeling, if something works or doesn't-- for me.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

I'm not sure someone can write funny or be funny if they don't naturally think funny.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

I have so many favorites, it's difficult to name them all.
"Funny" out-loud, "funny" clever, "funny" charming, "funny" silly.
Some of my "funny" faves:
Junie B. Jones, Olivia, David Shannon's David, Alligator Boy by Diane Good and Cynthia Rylant. My own book faves: Bad Boys, Sweet Tooth, The Web Files.

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

Wow. That is difficult, because I've worked with such delicious illustrators--I would like to live in any of the books on which we've collaborated. I love Three French Hens, because it feels so cinematic--and I like the holiday fantasy and the New York and Paris scenes, so perhaps that one.

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

The Marx Brothers. They are outrageous, clever, verbal, physical, fabulous.

What was your best Halloween costume?

I'm not much of a Halloween person, but my favorite costume was Norma Desmond, with my husband as "Max." (Of course, very few people even knew who we were . . .) eh.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

I would love to be in a Broadway musical, or have my own restaurant, or be in charge of throwing a spectacular party.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

I'm going to pick Bruce Willis for both of them. (Refer to Die Hard With a Vengeance.)

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?

Too difficult! My list is way too long--Jack Benny, Gracie Allen, Judy Holliday, Johnny Carson, Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Thelma Ritter, Jack Parr, Gilda Radner...

Some of your books, like Moosetache and Bedhead, are about bad hair days. (We sense issues there.) If you could switch hair with someone, who would it be?

It's always the hair, isn't it?

Actually, it's my son who has the issues--with perpetually bad hair days. Me?...You know what they say -- be careful what you wish for. I think I'll just stick with my own.

Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog

Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hotdog

by Patrick Loehr
Katherine Tegan Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-082327-6

Mucumber McGee is feeling a little peckish. Alas, there is nothing in the house to eat! He scours the pantry and looks through every cupboard – all of them bare. Luckily, the icebox holds a great surprise! Tucked in the very back is one single, solitary raw hotdog. Mucumber snarfs down half of the hotdog before his sister arrives with terrible news. “Don’t you know, Mucumber, that hotdogs are made of meat? And fleshy meat that is not cooked is deadly bad to eat!”

As his sister explains, Poor Mucumber is destined to die. She even has a diagram to illustrate the effects of eating a raw tube steak: innards + bacterium + the theory of relativity = death! It’s all over for Mucumber. He’s toast! There’s nothing to do but go to his room and wait for the end. Luckily, Mucumber’s mother is much wiser than his sister and all’s well that ends well. Of course, all is even better that ends in a great feast for a very hungry boy!

This is a simple tale of hunger and the power of suggestion illustrated in a delightfully dark and slightly sinister style. Loehr mixes his own delightful style with one part Edward Gorey, one part Addams Family, and one part hotdog and comes up with a delicious tale!

Just Grace

Just Grace
Written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 0618646426

We love feisty characters. We love feisty female characters. But what we really love are feisty, female, funny characters, and nine year-old Just Grace is just that.

Blessed with "empathy superpowers," Grace cooks up a creative solution to help out her neighbor, Mrs. Luther, the strange and scary big kid teacher who lives next door. But when Grace's plan backfires, she's forced to team up with her least favorite person in the whole world, Sammy Stringer. Sammy is the kind of boy who enjoys lion poop and who manages to get every piece of food stuck in his teeth. (There's one in every class!) The two third-graders arm themselves with oven mitts and go on a quest to find Mrs. Luther's cat Crinkles. In the end, we see that Grace has changed her mind about the poop-loving Sammy Stringer when she wonders, "Maybe he's got magnetic teeth. Maybe that's why food gets stuck there." (We would like to nominate those two lines for Best Last Lines Award, if there is such an award, which there should be.)

Parents and teachers will love the subtle lesson about empathy and kindness. Kids will love the strong, funny voice and quirky illustrations. We happen to love the illustration of the squirrel in running shoes. There's something for everyone here!

Wee Hairy Beasties

Animal Crackers
by Wee Hairy Beasties
Bloodshot Records
ASIN: B000IOMVYQ
weehairybeasties

You may think that all we chicks do on any given day is read silly books and eat sprinkled donuts. And you would mostly be right. But every now and then, we chicks get a bee in our bonnet to shake our tail feathers and our groove things and our whatnots. And when we do, we crank up ANIMAL CRACKERS by Wee Hairy Beasties for delicious, romp-stomping tracks like Flies on My Taters, Ragtime Duck, and A Newt Called Tiny ("I call him Tiny because he's my newt.")

Featuring Kelly Hogan, Devil in a Woodpile, and British punk rockers Jon Langford and Sally Timms of Mekons fame, these Wee Hairy Beasties know how to raise the roof and rock the roost. Kids will eat up these jiggle-wiggle songs like coco pops while parents fall to their knees in gratitude for a children's music CD that doesn't induce nausea after more than one listen.

If you're anywhere near Chicago, check out Wee Hairy Beasties LIVE at Lollapalooza (Kidzapalooza Stage) at Grant Park on Saturday, August 4. At least one chick will be there cutting a rug with her chiclets. Put your boogie-woogie pants on and join the fun!

Pest Fest Winners!

Congratulations to Silvia Hix and chatrabbit! Please send your snail mail information to three_silly_chicks @yahoo.com and we'll get these buggy books out to you ASAP!

Our thanks and pest wishes to everyone who played!