In the Coop with Kara and Jenna LaReau

In the Coop with Kara and Jenna LaReau

Hurray! Hurray! It's a very special day! We are celebrating with two of our favorite talented chicks--who also happen to be sisters!

Kara and Jenna LaReau are the uber-talented writing & illustrating team who brought us the Rocko and Spanky series of picture books. Really folks! What could be cooler than a sock monkey on a Vespa? NOTHING!

Kara is also the author of UGLY FISH which is one of our favorite funny picture books. These chicks are funny, smart, and obviously photogenic as you can see by their lovely photo!!! Welcome Sisters LaReau!

http://www.lareausisters.com/
http://lareausisters.blogspot.com


How do you know when what you write is funny?

K: When Jenna tells me. Seriously, she is my comedy barometer, and often, my inspiration.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?

It's all about rhythm and word choice, and being willing to make unexpected decisions to catch your audience off-guard. With Rocko and Spanky, their names alone elicit chuckles; the legwarmers and roller skates and maracas are just the icing. And most of the reason we think Ugly Fish is funny is the page turns (and of course, Scott's illustrations).

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

Kara spent most of her elementary school career sitting in the corner; those old-school teachers just couldn't tolerate a female class clown. As Jenna followed Kara in school, she had to face all those teachers with bad memories of the OTHER LaReau sister, so Jenna learned how to turn on the charm from an early age. Though we came to it in different ways (one getting into trouble, one getting out of it), we both realized we had a knack for entertaining.

What are some of your favorite funny books?

Honestly, it's hard to know where to start. As kids, we loved Shel Silverstein, Edward Gorey, Roald Dahl, Hillaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children, Dr. Seuss, and Beverly Cleary. And there was a book about how to become a competitive rollerskater that Kara read zealously when she was 7-8 years old, but that's only funny in retrospect. And it's funny-sad, not funny-ha-ha.

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

Definitely Rocko and Spanky's crib. Ugly Fish's tank is too wet and briny, Snowbaby's is too chilly, and the world of Top Secret isn't exactly relaxing. Sock monkeys really know how to entertain, and they have a flair for decor.

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

Neither. We're not so much into the slapping and poking and drawn-on, bushy eyebrows. We'd rather watch old episodes of the Carol Burnett Show.

What was your best Halloween costume?

Kara's "best" was when she went out as a tube of toothpaste. She wore a white pleated lampshade on her head and a long T-shirt on which she drew the Aim logo. Unfortunately, just about everyone thought she was a lamp; it was her first experience as a misunderstood artist, though certainly not her last.

Jenna's best was when she went as Superman, because our mother allowed her to get a storebought costume. It was one of those with the mask and plastic onesie that tied in the back. Not surprisingly, Jenna kept the cape and wore it for some time afterwards; she displayed a panache for accessorizing even then.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?

For Jenna, a magician (a la Houdini, not Doug Henning). For Kara, a seat-filler at the Academy Awards. Or a professional rollerskater.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

Though clowns might appear the obvious choice (they're vicious with a seltzer bottle), mimes have street smarts and stealth on their side. Also, when in danger, they can always box themselves in.

Funniest dead person you?d like to meet?

Dean Martin or Gilda Radner.

Bad Bears Go Visiting

Bad Bears Go Visiting
by Daniel Pinkwater
Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 978-0-618-43126-7

Irving and Muktuk are the kind of bad bears kids love to love. They cheat at cards, escape from the zoo, and generally make mischief every chance they get. When their friend Larry introduces them to the concept of "Visiting," these Bad Bears have to try it for themselves. They visit the Beachball family. Of course, they bring a present (the bush from the front lawn makes a lovely gift), snack on doughnuts with sardines, and play indoor volleyball until the zoo keeper and police arrive to take them back to the zoo. (Again.)

Irving and Muktuk are wry, playful, and silly. But best of all, they are sneaky. As Daniel Pinkwater writes, "Though polar bears are very large, they are among the best sneakers in the animal kingdom." Who knew? Jill Pinkwater! That's who! With the simplest of lines, she captures the mischievous heart of this daring duo and makes us want to join the fun! And there's plenty of fun to be had. BAD BEARS GO VISITING is fun, plain and simple.

Where is the Cake?

Where is the Cake?
by T.T. Khing
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-0-8109-1798-9

It's sad but true. Sometimes, Silly Chicks have short attention sp . . .

Every now and then, we enjoy a super fast read. And what could be faster than reading a book without words? As it turns out, reading a book with words! At least that's the case when the book without words is the newly translated picture book called WHERE IS THE CAKE? by T.T. Khing. This title was originally published in Dutch as "Waar is de Taart?" (You don't really need to know that. We just like saying, "Waar is de Taart?")

This book contains two of our favorite things: Cake and looking for cake. Two very odd, possum-like creatures steal a cake from the dog family and high-tail it through an ever-changing landscape of dense forests, bamboo jungles, strange rock formations and mountains. Readers must track the mischievous marsupials and, of course, the cake. Easier said than done! Each maze-like page is filled with tiny exotic creatures, each on their own adventure. Why is the baby bunny wailing? Is that snake stalking the young piglet? Is that a chameleon sitting in the wet paint? Each frame introduces new characters and clues that will have kids (and adults) flipping pages back and forth with delight trying to figure out what is going on! It's enough to make you forget all about cake! Well . . . almost. WHERE IS THE CAKE? is simply a treat for book lovers of any age.

The Peep Patrol

A few ground rules concerning tomorrow's festivities:

1. Do not put all your chocolate eggs in one basket. Put some in ours, too!

2. Anyone caught microwaving a peep will immediately be reported to the SPCP (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Peeps) and placed in the coop's time-out corner with either a clown or a mime, whichever one you loathe more.

3. No bunny ear jokes. No. Bunny. Ear. Jokes. We mean it. We are not wearing these headache-inducing ears for your amusement. Oh...wait a minute. Yes we are. Yes indeed. Oops. Nevermind.

Happy Easter!

(Thanks to children's librarian Lori McCarter for the chick pic!)

The Perfect Nest

The Perfect Nest

Written by Catherine Friend
Illustrated by John Manders
Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763624306

Oh how we love Spring here in the coop! Everywhere we look we see chicks and eggs! We feel the love. We get especially light-headed whenever we see a new chick-and-egg book, which is why we practically passed out when we saw The Perfect Nest.

In this hilarious tale, Jack the Cat, who's hungry for an omelet, decides to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken who would lay the perfect egg. A perfect plan! Things turn out even better than Jack imagined when his cozy nest attracts a chicken, a duck, and a goose, all of whom lay eggs. Jack drools in anticipation. Now he has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in one nest. But the frisky fowl don't want to leave. After lots of failed attempts, Jack is finally able to trick them into leaving by telling them there's an even better nest at the next farm. They fly the coop, leaving their eggs behind. Alone at last, Jack is just about to crack open his glorious eggs when suddenly out pops a baby chick, a baby duck, and a baby goose. All three think the wily feline is their mama and proceed to follow him around the farm, much to Jack's dismay. How can he eat something that calls him mama? He can't, of course, and after a snuggle fest with his new brood he realizes that he has made the perfect nest after all.

Tight writing and lively illustrations make this book a chick magnet. We love the idea of pairing it with An Egg is Quiet by Dianne Aston for an absolutely eggcellent storytime. And that's no yolk! (Oh, geez, sorry 'bout that. It couldn't be helped.)

Detective Small in the Amazing Banana Caper

Detective Small in the Amazing Banana Caper
Written & Illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 978-0-618-47285-7

Fireman Small fans rejoice! The little guy with the big schnoz is back, only this time, he's a detective on the trail of a banana thief. A slippery criminal to be sure! "From Chinatown to Little Havana/Uptown, downtown--not ONE banana!"

It's up to Detective Small to find the villain and he doesn't waste a moment. Small zips around town on his Vespa collecting clues which lead him to one suspect: an ape in a zoot suit. But when Detective Small nabs his ape, he begins to suspect that the big ape has been framed. It's up to Detective Small to peel back the layers of this case to find the real banana thief.

With tight, rhyming text, Wong Herbert Yee creates a fast, fun adventure for Detective Small. Visual jokes abound in Yee's charcoal and watercolor illustrations making each page a treat. Our favorite is the police lineup of yellow-clad suspects which includes a Tour de France leader, a dog in a banana suit and Curious George's pal. (We always thought that man in the yellow hat was a little cheesy.) Detective Small in the Amazing Banana Caper is simply great fun. Case closed.

A Very Serious Matter

We are quite concerned here in the coop. It has come to our attention that the books by Dav Pilkey are often on the bestseller's list. We don't approve of this at all. His books are juvenile and distasteful. While reading them we often find ourselves asking, "Why underpants?" If Captain Underpants is indeed a captain, shouldn't he wear a captain's hat? Or maybe a nice pair of brown oxfords? We just don't get it. We'd like to encourage you to stop reading Dav Pilkey's books altogether. Ask your friends, teachers and librarians to take them off the shelves, put them in a box, and bury them in the woods.

Ha ha! April Fool's! Did you really think we'd diss The Great Guru of Goofiness? The man who embodies the very essence of threesillychickness? No way! In fact, in honor of The Sultan of Silly we have decided to wear our underpants on our heads all day.

In case you were wondering, they are definitely NOT thongs.


Happy April Fool's Day! We hope you have a very silly day! For a good laugh, visit Dav's website-- http://www.pilkey.com/

A meme!

We've been tagged for a meme by Mother Reader. This actually happened last week, but we were confused.

We thought meme was the sound the Road Runner makes when he sneaks up behind Wiley Coyote causing the Coyote to fly into the air and hit the road just in time to be hit by a truck.

Mee-Mee.

That sound scares us. We are only small chicks (with glasses) and could so easily be crushed by dropping coyotes or coyote droppings.

We were relieved to learn that a meme is a survey, not a funny cartoon noise!

So, we are happy to respond to Mother Reader's very generous invitation and we will now name our favorite NON-kids lit blogs. Our apologies for taking so long!

We love these blogs:

A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette
The Lipstick Librarian (Diary of a library fashionista)
Found Magazine - a journal of odd things found here and there.
Boing Boing - A directory of wonderful things
Writers Almanac - Cause sometimes you need a poem and a little bit of calm
Go Fug Yourself - Bad fashion made snarky


We are supposed to tag others for this Mee-Mee, but we don't want to frighten anyone with our wily sound. So, consider yourself tagged if you are brave. Just leave us a note if you wish to play, and tell us 5 of your favorite non-kidslit blogs!

And speaking of Mother Reader, in today's post, she includes a poem from one of our favorite new books, REACHING FOR SUN by the gloriously talented Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

Mee-Mee!

Bwock! Bwock! It's a Book!!!!!

March is almost gone, and while most people are trying to figure out if March came in like a lamb or a lion, we are having a celebration in the coop!

That's because yesterday was the official release date of Julia Durango's beautiful new book, ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME illustrated by Elisa Kleven (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing- ISBN 978-0689862526)

ANGELS is a tender, beautiful, inspiring lullaby perfect for bedtime or any quiet moment.

Julia talks about the inspiration for ANGELS in her blog.
Hurray for Julia!!!! Hurray for ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME!

By the way, if you're still trying to figure it out, March might have come in like a lion this year, but it's going out like an Angel!

In the Coop with David Lubar

It's hard not to like a guy who writes about teen misfits with super freaky powers.

It's even tougher not to be excessively fond of a guy who writes about alien devices that can turn you into Elvis Presley or Queen Victoria.

But it's absolutely impossible not to love a guy who writes about weenies of various sorts.

Hence, we chicks adore David Lubar. Keep reading and join the fan club!

How do you know when what you write is funny?
I have an immediate urge to share it with anyone who has the misfortune of being nearby. This is especially the case with small things – one liners or bits of dialogue that I become sort of like a yapping lap dog as I chase my wife down and start chanting, “Read my blog. Read it now. Please. Right now.” It’s much harder to get someone to drop everything and immediately read a whole novel. I suspect my comic sense has also been honed by exposing myself to huge quantities of humor. I’ll always opt for a funny book, or movie, over a sad one. I watch a lot of standup comedy, and try never to miss Jon Stewart. I’ve also done enough reading aloud to get a sense for what works. There’s no tougher audience than 7^th graders.

Do you have any tips for writing funny books?
I think the main thing to keep in mind is the audience. A stunningly funny passage that requires the reader to be familiar with Henry Mancini, the classical Aztec language, and the exact caloric content of a guava might work fine with a MENSA member, but is going to die on contact when offered to a teen. I should also point out that while there are times when I set out to write something funny, such as when I’m writing a short humor piece, a blog post, or my VOYA column, most of the time I just write, and I have no idea whether any particular scene will be funny, dramatic, horrifying, beautiful, or all of the above. I’ve never sat down with the intention of writing a funny novel. Maybe that’s why the comic and dramatic intertwine in my works. Don Gallo recently asked me for a funny story for his next anthology. I started out with something light, but the plot took a major twist into darkness, and ended up being the most intense story I’ve ever written.

Has being funny ever gotten you into or out of trouble?
Into trouble on a daily basis. There is this constant flow of puns running through my brain, and I sometimes can’t resist the urge to share them. Being funny probably got me out of some trouble in college because many of my professors found me at least mildly amusing and tended to cut me a break in any sort of borderline situation.

What are some of your favorite funny books?
All of Douglas Adams books, any of Donald Westlake’s humorous novels, The Portable Dorothy Parker (if you feel an instant urge to Spoonerize that title, I feel your pain), The Far Side, P. J. O’Rourke’s books, Chris Crutcher’s King of the Mild Frontier, Joan Bauer’s Rules of the Road, all of Jean Shepherd, James Thurber, and Bruce Coville, to name a few.

If you could live in one of your books, which one would you choose?
Dunk. I set it at a place I love – the Jersey shore. If I could also work in the dunk tank, that would be perfect. I’d have them buying hacksaws to get through the bars. Humor can be so wonderfully lethal.

Who do you like more, The Marx Bros or Three Stooges?
While I’m definitely able to enjoy the Stooges, I love the Marx Brothers. They are brilliant in so many ways, from wordplay and slapstick humor to elaborate comic setups and stunningly absurd or surreal situations. Each of the brothers contributed in a special and unique way. While Groucho stands out from the group, I always thought Karl was under-appreciated.

What was your best Halloween costume?
The best idea I ever had was for me and my wife to dress up as Atari joysticks (this was back in the early 1980’s, when I was working as a game designer). Unfortunately, I’m not very good with cardboard. And even if I was good, I doubt it’s possible to make a joystick costume that actually allows the wearer to sit. Since we wore the costumes to a party, that was a bit of a problem. My best costume as a kid was a skull, based on instructions from Famous Monsters of Filmland’s Monster Makeup Book.

What is your Dream Job for a Day?
Stand-up comic. Or the guy who gets to arrest tailgaiters.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.
Clowns are evil and they are unafraid to fight dirty. The mime goes down in the first ten seconds. Except for his eyes, which remain on the clown’s fingertips, like weepy olives.

Funniest dead person you’d like to meet?
Dennis Miller. I know that, technically, he might appear to still be alive. But the comic part of him seems to have died. If I met it, maybe I could convince it to recapture his body and exorcise the humorless, conservative demon that is controlling it. As for someone who is dead in all senses of the word, and probably making the most of it, that would have to be Charles Addams.

You’ve written about Lawn Weenies and Road Weenies. What kind of weenies can your readers look forward to next?
In September, kids will be able to warm up to Campfire Weenies. I’m pretty excited about this collection. Along with the usual creepy and funny stories, I have a couple sort of mystical ones that popped up out of nowhere. But the title story is definitely a funny one. Especially if you’ve ever encountered Girl Scout songs. I even have a story that explains why clowns are so creepy.

Farmer Ham

Farmer Ham
by Alec Sillifant
Illustrated by Mike Spoor
North-South Books
ISBN: 978-0-7358-2134-7

If there's anything Silly Chicks love, it's a bunch of sassy old birds sitting around cracking themselves up. It reminds us of . . . well . . .us!

The crows on Farmer Ham's farm are fat and sassy. They should be. They spend their days eating the farmer's corn. Try as he might, Farmer Ham can't get rid of them. His yelling and arm waving sends them into fits of laughter. The crows flap up to the phone lines where they sit and taunt him, "Silly Old Farmer Ham!" Finally, Farmer Ham hatches a plan, but it doesn't require any arm waving or yelling. Day after day, he calmly heads to the pond and fishes out an old boot, a ratty scarf or some other slime-encrusted piece of clothing. All the while, the sassy crows mock the farmer. But in the end, it's Farmer Ham who gets the last laugh.

Many of Spoor's lively illustrations are from the crows' perspective and that's where the humor lies. The crows are a funny, clever chorus drawn with pizazz. The close-ups of their tear-filled eyes and knee-slapping fits of laughter contrast perfectly with the steadfast, good-natured Farmer Ham who plods merrily along in search of a solution to his problem. The smooth text and energetic illustrations combine to make a book kids will enjoy immensely.

Happy Bird-Day Julia!!!!

Happy Bird-Day Julia!

We've all been warned to "Beware the Ides of March!"

Well move over you nasty old Ides! There's a new chick in town with a reason to celebrate! It's Julia Durango's birthday!

And doesn't she look Seussical in her birthday chapeau?

We love Julia and hope you'll stop by to wish her a Happy Bird-Day, too!

And in case you didn't know it. Here are 3 important facts about Julia.

1. Julia is the author of SOOOO many amazing books with many more to come. You can find out more here and here!

2. Julia was once crowned Miss Silly-Chick-In-Green-Glasses 2007. It happened about 1 minute ago. She is still waiting for the tiara because Andrea is a sore loser and won't give it up.

3. Besides being an amazing author, Julia is beautiful and smart and sassy and an amazing mom and also the silliest chick we know and we all love her!

Happy Happy to you, Miss Silly-Chick-In-Green-Glasses 2007! May you rule the coop forever!

We have a winner!!!!

Hurray! Hold on to your red-and-white-stripish hats!!! We have a winner for our Dr. Seuss Celebration Contest!

Come on down Bookbk!!! You win!

And what do you win, you wonder? A plethora of prizes! A bounty of booty! A mother lode of loot!!!

Yes, Bookbk, you win your very own copy of A HATFUL OF SEUSS, your very own Three Silly Chicks Coffee Mug which we didn't even use to drink from (though it made a nice temporary bowl for our goldfish while we cleaned out the tank), and an assortment of unexpected and inexplicably small silly surprises which we would enumerate, but we don't know what that word means.

Congratulations to you and special thanks to all the others who entered, even though they lost and are now very, very sad people but we still love them. And we know that they won't be sad for long because we are sure to have more contests for them so everyone can be a winner!!!!

Bookbk - please e-mail us with your snail mail addy and we will mail your bounty of booty right off to you! Three_Silly_Chicks@yahoo.com

Poultry Friday

It's Friday in the coop and we're feeling extra silly today, so we'd like to take this Very Special Moment to give homage to one of our favorite funny fowls:

Foghorn Leghorn

Voiced by the uber-talented Mel Blanc, and star of Looney Toon classics such as Banty Raids, Weasel While You Work, and Strangled Eggs, we think Foghorn deserves top roost in the Poultry Coop of Fame.

Foghorn Leghorn: We salute you...ah say, we salute you, son!

p.s. Only 48 more hours to enter our Seussarific contest. Go, go, go!

The Snack Smasher: And Other Reasons Why It's Not My Fault

The Snack Smasher: And Other Reasons Why It's Not My Fault
by Andrea Perry
Illustrated by Alan Snow
Atheneum, 2007
ISBN 0689854692

The Three Silly Chicks are so relieved. We finally understand why we sometimes have bad hair days. No, it's not our hair--it's those awful Scary-Hair-Fairies! We're also relieved to learn that we are not going crazy (contrary to popular belief). There really are Ink Drinkers, thirsty and sly, who sip our ink when we're not looking. And, well, we just knew we didn't snore. It's those dastardly Snorists, of course! The Chicks certainly don't snore.

This zany poetry collection is all about the pesky hobgoblins who create havoc in our lives. We think students will have a great time coming up with their own monsters. What about that big goon who lives in the washing machine and eats our socks? What a pain he is. Or how about the mischievous imp who steals our car keys whenever we're late? That guy needs a name.

We love that this book is out in time for Poetry Month! Funny how that happens.

Contest! (Deadline March 10th)

I know it is wet
And the sun
Is not sunny.
But we can have
Lots of good fun
That is funny!*

Happy Bird-day,
Dr. Seuss!

In honor of the Cat, the Lorax, the Grinch, and the Man himself, Theodor Seuss Geisel, the chicks are throwing a party in the coop!

WHO'S INVITED? All sneetches (star-bellied and otherwise), whos, obsolete children and YOU!

WHEN? Today through March 10th (midnight, CST).

WHERE? Down below, in the comment section.

HOW? Surely you don't need us to tell YOU how to party, but might we suggest sharing one of your favorite Seuss books, characters, or quotes?

THEN WHAT? Hop on over here to send a birthday card to the Cat. (For every card sent, Random House will donate a book to First Book!)

IS THERE A DOOR PRIZE? Of course! Everyone who comments will be entered in a random drawing. The winning entry will be pulled out of our fantabulous party hat (see above) and announced on Sunday, March 11th, as soon as the chicks wake up and spring ahead. The prize is a surprise. (But if you're one of those people who likes to peek, take a look here and here.)

*lifted from The Cat in the Hat..but you knew that already!

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!