Mr. Pig Live with Petal and Poppy!

Greetings! Mr. Pig here with another exciting episode of my hit talk show, Mr. Pig LIVE! Today we have TWO special guests, the stars of the much-loved early reader series by Lisa Clough and Ed Briant. . .

PETAL AND POPPY!

Welcome, you two. So nice to have you in the Cottage. Let's get right to the burning questions our readers want to know.

What are your full names? 

Petal: Petal. I don’t think I was ever given a second name.

Poppy: Poppy! (like Madonna, I’ve never used a last name.)

What one word best describes you?  

Petal: Oh, dear. This is a hard one. Just one word? Shy? Anxious? Worrywart? Scardey-cat? Elephant?

Poppy: Super-Cool-Rhinoceros! (I put the dashes in so it really is one word, not three.)

Do you have a belly button? 

Petal:  Oh, dear. I do not know. Do elephants have belly buttons?
Poppy: I do! I do have a belly button, but you can’t see it, even in my two-piece bathing suit because the bottoms are too high up. But, trust me, it’s there. (I think). 

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring? 

Petal:  Poppy and my tuba.

Poppy: Petal.

What is your idea of the perfect day? 

Petal: Waffles for breakfast with Poppy and Penguin. Penguin is a very good chef. Then practicing my tuba and reading for the rest of the day. Maybe tending my flower garden if the weather cooperates.

Poppy: Waffles for breakfast, sailing, and snorkeling all morning. Maybe skydiving or parachuting in the afternoon if the weather is warm. In winter it’d be ice climbing and snowshoeing. Then a fancy spread picnic with Petal and Penguin. Then dancing. Then reading. Then dinner. Then chocolate cake. Then bed.

Chocolate cake then bed sounds good to me. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? 

Petal: Invisibility.
Poppy:  Flying, definitely.

What are you reading right now?  

Petal: “Essential Elements of the Tuba- Book 1.”

Poppy: “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” by Gertrude Stein.

What is your favorite word?  

Petal: GA!
Poppy:  Bonzai!

If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be? 

Petal: George and Martha, and the One and Only Ivan!
Poppy: George and Martha, and Rotten Ralph.

If a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for? 

Petal: There is nothing I really need, except I would ask for one hundred more books about Poppy and me.

Poppy: I would like to be a rock star in my own cartoon series! It would be called POPPY ROCKS. Petal could be in it and play her tuba (as long as she gets better), but I’d be the lead.

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? 

Petal: Today’s To-Do List, a notebook, a pen, and a blue button that I need to sew back on the my dress.

Poppy: Swimming goggles, bits of lint, an old melted half-eaten chocolate bar and a Valentine card.

What is your most embarrassing moment? 

Petal: Um. There are far too many. A better question would be what is your least embarrassing moment? In which case I’d say playing tuba while Penguin honked and Poppy danced the time when Penguin first came over.
Poppy: Oh, getting lost in the haunted house and tripping over the suit of armor.

Ouch! What is your pet peeve? 

Petal: Muddy footprints, fleas, dirty dishes, the sound of nails scratching on the blackboard, etc…

Poppy: The only pet we have is Penguin. He’s pretty independent but drops by on occasion, especially when it is storming out or if he’s hungry.

What was it like working with Lisa and Ed? 

Petal: It is pretty good. I like them. I really like the way I look in my butterfly costume. I could have a few more lines here and there. Hopefully there will be more opportunity to speak my mind. If the genie wish from the earlier question does come true and we do get to be in another one hundred books I’d like to transform into an elegant, self-assured elephant by the final book. Thank you for asking me all these questions—it was very interesting. I hope I answered them okay.

You did great. And what about you, Poppy — what was it like working with Lisa and Ed? 

Poppy: Brilliant! Amazing! Fantas-ti-co! Fabulousity all around! Can’t say enough about them! Everyone should have a chance to work with them. Lisa keeps me smart and active with some good lines and Ed makes sure to capture my best side. Although sometimes I wish Lisa would write me into a rock band and give me a good song to sing, and then Ed could draw me a leather jacket and boots with rhinestones. We definitely need more books, so tell them to get on it, please, and pronto!

And I’d like to say super THANKS for interviewing us! I loved your questions! Wahooo!! (I’m sure Ed and Lisa thank you, too.)

My pleasure! Speaking of Ed and Lisa, let's tell our readers more about them—and thanks, both of you, for visiting. 

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The Petal and Poppy books are the first collaborative work between husband and wife team, Ed Briant and Lisa Clough. There are three titles in the series with a fourth released later in 2015.

Lisa Clough (Jahn-Clough) has been in the field of children’s books for over twenty years as author, illustrator and professor. She has written and illustrated numerous picture books with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt including, Alicia Has a Bad Day, My Friend and I, and Little Dog. She is also the author of three young adult novels. She divides her time between Portland, Maine and southern NJ, where she is a tenured professor at Rowan University.

Ed Briant worked as an editorial illustrator for many years and began illustrating children’s books in 2004. He has published both picture books and novels for Flux-Llewelyn, Roaring Brook, Greenwillow Press, Atheneum, and Houghton. He is the author/illustrator of the weekly comic "Tales from the Slushpile," published online with Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf. He currently teaches at Rowan University and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

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Petal and Poppy
978-0544133303

Petal and Poppy and the Penguin
978-0544113800

by Lisa Clough and Ed Briant

(HMH Books for Young Readers)


"Bright colors enhance the digital and whimsical illustrations. The use of panels and text bubbles works well for visual cues and decoding skills of new readers." —School Library Journal

"The vibrant, graphic illustrations in comics-style panels and text aimed skillfully at newly emergent readers combine to tell a heartwarming story of how unexpected courage, kindness, and compromise can strengthen friendships. New readers will look forward to more adventures from Petal and Poppy." —Booklist

Petal and Poppy And The Spooky Halloween

"Simple text combines with short, but not stilted, sentences, and colorful, humorous illustrations with just enough dark to retain the Halloween feel."—Booklist Online

"Angular, digital animal cartoon characters keep the tone upbeat, while large panels emphasize each detailed scene with cheerful colors. A howling good addition that celebrates a favorite holiday"
—School Library Journal

"Clough is able to inject the story with light doses of humor and suspense, even within the vocabulary limitations typical of the format."—Publishers Weekly