COVER REVEAL . . . Joe and Sparky, Party Animals!!!

It's Friday . . . who's ready to party? We're doing the conga here in the Cottage because we just received the cover of JOE AND SPARKY, PARTY ANIMALS! by Jamie Michalak and Frank Remkiewicz. YOU, dear readers, are the first to get a sneak peek!

When Joe and Sparky happen across a surprise party, they have a fabulous time. It's so fun that Joe decides to throw a surprise party in honor of his pet worm, Wiggy -- except that nobody has ever seen Wiggy. According to Joe, Wiggy leads a busy life. Sometimes he is sailing his ship. Sometimes he is climbing mountains. Sometimes he is playing with his band, the Worms. (They are even bigger than the Beetles!)

Soon it's party time. All the animals in the cageless zoo arrive with cake, presents, and even a band. But there's still no guest of honor. Where is Wiggy?

Young readers will revel alongside the hilarious duo in this story about being willing to take a leap of faith for a friend -- especially if there's a party involved.

Ooh, this sounds funny! I hope we'll finally get to see Wiggy.

Here's what Jamie said about creating this book, the fourth Joe and Sparky early reader:

"Kids have asked me if Joe's pet worm, Wiggy, is real or imaginary. I wasn't entirely sure myself, so I wrote this book to find out."

JOE AND SPARKY, PARTY ANIMALS! will be congaing into bookstores and libraries in summer 2017!

Our Summer Plans, and a THANK YOU!

The Cottagers have left the building—but don't worry, it's just for the summer. We'll be back in September with a full schedule of all your favorite features: Mr. Pig Live, Literary Lunch, Behind-the-Book, Little Crooked Bookshelf, Quote of the Week, Studio Visits and more.

Head on over to our pal Dylan Teut's blog to see previews of new releases coming in fall/winter 2016 and 2017. We hope to feature a whole bunch of them in the Cottage next season.

And speaking of new releases, Kara, Anika and Jamie all have new books out this summer! So in addition to lounging on the beach, reading in hammocks and roasting marshmallows under the stars, we'll be on the road meeting readers! We hope you'll come out and celebrate with us at one of our upcoming events.

Here's what we've got cooking:

Kara's LaReau

"Hi, friends! My summer's looking busy, busy, busy, as I have three projects in the works — a revision for the second book in the Unintentional Bland Sisters trilogy, a new chapter book I'm preparing for submission, and a contemporary middle grade novel I'm drafting. When (and if!) I have any downtime this summer, I'm hoping to enjoy some fun in the sun with my family, including some quality time with my toes in the sand, both here and in our favorite vacation spot, Camden, Maine.

Last but not least, my new chapter book series, The Infamous Ratsos, launches on August 2nd! Check out my calendar of appearances on my website — hope I'll be seeing you!"

-
Anika Denise

Happy Denises in Oxford, MD!

On sale 7/12/16 HarperCollins

"Fresh off attending the amazing ALAAC16 in Orlando, I'm rolling into a vacation with my family on the eastern shore of Maryland—one of our favorite spots to kick back, swim, kayak, grab a bushel of crabs and a bucket of beer (root beer for the kids) and RELAX. Which is great, because after the week off, I'll be gearing up for the launch of a new picture book, MONSTER TRUCKS, and the release of BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S in a new, super-sweet board book edition.

I'm really looking forward to attending the CHILDREN'S BOOK CELEBRATION at the QUEENS MUSEUM on July 10th, as well as celebrating the launch of MONSTER TRUCKS at two great events: THE HARVARD COOP on July 13th  and  BARRINGTON BOOKS on July 16th.

If you're in the neighborhood, please swing by and say hi. I'd love to meet you! You can visit my author site for details on these and other upcoming events.

Vroom, vroom! Hope to see you soon!"

Jamie Michalak

Taming the Beast

Frolicking

"When not working my day job at Hasbro, I'll be frolicking in the sun, reading a stack of creepy mysteries, and binge-watching "The Good Wife." I'll also attempt to tame my unwieldy WIP, a 97,000-word-and-counting novel I started too long ago to admit without weeping. Will this be the summer I finally whip it into shape?! Yes. Yes, I say!

Soon I'll be gearing up for the publication of four NEW books, including Joe and Sparky, Party Animals! But more on that later. . . . Happy lazy summer to you!"

Mr. Pig

Piggy Bahama

"It's a summer of travel for me! First stop is NYC, to see Hamilton! (If you're wondering how I got tickets, let's just say, it helps to be a world renowned pig.)

Cowtown Rodeo Giant Cowboy

Next, I plan to visit the Brandywine River Museum's exhibition: GET THE PICTURE! CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION. I'll drop in on some relatives who live on a farm down there, then head to New Jersey to see my friend Midge, who's performing a limited engagement at the Cowtown Rodeo, 'the oldest weekly running rodeo in the USA.'

I'll spend the remaining weeks on the road, reading, making notes in my travel journal, and doing research for a new cookbook I'm writing, titled Chicken, the Only White Meat. (Porcine Chef Press 2017). See you in September!"

We want to thank everyone who visited the Cottage this year and took the time to read and comment. An extra special thanks goes out to our guest contributors who shared their time and talents with us.

Josh Funk
Brendan Kearney
Audrey Vernick
Maria Gianferrari
Thyra Heder
Ellen Potter
Kelly DiPucchio
Eric Wight
Samantha Berger
Mitali Rose Perkins
Deb Pilutti
Tara Lazar
Troy Cummings
Laurel Snyder
Linda Ashman
Nancy Tupper Ling
Stephanie Ruble
Jessica Haight
Stephanie Robinson
Megan Maynor
Rosalinde Bonnet
Tim Miller
Julie Falatko
Joyce Wan
Trisha Speed Shaskan
Stephen Shaskan
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Wendy BooydeGraff
Bryan Langdo
Lindsay M. Ward
Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Megan E. Bryant

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WELCOME BACK! Our Summer Vacation & a Question for YOU*

Mr. Pig here, back home in the Enchanted Woods after a summer of travel, adventure, and a few mishaps. (Word to the wise: never stay in a b & b made of straw!)

Anyway, my fellow Cottagers--Anika Denise, Kara LaReau, Jamie Michalak--and I are back for another exciting year! We have many celebrity guests lined up. Stay tuned for tours of art studios and writing spaces, my interviews with children's book characters (like, er, Bacon), book recommendations, and more!

Sadly, our fifth Cottager, the talented and hilarious Kristen Tracy, is leaving us to move to California. Sniff! We'll miss you, Kristen!

What did the other Cottagers do over the summer?

ANIKA announced some stellar book news! Abrams acquired her new picture book series STARRING CARMEN, in which Carmen, a thespian extraordinaire, struggles to share the spotlight with her little brother. Lorena Alvarez is on board to illustrate. Publication is slated for spring 2017 for the first volume, with the second to follow in spring 2018. Read the full announcement in PW here! 

In between visits to the Adirondacks, Chesapeake Bay, and various Clam Shacks throughout Rhode Island, Anika plugged away at revisions for a new picture book and continued work on her middle grade novel. She also successfully grew tomatoes, kale and cucumbers in her garden—but had a little trouble with squash. 

Happy as clams -- Anika & Christopher Denise hanging with their family in Warren.

KARA spent her summer finishing two revisions: one for the first book in her new series, THE UNINTENTIONAL ADVENTURES OF THE BLAND SISTERS, and one for the second book in her INFAMOUS RATSOS series. She’s also waiting to hear about several projects out on submission, and has two new picture books and a new chapter book series in the works. Somehow, she managed to find time to relax on the beach with her husband and toddler. 

Kara strolling in Narragansett with her beach-loving cutie.

JAMIE received happy news -- her early reader, JOE AND SPARKY GO TO SCHOOL, is 1 of 52 Great Reads by the Library of Congress at this year's National Book Festival! She spent her summer writing a top-secret project, teaching "The In-Betweeners: Writing Early Readers and First Chapter Books" workshop with Kara at the Highlights Foundation, and revising the forthcoming JOE AND SPARKY, PARTY ANIMALS! (Candlewick Press, 2017), illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.

Jamie also learned to play darts, read a stack of creepy middle grade mysteries, took the Lays potato chip challenge (New York Reuben FTW), and caught waves with her sons.

A race to the shore. Jamie bodyboarding with her oldest son in Westerly.

* What have YOU been up to this summer? Tell us what we've missed -- and what great books you've read! Write the book title(s) and your name, if you wish to share it, in the Comments section. We'll share your suggestions in a future post.