Mr. Pig LIVE… with LITTLE BLUE BUS!

Greetings, race fans! Today on MR. PIG LIVE! we have a very special guest. Put your giant foam hands together for...

LITTE BLUE BUS!

<<Whistles>> <<Applause>>

She's the star of the all-new high octane Halloween picture book, MONSTER TRUCKS, from Anika Denise and Nate Wragg!


Before we begin, let's play the trailer. . .


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MP: Wow! I'm on the edge of my seat!  
LBB: Yup. That's how I roll.

MP: Let's get right to it. What is your full name? 
LBB: Little. Blue. Bus.

MP: What one word best describes you?
LBB: I've been told I'm quite perky.

MP: Do you have a belly button?
LBB: No, but I have a round hood ornament, does that count? It's an audi. *snort*

MP: What is the best thing about being you?
LBB: 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds

MP: What is the worst thing about being you?
LBB: My turning radius leaves a little to be desired.

MP: If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
LBB: Four spare tires and a trunk full of gas cans.

MP: What is your idea of the perfect day?
LBB: Can I say my perfect night? (I'm a bit of a night-bus.) Alone… on the speedway… with the wind at my taillights.

MP: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
LBB: Hmm, I was going to pick invisibility, but then no one would see me cross the finish line. So I'll go with flying. I'd be unstoppable with some wings and a jet engine!

MP: What are you reading right now?
LBB: Winning by Jack Welch.

MP: What's your favorite sound?
LBB: Crowds cheering!

MP: What's your least favorite sound?
LBB: Werewolf Truck's howl. *shiver*

MP: Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
LBB: Well, I do have this one big secret… but if I told you, it would be a spoiler.

MP: Fair enough. If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?
LBB: That Little Blue Truck seems nice. I've heard the garbage truck from I Stink is a barrel of laughs. And I bet I'd have loads in common with the race car in Race Car Dreams.

MP: If you have a pocket, what's in it right now? 
LBB: No pockets, but there are some mints in my glovebox. Help yourself.

MP: Don't mind if I do. What is your most embarrassing moment?
LBB: The time I tooted in line for gasoline.

MP: Do you have a pet peeve?
LBB: Peeve? Is he here? That's Ghost Truck's third cousin. He's always hanging around.

MP: What was it like working with Anika Denise?
LBB: She's a little like a mad scientist. But I mean that in the best possible way.

MP: Well, that's a wrap, as they say. Read more about MONSTER TRUCKS and its mad scientist creators below. Then join us for a scrumptious MONSTER TRUCKS Literary Lunch, made by Nina from Mamabelly! 

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MONSTER TRUCKS
by Anika Denise
illustrated by Nate Wragg
(Harper, 2016) 

★ “Full-throttle Halloween fun.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In the energetic rhyming text…the action never stops." —The Horn Book

“Sure to get cheering children on the edges of their seats...monster-truck fans won’t want to miss this Halloween showdown.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Bright, bold illustrations bring characters like Zombie Truck, Frankentruck, and Werewolf Truck to life....with lots of movement in the text and on the pages, this is a quick seasonal storytime selection that is sure to be popular around Halloween. Monstrous fun!” —School Library Journal

Anika Denise is the author of several critically acclaimed books for young readers including her latest, MONSTER TRUCKS, which Publisher’s Weekly pronounced, “a mash up made in heaven (or maybe hell)” in a recent starred review. When not writing tales of vroom and doom, Anika can be found zipping around her hometown of Barrington, Rhode Island in her monster minivan, or reading not-so-scary stories with her husband and three kids. Visit her online at www.anikadenise.com or on Twitter @AnikaDenise.

Nate Wragg is the illustrator of TOO MANY COOKS by Margaret McNamara, GOLDI ROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton, and AT THE OLD HAUNTED HOUSE by Helen Ketteman, among other titles. He’s an art director, an illustrator, and now a monster truck expert. Nate lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife and their wonderful daughter. To learn more about Nate's work visit http://n8wragg.blogspot.com.

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A MONSTER TRUCKS LITERARY LUNCH

prepared by Mamabelly Lunches with Love!

Meet Little Blue Bus from MONSTER TRUCKS, written by Anika Denise and illustrated by Nate Wragg. Little Blue Bus is "perky and cute" so what is she doing in the Monster Truck Race? Find out in this delightful kids' book with a surprising twist!

Nina from Mamabelly made a frightful lunch to match:

• MONSTER TRUCKS vanilla yogurt with chocolate decoration
• frightful mac'n'cheese puff creatures of the night
• a Little Blue Bus sandwich with jelly, (s)cream cheese and chocolate

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Want more fun literary lunch ideas? Follow Mamabelly here:

* web: www.mamabelly.com

* facebook: www.facebook.com/MamabellysLunchesWithLove

* twitter: @LunchesWithLove

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!"

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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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Save the Dates! . . . Fun Events for Kids (and one for Grown-ups!)

The Cottagers will be out and about during the next coming months, and YOU are invited to join them! Check out these FREE fun events for all ages -- and a night out for grown-ups, too!

JUNE 4: HUBBUB FEST! 
Boston, Copley Plaza / FREE for all ages

Wowza! Don't miss this year's HUBBUB fest, celebrating creativity for kids. Presenters include Jeff Kinney, Kevin Hawkes, Peter H. Reynolds, Ame Dyckman, Zachariah Ohora & many more! Swing by the Candlewick Press booth at 1:30 & say hi to Cottager Jamie Michalak, who will be signing her books!  

Special appearances from Maisy and Guess How Much I Love You's Nutbrown Hare. Visit hubbubfest.org or Hubbub for more details.

Giant puppets at Hubbub!

Creating characters at Hubbub!

Kara LaReau's Storytime at Henry Bear's Park

JUNE 4: STORYTIME WITH KARA LaREAU 
Providence / FREE for all ages
Henry Bear’s Park at 11 AM

Get lost in a good book with Cottager Kara LaReau! Based out of Providence, Kara's stories will delight young audiences with imaginative stories and a creative cast of characters!




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JULY 12: MONSTER TRUCKS releases!
Vroom, vroom! Look for Cottager Anika Denise's irresistible new picture book anywhere books are sold!

JULY 13: MULTI-AUTHOR LAUNCH EVENT
Harvard Square Coop at 7:30 PM
Cambridge, MA / FREE for all ages
Join authors Anika Denise, Jennifer Goldfinger and Ammi-Joan Paquette for a reading and signing of their new books!

JULY 16: MONSTER BASH - MONSTER TRUCKS LAUNCH PARTY! 
Barrington Books from 6 - 8:30 PM
Barrington, RI / FREE for all ages
Start your engines for an after-hours MONSTER BASH, featuring a reading and book signing, refreshments for kids (and grown-ups), contests, giveaways and more!

More Monster Trucks events coming soon!

JUNE 17: KIDLIT DRINK NIGHT
Pawtucket, RI / Children's' Book Peeps

BreakTime Bowl and Bar  from 7 - 10 PM

A night out for children's book authors, illustrators, editors, designers, teachers, & librarians! 

Do you like children's books . . . and boozin' and schmoozin'? Do you also like (or at least tolerate being in the presence of) bowling? Join us at this kitschy-cool, old-school bowling alley/bar in Pawtucket's Hope Artiste Village.

JULY 28: PROVIDENCE KIDLIT STORYTIME
Greater Kennedy Plaza - 11 AM
Providence, RI/ FREE for all ages

Join Cottagers Kara LaReau and Anika Denise, along with authors Gaia Cornwell and Christina Rodriguez for stories and art in the park!


Hope to see you around town! 

Cover Reveal. . . Monster Trucks!

This is a treat! Today, we get to debut the cover of MONSTER TRUCKS (Harper Childrens, 7/12/16), a new picture book by Cottager, Anika Denise, illustrated by Nate Wragg!

Ready, set, go! The monster truck race is on in this frightfully delightful picture book.  On a spooky speedway, Monster Trucks moan! Monster Trucks grumble! Monster Trucks groan!

Join Frankentruck, Zombie Truck, Ghost Truck, and more as they race to the finish line. But one of these trucks isn’t quite who you think.

That sounds fun! 

Here's what Anika and Nate said about creating this book:

"I've always wanted to write a Halloween book, since Halloween is my favorite holiday. This one started out as a little scribble of an idea in a notebook, and then, the words came. I hope kids enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it." —Anika Denise

"I felt like I was getting to draw everything my five year old self would have loved to have seen and read about in a book. The whole experience was a blast for me." —Nate Wragg

Vroom, vroom! MONSTER TRUCKS will be racing into bookstores and libraries in summer 2016!