A Book Birthday for Enzo Races in the Rain . . . with a Giveaway!

Yes, good dog, Enzo! Come here, boy. . . that's a good puppy. . .  do you wuv your Mr. Piggy-wiggy?

Oh. . . *cough*. . . I didn't realize you were here. Ahem, right then. This is Enzo! Isn't he cute? Say hi, Enzo!

<<Bark!>>

Good boy!

You're probably wondering why I'm wearing this birthday hat. We're throwing Enzo a party! A book birthday party! Enzo Races in The Rain, the all new picture book starring Enzo, the lovable pooch from Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in The Rain, is officially out in the world TODAY!

And . . .  as a special treat, we have co-creators Zoë B. Alley and R.W. Alley—who developed the book based on Garth's Stein's character and story—with us today! They've generously provided a signed copy of Enzo Races in The Rain for one lucky fan of The Little Crooked Cottage! There are several ways to enter the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment about a beloved pooch in the comments section below.
2. Comment on our Facebook page.
3. Tweet this post with #EnzoGiveaway on Twitter.

That's worth wagging your tail for, is it not?

<<Bark, bark!>>  Enzo thinks so.

MP: Welcome, Alleys! Congratulations and happy book birthday!

ZBA: Why, thank you, Mr. Pig. Thanks for hosting us.

MP: This is such a cool project — tell me a little bit about how it came to you.

RWA: Well, the publisher (HarperCollins) was searching for an illustrator for this new series, which is different from looking for an illustrator for a stand-alone book. Since Garth Stein and Zoë and I share the same literary agency, though not the same agent, I was asked by the editor to sketch my image of what Enzo and his world might look like. Luckily, my drawings clicked with both author and editor, and I signed on to do the pictures. However, at that point, the picture book manuscript was still in flux. Knowing that Zoë is an accomplished author for children (here, ZBA replies, "Awwwwww!!!" modestly), both editor and agent asked us if we could work on the words, too. 

ZBA: What he said! (here, RWA says, "wait, aren't you an author?!") Yup -- I'm an author! Words are important . . . ok, so I'll use more of them here! In addition to what my dear husband has just replied, I would add that reading the adult novel (The Art of Racing in the Rain) helped me to visualize Enzo's world textually, and helped me to know that we could both co-author a really nice manuscript for this project.

MP: In the novel, Enzo is an endearing and believable canine narrator, but he's written for an older audience than the picture book set. What was it like adapting his voice and story for younger readers?

ZBA: Well, for me, writing for this younger picture book audience is basically how I think! (Perhaps I am actually just 5 years old at heart...??!!). So, I didn't really have to do too much cognitive thought (ooh, deep phrase!) on how I wanted to represent Enzo. His voice and story felt the same to me in either version -- is that weird?! Maybe, but I guess that's how my writing comes out through my hand.

RWA: I found the theme of the novel as conveyed through Enzo's personality was basically ageless.  Our task seemed to be to pare away the adult oriented bits of story and characterization, and focus on Enzo's quest for "home," which is pretty universal, and certainly something to which kids can relate.  The story in this first picture book introduces the reader to Enzo. The remaining three picture books in the series (maybe more, who knows...?!), will focus on other events in Enzo's life, which may go beyond the novel's story.

MP: Wait. . . did you say three more picture books?! That's great news! Look how happy Enzo is!

<<Bark, bark!>>

I love how you captured Enzo's voice. It's as if you guys speak "dog" just the way Enzo wishes he could speak human. Are you dog owners?

<<<ZBA and RWA laugh loudly>> While the book is dedicated to our daughter and son-in-law's dog, Minni, we have never had a dog. Neither of us did as kids, either! Huh! (Again, is this weird?!)

MP: Not really. I have never in my life owned a pygmy marmoset, and yet they gravitate towards me like I'm the marmoset whisperer. Go figure. Anyhoo, this one's for RW . . .  Did you have a model pooch for the project? What was some of your inspiration for the art?

RWA: In picturing Enzo, I took my clues from Garth Stein's description in the novel. I did many sketches, and even made a clay model of the dog. (ZBA:  he's a great sculptor, too!) I took to observing keenly dogs passing on the street. The aforementioned Minni, was also a useful model for movement, not size (she's a chihuahua!). For drawing style, I have always loved Garth Williams' (another Garth!) renderings in pen-and-ink of animals of all sorts, but especially dogs.

MP: Fascinating! You've collaborated on two other children's books, but this is the first time you've co-written a book. Tell us a little bit about how the writing collaboration worked? 

ZBA: Yes, working together to write was new for us. To date, I have been the word person; he the picture guy. While sharing in the writing process was different for us, it felt not unfamiliar, strangely. We have been married for 33 wonderful years and, as such, have spent much of that time together, at home, working and sharing life things.  Including our two lovely, now young adult, children! (Not to mean that we don't venture out into the world. We do, actually!) So, basically, we felt right at home (haha!) sitting next to each other on our couch and, well, writing! We felt comfortable creating together, and really complemented each other's styles. 

RWA: What she said!  But also, Zoë is great at creating voice for her characters, and this really allows the work to flow easily. I think one of the things that I add, is the idea of pacing and knowing what can be said through pictures instead of text. This allows us to get to the 32-40 page format that most picture books require. 

MP: What's next for you two?

RWA: Well, tonite, we are going out to Chan's to hear a blues guitarist, because we DO go out! Oh, you meant bigger picture? (haha!) I am writing and illustrating four books in a series that will begin publication next fall. And, there's Paddington, which is always ongoing, especially with the movie coming out this Christmas.

ZBA: He's funny, right?! Well, there are the three contracted additional Enzo picture books, of course. And, I have some stories out being reviewed by editors at this very moment...aaarrrgggghh! So, we'll see what's next for me!

MP: How exciting! We can't wait to read them all! And. . . when all your new books come out, please come back and visit us in the Cottage. We'll throw another party—with party hats! And balloons! Right, Enzo?

<<Bark, bark!>>

Enzo Races in The Rain
by Garth Stein
with Zoë B. Alley and R.W. Alley
illustrated by R.W. Alley
HarperCollins Publishers, 2014
ISBN: 978-0062295330

Meet Enzo the puppy, one very special mutt. Enzo knows he's different from other dogs. He's sure of it. But people never understand him when he barks, and it drives him crazy!

Life on the farm is pretty quiet -- except when he races the cars that come down the barn road. Because Enzo is fast!

But when Enzo meets a little girl named Zoë and her father, Denny, everything changes. Enzo embarks on an action-packed adventure as he makes the long journey from the farm to the city, discovers just how big the world is, and finds the family that was truly meant to be his.

Zoë B. Alley and R.W. Alley are the husband and wife author-illustrator team behind Enzo Races in the Rain (HarperCollins, 2014) There's a Princess In The Palace (Roaring Brook, 2010) and There's A Wolf At The Door (Roaring Brook, 2008).

RW Alley has illustrated well over one hundred board books, picture books, early readers and chapter books, including the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond (HarperCollins). In 2010, he received a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award for the illustrations for Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Kate McMullan (Dial).
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For twenty-six years, Zoë and RW Alley have lived in Barrington, Rhode Island, where they raised their two, now young-adult, children.

 ************************************

Praise for: There's a Princess In The Palace:

 

"Delightfully fractured even after reconstructive surgery, this run-on fairy tale would find itself on the shelf between War on Peas and One Hundred Years of Sillitude
a. if it would fit and
b. if it wasn't so much fun to read." —David Macauley

★“This will enter the rotation of bedtime favorites.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED

★“Marvelous for anyone with a wry sense of humor, There’s a Princess in the Palace deserves a place in every library.” —School Library Journal, STARRED

★ “Within a graphic-novel format, the tales of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the Frog Prince and the Princess and the Pea develop familial and hilarious interconnections while retaining the stories’ traditional structures…Smartly hysterical.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED

 

SUSAN DOUPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Garth Stein is the author of A Sudden Light, Raven Stole the Moon, How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets, and The Art of Racing in the Rain.  The Art of Racing in the Rain has sold more than 4 million copies in 35 languages, and spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list.  It has inspired a Young Reader edition as well as a children’s picture book adaptation (2014), a stage adaptation by Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, and is currently in development with Universal Studios for a major motion picture.

After spending his childhood in Seattle and then living in New York City for 18 years, Garth returned to Seattle in 2001, and lives there currently with his wife, three sons, and their dog, Comet.

ENTER TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF 

ENZO RACES IN THE RAIN

1. Leave a comment about a beloved pooch in the comments section below.

2. Comment on our Facebook page.

3. Tweet this post with #EnzoGiveaway on Twitter.

* Winner will be announced next week! *

Loved to Pieces. . . with Zoë B. Alley

Today, we are thrilled to welcome our good friend and fellow Rhode-Islander Zoe B. Alley to the Cottage! Zoë is the author of two fabulous collections of fractured fairytales: There's A Princess in the Palace and There's A Wolf at the Door which she collaborated on with her husband and frequent guest in the Cottage, award-winning illustrator R.W. Alley. 

Zoë was kind enough to share her first favorite book with us (well, her first four favorite books to be precise). 

                                                

What a daunting project – selecting my most cherished childhood book!  (You guys don’t mess around, do you?!!!)  Well, obviously, I will now become the “margin writer” that seems to be genetic in my family – we never could just “answer the question” and, as a result, did poorly on standardized tests!  As I hope you are not grading my reply, I will attempt to provide you with an answer…well, maybe with four! 

As a descendant in a long line of readers – both as the reader and the “readee” – I have an initial innate difficulty with separating the book from the experience of being read to; mostly by my mother.  She was a fabulous reader, and I have many lovely memories of her reading these books to me.  

While the books “My Sister and I” (by Helen E. Buckley, illus. By Paul Galdone), “I Can Fly” (by Ruth Krauss, illus . by Mary Blair), and “The Sky Was Blue” (by Charlotte Zolotow, illus. By Garth Williams) all hold a deep and very dear spot on my short (now long!) list of favorites, the all time winner has to go to…are we all ready?

"My Hopping Bunny” written and illustrated by Robert Bright. It was, and remains, a book of immensely cozy proportions for me, with an oft-quoted final message about a little bunny who exceeded his comfort level, as well as his geographic boundaries. We now quote Mr. Bright’s immortal line, “But he knew – Oh he knew!  He had hopped too high.” (Please read with my mother’s inflection on the “Oh he knew!” part!!!)  Hmmm…was she giving me a message here?  Psychologists, start your engines!!! 

---------------------------------

Having grown-up in a family of “literary grammarians,” I have always been interested in words, recited and written. From an early age in Natick, Massachusetts, I participated in both theatre and music-related events, finishing up a whirlwind career in my early teens as a perpetual chorus member! I have, however, learned to deal with this fateful blow. I rallied, and am at long last thrilled to call myself an “Author” and see my words in print with the publication of “There’s a Wolf at the Door” and “There’s a Princess in the Palace”! I enjoy writing for being, among other things, a career that allows me to sit on the couch – my office! -- in my pajamas and play with a pen and paper!

As the very proud wife of illustrator R. W. Alley, and the mother of two wonderful children – Cassandra and Max – I remain thrilled! School-wise, I received my B.A. from the University of New Hampshire, and my Ed.M. from Boston University. We live in Barrington, Rhode Island, and used to have a pretty fish named Yoshi, who liked to watch tv but, well, you know fish! 

Five “riotous” retellings of well-known nursery tales (such as The Three Little Pigs), all starring the very same dastardly wolf, who is just trying to get a meal! They are presented with “vim and verve” in comic panels and puns by the spousal duo of Alley and Alley.

STARRED REVIEWS:

Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

The Horn Book

A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Online Best Graphic Novel

Shortlisted as a Finalist for the online Cybil Awards

"Like their 2008 collection There’s a Wolf at the Door, with which this volume shares its oversize format, the Alleys’ panel-art versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Frog Prince, and The Princess and the Pea are part retelling, part parody. Knit together with some creative genealogy, the stories downplay beauty and romance and concentrate on feisty dialogue... This will enter the rotation of bedtime favorites."

--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review


"The team who dreamed up the hilarious There’s a Wolf at the Door is back with princess fairy tales that are as fluid as they are fractured. This colorful, oversize graphic novel is packed with puns, witticisms, and sarcastic asides... Marvelous for anyone with a wry sense of humor... deserves a place in every library."

--School Library Journal, Starred Review


"The Alley duo spread the joy... into another oversized and overstuffed (with giggles, that is) volume. Within a graphic-novel format, the tales... develop familial and hilarious interconnections while retaining the stories’ traditional structures... Smartly hysterical."

--Kirkus, Starred Review

Mr. Pig Visits . . . R. W. Alley

Hello! You've caught me on my way to visit the amazingly talented illustrator R.W. Alley. 

He's the illustrator of many books, including the Pearl and Wagner series, There's a Wolf at the Door, and the popular series starring this little guy:

Paddington Bear by Michael Bond, HarperCollins, UK

Today he's giving me a tour of his studio today. Very exciting!

Here we are. Oh dear--I can't reach the doorbell. Perhaps I should knock. Better yet, I'll just let myself in...

Hi, Bob! (May I call you Bob?) Okay, you're busy. Pretend I'm not here... 

 
I'll just poke around...

Oh, look! A ladder! Do you go up there to take naps?

Only ocassionally. Mostly it's so I can reach the far-up books, and the loft, which is full of old drawings and stored artwork.

Ingenious! Tell us how you came up with this fascinating studio-ladder contraption?

Well, I've always wanted a studio with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a rolling library ladder. Legos were employed to explain the plan to our builder. In the end, he suggested that Zoë and I leave the house for the afternoon while the ladder was installed. Apparently, the process was not intuitive, unlike Legos. However, all worked out fine. 

I love Legos. Hey, what's this?

This was a present to the third grade Bobby Alley from its sculptor, Anna Hyatt Huntington. We were living in South Carolina at the time. Ms. Huntington had a studio just north of Charleston. In that era of letter writing, one letter from a third-grader was all it took to receive multiple invitations to her studio. Ms. Huntington couldn’t have been kinder. She gave me how-to-draw books on animals and particularly horses. Sadly, the how-to-draw horses proved ineffective. Mrs. Huntington also gave me this small bear. I never mounted it on a fancy base. I like being able to pick it up and imagine her hands shaping the clay.

Oh, that's lovely. I have a favorite bear, too. His name is Teddy. (But please keep that between us.) Tell me about these feathered friends...

This is my favorite Christmas ornament. When it’s not on the seasonal conifer, it decorates the drawing board lamp reminding me of a favorite, old-school, quiet children’s book: The Wheel on the Chimney by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated brilliantly by Tibor Gergely.

Let's see if I can find it... here it is.

Good thing you have that ladder. Aha, a first edition... very rare and valuable! I'll just set it down... Oops! Er... that's washable paint, right? Ahem, anyway...who are these little fellows?

I’ve always made small, painted clay figures of characters from books--my own and other folks’. Our son, Max, seems to have inherited this hobby, too. The studio is full of lots of these guys. These are some of our combined efforts.

What is it they say about the family that sculpts clay figures together? 

I'm pretty sure no one says anything about that. 

Right. Do you think you could make me a Mr. Pig?

I think that could be arranged. 

______________________________

R.W. Alley has illustrated more than one hundred books for children, including the popular Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond. The newest are Paddington Goes for Gold, a picture book, and Paddington Races Ahead, a novel, both published to coincide with 2012 London Olympics. In 2010, he received a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award for Pearl and Wagner One Funny Day by Kate McMullan. He is also the illustrator of two, large comic panel formatted books: There’s a Wolf at the Door, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and There’s a Princess in the Palace, written by his wife, the talented Zoë B. Alley.

For more about R.W. Alley, visit his website and his very fun and fabulous blog.