MR. PIG LIVE!

Hello, and welcome to my talk show . . .  

MR. PIG LIVE!

Today I have a very special guest. He’s the star of Adam Lehrhaupt’s energetic new picture book, Warning: Do Not Open This Book!

Before introducing him, let's take a look at a clip to see our star in action.



Wow. That’s bananas. Let’s give a big round of applause for . . . MONKEY!

Q. Thank you for joining us, Monkey. Is that the name you usually go by? 
A. My full name is The Monkey, but my friends just call me Monkey.

Q. What three words best describe you? 
A. Whimsical. I would definitely use whimsical. No idea what it means. It just sounds good, doesn’t it? “Look at that whimsical monkey over there. You can see the whimsicalness oozing off of him.” It’s like Pithy. Pithy just sounds like something you want to be called. Um, what was the question again?

Q. This is a personal question, but . . . do you have a belly button? 
A. I thought I did, but I can’t find it right now. Mandrill has one for sure though. I’ve seen it.

Q. What is the best thing about being you? 
A. Oh, the best thing? That’s a tough one. It would have to be bananas. Bananas are great. Or my tail. My tail is pretty cool too. Ok. I want to go with my tail. It’s prehensile. That means I can use it like a hand. Sometimes I hold bananas in it when my other hands are full.

Q. What is the worst thing about being you? 
A. I’m not a big fan of toucans and lately, they seem to be everywhere. Toucans are loud and unruly. Just when you have everything set up all nice, they come along and cause a ruckus. Toucans, phooey.

Q. Phooey indeed! What is your favorite word? 
A. Banana.

Q. What is you least favorite word? 
A. Trap.

Q. When do you feel the happiest? 
A. After. After a swing. After a sleep. After a meal.

Q. Do you identify more with Goldilocks or the three bears? 
A. The porridge. I definitely identify with the porridge. That stuff is good.

Q. What is your favorite sound? 
A. Ukelele in the treetops.

Q. What is your least favorite sound? 
A. Alligators.

Q. If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? 
A. I am currently without a pocket. I would be glad to take one if you have an extra. Then I could put stuff in it.

Q. Do you have any siblings? 
A. 2 brothers and 4 sisters. But I’m the oldest on account of me being taller.

Q. What is your pet peeve? 
A. People that close books.

Q. What was it like working with Adam Lehrhaupt? 
A. Working with Adam? All-in-all, I’d say it was a pretty cool experience, but you need to watch out for that hair. On rainy days it’s like it’s trying to attack you. His hair gets in everything. He sheds more than Mandrill in the spring. I keep telling him to shave it like all those other writers do. The bald and bearded look is totally in this year. Not Adam. Nope. He’s all, “My hair this. My hair that.” He made a mess everywhere. It was terrible, just terrible.

Q. Do you mean this hair?



















 

A: Yes.

Well, that's about all the time we have, folks. Thanks for being on my show, Monkey!

Tune in next time when I interview another talented mystery guest. Hint: he’s one tough cookie! 


About the book “Children won't be able to resist the urge to turn the page as they wade through caution tape, warning signs, and scenes of chaos. The madcap mayhem includes monkeys stealing the illustrator's tools to paint their own drippy forest, a flock of swooping toucans, and an alligator sprawled across several spreads. . . . . More fun than a barrel of monkeys!’ --School Library Journal





About the author
Adam Lehrhaupt has traveled to six continents, performed on Broadway, and lived on a communal farm. He firmly believes that opening a book is a good thing, even if there are monkeys in it. Adam currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife and two sons. Adam’s first book, Warning: Do Not Open This Book!, released on August 27th. For more about Adam, visit www.adamlehrhaupt.com.

About the illustrator 
Matthew Forsythe is an author and illustrator living in Los Angeles. He works at Cartoon Network as lead designer on the show, “Adventure Time.” The first picture book he illustrated, My Name is Elizabeth, written by Annika Dunklee, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for Children in 2011. Find out more about Matthew at www.matthewforsythe.com.