(This week's #ReviewsDay pick is from cottager Anika Denise.)
What it's all about...
A puppy sneaks into a store and impersonates a pillow for sale... and then a footstool... and then a jacket.
Why I love it...
Um... because a PUPPY sneaks into a STORE and impersonates a PILLOW FOR SALE!! And then a footstool!! And. Then. A. Jacket.
Favorite lines... I bought a pillow here and I think it is broken.
What seems to be the problem, sir?
My pillow keeps MOVING!
Sir, is your pillow soft?
Yes...
Is your pillow fluffy?
Well, yes...
Then your pillow is not broken, sir.
Would you like a sticker?
Favorite illustrations...
(c) 2018 Christopher Weyant
(c) 2018 Christopher Weyant
(c) 2018 Christopher Weyant
What's the kid-appeal?
Sweet and increasingly silly, this story will have kids giggling the whole way through. Laura Gehl (Peep and Egg) hits a humor home run with fuzzy pets, funny banter, a few poof-toot-burps, and lots of feel-good doggy love. New Yorker cartoonist Christopher Weyant's illustrations pair perfectly with Gehl's giddy text.
What's the grownup appeal?
It's a super-fun book to read again and again, and trust me — you will get repeat requests.
Laura Gehl’s previous books include One Big Pair of Underwear, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, and the Peep and Egg series, illustrated by Joyce Wan. Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.lauragehl.com.
(c) 2018 Christopher Weyant
A cartoonist for The New Yorker, Christopher Weyant's work has been published worldwide in newspapers, magazines, books, and online. His cartoons are in permanent collection at The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. In 2015, he won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for his first illustrated children's book, You Are (Not) Small, written by his wife, Anna Kang. Chris lives outside New York City with his wife and their two daughters. Find more of his work at http://christopherweyant.com.
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of my hit talk show: MR. PIG LIVE!
We are thrilled to have on the show today, the stars of Julie Falatko and Tim Miller's all-new Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!). Put your hands, feet and feathers together for. . .
SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR and THE NARRATOR!
<<Thunderous Applause>>
First, let's roll the clip!
Congratulations, you two! And welcome. Let's start with the basics: What is your full name? S: Thank you for inviting me today. I’m Snappsy. N: No, say you’re Snappsy T. Alligator. And that the T stands for “The.” That sounds more distinguished. S: Why are you here? I can handle this interview by myself. Mr. Pig, ignore him. Let’s continue.
What one word best describes you? S: Exasperated. N: What’s a word that means “annoyingly difficult to narrate because he keeps doing boring things or hiding inside buildings?”
Do you have a belly button? S: I have a belly. And my pajamas have buttons on them. N: Just answer the question. Do you see how annoyingly evasive he is? Oh! Evasive! That’s the word that best describes him.
What is the best thing about being you? S: How I am my own alligator and don’t do things just because other people want me to. N: Hmph. Mine is my superior capability for storytelling.
What is the worst thing about being you? S: How this intrusive narrator insists on dictating my every move and forcing me to throw parties. N: I will not be insulted like this. That’s it. I’m leaving.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring? S: A peanut butter sandwich, a good book, and my fez to keep the sun off my head. N: Oh, I’m back! I love this question! I would bring a boat.
What is your idea of the perfect day? S: One where I am allowed to do whatever I want. Without interruption. N: I will not stand for this blasphemy! I am leaving again!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? S: I would like to make a bowl of chocolate pudding appear just by thinking about it. N: That’s a terrible superpower. S: I thought you left. N: I came back. And I don’t think you understand what a superpower is. Instant pudding is not a superpower. Flying. Now that’s a superpower. S: Mr. Pig, I changed my mind. I would like to be invisible. N: No. Pick flying. I can’t narrate a story where the main character is invisible. Do you see, Mr. Pig? How he tries to make our book boring? It’s a lot for me to put up with. What are you reading right now? S: I’m reading a great book called How to Live Your Own Life and Not Be Influenced by The Annoyingly Intrusive Voices Around You. N: I’m reading the complete works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. S: Oh, you are not.
What is your favorite word? S: Pretzel. N: Quintafandalingual. S: Pretty sure that’s not a word. N: Oh, it’s a word.
What is you least favorite word? S: Quintafandalingual. N: Evasive.
What is your favorite sound? S: The sound of silence. N: The sound of a complacent main character, doing what he can to make the book compelling.
What is your least favorite sound? S: An offscreen narrator making up lies. N: That silence thing that Snappsy mentioned. Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you. S: I have three fezzes: a formal fez, a casual fez, and a fez for gardening. N: That I am an utter and unabashed delight.
If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be? S: While this is a great question, I kind of just want to be alone right now. N: I would eat with someone less evasive. A cloud. An aroma. A flittering sparrow who is somehow symbolic of the fragility of life. All would be easier to narrate than Snappsy. S: I think you’re trying to insult me, but I’m oddly flattered.
If a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for? S: Well, for starters— N: Next question!
If you have a pocket, what is in it right now? S: A piece of popcorn. N: A typewriter. S: A typewriter? N: Sure. You never know when inspiration will strike. I carry a typewriter with me at all times. Also a cheese plate.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? S: Leftovers from a cheese plate someone left at my house. N: Un croissant au chocolat. S: Oh, please.
What is your most embarrassing moment? S: Mr. Pig, I’d rather not say. N: Please tell us. S: No, thank you. N: We’re all friends here. S: You know what? I didn’t ask to have you come along on this interview! You just showed up! And now you won’t even give me the courtesy of being able to answer these questions in peace! N: I see how it is. I thought it would be fun, the two of us doing this interview together. But fine. I’ll go. S: Thank you.
What is your pet peeve? S: It’s when I’m not allowed to have an interview to myself.
What was it like working with Julie Falatko? S: She is an utter and unabashed delight. N: Well, I agree with that. S: Oh. You’re back. N: The interview’s over now, and I don’t want to walk home by myself. S: Fine. I’m out of cheese anyway. N: I happen to have some cheese with me, quintafandalingually. Right, er… quintafandalingually, we provide lunch to all our guests. So don't dash off yet! Let's roll the credits, while Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love brings out today's feast! (Want a peek at what she's serving? Scroll down or click here!)
Julie Falatko is the author of Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book), illustrated by Tim Miller (Viking Children's Books, February 2016), The Society for Underrepresented Animals, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Viking Children's Books, 2017), and Help Wanted: One Rooster (Viking Children's Books, 2018). She lives with her family in Maine, where she enjoys cheese plates and trying to make pudding appear just by thinking about it. You can find her at juliefalatko.com and on Twitter @JulieFalatko.
Tim Miller is an author and illustrator of picture books. He is the illustrator of Snappsy the Alligator(Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) written by Julie Falatko, published by Viking Children's Books. He is also the illustrator of the middle-grade series Hamstersaurus Rex written by Tom O'Donnell, published by HarperCollins in fall 2016. Tim's debut picture book as author & illustrator, Moo Moo in a Tutu, will be published by Balzer & Bray in early 2017. Tim studied at the School of Visual Arts where he earned his Bachelor’s in Cartooning and his Master’s in Art Education. He is currently based in NYC. Visit Tim online at timmillerillustration.com.
Mad Props for Snappsy!
★ "This is the first book for both Falatko and Miller, and it’s an excellent one—Falatko’s writing nimbly zigs and zags around Miller’s bold, goofy cartoons.” – Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
★ “More than merely meta, Snappsy is clearly a book, if not a protagonist, with bite.” – Kirkus (starred review)
★ “Falatko’s debut picture book is a truly laugh-out-loud, mischievous romp, made gleefully goofier by Miller’s straitlaced, deadpan animal characters.” –Booklist (starred review)
“The story’s meta aspect, the alligator’s rib-tickling, madder-by-the-minute agitation, and the simple primary-color-avoidant illustrations outlined in black may all owe a debt to Mo Willems—but it’s still a pretty terrific book. It’s distinguished by Falatko’s ability to sustain the tension at length; by Miller’s savory palette, largely in underripe greens and purples; and by the unvoiced suggestion that when fiction is working well, a character can take on a life or his or her own.” – The Horn Book
