Synopses & Reviews
Cinderella SkeletonWas everything a ghoul should be:
Her nails were yellow; her teeth were green-
Foulest in the land was she.
Poor Cinderella Skeleton! Her evil stepsisters treat her with scorn and work her from dawn till dusk. But when Prince Charnel hosts his famous Halloween Ball, Cindy finally gets her chance to shine. With the help of a good witch, Cinderella Skeleton is transformed into the belle of the ball and steals the prince's heart. Then just as the sun peeks over the horizon, she must dash away! Will Prince Charnel ever find his true love again?
Master storyteller Robert D. San Souci and award-winning illustrator David Catrow have dreamed up a hilarious fractured fairy tale about the most dreadful darling you've ever seen.
Review
"A spirited, loving depiction of extended familial bonds."
—Kirkus
Review
"A spirited, loving depiction of extended familial bonds."
and#8212;Kirkus
"An annual family reunion brings together a passel of carefree cousins in this joyful pairing of Crum's (Mine!) comically heroic verse with Catrow's (Have Fun, Molly Lou Mellon) equally rollicking pictures. . . . A triumphant ode to family in all of its messy, quirky glory."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Author and illustrator together have captured the manic energy of cousins unleashed."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"It's an exuberant and comfortable time with family, and many kids will relate. A spirited real-aloud for summertime fun."
and#8212;Booklist
Review
"A hot-air balloon is anchored outside the Hermann household, while inside a python rests calmly on the couch and a full suit of armor guards the living room. Still, first-grader Melissa complains to her older brother Norman that there is nothing in their house interesting enough to take to school for Show and Tell. He sympathetically ponders the problem and suggests the bottle of rotten teeth in the back of Dad's home dental office. With Norman's help, Melissa takes the treasure to school in a brown bag. Her classmates are enraptured and their barrage of questions prompts the shy girl to talk for the first time. . . . This funny tale is made even more hilarious by the cartoon illustrations. . . The visual humor is sensational. Together Simms and Catrow have created a winner." School Library Journal
Review
and#8220;A satisfying picture book that captures all the drama and power of a summer storm even as it rewards readers with a smaller-scale, homey story.and#8221;and#8212;
Horn Book, STARRED review
and#8220;The free-verse storytelling is light, airy, and perfectly matched to the drawings. . . . The ending fully satisfies.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal, STARRED review
and#8220;Vivid imagery and Thompsonand#8217;s innovative mixed-media art that incorporates textual sound effects naturally reflect the weatherand#8217;s dramatic ebb and flow.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review
and#8220;This fine-tuned, occasionally funny picture book re-creates the satisfying drama of a summer storm.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Review
"Written in folksy language, the tender story is beautifully illustrated with soft watercolor paintings" BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"Crum hits some sweet notes while portraying believeable childhood emotions and warm intergenerational relationships." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
"A delight...that harmonizes the coziness of a close-knit family with the gentle ambiance of old-fashioned farm life." SLJ School Library Journal
Review
"Cleverly celebrate[s] the importance of turning an unfamiliar house into a beloved home." School Library Journal
"Two enthusiastic realtors offer different spins on the same...property as their clients search for the perfect home." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
It's a big family reunion, and all the cousins share the joys of running wild and being with people who love them even when they're covered with mud.
Synopsis
It's a beastie family reunion! As the kinfolks gather, the "beasties"—all the children—squeeze every drop of enjoyment out of being together with nothing to do but have fun.As "hungry ogres" with beastie teeth and claws, they hug their relatives, barge into the kitchen and out again, play in the creek, shinny up trees, splash and howl and sass the stuffy neighbors, and resist bedtime but go to sleep happy. Lyrical text and brilliantly goofy illustrations convey the rapturous pleasure of running (a little bit) wild among the people who love them best, even when they're covered with mud.
Synopsis
and#8220;We are wild and fierce. We do not wait for invitations.and#8221; Itand#8217;s time for the annual family reunion, and the dozens of cousins are running wild like beasties. Like hungry ogres! They hug fluttering aunts and soft-spoken elders, play in the creek, shimmy up trees, take and#8220;double-dog dares,and#8221; and devour and#8220;the sweet juiciness of the worldand#8221; along with hot dogs and watermelon. Hilarious side stories unfold in Catrowand#8217;s fantastically colorful, chaotic spreads that gambol and splash with comical caricatures of grinning kinfolk large and small. A lively, lyrical celebration of the sweet, sweet abandon of running amok among those who love you best.
Synopsis
Exuberant rhymes and wild illustrations celebrate self-acceptance.
Synopsis
High on energy and imagination, this ode to self-esteem encourages kids to appreciate everything about themselves--inside and out. Messy hair? Beaver breath? So what! Here's a little girl who knows what really matters.
At once silly and serious, Karen Beaumont's joyous rhyming text and David Catrow's wild illustrations unite in a book that is sassy, soulful--and straight from the heart.
Synopsis
This spirited child, after being told not to paint the walls, paints himself instead.
Synopsis
A dab of blue here, a splash of red there, a goopy smear of green . . . everywhere. To the tune of "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," one creative kid floods his world with color, painting first the walls, then the ceiling, then HIMSELF! Before this feisty artist is through, he'll have painted his head, back, hands, legs, feet, and . . . Oh no--here comes Mama!
Karen Beaumont's zippy text and David Catrow's zany illustrations turn an infamous childhood activity into raucous storytime fun, giving a silly twist to the fine art of self-expression.
Synopsis
From beloved storyteller Robert San Souci comes a raucous retelling of little Tom Thumb, straight out of the Louisiana bayou.
Synopsis
Little Pierre may be small, but he's got more marbles rolling round in his itty-bitty noggin than his four big, lazy brothers heaped together. Yet they just call him runt and ignore him. Course, when the good-for-nothing brothers flub their attempt to rescue a damsel in distress from the Swamp Ogre, it falls on Little Pierre to rescue
them. Will this half-pint hero find out that his brothers were right all along--brains don't beat brawn?
Robert D. San Souci and David Catrow, the creators of the acclaimed Cinderella Skeleton, serve up a Cajun-spiced Tom Thumb tale straight from the Louisiana bayou.
Includes a glossary of Cajun words and an author's note about the origin of the story.
Synopsis
When Mortimer's parents allow him to bring home Mr. Lester's seemingly innocent classroom plant for vacation, he finds that when you give a living thing love, you just don't know where it will lead!
Synopsis
Mortimer Henryson
loves Plantzilla, the plant he's been taking care of all year in his third-grade classroom. He loves him so much, he takes him home for summer vacation. What could go wrong with a . . . plant? But life in the Henryson household soon takes a strange turn. A pot roast disappears, then steaks from the grill--and where has Mrs. Henryson's prize Chihuahua gone?
In this hilarious story told ingeniously through letters, Jerdine Nolen and David Catrow team up to show that when there's enough love, even the most unlikely character can become part of a family.
Synopsis
Here is the untold story of Henry, a simple farmer who stumbles upon some extraordinary finery and a whole new attitude. Who would have guessed that a change of attire would bring out his truly regal nature? Yet Henryand#8217;s transformation may cause trouble in the barnyard. . . . Kathryn Lasky and David Catrow weave a new wrinkle into an old tale--with royally hilarious results!
Synopsis
An outlandish romp with a little boy who brings his exotic--and downright strange--pets to all the wrong places.
Synopsis
What would happen if your moose wanted to go to the movies? What if your rhino begged to go dancing? What if your pig pleaded to shop? Say "No!" Because, as the unsuspecting pet owner in this book learns, taking peculiar pets to people places can lead to pandemonium!
Karin Ireland's hilarious verse and David Catrow's wacky visuals just might convince you that sometimes it's best to leave your creatures at home.
Synopsis
Speaking in front of the class isn't easy for small people like Melissa Herman. Especially when there's nothing very special to say about her house or her family or herself. But with the help of her older brother, Melissa borrows a bottle from her father's dental office to take to show and tell. The teacher is appalled, but the children are intrigued. David Catrow's hilariously zany illustrations reveal that there is nothing ordinary about Melissa Herman, or her house or her family. The bright artwork is laugh-aloud funny and will have children begging to hear the story again, or maybe invent their very own tale.
Synopsis
A summer storm brings relief from the heatandmdash;and a surpriseandmdash;to a farm family.
It's a hot day on the farm, and a little girl, her brother, and their mother are trying to cool off by the pond. Suddenly, dark clouds roll in. A thunder-boomer is on the way! The storm brings pounding rain and hailandmdash;and an unexpected visitor: a soggy wet stray kitten. Colorful descriptions of the storm are accompanied by lots of playful sound effects, making this free-verse poem perfect for reading aloud. Charming watercolor illustrations capture all the drama, humor, and tenderness of the text.
Synopsis
In this tender, lyrical story set in the mountains of Kentucky, Brenda Gail is spending the summer with her great-grandparents. Gran Pap tells her that "everybody born in the mountains got a song inside 'em," made of memories. That means Brenda Gail has one, too, "just waitin' to come out." A squabble with her troublesome cousin Melvin, in which Big Ma's favorite hen is injured, and their reconciliation help Brenda Gail start to choose the moments that will be in her song.
Rich, poignant art from esteemed illustrator Ted Rand is paired with an atmospheric text written by a true storyteller. Kids everywhere will want to make up their own "mountain songs."
Synopsis
A raccoon real estate agent is showing his animal clientsand#151;families of finches and foxes, deer and ducksand#151;the woods, fields, and pond of Old Mill Farm. At the same time, a human realtor is trying to find a suitable house for a human family. Cabin on a mountaintop? Vine-smothered cottage? Mobile home on the prairie? None of those will do, and finally the tired realtor suggests one last possibilityand#151;a tumbledown property called . . . Old Mill Farm. Lively verse and funny, endearing art transport the reader to an intriguing variety of locations and make this quest both entertaining and satisfying.
About the Author
Laura Simms really did bring a bottle of rotten teeth to school for show and tell. And she really did discover she could tell good stories. Now an internationally known storyteller, she has performed and taught in major festivals, symposiums, and conferences around the world. She started the first storytelling programs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. When she isn't touring the country telling stories, she lives in New York City.