TWO New Mercer Mayer's Little Critter "The Trip" Apps from Silver Dolphin: A Reveiw and Information

So it is Spring Break at our house, and while looking for a diversion for my kids, I just discovered that Silver Dolphin Books (Baker & Taylor Publishing Group) has two new apps out based on Mercer Mayer’s “Little Critter’s The Trip” that came out March 19 (a  “Reading Adventure” and a  “GamePak”...there is also a “Lite” version of the Reading app too for Android and probably coming soon for iPhone/iPad)   YAY! I immediately purchased “The Trip: Little Critter Reading Adventure.”

 

I played with the “Reading Adventure” app for a while and found it pretty fun. It reminds me of a VERY simple adventure game (like an ultra-easy “King’s Quest”) mixed with your regular children’s book app.  It has a lot of Hot Spots (areas you can touch for animation) and some very funny bonuses. You get to pick up things and place them in your backpack to use in other scenes. You can also find “Gems” by completing puzzles, and you can collect alphabet cards (I'll give you 26 guesses as to how many there are).   It also reads the story to you and has voice actors, animation, and sound effects. Once you've visited a place you can go back to it with the map (very nice for completists...just don't “start a new adventure”!).  

 

 

 

 

After playing, I went to the Silver Dolphin website to see if they had any more information about the app. Lo and behold, there is a two part interview with John R. Sansevere on there.  Erica Farber and J. R. Sansevere are names that many Mercer Mayer and Little Critter fans might be aware of, and both are talked about on the website. Information about these two individuals is scarce on the Internet.  Many Little Critter and Critters of the Night books are written John R. Sansevere and Erica Farber. There was a time when I wondered if John R. Sansevere and Mercer Mayer were the same person… Like Mercer Mayer had some contractual obligation and had to create this pseudonym (and Gina Mayer became “Erica Farber” in my convoluted-head-theory….controversy!).  So much for that theory. *thwip*!  John R. Sansevere developed the Little Critter “The Trip” apps.  If you start looking at your copyright pages in you Mercer Mayer books, you'll see his name... a lot.

I ended up eventually contacting Silver Dolphin and they ended up giving me a copy of “The Trip: Little Critter GamePak” for review (THANK YOU!).

Well my kids being ever so nosey quickly noticed my new toy.  My seven year old spent about 40 minutes with “The Trip: Little Critter Reading Adventure.”  He said he really enjoyed it, “I liked how you got to collect gems and stuff” (he found them all and opened a new “gem” game on the app). NOTE: if you “Start a NEW adventure” your gem game will disappear unless you find/earn them all again. He is currently reading chapter books, and the reading level is well below his, but he obviously had a lot of fun and it kept him occupied.  I doubt he'll want to play it again, but you never know.

After he was done he handed me back my iPhone (3^rd Generation) and I showed him that we also had “The Trip: Little Critter GamePak,” and his eyes lit up with that “please please please” look that most parents know. I told him after lunch.  When lunchtime came, he gobbled and looked at me with anticipation. I handed him my iPhone (after he washed his hands).



                                       



He started with a sorting game. The first thing I heard was a bunch of honking sounds and “try again” (the voice of Little Critter.. played by someone with the last name Sansevere) coming from the phone… and frustration coming from my son.  “The game wants things EXACTLY right!” But that quickly stopped as he got to know the controls.  Having a Generation 3 iPhone means we have a very small screen, and I’m sure it could be frustrating to deal with smaller things. 

                                    
One really fun thing is the DigiStix.  The DigiStix are like Colorforms or stickers (DigiStix = Digital Stickers), but animated with sounds. To quote the app, “…different DigiStix do different things in different places.” So depending on where you place them, different animations and phrases will be said.  Like Little Sister might say she has to go potty one place (or that she wants an ice cream), and you can actually put her next to the bathrooms too (or next to the ice cream stand).  They also interact with each other.  I found this really cool.  There is a demo of this in the “The Trip: Little Critter Reading Adventure” in the “For Parents” section but it is small in comparison.  There are a few different areas in the DigiStix section: Play (the Colorform-esque area where the DigiStix will interact with each other and you can place them almost anywhere), Puzzles, Matching, Letter Fun, Picture Poofs (a lot like a sticker book with animation and sound...some of these pics are from OTHER Mercer Mayer Little Critter books… maybe a sign of things to come!).

The rest of the games on “The Trip: Little Critter GamePak” are Dot-to-dots, How Many (counting), Color Match, Mazes, and more Matching.  PLUS there is at least one unlockable BONUS game.

Then it was my four year old’s turn. She just wanted the book to read the story to her, which is an option. I watched over her shoulder as the story was read to her.  This mode is a disjointed telling of the story and kind of disappointing. It jumps scene to scene with no real cohesion as to how things got to where they were (since a lot of that is in the animation of the Adventure version of the story. BUT, my daughter didn’t notice. She just smiled after it was over while handing the phone back to me saying, “Thank you, Daddy!” I am sure she'll ask for it again.  She "reads" the other Oceanhouse Media Little Critter apps we have all the time. Eventually, I'll show her how to do the Adventure, and I know she'll play it more than once. The app is recommended for ages 3 to 7.  So, having kids 4 and 7 fit.

Special Note: There are TWO different versions of the book version of Little Critter’s The Trip (just like there are two apps). One version of the book is the 1988 Golden Easy Reader which is an ABC reader that starts with, “Here is our trip from A to Z. A is for all. Here we all go!” It is a very humor-filled book (around 34 pages long). Later, in 1997, the book was re-released by Inchworm as a regular plotted story book without the ABC-ness (less pages too…which means not all of the original pictures are in there). The app is a lot like the 1997 version.

 

Oh, the reason Dad looks mad during the Ice Cream scene is because in the 1988 book, Little Critter took the keys as a “J is for joke” (LOVE Dad's face here).  Speaking of “Jokes,” Little Critter trades jokes with Ken & Perry in the app when you tap on them.  There are a lot of things from the 1988 book that didn't make it into the app (like Dad off-roading it for a bit in one of THE FUNNIEST moments in a Little Critter book, ever). You can also see the some changes that happened between the 1988 book and the app... but the flavor and fun still remains.

 

The original Little Critter's The Trip (1988)

The re-make/re-vamp of Little Critter's The Trip (1997)

https://www.facebook.com/SilverDolphinBooks

https://itunes.apple.com/app/trip-little-critter-gamepak/id616194375

https://itunes.apple.com/app/trip-little-critter-reading/id608021883

John R. Sansevere Interview Part 1

John R. Sansevere Interview Part 2

 

That's all for now... Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite.


                                 

Brand new Inspired Kids line of Mercer Mayer's Little Critter Books on the horizon: "It's True" and "You Go First"

Keeping you up to date on the latest Mercer Mayer news!

Amazon has listed a couple of brand new Little Critter books coming later this year from Thomas Nelson publication's new Inspired Kids line of books:

You Go First
ISBN 1400322448
PLOT INFO: "The first book in the new Inspired Kids line featuring the famous Little Critter! ... In You Go First, Litter Critter loves being first—even if it hurts his family and friends. After several missteps, Little Critter learns that the secret to getting along is treating others the way he wants to be treated—which, in Little Critter’s case, means letting someone else be first."



.... and ....

It's True!
ISBN 1400322472
PLOT INFO: "Join Little Critter as he learns why it’s important to tell the whole truth—and not just part of it.... Little Critter thinks that sometimes it’s easier to tell part of the truth instead of the whole truth. In this second book in the Inspired Kids line, Little Critter learns quickly that lying has consequences and that telling the truth, no matter how hard, is always the right thing to do.."

Cool thing:  The It's True! cover is currently Mercer Mayer's sketch-up for the cover (not the final cover).


As a parent, I am VERY excited about this new line of Inspired Kids books.  Not only are we getting new Little Critter books, we are getting ones with stronger lessons that will hopefully inspire young ones by using their favorite book character.


Another interesting note, Amazon currently lists these available as Board Books or Paperbacks.  So, you can get a lasting Board Book or a fun paperback.


Both books are due in October 2013.


YAY!  That's all... for the moment. 


Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the zipperump-a-zoos bite.

Mercer Mayer Skypes with a school, a new Little Critter stuffed animal and more!

In the "Cool News" category of the month, Mercer Mayer did a Skype session with some students at Van Meter and Amana Elementary schools in Iowa on February 13, 2013.  Some very lucky kindergarten through third grade students now have an amazing memory that I hope will stick with them for life.

Shannon McClintock Miller arranged the whole thing with Mercer Mayer and the rest is something most of us can only imagine.  She created an awesome video about the event here.  She also blogged about it here (which includes lots of pictures of Mercer Mayer and the kids enjoying themselves...plus a video of Mercer Mayer drawing Little Critter). 

Sadly, the "Just Me and Little Critter" book that the kids all created at the start of the school year is gone from the Little Bird Tales website. It was here (it is possible that they moved it).

If you haven't "Like"d Mercer Mayer's official Facebook page, go for it here: http://www.facebook.com/MercerMayer



Also in recent Mercer Mayer news:

An official Little Critter Stuffed Animal (er... stuffed critter)!  You can see it behind Mercer Mayer in the picture above (it is the lower smaller one).  Amazon has it available now for a little over 30% off.  Merry Makers is making it, but it isn't available on their site yet.

The Little Critter stuffed critter is available here.


A brand new Little Critter book is due next month
Just a Big Storm

Official write-up: "When a big storm passes over their house, Little Critter^® and his family lose power! What will they do without it?"

I'm sure this will be a great companion to Just a Thunderstorm.


Coming in May:
Just One More Pet

Official write-up: "Little Critter discovers a lost doggy hiding in the bushes. He isn't sure who the doggy belongs to, but he tries to take very good care of him until his owner shows up. When the doggy goes missing, Little Critter gets worried. Can Little Critter handle just one more pet?"

 

A new My First I Can Read book is coming in November:
Just a Little Love


(no pictures or description released yet)


That's all for now.  Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the zipperump-a-zoos bite!

Goodbye Maurice Sendak, RIP June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012: A Rememberance and a Tribute

I cried this morning when I heard that Maurice Sendak died. I was at work and my wife texted me the news.  My imidiate response to her was, "Oh, God...no."  I then left my cubical to be alone and wept for about 10 minutes. Afterword, I cleaned myself up and returned to work...but  I never stopped thinking about it.

I can remember my mom reading me every book in the Nutshell Library (Pierre, Chicken Soup with Rice, Alligators All Around, and One Was Johnny). I remember her hamming up Chicken Soup with Rice the Most...especially October, "WHOOPIE once. WHOOOOOOOPIE twice! WHOOOOOOOOOOOPIE chicken soup with rice!"  I read that to my son for bedtime, and I read it like my mom read it to me.  He laughed and looked at me like I was insane... his insane but loving father.

The first "long book" I read to my son was The Griffin and the Minor Canon which was illustrated by Maurice Sendak (written by Frank R. Stockton).  My son was 1, but he didn't budge, his eyes were transfixed on the illustrations.

You Cant Get There From Here by Ogden Nash was a staple of my childhood too.  I constanly pulled it off my father's bookshelf and enjoyed its' Maurice Sendak illustrations and hilarious poetry.

Most people will remember him for Where the Wild Things Are.  I love the illustrations in that book, but it never touched me as much as The Nutshell Library books and In the Night Kitchen did.

To Maurice's family: I am so sorry for your loss.  To fans everywhere: I am so sorry for our loss.  His work will live on in reprint after reprint.  I suggest seeking out more books by him and illustrated by him and putting them in your libraries.

Maurice Sendak was a man who would tell it like it is.  There are some jaw dropping and truly funny interviews with Maurice Sendak out there.  He may not be the Mr. Rogers-type, but I have bucketloads of respect for this man. Steve Carell's 2 part interview with Maurice Sendak a few months back is HIGHLY recommended.

And now... I'll leave you with some pictures of books he illustrated, wrote, and wrote & illustrated from my collection... not all of them, but a good smattering.

What Do You Say, Dear? by Seslye Joslin

What Do You Do, Dear?  by Seslye Joslin

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow

Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water

Little Bear's Vist by Else Holmelund Minarik

Little Bear's Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik

A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

In the Night Kitchen

In the Night Kitchen: Coloring Book

Dear Milli by Grimm

The Miami Giant by Arthur Yorinks

Nutcracker  by E.T. Hoffmann 

Pleasant Fieldmouse by Jan Wahl

Higglety, Pigglety, Pop or There Must Be More to Life

The Cunning Little Vixen by Rudolf Tesnohlidek

I'll Be You and You Be Me by Ruth Krauss

The Big Book of Peace by Ann Durell

Swine Lake with James Marshall

Kenny's Window

The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank R. Stockton

What Can You do with a Shoe? by Beatrice Schenk de Reginers

I Saw Esau by Iona Opie

A Perfect Friend by Reynolds Price

Hurry Home, Candy by Meindert deJong

You Can't Get There From Here by Ogden Nash

Fly By Night by Randall Jerrell

Shadrach by Meindert deJong

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales From Grimm (Single Volume Edition) - by Grimm

The Wheel on the School by Meidert deJong

Dwarf Long-Nose by Wilhelm Hauff

The Animal Family by Randall Jerrell

The Wonderful Farm by Marcel Ayme

She Loves Me... She Loves Me Not... by Robert Keeshan (AKA Captain Kangaroo)

Chicken Soup With Rice

Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer

No Fighting, No Biting! by Else Holmelund Minarik
Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss

Where the Wild Things Are

The Velveteen Rabbit (Best in Children's Books Volume 35)

Rest in peace, sir.   Good night, sleep tight, don't let the zipperump-a-zoos bite.

Other Maurice Sendak related books missing from the above pictures (most are must haves):
Atomics for the Millions by Dr. Maxwell Leigh
Outside Over There by Grimm
The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry
One Was Johnny
Alligators All Around
Pierre
The Singing Hill by Meindert DeJong
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik
Seven Tales by H. C. Anderson by Hans Christian Anderson
Let's Be Enemies  by Janice May Udry
The Sign on Rosie's Door
Seven Little Monsters
AND MANY OTHERS!

Mercer Mayer's Terrible Troll vs. The Bravest Knight

My latest blog, "Terrible Troll vs. The Bravest Knight," is up... but not here.

It is up over at Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves, right HERE.

Mercer Mayer Interview and more at Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves

There is an excellent BRAND NEW interview with Mercer Mayer over at my favorite blog, Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves.

Go check it out!


Here is part 1 of the interview:

http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2012/03/meet-mercer-mayer.html

They are also posting a lot of Mercer Mayer reviews of his classic books.  You may even see a familiar person doing a guest post soon...

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite!

Mercer Mayer's BIG LITTLE CRITTER series is coming!

While doing my usual random searches of the Interwebs, I ran across some press release information about a series of Little Critter collections called the "Big Little Critter" series.

It will be a series of books that collect four previously released Little Critter books each. Most of the books were originally part of the Little Critter Book Club series of hardcovers, and some are very hard to find nowadays.  The series will launch with five titles during 2012  all released by FastPencil Premier (starting in May):

Staying Well (ISBN 1-607-46732-1) (featuring This is My Body, Taking Care of Mom, I Was So Sick, and The Loose Tooth)

On the Go (ISBN 1-607-46983-9) (featuring Just a Bad Day, Just an Airplane, Just Me and My Bicycle, and Going to the Races)

My Family (ISBN 1-607-46810-7) (featuring: It's Mine, Just Like Dad, Just Too Little, I Didn't Mean It)

Helping Out (ISBN 1-607-46071-8) (featuring: I'm Sorry, Just Say Please, Just Leave Me Alone, Just a Gum Wrapper)

Fair Play (ISBN 1-607-46763-1) (featuring: I Didn't Know That, That's Not Fair, Just a Little Different, The School Play)

That is all I know for now... no pictures of the covers are available yet.  So, good-night, sleep tight, and don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite.

Possum Child Goes Shopping by Mercer Mayer and an Introduction to His Panorama Books.

Possum Child Goes Shopping by Mercer Mayer

ISBN: 0-590-32806-9

Well, it is a brand new year.  I am going to start it out by featuring Mercer Mayer’s Panoramic Board Book series featuring Little Critter and the Critter Kids.  This series of books came out from Scholastic in 1983 for $2.95 a pop.  Two of the books weren’t re-released and two were re-named (just to confuse us kiddos) for paperback and hardcover releases.  Note for collectors: If you are looking for the Panorama versions of these books they all start with ISBN “0-590-328.” 

The books in the Panorama version of this series are:

Possum Child Goes Shopping (never re-released)

Gator Cleans House

Malcom’s Race (never re-released)

Sweetmeat’s Birthday (later renamed Bun Bun’s Birthday)

Too’s Bracelet (later renamed Little Sister’s Bracelet)

Bat Child’s Haunted House

Each book is thick cardboard (like a Board Book, but maybe a touch thinner) and has a folded accordion/Panoramic style.  When fully opened, the book is over four feet long (for a little over eight feet of fun art and story). Each book is 8 double sided panels long (16 panels total).  This ends up being about 13 pages of story (6 pages on one side, 7 on the other), a cover page, a back page featuring all of the Critter Kids, and a removable page featuring four of the Critter Kids (“collect all 16!”…one card features two of the 17 characters: Maurice & Molly).  

The seventeen Critter Kids are:

Little Critter: a critter

Too (name eventually changed to Little Sister…naming a character an adverb is just confusing): a critter, Little Critter’s little sister

Sweetmeat (name eventually changed to Bun Bun…look up “sweetmeat” and you’ll see why): a rabbit

Frud (name eventually changed to Frog…what was wrong with "Frud"?): a frog

Weenie (name eventually changed to Mouse… we wouldn’t want a character named “Weenie” in a book, would we?): a mouse

Muso (name eventually changed to Mooso…possibly so people would pronounce it correctly…it probably didn’t help…also “muso” means mouse in some languages): a panda

Skat Owl (no name changes for this guy, even though his name sounds like “scat”…look it up): an owl

Malcom: a tiger (or a tiger-striped cat)

Max: a koala

Huggums: a raccoon

Gator: an alligator

Bat Child: a bat

Oscar: an otter

Seaweed: a skunk

Maurice: a mole

Molly: a mole, Maurice’s sister

Possum Child: a possum

The versions of these books that were re-released by Random House / B. Dalton Booksellers, Inc. / Green Frog Publishers Inc. (in association with John R. Sansevere) had some changes made and most came with a disclaimer on the copyright page, “Originally published in a different format by Scholastic Inc., in 1983.”  Some of the re-releases have what looks like extra pages in them… some of which were borrowed from other books in the series.

Today’s book is one of the ones that wasn’t re-released (as far as I know).  Possum Child Goes Shopping. It seems to be very rare and it took me a few years to find a decent ex-library copy.   It comes with four Critter cards: Possum Child, Oscar, Little Critter, and Huggums.

The story:  Possum Child goes shopping for a new red bow for her head.  Before she’s able to leave she gets bombarded with requests from her friends to pick up some things for them.  As she shops she rhymes her grocery list, “For Huggums, lots of nuts and fruit. Gator needs a bathing suit.”  She isn't mad that her friends asked for these things, and she even seems happy to do it.  BUT, she does end up forgetting to buy her red bow.

Sadly, this particular book doesn’t take advantage of the Panorama publication style.  Some of the pictures are two-panels long, but most are single panel.  The shopping motif could have easily leant itself to showing a whole one-stop-shopping center with Possum Child in the different sections with a touch of bleed-over from picture to picture.  As to why this book didn't get re-released... I have no idea.  Kids love to play "shopping," and the book is fun, short, and sweet.  Maybe there is a low demographic for "possom"-related children's fiction?

Being picky: In the story, Possum Child buys some cheese for Weenie the mouse (per Weenie’s order), but she never delivers it to Weenie in the story (everyone else is shown getting what they wanted).  The jacks don't get delivered either, but Max got a bunny on top of that gift (Possum Child got him two things).  Also, Malcom, Too/Little Sister, Sweetmeat/Bun Bun, Skat Owl, Bat Child, and Frud are not in this book at all.

That’s all for this one.  Goodnight, sleep tight, and don’t let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite!

Bizarro? What's Bizarro? .... Bizarro is Weird. Plus, Is there Bizarro for Children?

I went to BizarroCon 2011 in Troutdale, Oregon (at McMenamins Edgefield) this last weekend and had a great time.  I met many Bizarro authors and learned some writing tricks and strategies that will be very useful to me as I continue to expand my writing efforts.

At one point, I arrived a little early to one of the activities.  There were three people in the room that I assumed might be part of the convention. So, I asked them if they were there for BizarroCon.  Their response was, "What's Bizarro?"  One of them made a little joke about Superman ("Bizarro" is the name of a character in the Superman comics who is sort of the opposite of Superman...quick aside: "Bizarro" is also the name of a comic strip by Dan Piraro).  It turned out that these people were just hotel guests exploring the grounds, but I was put on the spot. Strange images and brand new authors flashed in my head, but I had no idea what to say.  I eventually spouted out that it was a genre of literature that has always been around but has only recently been given a more official name.  In the past, some people called it "Weird Sh*t."  I mentioned Joe R. Lansdale, and one of the members of the group perked up.  I mentioned that Mr. Lansdale wrote some very odd and non-mainstream stories and books with elements that you normally wouldn't find on the Best Seller lists.

I then mentioned some titles of books like Carlton Mellick III's I Knocked Up Satan's Daughter: A Demonic Romantic Comedy and Robert Devereaux's Baby's First Book of Seriously F*cked up Sh*t.  I also told them that it isn't always funny and it isn't always gross...but those things can help make a Bizarro book great!  My conclusion was this, Bizarro is weird.  They accepted that and moved on with their explorations.

Now that I think about it, wasn't Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland pretty bizarre?  Bizarro-esque media has been around us for ages: Movies (there are some very weird 1920's films... plus, have you seen Richard Elfman's 80's movie Forbidden Zone?), TV (Monty Python's Flying Circus, anyone?) and music (personally, I love Adam and the Ants' "Don't Be Square (Be There)": "Antmusic for sexpeople / Sexmusic for antpeople / Get off your knees and hear the insect prayer").  If you read a lot of 1960's and 1970's children's literature and picture books, you know there is a lot of bizarre stuff out there.  There are whole blogs dedicated to kids' books that will mess up your children!

The other part of Bizarro literature is that anything officially marked "Bizarro" is currently 99.9% for adults.  Be it language or adult situations, it isn't things the average 10 year old should be reading.

Nowadays, children's literature is very sanitized and oftentimes even dull. There is hope though; Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series is WEIRD and fun.  Kids love weird.  I read my son Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers and he loved its weirdness.

I would love to see some official Bizarro books for kids. Yes, the parody "for adult" children's books are great too, but a well illustrated weird book for kids could be great too. Maybe even some Young Adult books too.

There are some quite strange children's books out there.  One being The Long Journey of Mister Poop (AKA The Fantastic Voyage of Señor Caca) by Angèle Delaunois which features the words "YUM" and "Ah!" on its cover alongside the titular anthropomorphic piece of excrement!   And for the pre-school sex-ed crowd there's Nicholas' Allen's Where Willy Went...The Big Story of a Little Sperm and for the slightly older picture book reader there is Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole (featuring the scariest hormone monsters you've ever seen and the line, "Inside his penis, Mr. Hormone was lurking with another portion of the mixture..." SCARY AS HELL)!  Oh...and don't forget the smelly fun of William Kotzwinkle's Walter the Farting Dog series of books (their whimsical and totally crazy illustrations are fascinating).

Not all of the Bizarro-esque children's books are bathroom-function or puberty related.  Daniel Manus Pinkwater has been weirding-up children's minds for years.  The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death fascinated me as a tyke. 

I was kept away from some of Daniel Pinkwater's other books like Devil in the Drain (featuring a demon in a little kid's drain!) and I totally missed the awesome sounding The Wuggie Norple Story (illustrated by Tomie dePaola and features a HUGE cat and the line "The next day was Saturday, and Lunchbox Louie didn't have to go to work, so he took Bigfoot the Chipmunk, and King Waffle, and Wuggie Norple, and Freckleface Chilibean, and Papercup Mixmaster and Exploding Poptart, and Laughing Gas Alligator, and a big basket of lunch and they all went to Nosewort Pond for a picnic..." Totally Bizarro!).

Bizarro kids' lit doesn't have to mess up you children's minds or scare them from ever using the toilet or touching themselves again.  If done correctly, it should expand their minds and make them realize that fiction doesn't have to be just Junie B. Jones or Harry Potter.  There's nothing wrong with kids reading those mainstream books, but don't put your kids into the same box that everyone else is trying to put them into.  If you are hesitant, read it with them, or read it first.  But please, please, please, buy your child something weird, strange, weird, bizarre, weird, funny, weird, Bizarro! 

Now snuggle into your Tauntaun sleeping bag and I'll sing you a Bizarro song called "Little Bunny Foo Foo" before I say "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite!"


PS: If you are interested in trying out Bizarro for Adults, try one of the Bizarro Starter Kit books or read more about Bizarro at Bizarro Central (http://bizarrocentral.com/).

A NEW Shel Silverstein Book! "Every Thing On It" is out now! Plus, an Ode to it too!

Shel Silverstein's Every Thing On It

Most kids born in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's (and the parents of those children) are very familiar with the poetry and art of a man named Shel Silverstein.  For many, you can start a random line and they'll even be able to finish it or you'll at least get a knowing smile... like "Help I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor!" ("A boa constrictor! A boa constrictor!") or "Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout" ("would not take the garbage out...").  His books are in over 20 languages and he has sold over 20 million copies of his works worldwide.  Books like The Giving Tree and The Missing Piece, and poetry collections like Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic are a must in every library.

Well, fan, Romans, parents, kids, and monkeys lend me your eyes, ears, and nose... There is a NEW book of about 150 never-before-published poems (and drawings!) and it clocks in at almost 200 pages!.  Oh, and Shel Silverstein's new book is called Every Thing On It! It came out September 20th, 2011 and it is fantastic (I picked mine up at Target for a little over what it is currently priced at on Amazon).  It has the exact same look and feel as the classic collections of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In the Attic (and Falling Up too, in case you missed that one).

His humor is here -- of course -- and the dark side that kids secretly love is here too (like bad children who... well.. die!). The illustrations have the same look and feel as all of his "normal" illustrations.  His use of irony and turns of phrase are just like you remember them.

And now... for something completely different...

An Ode to Shel Silverstein's Every Thing On It
by Robert Brouhard

It's here!
It's here!
Shel Silverstein's,
Every Thing On It!
Let's cheer!
Let's cheer!
Stay up late,
And read all of it!

I just bought it today,
And I am oh so happy to say,
There are poems in here,
that will remind you of yesteryear. 
At the start or by the end,
It may bring to you, my friend,
a happy or nostalgic tear.

There are plays on assumptions,
and he'll fool your perceptions,
There are funny stories,
(Even some that are gore-ies),
There are poems of insightfulness,
And some full of frightfulness...
But no matter how they beg,
No matter how they wheaze,
Don't let your parents read it,
Unless they say "Please."

So come and roam,
Through this Poetry tome,
Full of four lined quickies,
And eighty lined longies,
Boy and girls and ponies,
Talking tummies and macaronies
Legsies and toesies
And fingies as nosies
But, oh my, please,
Remember this, Dears,
When you have Shel Silverstein,
With Every Thing On It,
You'll have the treasure of laughter for years.



Although Shel Silverstein did die 1999, good ole (bad ole?) "Uncle Shelby" will always live on in the imaginations of children, young and old, everywhere.

So, goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite.

The Disney Comics App for iPhone and iPad featuring X-Mickey! (updated 05/25/2011)

You know me, I love to read, and that includes Comic Books. I’ve recently discovered the Disney Comics App in the App store on iTunes (available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). I have an iPhone and I love it.

Here is what makes the Disney Comics App so cool: A lot of the comics have never been available in English or in the United States (there are settings for “English,” “English (United States),” “French,” and“Spanish” in the App settings, but I don’t know if this will change the language of the comic books or just the App buttons). Some were released by Gladstone and Boom Kids! The thing is, Italians have a comics publication called Topolino (which I believe is their name for Mickey Mouse). It started in 1949 with issue #1 (100 pages). Issue #500 came out in 1965 (180 pages). #1000 came out in 1975 (over 100 pages). #1500 came out in 1984. #2000 came out in 1994 (388 pages). #2500 came out in 2003 (196 pages)… They are almost to #3000. If you get where I’m going, this is a weekly comic book that has been around for over 50 years with over 100 to 200 pages an issue and little to no reprints! 1,000’s of stories that a lot of us have never even seen! Plus, there are a ton of characters that Americans might not be aware of (or at least don’t see very often)! Like: Fethry Duck, Donald Duckling, Pipwolf, Quackmore, Portis (Peg-Leg Pete’s partner), and many more.

There are currently about 17 totally free digital comic books available on the App (ranging from a couple pages to 45+ pages). This will give you plenty of time to get to know the different ways to use the App. There are also 40+ purchase-able comics too (Many of which are available as a part of the various Bundle deals they have going on right now).

You need to get this app to read X-Mickey. X-Mickey is sort of a mix of Mickey Mouse’s mystery comics with a touch of horror (not too scary at all). They feature a Goofy-like character named Pipwolf that is a werewolf, but he isn’t evil or scary. The series was originally released by The Walt Disney Company Italia from 2002 to 2004. It was a short-lived series of only 30 issues that started with #1000 and worked their way DOWNWARD to #971. Then the series continued from that point in the main Italian Disney Comic Topolino (including a pretty long, 87 page, story in Topolino #2762 and #2763, story #TL 2762-2P). In the app, the original X-Mickey comics are numbered normally, and #1 - #11 are on there right now. DISNEY, PLEASE get #12 - #30 on there as soon as possible (plus the bonus material and the Topolino appearances, pretty please)! I think the title is a reference to The X-Files (and certainly not the X-Men).

Now, here is the sad thing. While you get the original full X-Mickey stories that were in those issues of X-Mickey, you don’t get the full original comic book! For Example, X-Mickey #1 (AKA #1000) was 84 pages long. But the X-Mickey digital comic is 45 pages long. The Digital comic is missing “Chiedilo a Pipwolf” a 4 page story featuring Jeremy the invisible mailman and Pipwolf, “Cartoline da Mostropoli” a 12 page story featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, some ads, a fake ad featuring Pipwolf as a magaician, and the original front and back cover. While I’d LOVE to see it all translated to English, I am okay with getting just the main, uncensored, X-Mickey story that was in each issue.

I have read some negative reviews, but they seem to all stem from people not being patient enough with downloads (and be connected to an Internet source) or not reading the Settings section's "Help" section under "About".... There is also a great amount of info on their website:  http://www.disneybookapps.com/disneycomics.html

Pros:

1) Free comics! And most of the comics are only $0.99.

2) No ads at all (none in the comics…and the ones in the app are for deals within the app).

3)Translations.  Previously unavailable in English comics like X-Mickey!

4) X-Mickey. These huge comics (about 45 pages) are totally entertaining and feature brand new (to me) characters and monsters.

5) Actual pages are listed. Not panels like some comic apps.

6)ZOOMING. You can choose to pinch-to-zoom, or have the app zoom-in from panel to panel with just a tap! You can even have it automatically go from panel to panel… if you’re a speedy reader (the speed is adjustable).

7) Sounds. These scared me the first time they happened. Every once in a while, if you are reading with the panel-to-panel method, a pre-recorded sound will play…usually a zinger of some sort that matches the action in the comic. This is a totally unnecessary thing, but it is fun and it usually makes me jump. It is easily turned off in the “Sounds and Animations” section of the“Settings.” I haven’t seen any“Animations” yet, but they might be cool!

8)Prices.  $0.99 a comic story is great!  Some of them are $1.99 and some are more than that, but I believe the price points are based on length... something like 30 pages or less is $0.99... 31 or more pages is $1.99.  There are some deals for longer comics being $0.99 (or less with bundles)... Personally, I think that all the comics SHOULD be $0.99.  I'm not purchasing any of the higher priced ones. For Example, the Superduck series, most of them are $1.99, and they are really good, but I can't buy 11+ comics for $1.99 each (they are about 48 pages each, and probably worth it though...maybe).

Cons / Easily fixable things:

1) The banners advertising the different deals and comics don’t always work (currently there is one that says “Villains”with Magica De Spell and the Beagle Boys on it, but tapping it doesn’t bring you to to a list of their comics).  Sometimes these banners do work, and when they do, there is usually a good deal attached to them.   UPDATE for new 10/2011 version:  THEY WORK NOW!

2) Incomplete comics/No ads in the comics… WHAT? Yes, you read that right. From what I understand, the original X-Mickey releases had FAKE parody advertisements in them (featuring the X-Mickey characters with story related silly items), and these aren’t included… but the big stinker is, the bonus stories that were in the original issues aren’t included either.  Also, the Topolino comics were a few hundred pages, and they aren't completely available... just the full stories are available (which is hard to complain about). October 19th update: A new 15 page free comic called "X-Mickey Extra #1: Postcard from Monsterton" (which looks like it should be called "Smile!") was just added... this may be a GOOD sign! Smile was originally printed as "Sorridi!" in 2002 in X-Mickey #998 (#3). 

3) Non-searchable database. You can’t search. Period.  You just have three lists for the regular and three lists for the free comics: “Featured,” “Top 25,” and “New” in each.  Note: You CAN sort of search the comics you've purchased/downloaded via a list of ALL of them, called "titles," a list called "Characters" and a list called "Categories." UPDATE FOR NEW VERSION of the APP released 10/2011: "Characters" and "Categories" have been added to a "Kiosk" section of the main comics and a lot of comics are listed under those that aren't anywhere else.  Currently, the "Characters" list in the Kiosk section is missing a lot of characters, but they are working on it.  There still isn't a "search" though.  I want a key-word search. 

4) Translations need another proofread sometimes. Two of the comics I’ve read on the Disney Comics App have had errors that should have been picked up by a proofreader. One of these was in Wizards of Mickey #1 (which I have the Boom Kids! Graphic novel of the first four issues… but the app had it as a free download too). The interesting thing is, this typo wasn’t in the Graphic Novel at all. The typo is “You’ll find out in soon in the next episode…” A totally easy mistake to make when a writer changes how they are going to word something mid-sentence. Maybe they need to hire a Copy Editor/Proofreader, or a second one.

5) The original covers aren’t always a part of the comic download. This is due to a lot of these originally being part of a bigger comic like the Italian“Topolino” comics that usually have a lot of stories. But for something like the X-Mickey comics, I don’t know why they aren’t included. The original X-Mickey covers are works of art.  This is a little picky, but it would be nice.

Here is a list of some of the comics (besides X-Mickey) that are currently available:

NOTE: the TL ####-#’s are the story codes. I noticed these in the books and there are websites dedicated to them. The TL stands for "Topolino"

Arizona Goof and the Risky Adventure (also titled “Arizona Goofy and the Risky Adventure” within the App). TL-2649-2 (this series was originally titled Indiana Pipps/Goofs, I believe). Original Italian title: Indiana Pipps e la rischiosa avventura

Donald Duck and Fethry Duck in “Operation Seaweed”. TL 2541-1. 30 Pages. Original Italian title: Paperino, Paperoga e la "Missione Alga"

Donald Duck and Gladstone Gander and the Trash Collection. TL 2688-2. 12 pages. Original title: Paperino, Gastone e la raccolta differenziata

Donald Duck and the Secret of the 313, TL 2071 (AKA TL 2071-1). 29 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e il segreto della 313

Donald Duck and the Beach Training Camp. TL 2752-1. 26 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e il singolare allenamento balneare

Donald Duck and the World Cup Mission. TL 2638-1. 30 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e la missione "mondiali" (Note: this also features Fethry Duck.)

Donald Duck in Gone With the Wind #1. TL 1396-A. 44 pages. Original Italian title was: Paperino e il vento del sud (Note: #2 isn’t on the App yet, but #1 is free right now)

Gladstone Gander and the Holiday in the Pocket. 4 pages (free). TL 2211-3. Original Italian title: Gastone e la vacanza in tasca

Goofy and the Elephant Memory. 5 pages (free). TL 2224-4. Original Italian title: Pippo e la memoria da elefante

Gyro Gearloose and the Shielding Gloves. 12 pages (free). TL 2695-3. Original Italian title: Archimede e i guanti paranti

Mickey Mouse and the Secret of the Black Whale. 36 pages. TL 2523-1. Original Italian title: Topolino e il segreto della Balena Nera

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #1. 31 pages. Part 1 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title:Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #2. 31 pages. Part 2 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title: Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #3. 39 pages. Part 3 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title: Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the River of Time #1 (also titled “Mickey Mouse in the River of Time” in the APP). 24 Pages. TL 2243-1A. Original Italian title: Topolino e il fiume del tempo. This story was printed in English before in Mickey Mouse Adventures #2 (ISBN 0-911903-69-0)

Mickey Mouse and the River of Time #2 (also titled “Mickey Mouse in the River of Time” in the APP). 26 Pages. TL 2243-1B. Original Italian title: Topolino e il fiume del tempo

Here is a list of some comics that have been available as a part of a promotion, but they are currently no longer available:

San Diego Comic Con 2011 specials:

Cinderella (a 44 page comic adaptation of the film, FREE)

Up (a 48 page comic adaption of the film, FREE).

UPDATE:
New York Comic Con 2011 specials (as of Thursday morning at 1:21 New York time):
From what I understand, a QR code on staff t-shirts will lead to a special mobile site with specially-priced New York Comic-Con exclusives.  Here is what the app has on it right now (with the prices for "regular" users:
The Mickey Mouse Once Upon a Time in America Series:
Mickey Mouse and the Treasure of the Mayflower (34 pages, free)
Mickey Mouse and the Boston Smugglers (35 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the Big Sky (40 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the Second-to-Last of the Mohicans (35 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the River's Beauty (32 pages, $0.99)
Interview with George Washington (30 pages, $0.99)

Two Tangled shorts: "Flying Stars" and "Pascal's Painting" (only 4 pages each, and way over-priced at $0.99 each... these should be free). They were originally published in Disney Presents #1.

The Lion King (46 page film adaption, 2.99)

Toy Story (48 page film adaption, $2.99)

Aladdin (46 page film adaptation, $2.99)

Up and Cinderella too (but for $2.99 each).

Some of the bundles are listed in the Special Offers secitions of the App, but they are all regular price.



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

UPDATE October, 2011

They just released a new version!

There is a "Kiosk" choice at the top.  Tapping it will bring you to two choices "Characters" and "Catagories."  Going into those will bring up a lot of comics that don't show up anywhere else. Like: "Arizona Goof and the Idol of the Chicken-hearts," "Mickey Mouse in War of the Worlds," "A Christmas Carol" (Jose Colomer Font's 1982 34 page version)and a whole slew of "Superduck" comics!

The banners now work!

All of my purchases moved to it without me even having to re-download.  NICE!  There is an option in the settings to do this if you can't find something you've downloaded.

Now... just add a search and they'll be golden.


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

Update May 2012

Things have been pretty slow in this App recently.  A lot of comics have been released/translated onto this app, but most of their prices have been the higher $1.99 instead of the more economical $0.99 (including "X-Mickey" #12 through #20, grr).  Doubling the price is a horrible idea in my opinion. So, I haven't been purchasing like I used to.  Paying for a non-physical item that I can't donate or sell or give to my kids when I'm done with it is just... hard to deal with.  It feels like renting, and if I'm going to "rent" these comics, I don't want to spend more than $0.99... or have more "Bundle" options... or more sale days.

On Free Comic Book Day (first Saturday in May 2012), the App released 4 comics:
"Cars: Raditor Springs" 
"Donald Duck and the Space Tourist"
"Tangled: Flying Stars"
and
"Phinneas & Ferb: Happy Birthday, Perry!" 
I purchased these the day they came out, but my phone pooped out on me and I had to download them later.... BUT I COULDN'T.  The books are no longer available now.  So, now they are sitting in my download queue.  Everytime I open the app, they try to download again, but alas, they cannot.  I emailed the company and they told me to delete the App and redownload it.  It turns out this was NOT good advice.... fortunately I asked more questions and got a straight answer from "Eric",
"Unfortunately, the comics that were available on Free Comic Book Day were only available to download on that day."
So, these four comics will continue to attempt to be downloaded, I guess, every time I open my app (or my phone locks and unlocks).  ANNOYING.  You see, they can't be deleted because they haven't been fully downloaded yet.  Disney needs to just make these available to those who have purcahsed them (like me), or they need to update the app so you can delete an un-downloaded book.  So, I assume that if you DID download them, and deleted them, you'd never be able to get them again!  That doesn't seem right.  All of the other purchases remain available if deleted...at least that is what the App says...