Tag: Humor

Zombie in Love

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Image Credit: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), Kelly DiPucchio/Steve Campbell

Image Credit: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), Kelly DiPucchio/Scott Campbell

Here at Read It Real Good, I make an effort to review diverse books. I don’t discriminate and my definition of diverse is broad. I’m very accepting of the living AND the un-dead. Haha. Zombie in Love is adorable. Mortimer’s just looking for love. He needs a date for the Cupid’s Ball, but for some reason, the ladies aren’t very interested. It could be that he’s a zombie but I think he’s pretty adorable. He gets clever and puts an ad in the local paper for a date (from Tall Dead and Handsome); meet him at the punch bowl he says. Poor guy waits…an entire lifetime it seems, for his girl.

When I need a chuckle, I read this book. I’m not really into zombies at all but there’s just something about this book! Kelly DiPucchio is the queen of clever puns and dry humor. If you haven’t checked out my review for her book Everyone Loves Bacon, please do. She is AMAZING and is in my top author list. Scott Campbell’s watercolor illustrations are delightful. Don’t worry, this book isn’t very scary or creepy; it’s more hilarious than anything. Mortimer has a zombie dog and a few earthworm sidekicks who help him out on his quest for love. I highly recommend this book if you like a good laugh, clever writing and great illustrations. Also, if you fall in love with this one, check out the sequel Zombie in Love 2 + 1!

Recommended for: Ages 7 and up (some slightly creepy moments…zombies)
Great for: Humor, Zombies!!, Friendship, Determination
Book Info: Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio/Illustrated by Scott Campbell, 2011 Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), ISBN: 9781442402706

Billy and Goat at the State Fair

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Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Dan Yaccarino

Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Dan Yaccarino

An outgoing goat and a timid young boy go on an adventure at a State Fair. Ah, this is a good one. Honestly, I’m a little biased because I really enjoy Dan Yaccarino’s stories and art style. So when I saw this book on the shelves, I made “grabby hands” and made it my staff pick, naturally.

This story is so very sweet. Billy is a very introverted boy but his goat friend is quite the opposite; he’s a little dude who loves adventures! Goat is excited to go to the big State Fair but Billy is afraid…yet he goes to support his friend in the Best Goat Competition. Goat gets a little distracted though, and explores the fair while Billy scrambles to find him. Goat gets Billy out of his comfort zone and before he knows it, they’re both enjoying all the State Fair has to offer. When friends support each other (and give a little nudge of encouragement), great things happen.

Oh let’s talk about the art! Something about Yaccarino’s style sings to me. I’m also a big fan of the Doug Unplugged books and Every Friday (so sweet). I love his use of color, shape and line and the retro feel of his art. I often place him in my mind with Bob Staake and Stephen Savage. I love the little details in his art for the State Fair; a simple white outline for a glass bottle with a black ring, yellow teacup rides with black shadowed figures. It’s about the little things and Yaccarino excels at them. I can’t recommend this story of friendship enough. 🙂

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Friendship, Colors, Discussion, Animals
Book Info: Billy and Goat at the State Fair by Dan Yaccarino, 2015 Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) ISBN: 9780385753258

Shark Detective!

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Image Credit: Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), Jessica Olien

Image Credit: Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), Jessica Olien

Shark Detective is one of my favorite picture books for 2015. It’s a relatively simple story but sometimes simple is the most difficult to pull off. Olien’s shark tale makes me smile every time I read it; there’s something very endearing about Shark and his desire to become a detective. He’s a gentleman and has everyone’s best interests in mind, even when they are less than understanding about his sharky appearance.

Shark lives a lonely life in a hotel room where he dreams of being a big time detective. He gets his break when he notices a “Missing Kitty” poster on the street and decides to put his skills to the test. Shark doesn’t take this mission lightly; he does plenty of thoughtful research to solve the mystery and even makes a friend along the way.

Olien’s bold digital illustrations are great. I love the extra attention to detail with her characters’ expressions. Shark Detective is not only smart; it’s also a cute story about determination and friendship. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel because I’m anxious to see what case Shark Detective will sniff out next!

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Friendship, Humor, Discussion, Sharks, Animals, Mystery, Community
Book Info: Shark Detective by Jessica Olien, 2015 Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), ISBN: 9780062357144

Everyone Loves Bacon

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Image Credit: Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), Kelly DiPucchio/Eric Wight

Image Credit: Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), Kelly DiPucchio/Eric Wight

Recently the World Health Organization said we should limit the amount of bacon we eat because it (and other processed meats) can lead to cancer…But guess what? We can still READ about bacon!!

Kelly DiPucchio’s latest book, Everyone Loves Bacon, is a hoot. Bacon is full of himself. He’s a hot-shot with an ego issue. He knows that everyone loves him; how can they not? He’s amazing. He has tons of adoring fans (including Pancake) and even a few enemies (French Toast is one). He’s the life of the party BUT Bacon makes a big mistake. He starts to forget about his friends when his popularity goes to his crispy head. You can’t forget about your friends Bacon!

Eric Wight’s illustrations are wonderfully retro and bright. The story takes place at an old school diner so we get to see the old diner tables, glass straw dispensers, mini coin jukeboxes and all the nostalgic goodness of greasy spoon living. Also, I’m a sucker for cute illustrations, especially cute food with faces. Ugh! They get me EVERY time. I really love this book with all its puns and silly humor and I hope you will too.

Recommended for: All Ages
Great for: Humor, Discussion, Morals
Book Info: Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio/Illustrated by Eric Wight, 2015 Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), ISBN: 9780374300524

Where’s Walrus? and Penguin?

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Image Credit: Scholastic, Stephen Savage

Image Credit: Scholastic, Stephen Savage

I picked this book up to review and then I looked at the author and these were my thoughts “Oh I like this one a lot, let’s review it…OMG it’s Stephen Savage. No wonder I like it!” I previously reviewed his book Supertruck which is about a garbage truck with a secret identity. His most recent book however is about adventurous zoo animals. I love the endpaper. I’ve mentioned before how much I love endpapers… 🙂

Look at the beauty

Look at the beauty

On a rainy day at the zoo, Walrus and Penguin make a break for it. Mr. Zookeeper searches for them throughout the city but they’re just too clever at blending in. This is a silly book that’ll provide lots of chuckles for you and your child. You’ll enjoy searching for Walrus and Penguin on each page. There’s room for discussion and storytelling because the story is wordless. Savage’s signature simplistic, bold digital illustrations are great. If you love this one, be sure to check out the original book, Where’s Walrus? because it’s just as awesome!

Recommended for: Toddlers and young readers
Great for: Storytelling, Colors, Animals, Humor
Book Info: Where’s Walrus? and Penguin? by Stephen Savage, 2015 Scholastic Press, ISBN: 9780545402958

Cakes in Space

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Image Credit: Random House, Philip Reeve/Sarah McIntyre

Image Credit: Random House, Philip Reeve/Sarah McIntyre

Who doesn’t want to read a book about monster cakes in space?? Who could pass up a funky cover like this? Cakes in Space is FUN, snarky, totally ridiculous and a great story. This book is a stand-alone but it’s also the second in the Not-So-Impossible Tale Series by the amazing team, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. Their first book, Oliver and the Seawigs, is also awesome.

The book opens with Astra and her family heading to the new planet of Nova Mundi which is 199 years away. Before they’re locked into their pods for hibernation, Astra’s rumbling belly leads her to the ship’s “Nom-a-tron” to get a snack. She asks for the ultimate cake. The machine takes an unusually long time to process her request so she goes back to her pod to hibernate. Unfortunately the machine takes her request too literally and…MAKES CAKES THAT ARE ALIVE!! Astra wakes from her hibernation before everyone else, but 99 years have passed and the cakes have had 99 years to evolve and have taken over the ship! She has to fight the cakes and along the way she makes new friends, trusts her gut and uses her smarts.

McIntyre’s sci-fi illustrations are very cute and inviting. She only uses a few colors; orange, black, brown and gray and it works surprisingly well. This book is a mix between a picture book and a chapter book because there’s an illustration on just about every page. If you have a child who is a little trepidatious about jumping into larger chapter books, this is a great bridge for them because it isn’t too long and it has lots of pictures! It’s also one of my recommended read-aloud books for families.

Recommended for: 2nd Graders and up, Children ready for longer chapter books
Great for: Friendship, Sci-fi, Action/Adventure, Girl Power, Read-Aloud, Diversity
Book Info: Cakes in Space by Philip Reeve/Illustrated by Sarah McIntyre, 2014 Random House, ISBN: 9780385387927

Take Away the A

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Image Credit: Enchanted Lion Books, Michaël Escoffier

Image Credit: Enchanted Lion Books, Michaël Escoffier/Kris Di Giacomo

I love a great endpaper (it’s all about the details!!). I open this book and there’s a neon green background with white ABC letters. Okay, I’m already hooked!  *__*

Take Away the A is by far my favorite ABC book. This book is CLEVER! It gets kids thinking about not only their ABCs but also the meaning of words. Escoffier takes away one letter from a simple word, that word magically transforms into another word and then he writes a silly sentence using both words. Then the illustrator, Di Giacomo, pairs the sentence with a charming illustration. The child reader is reading and simultaneously making connections between the sentence and image. If they have some trouble understanding the words, they can glance up at the illustration for help, especially since the format of this book is very formulaic. Some children are more visual learners and books like this are great for strengthening their reading comprehension!

As a bookseller, this was my go-to recommendation for children who are starting to feel more confident with their reading because it’s so fun and silly. The illustrations use muted colors and have a classic feeling to them. Teachers and parents can also use this book as a tool to get their kids thinking creatively! How about a Take Away the A inspired lesson where the students come up with their own silly sentences and illustrations? The possibilities are endless!

Recommended for: Beginning readers and up
Great for: ABC Learning, Inspiring creative thinking, Storytelling, Animals, Humor
Book Info: Take Away the A by Michaël Escoffier/Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo , 2014 Enchanted Lion Books, ISBN: 9781592701568