Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 04:32PM Love this review for Dotty from The Reading Tub!
If you are in Washington, DC come see me this Saturday (2/5/11) at 11 a.m. at the new Tenleytown Library. There will also be crafts and music and the chance to ooh and ahh over the new facilities!
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 02:25PM 
It is a great day - no, make that a great week - for children's books! The Caldecott, Newbery, Prinz, King, Geisel, Carnegie, Schneider, etc. etc. etc. award have been announced, and all are buzzing, including me. I am, as you all know, kind of obsessed with this stuff. Many pals honored, including Jenni Holm, Mo Willems, David Diaz, the whole crew at Abrams/Amulet, and the fine folks at Weston Woods. And Interrupting Chicken got a Caldecott Honor, which is an exciting step for chickens' literature. Um, I mean children's literature. Okay, both.
And in addition, I am personally abuzz with excitement about two wonderful reviews Dotty just got, so please join me in enjoying them. The first is by the uber-talented Esme Raji Codell (author, teacher, librarian and "readiologist", she knows more books - and knows more about 'em - than any roomful of people you might try to assemble). She wrote what is quite possibly the best review I've received in my career and here it is.
Favorite quote?
"Not since Margery Williams’ THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
And then - in the same week, no less - Dotty and I got another amazing review. This time from the four fabulous siblings who make up Bookie Woogie - one of my favorite book blogs of all time. These kids, whose dad facilitates their online excellence, also draw like mad, so you can check their art out at their other blog - which should win the best blog name award: Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty. I have been secretly hoping they would read and like DOTTY and they did, big time, and with all sorts of excellent observations. Check it out here.
Favorite quote? Impossible to choose so here's one from each kid:
Dad: And what did you think of the story?
Isaac (age 12): It was a cool idea - it's like a whole other world, but still close enough to the real world that you don't notice.
Dad (follow up question about Elijah's imaginary friend): What does she look like?
Elijah (age 5): She's an orange cat with stripes. I have a whole bunch of imaginary friends. Oliana. And Hanker... he kind of looks like a hamster with horns. Because he does have horns. My biggest one is Manker. He is an imaginary friend with wheels. He's the biggest imaginary friend I have.
Dad: Who is your imaginary friend Lily?
Lily (age 7): Liliana.
Dad: That's the name of your second cousin.
Lily: Yeah, but it's also the name of a girl who lives in Lilyland. That's where my imaginary friends stay.
Dad (remembering Gracie's imaginary friend from when she was younger): She used to be a girl from Mexico who liked to drink milk.
Gracie (age 10): Oh yeah! She would drink my milk for me!
Dad: That's the only time she ever showed up. When you didn't want to drink your milk. So Ensenta would drink it. This little imaginary Mexican girl.
Gracie: Ha ha ha haaaaah!
Dad: That's about all she did. She never showed up unless milk was around. That's the only way we could get you to drink it.
Isaac: Then Gracie got smart.
Gracie: Now Ensenta is allergic to milk.
The portrait of Dotty (above) was drawn by Isaac. More imaginary friend art accompanies the review, as does a photograph of a nonimaginary friend named Mr. Fred.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 11:17PM Guess who's back for 2011. And guess whose back is back, too!
That's right.... Chicken Butt's Back!
Now available for pre-order. And get yourself a little friend to enjoy it with, why don't you?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 11:10AM Rooting for - who else? - the Fighting Blue Hens of the University of Delaware!
Monday, December 20, 2010 at 05:28PM More traveling Chicken Butt! photos... keep 'em coming!
"Ooh, my fellow chickens! Hey, guys, you know what? Uh, guys...???"
