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Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a freelancer, he has written many newspaper columns for local publications. “Slippery Willie’s Stupid, Ugly Shoes” is his first children’s book. Peterson has lived in Pinellas Park, Florida for the past 28 years.
About the book:
Willie Wiggles hates his slippery feet. He just slips, slides and spins all over the place. But what he hates even more are the special shoes that have been made for him that will help him to walk just like all the other kids. Willie thinks that they are the “stupidest, ugliest shoes in the whole world.”
Discover how sometimes we worry about things about ourselves when actually there is nothing to worry about in the first place.
Book Trailer:
My take on the book:
Teaching young children that differences are okay is one of the building blocks necessary for children to be able to show empathy for others. The author, Larry Peterson, takes on this issue of accepting differences in an engaging and light-hearted manner. Children ages 4-8 will be able to easily identify with Willie’s feelings of being different and standing out.
While the storyline was definitely geared for children 4-8 years of age, I thought some of the pages had a lot of words. I think this could make it a little difficult for younger children to read. Yet because the story is engaging and fun, it does seem to make an excellent book to read aloud with younger children. I really liked the illustrations accompanying the story as well. I thought they helped express the emotions elicited in the story very nicely.
I did have one little pet peeve about the story. I really am not a fan of using the word ‘stupid’ in children’s books. I know it sounds prudish but I worked for many years as a teacher’s aide in special education classrooms, and I also owned a business where I provided respite care for families of children with special needs. I simply heard too many children during those years get called that word. I really enjoyed this book and I think the message is excellent, but that word strikes a chord in me which I can’t shake.
That being said, I was thrilled to see the excellent discussion questions provided at the en
4 Comments on Book Review: Slippery Willie’s Stupid, Ugly Shoes, last added: 3/16/2011
Aww, thanks Chris for the review and for making such valid points.
You’re right – it is so important to teach children how to empathize with others. I’m glad that you feel “Slippery Willie” accomplishes that task.
Thank you for helping us spread the word about the book. It’s an honor to be featured on such a great blog like Book Dads.
Chris Singer said, on 3/15/2011 7:59:00 AM
Thanks for your kind words Nicole! I’m so happy to have connected with you and Mary Ann — especially since you’re in my hometown!
Larry Peterson said, on 3/15/2011 2:40:00 PM
Hi Chris—Thanks so much for doing the review on my book. I appreciate your insight into the message of the book and also for your take on the word ‘stupid’. It is very informative for me to get a different viewpoint and I appreciate it. Thanks again and best wishes to you and yours—Larry Peterson
Ryan O’Reilly, grandson of the O’Reilly Auto Parts founder, is also the author of the travel novel Snapshot, and a free-lance contributor to various newspapers and periodicals throughout the country. He studied English Literature at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri and is a member of the National Writers Association and the Writers League of Texas. Ryan’s wild, often death-defying, adventures have nearly gotten him killed; they’ve also earned him travel writer street cred (see his Road Trip Tips for MensFitness.com). O’Reilly divides his time between his business in Austin, Texas and a small farm in Clever, Missouri.
About the book:
Whereas older generations tended to settle down earlier in life and often in the same towns in which they were raised, today’s younger adults – Generation Y – marry later, thus prolonging their youth and leaving more time for career development and living an unattached life. This phase of soul searching puts more time between past relationships, often creating regret and the overwhelming desire to return “home.”
To Nourish and Consume deals with the awkward journey of returning home after a long period of avoiding one’s past. The notion of returning home is something many long for, but in the end is unreachable.
This is the story of three former friends, who reunite unexpectedly in the small resort town they had known as children. For the main character, Brian Falk, coming home brings him face-to-face with a past he spent most of his adult life running from, especially his teenage involvement in a complicated love triangle that crossed both class and gender lines.
Brian hoped to return not just to home, but also to the euphoric experiences of youth; only to find that youth, being transient, is gone forever. His eventual self-discovery comes in the form of breaking certain ties to the past, while at the same time recognizing the role his past has played in sculpting his current life.
My take on the book:
“What am I getting myself into,” is the thought I had when I received Ryan O’Reilly’s newest novel To Nourish and Consume in the mail. I even sent Chris at Book Dads an email expressing my concern that this book might not fit with the scope of his site. This was all before I even opened the book.
Well, forgive me, Mr. O’Reilly, for judging your book by its cover, specifically the back cover. All-in-all this novel doesn’t go along with the norm of what is review
0 Comments on Book Review: To Nourish and Consume as of 1/1/1900
Newly published Out of the Way! Out of the Way! by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy (Tulika Books, 2010) begins its blog tour today at Educating Alice, where you can read her students’ reviews of the book; and Saffron Tree, where there’s an intriguing Q&A with (writer) Uma, as well as the book title in all of its available languages/scripts…
Also, do read Uma’s explanation of the book’s format – I found it fascinating…
And we can’t wait to be hosting Out of the Way! Out of the Way! on Wednesday. Don’t miss it!
Here’s the whole schedule (I’ll update links to the actual posts as the week progresses):
It's Paco time! New this week: Paco and the Giant Chili Plant, written by Keith Polette, published by Raven Tree Press, and illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba. To celebrate, Elizabeth's blogging author/illustrator buddies are sending her on a book blog tour. For my stop in the tour, I've asked her 6 questions. Read her answers, below, and then check out the other station stops in her tour. And buy her book! --------------------------- 1. Which title do you take more pride in, author or illustrator? --------------------------- I was an illustrator first, so it's the title I'm most comfortable with, however, I probably take it for granted. The author tag is new and still somewhat untested. Although I've sold many articles, a short story, a poem, have won honorable mention in several writing contests and am writing my second novel, I have yet to see my name on the cover of a published book as author. So that's what I covet the most right now. --------------------------- 2. I admire that you took a lot of time to develop your work, a few years ago, to get it ready to submit to publishers. That takes patience and persistence. Care to share how you did it? --------------------------- Oh, I was sending work out while I tried to develop my style, don't get me wrong! I just hadn't found my voice yet and there wasn't much interest until I did. To find it, I experimented with everything: acrylics, oils, gouache, markers, colored pencils, you name it. The supplies are scattered around my office . . . somewhere. It wasn't until I went back to the computer and the software program, Painter, that I sprouted wings. (I'd dabbled with Painter for years, but frankly, computers weren't up to the task until just a few years ago. It's a behemoth of a program.) --------------------------- 3. Describe your best speaking gig so far. --------------------------- Hands down, the Decatur Book Festival. Now heading into its third year, it started up right after I moved to the area. The owner of my favorite independent bookstore, Little Shop of Stories, is in charge of the children's stage and has been so supportive of my career. That first year, I read GLITTER GIRL AND THE CRAZY CHEESE to a crowd of hundreds under the children's tent - what a thrill! --------------------------- 4. What competes for your time, and how do you manage to give your writing and illustration work the time it needs? --------------------------- I just work my tail off, no way around it. I have two muses fighting for 100% of my time and it's tough to keep them appeased. --------------------------- 5. What are your goals for your work? --------------------------- I always want to produce the absolutely best work I can, which can be challenging when I'm not given enough time or have too much on my plate. But I got into children's books to create inspired work, work that attempts to be in the same league with that of my heroes (children's book illustrators). My goal is for my work to entrance and transport the viewer to magical places. --------------------------- 6. Now that Paco's out, what are you working on next?--------------------------- Lots! I'm writing my second novel (the first is with my agent). I'm illustrating the second two books in a parental aid picture book series - I also illustrated the first two which come out this June. I'm finishing up a few coloring book covers and writing more picture book stories. And of course, I've got lots of engagements lined up to celebrate Paco! I can't wait! (My calendar of events: http://dulemba.com/index_schedule.html ).
In keeping with my fellow bloggers' recipe offerings, here's mine: Five Year Old Quesadillas(pronounced Kay-sah-DEE-yahs) (so named because they're easy enough for a 5-year-old to make -- not because they're old ;) 1. Lay a flour tortilla on a glass dish. 2. Sprinkle it with about 4 tablespoons of grated cheese, more or less to taste. Grated cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack or a taco blend all work well. 3. Top with another flour tortilla. 4. Zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds or until the cheese is melted. 5. Remove from oven, let cool, and slice it into pie-wedges using a pizza cutter. This is my 5-year-old grandson's favorite recipe, at the moment.
To read the rest of Elizabeth's interviews and find a few more recipes, check out these blogs: Monday: Kim Norman's Stone Stoop! Kim is the author of "Jack of all Tails" and shares a great recipe for Tasty Tortilla Snowflakes!! Tuesday: Barbara Johansen Newman's Cat n' Jammers Studio. Barb wrote and illustrated "Tex & Sugar." Wednesday: Janee Trasler's Art & Soul. Janee's latest book is "Ghost Eats It All!" Thursday: Ruth McNally Barshaw, creator of "Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel!" (Elizabeth says: If you like "Diary of a Whimpy Kid," you'll love Ellie! -- thanks, Elizabeth) Friday: Kerry Madden, author of "Jessie's Mountain," the thrid installment in her Maggie Valley trilogy (read about it here.) Saturday: Sarah Dillard, illustrator of "Tightrope Poppy" and author/illustrator of the forthcoming "Perfectly Arugula!"
And -- check out Elizabeth's site for more of her luminous art-- like this piece:
0 Comments on Paco's Book Blog Tour as of 1/1/1900
Hi, Karen! I'm so excited about your newest book, My Even Day, and excited to help you along on your book blog tour.
1. You are from a family with a bunch of kids born in a short number of years, just like me. How did that affect your art? As second of five, do you feel like an oldest kid or a middle kid?
I think both nature and nurture have had their influence on how I became an illustrator. I want to point out here that even as a very young child it was all about illustration for me – not fine art. I never wanted to be a fine artist and the reason I didn’t go to the nearby Cleveland Institute of Art is that it is a fine art school. It wasn’t until I discovered CCAD that I knew that was where I belonged.
I feel like the oldest. My brother is one year older than me and then I have stair stepping sisters, so I was leader of the girls (leader of all until my brother got taller than me in high school). I still feel that big sister need to round up my chicks and herd them where they need to go, not that I am a natural leader, just a chick herder.
2. What kind of art did you like to do as a kid? Has any part of your art remained constant?
I was a very typical kid. I enjoyed art and it was always very exciting for me, but I wasn’t particularly driven. I went through the horse profile stage like every other girl. I had a pretty dynamite high school art experience and was able to try lots of different things. Drawing and painting have remained the constant and the work always looks like I did it – even when I look back on older work, there is something soft and Karenish about the work. That’s sort of frustrating but it’s also what contributes to the style.
3. You're married to an artist! That must make for some interesting dinner table conversations at your house. How do you keep your work separate? How do you keep from morphing with him into a third, between-the-two sort of entity?
Yes! Our conversations can be pretty fun. I love being married to Tim the guy, but I am really fortunate to be married to Tim the artist. We have always kept each other passionate about art and that is precious. He turns me on to artists outside the children’s publishing world and that keeps me more in tune with what is happening in the broader world of illustration. I don’t think we keep our work separate and I’m glad.
We have had several overlapping clients over the years – one of his clients will call me not knowing that we are married, and the other way around. Although our work is different there is definitely an influence on each other. I am actually ready to morph with him now (oh, how he loves to hear that!). It took some maturity on my part to be able to think of working with him on something and we are beginning to. He is much more adventurous in his art than I am and I want to tap into his bravery, lean on him a little. And I think the art could be pretty spectacular!
What we don’t do is critique each other. We need to stay married and it is too hard to not take criticism personally.
4. Describe the perfect career path for you.
I want to continue to illustrate other people’s writing. I want to be offered work that challenges me to continue to move forward rather than stay in place. I want to continue to write and gain the confidence and skills to create something enduring and universal. I want to be able to delight in the work I am doing (as I am now). I don’t want to map out where the path ends up but find my way as I go. When I look back at where I’ve come from I am grateful that it led me here and I have certainly guided it, butI have also allowed for synchronicity and I know that will influence what becomes of me next.
5. Are you active in SCBWI or any other writer groups? What kind of stuff you do for them? And what do you get out of it?
Yes! I am very active in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators here in the Carolinas. I am the Illustration Coordinator for our chapter – which really means I am the head cheerleader and wrangler for the artists in the organization. I coordinate the art for our quarterly newsletter and occasionally provide articles. We are having our 15th annual fall conference beginning this Friday and I have been very involved in the planning for that. I love this organization and as much as I have put into it, I have received back in spades. It was through my first conferences and the SCBWI online discussion board that I learned the fundamentals of both the art of writing and illustrating for children, and then the business side of the profession. I entered contests (and won), found my publisher, found both online and local critique groups, and most importantly I found myself. I feel like I have a close circle of friends that I can count on, and a larger community that I can be inspired by.
6. You're only 29. Barely out of school and already making a name for yourself. What's different than what you expected, at this stage in the publishing game? What surprised you? What most pleases you?
Ha ha – yeah, 29. The real story is that I spent fifteen years doing storyboards in advertising and after I had both my kids I was exposed to children’s publishing for the first time. I decided to begin building my children’s portfolio when my youngest was two – and now she’s ten. So eight years is no meteoric rise. That is what I didn’t expect. I was shocked at how little I knew about creating effective picture book art, and then how long it took to have someone take the risk of signing me to do a book.
What pleases me? After years of being frustrated with my artwork almost all the time, I am now frustrated with it less than half the time. So for me the process has become the most fun. I love the early concepting phases and all the excitement that brings as ideas come together. I love drawing, I love painting. I love showing the finished result to people and seeing them react to it.
I'm having trouble with an idea for a blog post! I have received two author requests for book reviews that I'm happy about, but I have to read the books before I can write them!
I 'm also polishing the July story for my Bizzy, The Bizzy Dog blog series, although I still don't have a title for this months story. I like to put a story away for a few days before doing a final rewrite, so here I am with the week-end quickly approaching and no blog post!
I decided to visit the "Helium" web site for help. A few months ago before I started writing my blog I wrote a few articles for the site. It's fun, but I haven't had time to play there, since starting this blog, so when I went back this morning I was delightfully shocked! They have redone the web site, with some great new feature enhancements, a debate forum, and even new channel champion contests!
Plus many of my articles have risen to the top like a helium balloon! ;) It's great! One of my articles popular on Helium got my attention, so I decided why not post iton my blog. It's about My Random act of stupidity one Christmas when my son was just a baby. It was written around April fools day so forgive the reference-
How To Entertain Yourself With A Random Act Of Stupidity-
Random acts of stupidity, cheap thrills, I like to call them, are cheap entertainment! It doesn't cost you a penny! That is of course if you aren't hurting anyone else's feelings or property. This is a good subject, especially around April Fools day, which is the national day for random acts of stupidity. Every year the same people fool me on April fools day. I hate it because, I know what day it is, and they still get me every year! It's ridiculous. My son threw a fake lizard on me this year while I was asleep, (I will take his keys away from him the first chance I get) and I screamed so loud you would have thought my ceiling was crumbling down on top of me! Well, I may not be a good April Fool day fooler, but I m great with a random act of becoming a complete idiot any day!
I'm a single parent, and when my son was small, Christmas time was stressful. One year I was sitting with a friend , and my little boy, (my son was a baby then) in a fast food restaurant. We were talking about Christmas , and I was explaining to her how I was budgeting my money and , well, she came up with a proposition for me! She said ,"What if you got on the table and sang whatever that song is you love so much right in the middle of the restaurant?" When I looked at her (actually pondering the question), we both smiled like children. Then she said, "What do you think people would do?"
We were so young (although, I think it's funny today) we decided there was only one way to find out. Guess what I did? You got it! For fifty dollars, I got on the table in a fast food restaurant, and sang the song, New York, New York! My son, who was 18 months old at the time, sang back up!
My friend did not think I was going to do this of course, but I really wanted to get my son a particular gift for Christmas! I'm lucky I was not in jail!
What a random act of stupidity! But, boy, was it fun!
Random acts of stupidity? Did I have one!
Author note- I bought my son the gift I wanted so badly to purchase that year. It was a twist -a-twirl his father and I spent the entire Christmas eve pulling our hair out to put it together, but he loved it- They 're worth aren't they?
You can read the same article and other more intellectually stimulating articles of mine on Helium.com
Thanks for reading and have a great week-end! But, come back and read my new blog story featuring my character Bizzy on Monday! The link for the first story is under the category for children's stories entitled Bizzy, The Busy Dog.
0 Comments on Random Acts of Stupidity! as of 1/1/1990
St. Amy Jane said, on 6/30/2007 11:52:00 AM
that is a beautiful story! the fact you had the guts to get up and do that for your son is heroic! I have gone the extra mile to get things for my daughter (no stealing involved) but I would have never got up the nerve for that. That post really made me smile :)
Blog Author Ann Clemmons said, on 6/30/2007 2:17:00 PM
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! You never know what people will think when writing some posts! :)
I love your blogs! You always have such great posts!
My friend Kim Norman has a book out today. Congratulations, Kim! Please clear a path while I sing. :::soft, sweet, clear voice::: Happy birthday to you, :::a little louder::: Happy Birthday To Youuu, :::picking up steam::: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KIM'S BOOOK, :::screeching now::: H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y T O O O O O O Y O U U U U !!! :::curtsying:::
0 Comments on Happy Book Birthday to Jack of All Tails! as of 1/1/1900
Kim Bookwriter said, on 6/15/2007 6:58:00 AM
How sweet of you, Ruth!! Thank you so much for that musical mention! You have a lovely voice. (wink!)
Kim
Bron Smith said, on 6/22/2007 9:10:00 PM
I enjoyed looking through your sketch book. I really like your simple linear style. It really communicates.
Ruth McNally Barshaw said, on 7/11/2007 9:40:00 PM
Slippery Willie’s Stupid, Ugly Shoes by Larry Peterson
Newly published Out of the Way! Out of the Way! by 
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A Nice Place In The Sun
Aww, thanks Chris for the review and for making such valid points.
You’re right – it is so important to teach children how to empathize with others. I’m glad that you feel “Slippery Willie” accomplishes that task.
Thank you for helping us spread the word about the book. It’s an honor to be featured on such a great blog like Book Dads.
Thanks for your kind words Nicole! I’m so happy to have connected with you and Mary Ann — especially since you’re in my hometown!
Hi Chris—Thanks so much for doing the review on my book. I appreciate your insight into the message of the book and also for your take on the word ‘stupid’. It is very informative for me to get a different viewpoint and I appreciate it. Thanks again and best wishes to you and yours—Larry Peterson
You’re welcome Larry. Nice job on the book!