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The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary by Candace Fleming is nothing short of brilliant. Everyone has heard of Aesop and his fables and, if nothing else, most people know the big three: the tortoise and the hare (slow and steady wins the race), the story of the ant and the grasshopper (there is time for work and time for play) and the story of the lion and the mouse (a kindness is never

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There are times when the creative juices just aren't flowing. Usually that's because "we" are distracted by outside influences, such as money, lack of time, stress or just having to do too many things in too little amount of time. "We" can cave into this and become totally useless in out attempts at productivity, or we can get ourselves on track somehow.

When I was a little kid, I loved monster movies... the classics, like Frankenstein, Dracula.. all the old black and whites... like I said, The Classics. The problem with this, was that when I went to sleep, my imagination was in overdrive to the point of getting nightmares featuring said monsters. To save my parents from running into my room in the middle of the night, I developed this little trick of forcing myself to think of the monsters on purpose, and then mentally creating a huge bulldozer that would push them out of my head. Sounds a little wacky, but it worked for me.

It worked so well, that I used now as a cartoonist to force myself to focus... no lie. If I'm distracted by the Money Monster, the Too Many Projects Monster, or the I really need to kill this particular person Monster, I use the bulldozer trick. I envision a "force" in my head to just shove aside all the non creative things cluttering it up... put on some rock n roll (again, the classics), grab some green tea and get down to business.

So the next time you can't focus... get on your mental bulldozer, crank up the tunes, get your caffienated beverage of choice, and do what ya gotta do. Just sayin !

For a split second I thought of doing something related to the band Journey, but since it wouldn't be very positive, I resisted the urge. I guess you could call this the ultimate journey, depending on your behavior... Enjoy. Process was hand drawn sketch, scanned into Illustrator, redrawn with brush tool. Copied and pasted into Photoshop and then colored in assorted layers.

In this epistolary quartet of books by Harry Horse, Grandfather and his intrepid dog Roo are always off on one adventure or another, sending letters home to his grandchild, all accompanied by Horse's wonderful pen and ink illustrations that are reminiscent of Ernest H Shepherd's work. Every book includes a map of the region that Grandfather and Roo are scouring, always on a new quest. Below are

I have only read one other book by Gary Paulsen in my life and, while I find that mildly embarrassing because he is a prolific, award winning author, it makes sense. Paulsen, a two time competitor in the Iditarod dog sled race, is known for his outdoor adventure/survival books like the superb Hatchet, Newbery Honor winner, being a prime example of this. Hatchet follows thirteen-year old Brian

Donna Gephart's debut novel for young readers, as if being 12 3/4 isn't bad enough, my mother is running for president, winner of the 2009 Sid Fleishman Humor Award which is presented by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, caught my eye the minute it hit the shelves.  Photos of  kids, especially where you can see their whole face, are rare in the world of kid's books these

How to Grow Up and Rule the World by Vordak the Incomprehensible is a must have for all villains-in-training.  However, readers with a bit of savvy will realize quickly that Vordak's intentions are not all generous.  Early in the book we learn that Vordak is only willing to share the secrets of his eviltude because, and I quote,  Well, I'm not as young as I used to be.  My neck grows weary of

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by Dan Santat (author and illustrator images at left - you can't tell, but Andrea's eyes are all swirly and hypnotized, and, yes, that fanged bunny is Dan)is a comic book-horror show mash up, a little bit like if Goosebumps, Mystery Science Theater and Captain Underpants got thrown in a blender and poured out onto the page. Full of

Typically, she makes light of being 53. "What does that mean ? When I was 52 I used to say, at long last, I have a full deck. Now I say we're into the joker years. I mean, every deck must have two jokers..." Professor Moore (she teaches creative writing) can laugh about "my first joker year" but – as in her short stories – there's an undertow of melancholy. "Actually, it's not funny, or wild, but we'll see. It's only March." In the next breath, comparing her 40s to her 50s, Moore, who was divorced in 2001, remarks, "at 53, you think I've had my marriage, my fun. I'm moving towards the solitaire years, the nursing home..." Her conversational arpeggios of gravity and mirth are delivered with such a sparkle that you know she's only half serious. But which half?

Not also is its author fun (interviewed a couple of weekends ago by Robert McCrum) but A Gate At The Stairs is also very good. I do hope to read Ms Moore's earlier novels sometime.

I'm not sure if this is quite what I think has happened in the book I've read (for a start there are several wounds, not just one), but her epigrammatic summary of her way into fiction does sound like those painters who need to make a mess in order to find their way into the work:

She herself says that she relishes those moments when the even flow of time gets snapped by a sudden crisis and "something's broken". She says her stories begin "with an injury. Then the story becomes like the bandage round a wound."

It's quite a long interview, but worth persisting with for her remarks on creative writing programs, one of which she has been involved with for over twenty years:

She concedes a certain scepticism about creative writing. "I have a friend," she says, "who says it's a pyramid scheme – but at least it's our pyramid scheme." She also evinces a distinct toughness about the necessary qualities of the professional writer. "My students," she says, "are so competent and sympathetic – and nice, because that's what the course requires. I'm not sure that niceness is what we should promote in writers."

William Skidelsky, in the same publication, does point out that David Mitchell is considered to be 'extraordinarily' nice. But as his readers know, that's a different pack of cards entirely.

For me and other adult readers of children's books, The Willoughbys is a tasty little treat. For young readers, I am not sure what they will make of it. And it matters to me what they will make of it.The Willoughbys is, from start to finish, a playful joke, a parody that pokes fun at "old fashioned" children's stories while at the same time referring back to them by name and character. Lowry

Ok, I am just going to do this now and get it out of the way: YES - there are passing similarities between Tom Angleberger's amazing new book, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid that go well beyond their shared publisher, the excellent Amulet Books. Both are set in middle school, both are first person narratives, both contain kids who exist on the fringes (

In the seventeen years since The Time Warp Trio series was started and the nine years since my daughter first read it, it seems that is has become an animated television show! If you seek these books out, please be sure you find the originals as it is my understanding that there are some that are based on the television show, which is slightly different and not illustrated byLane Smith, Jon

In 2005 Jon Scieszka mobilized his efforts to address the growing number of boys who were having trouble reading and getting worse at reading. He founded the Guys Read, a web-based literacy program for boys that, above all else, is a collection of titles that will help boys become readers by helping them find the books they want to read. That same year he also published Guys Write for Guys Read

Ok. I'll be honest. I am jealous of Mo Willem's talent. And sense of humor. And his illustration skills. I tell you that now to preface anything negative I may blurt out at any point during this review. He has a HUGE following of devoted parents and children and, while I don't always share their level of devotion, I do get it and I do think that it is deserved. I jumped on board the bus