Pirates & Princesses in the Park

This Saturday, TOON Books was thrilled to participate in the kick-off to Children's Book Week in Bryant Park. Hosted by majestic Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka, the event included a stirring telling of "The Stinky Cheese Man," a pop quiz on the life cycle of butterflies, and official (and delicious) Children's Book Week cookies.

When it was TOON Books' turn, Geoffrey drew a pirate ship ("No, it's a box!" "It's a ship!") to set the scene, and Leigh got to wear her princess hat and read in a squeaky mouse voice, two of her favorite things. Everyone loved the story of the monster next door, and Geoffrey did drawings by special request following the reading. See images from the event below!

This Weekend: Harry Bliss in NYC

If you happen to be in New York this weekend and love a good pigeon chase (who doesn't?), please come out to see Harry Bliss, who will be reading from his charming new TOON Book Luke on the Loose.

THE STRAND: Saturday May 2 - Family Hour - 3:30pm (828 Broadway @ 12th Street)

BOOKS OF WONDER: Sunday May 3 - with Shaun Tan - 1:00pm (18 West 18th Street)

(Sorry. Penny the puppy will not be in attendance.)

This Saturday!

Join Geoffrey and Leigh this Saturday at Kids ComicCon!

2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Pirates and princesses, sweet mice and monsters next door... See some of the TOON Books come alive with a staged reading by author Geoffrey Hayes and actress Leigh Stein!

2:30 – 3:45: Following the TOON Books reading, young performers will have the opportunity to play monsters, slimy slugs, toads, and more, in a Readers Theater workshop of Eleanor Davis' Geisel Honor Book Stinky. With an introduction by comics and literacy specialist Peter Gutierrez, the workshop will culminate in a staged performance with the all-kid cast at 3:15pm—best for children ages 6-12.

For more info on the ComicCon (and directions to the Bronx), click here.

Thrilling Follow-Up to Last Year’s TOON Bestseller

BENNY AND PENNY

in
THE BIG NO-NO!
by Geoffrey Hayes
(RAW Junior/TOON Books, May 5, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9799238-9-0, $12.95)

Geoffrey Hayes’ beloved brother and sister pair returns in this lively whodunit about two curious little mice, a rule that begs to be broken, and a mystery next door...

Benny and his sister Penny know it’s wrong to sneak into someone else’s backyard, but their mysterious new neighbor—or is it a monster?—may be a thief. They go snooping and discover a lot about themselves and...a new friend.

Bestselling author Geoffrey Hayes has written and illustrated over forty children’s books, including the extremely popular series of early readers Otto and Uncle Tooth, the classic Bear by Himself, the Patrick Bear books, and When the Wind Blew by Caldecott Medal-winning author Margaret Wise Brown. His previous TOON Book, Benny and Penny in Just Pretend, was hailed in a Booklist starred review as “a charmer that will invite repeated readings.” Now these adorable mice are back, in an addition to the immensely successful collection of TOON Books, hardcover comics for early readers published by New Yorker Art Editor Françoise Mouly with Series Advisor Art Spiegelman. The imprint launched in Spring 2008. We are pleased to announce the following events in celebration of the release of Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!:

Saturday, April 25, 2009—NEW YORK CITY
2:00-2:30pm-- Staged Reading at Kids ComicCon
Bronx Community College, 2155 University Boulevard

Saturday, May 9, 2009—NEW YORK CITY
2:20 PM-- Children’s Book Week Kick-Off Events
Bryant Park, Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street

Tuesday, May 12, 2009—NEW YORK CITY
4:00 PM-- Storytime
Barnes and Noble Tribeca, 97 Warren Street

Congratulations to Eleanor Davis

Congratulations to Eleanor Davis, a 2009 Eisner Award Nominee for her TOON Book Stinky in the "Best Publication for Kids" category.

Beloved Illustrator Harry Bliss Takes off with His First Solo Book!

Harry Bliss, the New Yorker cartoonist who is half the team (with Doreen Cronin) behind the #1 New York Times bestseller Diary of a Worm, and who recently teamed with Newbery Medal-winner Kate DiCamillo for Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken, is taking off on a solo book of his own!

In this breakthrough book, Luke looks on at the pigeons in Central Park, while Dad is lost in “boring Daddy talk,” and before you know it—LUKE IS ON THE LOOSE! The story of this little boy on a solo flight through New York City is sure to delight any young reader who has ever felt cooped up. A cartoonist at heart, Harry Bliss instinctively uses the format of the comic book to great effect, drawing his readers on a breathless and unconventional tour of New York, filled with the kind of uproarious details young readers delight in.

Harry Bliss is the illustrator of numerous bestselling children’s books, including Newbery Medal-winner Sharon Creech’s It’s a Fine, Fine School, the above-mentioned Diary of a Worm, and Which Would You Rather Be? by Caldecott Medal-winner William Steig. This is his first comic book. He currently resides in Northern Vermont with his son and their puppy Penny, who has yet to catch her first squirrel. LUKE ON THE LOOSE is an hilarious addition to the immensely successful collection of TOON Books, hardcover comics for early readers published by New Yorker Art Editor Françoise Mouly with Series Advisor Art Spiegelman. The imprint launched in Spring 2008. TOON Books is pleased to announce a series of appearances by Bliss to promote Luke. Following are some of Bliss’ upcoming events:

Thursday, April 16, 2009—NAPERVILLE, IL
7:00 PM-- Reading and Book Signing
Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson

Saturday, May 2, 2009—NEW YORK CITY
3:30 PM-- Strand Family Hour Reading and Book Signing
The Strand, 828 Broadway (at 12th Street)

Sunday, May 3, 2009—NEW YORK CITY
1:00 PM-- Reading and Book Signing with Shaun Tan
Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street

Monday, May 4, 2009—JAMAICA PLAIN, MA
6:30 PM-- Family Night Presentation
Connolly Branch Library, 433 Centre Street

Tuesday, May 5, 2009—BURLINGTON, MA
6:30 PM-- Reading and Book Signing
Barnes & Noble, 98 Middlesex Pkwy

Saturday, May 23, 2009—ESSEX JUNCTION, VT
11:00 AM-- Reading and Book Signing
Phoenix Books, 21 Essex Way

TOON Artist Geoffrey Hayes Interviewed

Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has posted an excellent (if we may say so ourselves) interview with Geoffrey Hayes.

Geoffrey's second Benny and Penny book for TOON, Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! hits stores May 5, 2009. Stay tuned for a list of upcoming appearances.

TOON Books at New York ComicCon

On Sunday, February 8th, Françoise Mouly, Geoffrey Hayes, and Leigh Stein took the stage at New York ComicCon to read the TOON Books to a rapt audience of children and parents reclining in bean bag chairs. Here are some photos of post-reading drawing time with Geoffrey.

Stinky Snags Dr. Seuss Early Reader Honor

On Monday, January 26th, the American Library Association announced its choice of Stinky as one of the honorees for the 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, which recognizes the most distinguished books for beginning readers. This is an unprecedented honor for talented newcomer Eleanor Davis, who was hailed by Publishers Weekly in 2008 as one of four emerging comic artists to watch, and made her book-publishing debut in the fall of that year with TOON Book Stinky.

* * *

I was very excited about Stinky winning the Geisel Honor award on Monday. My daughter loves the TOON Books! She's an early reader and sometimes reluctant to jump in to a book but I quickly came to appreciate how the graphic novel style really appealed to early readers. And even to my 3 year-old who will sit and look at Mo and Jo all by himself for extended periods of time. I'd seen how much my older nephews were drawn to graphic novels (3rd and 5th graders) and I've gained a whole new appreciation for the style watching my daughter's early reading skills grow with these books. I'm pleased to see high quality graphic novels for early readers - it makes such a huge difference.

Kim Wier
Parent/Aunt of new & sometimes reluctant readers

More information about the award
Interview with Eleanor Davis at What Adrienne Thinks about That
Interview with Eleanor Davis at Bees Knees Reads

Woodstock for Lovers of Literature

Tomorrow, Saturday November 22nd, TOON authors Dean Haspiel and Art Spiegelman will be signing at a Books of Wonder event the Times calls "Woodstock for lovers of literature." Also scheduled to appear are Laura Cornell, Brett Helquist, David Gordon, Laurie Keller, Jon Scieszka, and Bob Shea. From noon to 2 p.m., Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, Manhattan, (212) 989-3270

Comics in the classroom! New lesson plans up!

Learn about building suspenseful plots, the richness of comic book dialogue, and visual storytelling with three brand new lesson plans for grades 1 - 4 by educator Peter Gutierrez! Download lesson plans and activity sheets for Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever by Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch, Stinky by Eleanor Davis, and Jack and the Box by Art Spiegelman, on our home page at TOON-books.com!

Art Spiegelman Tour Dates

TOON Books announces fall tour dates for Art Spiegelman's BREAKDOWNS, an exciting re-release of the 1977 anthology from Pantheon, and Jack and the Box, a brand new comic for emerging readers School Library Journal calls "a surefire hit."

Saturday, October 4—New York
4:30PM-- BREAKDOWNS: COMIX 101, New Yorker Festival, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street

Sunday, October 5—New York
1:00PM-- Book signing (with Salman Rushdie)
New Yorker Festival, Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street

Tuesday, October 7—Austin
7:00 PM-- BookPeople, 603 North Lamar Blvd.

Wednesday, October 8—Seattle
7:30 PM-- Town Hall, 1119 8th Avenue. Hosted by University Book Store.

Thursday, October 9—Portland
7:00 PM-- Powells Books at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Friday, October 10—Portland
7:30 PM-- COMIX 101, Reed College Campus, Kaul Auditorium

Saturday, October 11—Pasadena
5:00 PM-- Interview with Michael Silverblatt, the host of WKCR's BOOKWORK at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena.

Sunday, October 12—Los Angeles
11:00 AM-- Storyopolis, 14945 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks [this event specifically focused on Jack and the Box]
2:00 PM-- Screening, discussion and book signing at Family Bookstore, 436 N. Fairfax Ave.

Monday, October 13—Santa Cruz
7:30 PM-- Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Avenue.

Tuesday, October 14—San Francisco
7:00 PM-- Books Inc. Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness.

Monday, October 20—New York
7:00 PM-- Moderated by Calvin Reid, with David Heatley
Barnes & Noble, Tribeca, 97 Warren Street.

Wednesday, October 22—New York
7:00 PM-- Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway.

Thursday, October 23—Boston
6:00 PM-- Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street. Hosted by Harvard Bookstore.

Friday, October 24—Northampton
7:00 PM-- Hampshire College, Franklin Patterson Hall. Hosted by Odyssey Book Shop.

Thursday, October 30—Rochester, NY
7:30 PM-- Rochester Jewish Book Festival.

Thursday, November 6—Philadelphia
7:30 PM-- Panel discussion with David Heatley, Jessica Abel and Chip Kidd
Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street.

Friday, November 7—Washington, DC
7:00 PM-- Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.

Saturday/Sunday, November 15-16—Miami
Miami Book Fair

Saturday, November 22—New York
12:00 PM-- with Dean Haspiel and others at Books of Wonder, 140 Seventh Avenue [this event is specifically focused on Jack and the Box]

Jack and the Miami Book Fair

TOON Books series advisor and author Art Spiegelman contributes poster artwork for the 25th annual Miami Book Fair International. The poster features the titular character from Art's forthcoming TOON Book Jack and the Box, and is available for purchase online. Art will discuss Jack and the Box and his new book Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@?*! as part of a slate of comics-related programming scheduled to take place at the event.

Jay Lynch Interviewed

Underground comix legeend and TOON Books author Jay Lynch (Otto's Orange Day, Mo and Jo) is interviewed in three parts by the Daily Cross Hatch website. Among other topics, Jay discusses his collaborative process with Frank Cammuso on Otto's Orange Day:

Did you do any artwork for these books?

I actually drew the musical notes in the beginning of the book, when Otto sings. And I did the lettering on the note that Aunt Sally wrote him, but that’s only because Frank was out of town, and they couldn’t reach him [laughs]. I did roughs of the whole book. That’s how I submitted the book. But I don’t draw as cute as Frank, so my cats come out looking more like Fritz. So I just did that for facial expressions and positions and stuff. That was just the first draft. Frank added a more dynamic movement to it.

TOON at McNally Jackson

Dean Haspiel with his book Mo & Jo

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Bennett, Dean Haspiel, Eleanor Davis, Françoise Mouly, Art Spiegelman, and Geoffrey Hayes


Eleanor Davis with Stinky

Photo credit: Yvonne Brooks