Common in the parenting world are these discussions about boys and books. In fact Newbery Award winning author and this week’s OZ event author, Shannon Hale, weighs into the debate here, saying that she believes that boys don’t come by this attitude naturally. Still, it is true that our little guy, the dee man, was at first only interested in trucks and truck books. (I’m talking when he was two) but over the last year (he’s now four) he has branched out greatly into all kinds of books and interests.

So, a couple of weeks ago the great illustrator and author Peter Brown was here to talk about all of his books but specifically the new book that he illustrated Creepy Carrots! A great book about a little bunny who encounters these creepy little carrots. Dee, his sister Harper, and several buddies new and old came to here Peter talk Creepy Carrots! and they’ve been talking about it ever since. In fact a friend who was at the event sent a picture via Facebook of their homemade Creepy Carrots!  (I cropped the image for privacy sake)

Dee loves the inscription Peter wrote in his book, “Don’t be creepy!” every time we read it he laughs and laughs and says “that’s so funny”. On Friday he took it to school for show and tell and his teacher read the book to the class, including the inscription. He was so proud! How to say this gently… you’re missing out if you’re not getting keepsake books inscribed for your kids. It’s something they’ll never forget. And here’s a hint, these are the kinds of things that will make them love books. Girls and boys.

I wasn’t always a fan of science fiction. I started watching Star Trek because it was one of my Sweetheart’s favorite shows. I didn’t like it at first. The costumes were so dated, the sets and special effects were far behind the entertainment industry’s current innovations. But then I began to like it.

I liked it because of the quiet. That soft hum of the space ship was calming. I also noticed that I was not overwhelmed with rapid sequences of flashing images. All I needed was to fall in love with the stories. And I did. I fell in love with the complex issues we still debate in modern society. Issues revolving around government, war, race, gender and what it means to be human.

A few days ago we were having trouble finding anything to watch on TV. We don’t have cable, a dish or subscribe to any TV service! I finally landed on a low budget channel airing an episode of The Twilight Zone and pretty soon I was mesmerized by the sparse sound and lighting. There was only one actor for the most of the episode yet I was hooked. It may have been sparse but it was all a beautiful strategy employed while the rest of television programming was basking in the glory of color technology.

This episode, entitled The Invaders, originally aired in 1961 and credits two actors: Agnus Moorehead, an older woman alone in a house and the second actor is only a voice coming from a mysterious spaceship which has landed on the woman’s house and is filled with tiny spacemen. So my Sweetheart and I began to discuss the simple beauty and strong effect of black and white, of limited dialogue, of light and shadow. Like Star Trek, this often futuristic show dealt with the same broad issues which, in addition to the show’s artistry, make it worthy of watching over 50 years later.

Switch gears to Peter Brown. Doesn’t he look like he’s up to something? He’s the children’s book illustrator coming to the bookstore on August 23rd.

I’m doing a little research on him and find a video of him explaining his inspiration for illustrating Creepy Carrots. Watch carefully and you’ll find the tiny invaders. They’re only six inches tall! But watch out for those Creepy Carrots, too . . .

Join us on Thursday the 23rd for a reading and signing with Peter Brown. Creepy Carrots is written by Aaron Reynolds published by Simon and Schuster and is available at Lemuria for $16.99. Read more about Peter here.

One of my good friends who works at a local library, has been gushing about Peter Brown since I met her. Ally Watkins is one of the true great advocates for children’s literature and Peter Brown. I’ll let her tell you why:

I love Peter Brown. And one of the main reasons for my love for him is Lucy. Lucy is a very precocious bear (yes, bear). She has two books dedicated to her adventures: Children Make Terrible Pets, and You Will Be My Friend! Both of the books illustrate that sweet Lucy just wants a playmate. In Children Make Terrible Pets, she takes home a little boy as a pet (you can imagine how well that goes. Her new friend–Squeaker, she calls him–isn’t exactly what she expected). In You Will Be My Friend, Lucy wakes up one morning and decides to make a new friend. So she sets out to achieve this goal—with hilarious results (note: it’s not good idea to try to scrub the stink out of a skunk).

Lucy isn’t just for kids, though. While you’re reading the books to the child in your life, you’ll be laughing out loud at the sly humor (“You WILL be my friend,” she informs an egg sitting in a nest; “I can wait.”). Lucy is one of my very favorite characters in kidlit these days, and she’s one big reason why I can’t WAIT to meet Peter Brown when he comes to Lemuria. You can pick up both of these great books—and your very own Lucy stuffed animal—in Oz.

Ally Watkins is the youth services supervisor at the Pearl Public Library, where she oversees programming and collection development for ages 0-18. For her next career move, she’d like to move to Australia to be friends with author Melina Marchetta.

Peter Brown will be reading and signing his new book Creepy Carrots! on Thursday, August 23rd at 4:00.

Have you ever loved carrots? Jasper Rabbit does. And he has found that the carrots in Crakenhopper Field are the fattest, crispiest carrots ever. And better yet, they’re free for the taking! Imagine Jasper’s excitement! His joy! His gluttony! All the carrots he could ever want! And maybe he ate a few too many, because he feels like he is seeing them everywhere now. Creepy ones with eyes and teeth and eyebrows. Eyebrows! I mean, that has to be the answer, right, because carrots can’t possibly follow you home, sneak into your shower, or peek into your bedroom at night just to creep you out. Yet, Jasper starts seeing creepy carrots EVERYWHERE!

And so begins the amazing new picture book Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown. The story reminds me of something from my own childhood, but the illustrations are really what send this picture book through the roof. Told in black and white and orange illustrations, these carrots get even funnier and creepier because they are the only things in color in the book.

As a lover of all of Peter Brown’s work (Children Make Terrible Pets, You Will Be My Friend, and Curious Garden to name a few) I am so EXCITED to announce that Peter Brown will be signing at Lemuria on Thursday, August 23rd at 4:00. Creepy Carrots will also be our August OZ FIRST EDITIONS CLUB PICK! If you haven’t joined this free club, now would be a perfect time to sign up and meet Peter Brown, all at the same time! Hope to see you all there!

Perhaps you’ve heard of Rockin’ Mamas. This group of volunteers spend time in the neonatal intensive care taking care of newborns. The time spent there consists of rocking and nurturing the babies . These babies  are in need of staying at the hospital for a variety of reasons; their mothers have already been released to go home. The babies need human contact and care throughout the day. In addition to the nurses and the mother’s visiting time, Rockin’ Mamas step in.

In Washington State, there is a group of volunteers known as the Seal Sitters. The Seal Sitters keep vigil over baby seals. While the mother leaves their young to search for food, the sitters form a quiet and protective circle around the pup. The Seal Sitters protect  the pup while they sleep and rest when their mothers are on a hunt.

Brenda Peterson, founder of the Seal Sitters, recently wrote a book titled Leopard and Silkie. It is a wonderful, informative book about the life process of baby seals. You will meet Leopard from the day of his birth and follow him as he learns to do things on his own. Leopard meets Silkie, who is an older seal, but one who is helpful and a great teacher so that Leopard can learn to  fend for himself. During this story, with the help of a young Seal Sitter leader named Max, you will also get a glimpse into the Seal Sitters’ world.

For any children or adults that love animals and enjoy a great story heartwarming story, Leopard and Silkie is the perfect read. -Quinn

When I first saw this book, the cover alone told me how amazing it was going to be. Just look at that adorable fox in bed with the child, the beautiful owl perched in the tree, and the smiling moon that manages to capture the man in the moon image without being creepy. And that’s all from just the cover. Sweet Dreams by Rose A. Lewis and illustrated by Jen Corace is one of those books that makes me love what I do. It sells itself because it is really just a perfect book. Rose has written an imaginative bedtime journey and Jen’s illustrations–well you already know how I feel about those.

I knew that as a book lover, I wanted a signed copy of this book. This picture book is one that even if I never have kids, I will always cherish. A perfect baby gift and art collector gift, I knew that signed copies would just be icing on the cake. So, I did an unlady-like thing: I begged:) and my amazing rep Teresa, along with the amazing people at Abrams, gladly abliged.

So, long story short, we have first editions of this beautiful book signed by the illustrator, Jen Corace. We have a very limited number, so don’t wait. They won’t last long!

Last time we were reading Judy Moody, but we have moved through every Judy Moody book and every possible spin-off of Judy Moody.

So, in search of a new series we found Just Grace. A cute series about a girl named Grace in a class where there are four girls named Grace – so of course each gets a nickname. For example Gracie or Grace F., but when the teacher gets to the last Grace she asks if she can be called just Grace and the teacher says “great idea, we’ll call you Just Grace” So our heroine is stuck with a nickname she despises. Each book is interspersed with the comics that Grace draws of her adventures. And, very important for bedtime reading, the chapters are short!

But much more important news – almost nightly she is reading to me! We’ve been reading the little books that her teacher sends from school for us to practice and she is making huge progress. So today we picked out a stack of level 1 books for a little variety. Can’t wait to dig into these.

And her brother? Still stuck on the truck shelf. And that’s ok.