We’re still on holiday break during the 7/4 holiday weekend, but check back T.A.A. tomorrow for a special announcement regarding my debut novel GABRIEL (Tweet Gabriel and his friend via @GabrielandRum), enjoy the video below, and tell your friends to share the video and stop by to learn how you can be part of bringing Gabriel’s story into the world-
Until tomorrow, stay safe, have fun, as always may the fantastical fauna be with you.
Welcome one and all to another edition of Weekly Readings!
For those new here, Weekly Readings is when your lit. rat reviews picture books I’ve read here and there. While T.A.A. focuses on animal stories, we do give humans their due now and again…
This week, in honor of “National Pet Month” your lit. rat brings you two exceptional books, both of which were Kickstarter projects that met their goals and are now available for you to check out, once you’ve read our reviews, of course!
Before getting into our reviews, I have , as long time T.A.A. fans know I participated in spreading the word as well as donating my money with the hopes of seeing these books to publication, and prompted me to launch “T.A.A. CARES” as a way to spotlight and support authors and other creatives in need, but that said, I still reviewed the books below on their own merits as I do every book I review, just being transparent.
I got to be honest, I wasn’t always a fan of cats, as I had bad experiences with them in real life, this was long before I took the title of “Literary Rat” but after watching “Oliver and Company” several times in my youth (during the pre-Netflix era) I slowly started to see the feline world differently…
I’m still an unabashed dog fancier, but there may come a day when a lad or lass of the feline persuasion will enter my life, but that’s another story…
While I often lament the “extremist minimalist” movement in picture books these days, this is one book where I don’t mind the spare narrative as it gives the reader and pre-reader lots of room to make the book their own.
The art truly LEAPS off the page, and the spare text does its job while leaving a lot to the imagination. The most apparently noticeable touch for all us wordsmiths or ones in training is the creative use of fonts.
(If you’re read Jon Scieszka’s “The Stinky Cheese Man” or the “Geronimo Stilton” series you know of what I speak)
Most books about cats (at least when I was growing up) were stereotypically aimed at girls, and while that persists, this a book that I’m sure girls would love is also something boys would enjoy given Chalky’s rambunctious spirit and physically charged curiosity.
As my feline friend and colleague, Dempsey Woyzeck (of Swinebert and Dempsey) has said when I read him the story-
“For every dog lover who got ‘stuck with a cat’ will find newfound respect and interest in the feline mystique.”
High praise straight from one well-read kitty!
(Since he too has a human who still wants a dog, but learned to love cats thanks to Dempsey)
Plus, those of you who LOVE kernels of truth in your reading will be glad to know that titular cat has a real life basis!
Even when I had issues with cats in real life from a personal perspective, I still found them fascinating from a writer’s perspective, and while I’ll always be a dog lover, “Chalky and The New Sports Car” is a short and sweet bold taste of my newfound appreciation for cats, and I was honored to have had a small part in bringing this book to readers everywhere!
Of course, being a dog lover, this book couldn’t escape my radar, this also has the honor of being the first Kickstarter that your lit rat put up some of his own limited finances, and inspired me to launch our “T.A.A. CARES” initiative to help authors and other creatives achieve their passion projects, and lend a proverbial paw to the word of mouth and when possible, contribute money to ensure they reach the finish line.
Learn how FETCH came to be-
Now having read the final book I can say without bias that it proved to worth the wait!
Like “Chalky and the New Sports Car” this books uses spare but effective text, letting the breaktaking illustrations give you a sense of transcending to a whole other world.
Fans of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” will find this world of canine majesty just as full of enchanting possibilities as Equestria, and if anyone from the Hub Network reads this, you may want to snatch up the television rights to this one! (just some friendly advice from The Literary Rat)
This a true love letter to dog lovers everywhere and I’m honored to give it T.A.A.’s Blue Ribbon of Approval-
This is one book that will NEVER
leave my private library-
That’s it for Weekly Readings, check back next time!
Usually, we give a round of reviews for picture books, and while we mostly specialize in animal stories, humans get their down every now and again.
Since most of us are busy with special breakfasts in bed, lunches or dinners out, or you may even be celebrating being a mother for the first time (post-labor) so we’ll focus on two of my favorite books, one about finding your mother, and another about a mother cheering her on her kid’s uniqueness-
As T.A.A. loyalists know, I’m mad (in a GOOD way) about Lyle the Crocodile, and in honor of the first anniversary of his creator, Bernard Waber’s death (T.A.A. paid tribute during Picture Book Month 2013), I wanted to highlight this in, which as the title suggests, our friendly neighborhood crocodile goes on a search to find his birth mother. I don’t spoil how this journey plays out, but I will say this-
I don’t read a lot of books that are specifically about mothers. In particular, about the mother-son relationships, as that hits a sore spot for this lit. rat, even now as I’m no longer a rattling who hadn’t yet found his love of books.
But this is a story I can read without that weight lodged in my heart, and if you have a similar hole in your heart regarding lack of maternal closeness with your mother, this can be the first step to making some sense of peace with it. It certainly did for me.
NOTE FROM THE LITERARY RAT: This is re-post of our original review for Henny, that while not “Mother’s Day”
themed, does include a mother who celebrates her “Little Clucker’s” uniqueness!
In the spirit of Dumbo and the works of Todd Parr, along comes Henny, a chicken born with unusually long arms and hand-like wings! A great “Okay to be Different” story without getting hokey about it. While I often lament the minimalist movement in picture books these days, this book makes great use of minimalism in both words and illustrations.
Zeroing in on our heroine and how she makes the most of her unique physique features! The picture book answer to R.J. Palacio’s middle grade novel “Wonder” with a fantastical fauna twist! Elizabeth Rose Stanton: This is a debut to be proud of.
Happy Mother’s Day to one and all! Don’t forget, tomorrow’s Children’s Book Week, and T.A.A. will be doing some fun stuff both here, across social media, and on our YouTube/Vimeo channel! Until then, may the fantastical fauna be with you!
Children’s Book Week 2014 will soon be upon us and T.A.A.’s celebrating in a BIG way-
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Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you’ll be among to first to see our special series of videos all next week! I’ll share more details tomorrow.
Also, there’s still time to enter our “I Am Otter” giveaway (Open to U.S. and Canada Only)
Head to our review for details on how to enter to win a cope of the book!
That’s it for today, I’ve got to get my munchies ready for the “My Little Pony” season finale! If you’re a fellow fan of the show, keep an eye out for tweets from your lit. rat later this morning!
Until next time, may the fantastical fauna be with you.
Usually, Weekly Readings is when your lit. rat reviews a mix of picture books I’ve read here and there. But this week, I’m focusing on one book in particular-
As Long time T.A.A. fans know, this book was one of our “Most Anticipated Book of 2014” picks during our 2013 celebration of “Picture Book Month” founded and run by author Tara Lazar (Her debut picture book “The Monstore” is available June 4th, 2014) and this is one of the few things in life I have ever pre-ordered, which I can still count on one hand.
Your lit. rat has read and re-read this book, and I’m happy to finally be able to say it was worth the wait. But for those of you not yet convinced, or just unaware of this book (and it’s star) allow me to clue you in, but before I go further-
Question, what do “I Am Otter” and Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series have in common?
They both began as online “Experiments” that soon attracted many eyeballs across the web, and particularly in the case of Otter, across continents, and soon their now publishers (Amulet Books [U.S.] and Balzer + Bray [imprint of HarperCollins] respectively) approach them for bringing them to print, and the road to this book’s release is a great example of “Out of the Box” marketing that today’s authors and/or illustrators can learn from, but that’s a topic for another time and place…
Anyway, our tittle character has something in common with another famous kidlit character, the iconic Paddington Bear, who also began life anew when he migrated from darkest Peru to England where a mild-mannered family took him in, unaware of the adventures and antics that would await them…
But while P.B. had an established biological family in his native homeland before being taken in by the Brown family, Otter began not knowing where she came from when left on the doorstep of the human (Known as Otter Keeper) who like the Browns, got more than he bargained for…
Children from adoptive or blended families can relate to Otter’s initial unease settling in, and like many children, a special toy friend can make all the difference, just like Christopher Robin and Pooh and Co., or a non-wizard Harry had his bucket of dinosaurs, Otter has Teddy, and together with Otter Keeper, they have more fun than you could believe!
But as the saying goes, all unbelievable fun has to come to an end, and after a fun-filled weekend, Monday comes, and with that, Otter Keeper goes to work, and despite Otter’s attempts to prevent Monday from coming, it always barges in- 
This is one of rare books that comes along every so often, where the reader’s not only rewarded with a plucky, well-defined character, but for anyone who had to “Make your own fun” from an early age as I did, can relate to Otter doing her best to pass the time, some ideas working better than others, and yet somehow always involve messes and mayhem, just when the grown-up in your life comes home and there’s nowhere to hide!
As with many picture books, facial expressions are very important to highlight the unspoken moments that bring characters alive, and that vital quality is in full view here as subtle lines and shading indicate fear, anger, movement and joy.
While many folks relent (or at least occasionally bummed out) how digital the world of visual arts has become, there’s nothing to fear here. To me, the best visual artists still achieve this organic warmth to their illustrations, even if the final art to appear in the book was digitally enhanced, or it was digital all along.
Even books where technology is inherently modern and integral to the story, that warmth is still there, and vital to the experience. You’ll find that detail throughout.
Not since Snoopy, Garfield, or Calvin and Hobbes have I met a character as lively and unique as Otter, may she have a long and lorded life in the literary landscape for many years to come.
Look out, Olivia, there’s a new picture book princess in town. (We still love you, too, though!)
While this lit. rat normally prefers to work solo when it comes to our book reviews at T.A.A., this was a title that I wanted some extra POVs on, and with that, I’ll let my friends, Swinebert & Dempsey (who shared in the launch celebration of I Am Otter at the end of April 2014), share their thoughts on Otter, her book, and it how relates to them-
Swinebert: This book reminded me of the day I met Ferenc. I used to live on a ranch with my Ma, Pa, and siblings.
Unlike most pigs, we weren’t raised to be…food, but rather for show.Ma was a retired show pig, and Pa worked in movies (Think Babe or Gordy), and to Mr. Gregory we weren’t his “Meal Ticket” in more ways than one, we were his friends, family even.
But times got tough when the human recession of 2008 hit. Mr. Gregory was being pressured to sell the ranch, and sell me, and my siblings for slaughter meat. It was during those scary times I met Ferenc when he was a kid.
He not only found a way to save the ranch, but saved me, my sibs, and our folks from being sent to Hog Heaven (By way of a Butcher) and gave Mr. Gregory a new lease on life along with his livelihood.
When Mr. Gregory insisted on giving Ferenc a reward for his help, the only thing he wanted, was to take me home. He had a heck of a time convincing his parents to bring me home, but thank acorns he did.
Ferenc also gave me my name, the “Bert” in it came from his favorite uncle, and my new life had begun in earnest…
(Left Ferenc & Swinebert as Youth | Right, Ferenc & Swinebert Grown-Up)For many years we lived in Brooklyn, but after Ferenc grew up and graduated college we moved out to put down our own roots in White Oak Acres, a quiet-looking city-town hybrid in suburbia- 
(Overhead view of White Oak Acres)
Here I would meet my best pal, Dempsey, and make so many new and captivating friends, including Otter.
Though we’ve not met outside cyberspace, I knew when I first encountered her when me and Dempsey were getting our barrings on Twitter, she’d fit right in with the folks we know and love offline.
But even though she’s my friend, I’d love the book even if I’d not known her (virtually or otherwise) beforehand, because it reminds me how lucky I am to have Ferenc, and while I’m sometimes ticked off when he leaves me out of cool stuff, he’s there for me when it counts. The only problem is- 
(Swinebert’s Nephew,Trug)
My little nephew Trug (who loved the book, too, after his favorite uncle, ME, read it to him) has fallen in love with Otter, and when I say love, I mean the “Flowers and Chocolate-covered acorns, WILL YOU MARRY ME?” kind of love.
Otter, should you read this, can you please give a shout out to my nephew Trug on Twitter? I don’t want to lose my “Coolest Uncle Ever!” status. 
Dempsey: Like Swinebert, this book reminded me of the day I met my human, Vermont (Goes by “Vernie”) back when I was a kitten. (This was long before I met Swinebert and his human, by the way)
Vernie (when he was a little boy) originally wanted a dog, but got me instead, and at first he didn’t like me.
I too wasn’t sure I’d like Vernie at first, either, until I saw his room the first time, and saw his bookshelf, filled to bursting with books, except the last shelf on the bottom. (More on that later…)
Vernie loved to read, as did I, that was the first glimmer of hope, but what put my kitty heart at ease was when he was reading a book for school.
Vernie had a hard time learning to read, and reading aloud helped him remember it better, one night as he read aloud, I hopped onto the desk to keep him company. Also, because he was reading a story I wanted to hear for ages. He saw I was engaged and he kept reading to me.
When he finished, I thanked him for telling me the story, and that I could help him read better if he was interested, and if you could’ve seen the look on his face, you’d think he’d won MILLIONS or something.
Anyway, he agreed, and as I helped him read better, we started to connect, the first time he hugged me (Because he WANTED to, not because he was told to) I wanted to cry tears of joy, but we cats aren’t ones for crying (Unless we’re in pain) so I purred instead.
I asked him why he didn’t like me at first.
He said the last time he met a cat, it was mean to him, and he did nothing wrong to it, and it made him think all cats were mean, but meeting me changed his mind, and I’d already changed my mind about Vernie. No one who loves books as he does (Especially because he struggled with reading in the beginning) can be all bad.
He’s grown up now, and still wants a dog, so S.B. and I’ll probably have a howling new member of the family someday, but Vernie and I are like Otter and Teddy now, true friends and inseparable, until (like Otter Keeper) he has to go to work, but with S.B. and our friends, I’m never bored or lonely.
But when I do want my “Alone Time” (which all cats do at some point) I can nap in the bottom shelf of Vernie’s bookcase that I mentioned earlier, and can look at a picture of Vernie and me when I do miss him, or read a book from my literary collection, but I have to store most of my books in my private library in my and S.B.’s backyard clubhouse-
(Swinebert & Dempsey’s Backyard Clubhouse)
Special Thanks to Swinebert & Dempsey (@Swinebert_and_D) for stopping by to share their opinions (and a bit of themselves) today. That’s it for Weekly Readings. Next time, we’ll be back to our usual multi-book format.
This edition of “Weekly Readings” is a little different.
For new readers, “Weekly Readings” is normally when I give short reviews on picture books I’ve read in the past week, and I sadly have not read any new picture books since Holiday 2013, and recent changes concerning my debut novel Gabriel, and entering the world of podcasting has taken so much of my time, but I’m getting back in a groove.
Slowly but surely…
Anyway, for our first Weekly Readings of 2014, instead of a review, I’m sharing a video I made for a novel (Not by me!) I have read (and “re-read” the audiobook version of it over and over) that’s first in a series that I believe NEEDS more love-
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As I always tell my author friends, this is the book I would be hand-selling to every man, woman and child I could if I owned and ran a book shop, and this is book that pushes away from the “Norms” of which traditionally has been mostly picture books/early readers or clan-based warfare in the vein of Redwall and Warriors, and there’s nothing wrong with them, but I started T.A.A. to get folks to realize the variety and depth this genre is capable of when we’re willing to be open to new approaches and voices.
Time Stops for No Mouse is a prime example of this. It’s like “Beatrix Potter for Grown-Ups” meets “Murder, She Wrote” though the protagonist not a widowed mystery writer.
This series I feel can be the “Gateway” for getting readers BEYOND 5 to see how fun and poignant this genre can be when done with heart and thought, NOT a commercial gimmick.
Every other genre (Even erotica, and so-called trite romance, I read romance, but I can’t write it, nor am I interested in erotica) has a palette of discerning readers of varying tastes and interests, yet we lump all animal stories in the same boat, and that’s doing both a disservice and missing the broader point.
Just like how Twilight’s vampires are NOT mirroring the original Dracula.
Or why we don’t confuse Clifford the Big Red Dog with Snoopy!
If you’ve read a previous “Letter From the Editor” from 2013 giving a retrospective of this series, you know I’m in love with it, wish I could’ve written it, and one of my WIP books was inspired (Not in a scummy way!) by this first book in particular, and the series in general.
I will be reviewing this series shortly, and I’ll be doing a special giveaway to tie in my needing to bring these series further into the literary limelight.
Until then, I’m taking a more visually direct approach. Video is the future, after all.
If my words can’t get eyeballs to this book, I’ll use video!
Love to get some feedback on it. What did you think? Will it make you curious to at least TRY the book? (Preview on Amazon, library, wherever!)
If there any other Hermux Tantamoq fans out there, will you come out and share the love with me! Comment on the blog or tweet us (@TAA_Editor or @Taurean_Watkins)