Ever wonder what Evil Knievel might have been like as a child? Of course, you do! Well, in Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show, young readers get to meet Kel — a preschool-aged, spitting image of the renowned vehicular acrobat. This “Boy Without Fear” (Kel’s self-imposed moniker) takes us through a day in his life. His daring feats may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill daily activities, but don’t be fooled. Kel laughs in the face of danger. Kel takes the bull by the horns. Kel is a bona-fide stuntman who manages to eat broccoli, face the Potty of Doom, and get dressed all by himself!

Along the way, Kel is cheered on (and questioned) by his captivated audience (aka his family), who shout things like, “Has he lost his mind?” when Kel makes his attempt to eat broccoli. The excitement and faux-tension build until Kel is ready for his most daring and dangerous stunt of all: going to sleep all by himself — without checking for monsters. Ultimately, though, Kel learns that no matter how brave you are, sometimes it’s better to leave some stunts to the professionals (aka Mom and Dad).

Michael Buckley’s hilarious text is paired perfectly with Dan Santat’s energetic and expressive illustrations, which I discovered — by doing a little digging in the copyright page — were not only made in Adobe, but also with 100% awesomeness. Obviously!

Kel Gilligan is a beacon of bravery for children everywhere — an inspiration for any child afraid of the simple things in life. I look forward to more adventures from this pint-sized daredevil!

Ever wonder what Evil Knievel might have been like as a child? Of course, you do! Well, in Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show, young readers get to meet Kel — a preschool-aged, spitting image of the renowned vehicular acrobat. This “Boy Without Fear” (Kel’s self-imposed moniker) takes us through a day in his life. His daring feats may look like just your average, run-of-the-mill daily activities, but don’t be fooled. Kel laughs in the face of danger. Kel takes the bull by the horns. Kel is a bona-fide stuntman who manages to eat broccoli, face the Potty of Doom, and get dressed all by himself!

Along the way, Kel is cheered on (and questioned) by his captivated audience (aka his family), who shout things like, “Has he lost his mind?” when Kel makes his attempt to eat broccoli. The excitement and faux-tension build until Kel is ready for his most daring and dangerous stunt of all: going to sleep all by himself — without checking for monsters. Ultimately, though, Kel learns that no matter how brave you are, sometimes it’s better to leave some stunts to the professionals (aka Mom and Dad).

Michael Buckley’s hilarious text is paired perfectly with Dan Santat’s energetic and expressive illustrations, which I discovered — by doing a little digging in the copyright page — were not only made in Adobe, but also with 100% awesomeness. Obviously!

Kel Gilligan is a beacon of bravery for children everywhere — an inspiration for any child afraid of the simple things in life. I look forward to more adventures from this pint-sized daredevil!

When you’re feeling down, friends can be the best cure. That’s the idea behind Cheer Up, Mouse! which features one of the cutest (and saddest) mice to star in a children’s book. Jed Henry’s animal characters try out all of their favorite antics to get their sad friend, Mouse, to smile again, with the chant-along refrain “Cheer up, Mouse!”. But nothing seems to do the trick. Henry uses watercolors to depict beautiful woodland landscapes and his personable characters. Cheer Up, Mouse! is out in January, just in time to combat the post-holiday doldrums.

When you’re feeling down, friends can be the best cure. That’s the idea behind Cheer Up, Mouse! which features one of the cutest (and saddest) mice to star in a children’s book. Jed Henry’s animal characters try out all of their favorite antics to get their sad friend, Mouse, to smile again, with the chant-along refrain “Cheer up, Mouse!”. But nothing seems to do the trick. Henry uses watercolors to depict beautiful woodland landscapes and his personable characters. Cheer Up, Mouse! is out in January, just in time to combat the post-holiday doldrums.

Marcel the moose belongs to Wilfred. This much is certain. It came to Wilfred after all, and Wilfred “just KNEW that it was meant to be his.” Wilfred is generally happy to own the moose, except the moose just doesn’t follow all of Wilfred’s rules. It keeps ignoring Rule 7: “going whichever way Wilfred wants to go” and Rule 7 [subsection b]: “Maintaining a certain proximity to home”.  Then, one day on a walk far from a certain proximity to home, an old lady greets the moose as Rodrigo, and Wilfred is shocked to learn that she thinks she owns the moose! In the faux drama that follows, Wilfred learns to lower his demands on others, and the moose follows Rule 73 brilliantly: “Rescuing your owner from perilous situations”.

You can’t discuss this book without touching upon Jeffer’s beautiful artwork. Suspenders and bow tie Wilfred is made all the more ridiculous, his words and thoughts set into illustrated word bubbles, beside the massive, oblivious moose. And all of it is accompanied by gorgeous mountain range backdrops that conjure ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and add an element of tongue-in-cheek solemnity to the proceedings. This is the kind of picture book you buy for a child, but only so you can read it when they’re done.

Marcel the moose belongs to Wilfred. This much is certain. It came to Wilfred after all, and Wilfred “just KNEW that it was meant to be his.” Wilfred is generally happy to own the moose, except the moose just doesn’t follow all of Wilfred’s rules. It keeps ignoring Rule 7: “going whichever way Wilfred wants to go” and Rule 7 [subsection b]: “Maintaining a certain proximity to home”.  Then, one day on a walk far from a certain proximity to home, an old lady greets the moose as Rodrigo, and Wilfred is shocked to learn that she thinks she owns the moose! In the faux drama that follows, Wilfred learns to lower his demands on others, and the moose follows Rule 73 brilliantly: “Rescuing your owner from perilous situations”.

You can’t discuss this book without touching upon Jeffer’s beautiful artwork. Suspenders and bow tie Wilfred is made all the more ridiculous, his words and thoughts set into illustrated word bubbles, beside the massive, oblivious moose. And all of it is accompanied by gorgeous mountain range backdrops that conjure ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and add an element of tongue-in-cheek solemnity to the proceedings. This is the kind of picture book you buy for a child, but only so you can read it when they’re done.