JUSTIN CASE 2 out now!

I'm like a broken record here on the ol' blog... I'm behind in the posting of important stuff. Problem is, I update my Facebook profile more than I seem to update my blog nowadays. No excuse. If, however, you aren't my friend on Facebook, and you're reading this, please friend me up right here! So what I'm behind on now, is celebrating my latest book release (book 5 of the 2012 Matthew Cordell Children's Book Explosion!!).

Book 5 is JUSTIN CASE: SHELLS, SMELLS, AND THE HORRIBLE FLIP-FLOPS OF DOOM. Now if that most excellent title doesn't grab you, I am here to tell you that Justin Case 2 (for those not in the know, it's a sequel to JUSTIN CASE: SCHOOL, DROOL, AND OTHER DAILY DISASTERS) is every bit as hilarious, if not more so to tell truth, as its predecessor. The coolest Rachel Vail has topped herself, what I'm saying.

Help me in celebrating by checking out the cover and a sampling of drawings I did (there's a kabillion of them peppered throughout the text) and go out there and find a copy to read! Hooray, Justin!

BAT AND RAT in the NY Times!

I'm a bit lagged on my bloggin' here, but some great news I've been meaning to post... BAT AND RAT, my newest picture book, written by Patrick Jennings, got a very kind review here in last Sunday's New York Times Book Review! It was part of  a semi-annual big children's book pullout section they do. And the review was written by the great publisher and children's book expert and writer, Anita Silvey, as part of a roundup of friendship books. All very, very cool stuff. Here's the bit where she talks about our pals Bat and Rat. Hooray!

In Patrick Jennings’s “Bat and Rat” readers meet another pair of animals, both occupants of the Hotel Midnight, yet unlikely to become friends. But although Bat lives on the top floor and Rat in the basement, the two rendezvous to play music together and share simple joys like going out for ice cream. They only really differ on what flavor to choose — Mosquito Ripple, Butter Beetle Pecan or Mint Fly Chip? In the end, the duo perform Rat’s new song inspired by the events of the evening. The talented illustrator Matthew Cordell keeps this soufflé of an adventure rising; in two stellar double-page spreads he shows Bat swooping down to the lobby while Rat painstakingly climbs the steps to get to the same place.

EXPLODE v. 4

May 1 marked the release of book # 4 of the 2012 Matthew Cordell Children's Book Explosion!!

BAT AND RAT, a wonderfully hep picture book by author Patrick Jennings about a jazzy, nocturnal musical duo playing it out in the big city. From our pals at Abrams Books for Young Readers. SKA-BOOOM!!

I will post some samples from the book directly... stay tuned! 


Til then, if you haven't seen it yet, please check out the way rad book trailer: