SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Monty and the Mushrooms
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.devpetty.com/
CITY: Berkeley
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: yes.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Picture book creator. Has also worked as a painter for film effects.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Dev Petty is a picture book creator who formerly worked as a painter for film effects. On her personal website, Petty discussed the nature of her work: “My books are usually funny (or at least I try), if a little weird. They lean toward being spare and conversational, with a lot of room left for the illustrator. I try to create work which is conceptually and structurally unique.” In an interview in Only Picture Books, Petty talked about her writing process. She admitted: “I tend to write the opening a bunch of different ways before committing. Once I find one I like, I let that guide the rest of the writing. I throw a LOT away but save everything in case I did something great.”
In I Don’t Want to Be a Frog, a small frog wishes to be anything but a frog. He tries to imagine being a cat, a rabbit, and even an owl. But when a wolf that eats everything except frogs comes along, the frog sees the benefits of being exactly who he is. A contributor to Publishers Weekly suggested that it “might create … gratitude in the minds of readers–or it might just make them giggle.”
Similarly, I Don’t Want to Be Big features a frog that does not want to grow up. The little frog refuses to eat dinner so he won’t grow big. After a discussion with a bigger frog, the little frog begins to see the benefits. Writing in School Library Journal, Brooke Newberry found it to be “an amusing book about why getting big doesn’t necessarily mean you have to grow up.”
With Claymates, two blobs of clay are unsure of the future. They are shaped into various animals and animal hybrids by pairs of hands, enjoying every moment of it. In a review in BookPage, Norah Piehl mentioned that “the expressive characters, made only of clay and dolls’ eyes, come to life in memorable color photographs, which are remarkable.”
In There’s Nothing to Do!, the little frog is bored. He gets many suggestions from friends but has a difficult time deciding on something. A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated: “In a structured, overstimulated world, downtime needs to be appreciated, and this small amphibian shows the way.”
The same little frog returns with more complaints in I Don’t Want to Go to Sleep. Although he enjoys cold weather activities, he is reminded that frogs need to hibernate when the temperature drops. A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented that “it’s a fun read-aloud that will at least make bedtime more enjoyable.”
With The Bear Must Go On, Rabbit, Squirrel, and Other Squirrel want to put on a show, but Bear only wants to help with the planning stages. Bear agrees to appear on stage, but they all soon realize they forgot to plan a plot for the performance. In a review in School Library Journal, Kaitlin Malixi remarked that “this playful and endearing story offers young readers a heartfelt message about collaboration and overcoming fear, making it an excellent choice.”
In Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da!, Moth and Butterfly are best friends as caterpillars. After they go through their metamorphoses, though, they notice some differences in the other that might pose a challenge to their friendship. Writing in School Library Journal, Richelle Rose “recommended … this basic, colorful introduction to metamorphosis and friendship for the youngest of preschoolers.”
Don’t Eat Bees: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog features chip, a white and brown dog that wears an eye patch. Chip has a long list of things that he can eat, but, based on previous experience, bees are the only thing on his list of things not to eat. A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to it as “a chewy treat for dog lovers.”
With How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?, Tortoise is happy to have a simple birthday party. His friends, however, are bothered by the fact that he can’t remember his age. They try to figure it out in various ways. A contributor to Publishers Weekly claimed that Petty and illustrator Ruth Chan have “created a funny and loving salute to friendship, critical thinking, longevity, and cake.”
Chip returns in Don’t Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog. Chip says that cats cannot be trusted ever. However, he gives a list of many things that are trustworthy, such as his nose. Writing in School Library Journal, Debbie Tanner labeled it “a fun and exuberant picture book that lots of young readers and their grown-ups will enjoy.”
With Elmore the Christmas Moose, Santa narrates an unusual Christmas experience when Elmore the Christmas moose applied multiple times to replace Prancer as a substitute in pulling the sled. While Elmore can’t fly, Santa realizes that Elmore does make a great batch of Chocolate Moose Cookies and gives him a different job. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a delightful Christmas tale that has it all–holiday cheer, joy, and a most persistent moose.”
In Monty and the Mushrooms, the mushrooms of the forest enjoy singing and voicing their unfiltered opinions loudly. Monty the Marmot is annoyed to find that a cluster of mushrooms have grown just outside the entrance to his den. When lodging a formal complaint fails, he gets a deaf banana slug to safely eat the otherwise poisonous mushrooms to solve the noise problem. A Kirkus Reviews contributor opined that “the rhyming song that the mushrooms sing is an especially funny touch.” The same critic insisted that the picture book is “certain to deliver giggles aplenty.”
With Don’t Lose Mr. Cuddles, Chip the dog insists that he must take care of his emotional companion, Mr. Cuddles. When the stuffed bunny goes missing, it creates a lot of problems for Chip. A Kirkus Reviews contributor said that the picture book offered “fetching tips for personal and domestic harmony.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
BookPage, July 1, 2017, Norah Piehl, review of Claymates, p. 30.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2014, review of I Don’t Want to Be a Frog; April 15, 2017, review of Claymates; July 1, 2017, review of There’s Nothing to Do!; August 1, 2018, review of I Don’t Want to Go to Sleep; December 1, 2019, review of The Bear Must Go On; May 1, 2021, review of Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da!; May 1, 2022, review of Don’t Eat Bees: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog; November 1, 2023, review of Don’t Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog; September 1, 2024, review of Elmore the Christmas Moose; February 1, 2025, review of Monty and the Mushrooms; February 15, 2025, review of Don’t Lose Mr. Cuddles: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog.
Publishers Weekly, November 24, 2014, review of I Don’t Want to Be a Frog, p. 73; February 28, 2022, review of Don’t Eat Bees, p. 68; November 23, 2022, review of How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?, p. 20; December 9, 2024, review of Monty and the Mushrooms, p. 122.
School Library Journal, October 1, 2016, Brooke Newberry, review of I Don’t Want To Be Big, p. 83; October 1, 2017, Andrea Jamison, review of There’s Nothing To Do!; February 1, 2020, Kaitlin Malixi, review of The Bear Must Go On, p. 55; August 1, 2021, Richelle Rose, review of Moth & Butterfly, p. 64; February 1, 2024, Debbie Tanner, review of Don’t Trust Cats, p. 84; March 18, 2025, Dev Petty, “This One’s for Me.”
ONLINE
Dev Petty website, https://www.devpetty.com (August 9, 2025).
Jena Benton website, https://jenabenton.com/ (June 21, 2022), Jena Benton, “Simply 7 with Dev Petty and Ruth Chan.”
Only Picture Books, https://www.onlypicturebooks.com/ (May 11, 2020), author interview.
Watch. Connect. Read., https://mrschureads.blogspot.com/ (June 2, 2021), author interview.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), https://taralazar.com/ (February 20, 2015), “How Dev Petty Found a Story with Legs…Frog Legs!”
Hi I'm Dev!
I write picture books that make you laugh a lot and think a little, sometimes the reverse.
I used to work in film effects as a painter. I worked on The Matrix movies and dozens of other film, TV, and game projects. Picture books are a different medium, but have a lot of similarities- they're sort of like little, paper movies when you think about it. I'm grateful I still get to be creative as a writer and find new ways to tell stories.
I live in Berkeley, California right near where I grew up, with my husband, daughters, dogs, cat, and a snake named "Boots."
Thank you for visiting!
I'm represented by Jennifer Rofé of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Critique FAQ:
What is your expertise and experience?
I am the author of eleven published picture books such as I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG, CLAYMATES, HOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE? And DON'T EAT BEES (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog). I have six more titles which will be published in the next few years. My publishers include Random House, Abrams, Simon & Schuster, and Little Brown & Co.
My books are usually funny (or at least I try), if a little weird. They lean toward being spare and conversational, with a lot of room left for the illustrator. I try to create work which is conceptually and structurally unique.
Do you edit chapter or middle grade books?
Nope. I exclusively edit picture books. While I can sometimes offer advice in other areas, or works which are somewhere between picture books and graphic novels, this is not my speciality.
Can I show you my work first?
I am happy to have you share your work so I can take a quick look to see I'm a good fit to critique it. Likewise, many authors will send a few manuscripts my way for me to take a quick look and assess which, if any, I can best help with.
*Please note: If I tell you I am not a good fit for a certain story, it is not a reflection on your writing, only that it's a text I feel someone else can better contribute to. I don't want you wasting your time or money if I can't help.
What if I have questions about querying and publishing in general?
While we're working together (and within reason, into the future), I welcome questions about the business and am happy to review your query letter and discuss approaches to this competitive industry. With that said, you should remember there are many routes to success in this business. I can only offer my two cents. *Please note, I cannot offer referrals, ins, recommendations or otherwise to agents or editors.
Does getting a paid critique mean I will become represented by an agent and/or be published?
Alas, it's not quite that simple but a focused, paid critique can certainly help develop a story and get it submission-ready. I'm a big believer a quality critique can help you develop your voice and inform your writing. Picture book writing is a long game.
How do I know if I should get a paid critique?
This is different for everyone, but I would suggest you pay for a critique once you have received some sort of feedback from trusted readers/critique partners, agents, or editors on your work. Likewise it's helpful if you've written a few stories and have a sense of your voice and comparable books/styles out there which resonate for the specific project.
Do you have any advice for someone starting out in picture books or looking to improve their craft?
As a matter of fact I do!
Read a LOT of picture books. Reading current ones is certainly important, but so is reading old ones, weird ones, funny ones, etc. Sitting down with a stack of books from the library and reading is a great way to get the flow and vibe of picture books. I also visit a few bookstores once a month to see what's face-out, new, capturing attention.
Write a LOT. Figure that even a seasoned writer will sell around one out of every five or six books they write. This varies of course, and improves as you get further into your own style and career; but you do need to write a lot to find and improve your voice.
Think long and hard about your ideas, make sure they are conceptually strong, rich, interesting. Once you feel secure in your concept, ask yourself how you can best tell THAT story. The obvious choice isn't always the best. Consider different points of view, tenses, structures etc.
Read your stories aloud. Have others read them to you. <-----This is important.
Whether you can draw or not, dummy out your stories...Hello stick figures! If you don't know what that means, you should do some more research on creating picture books.
Visit the Websites of amazing writers like: Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Pat Zietlow Miller, Tara Lazar, and Josh Funk. They have many invaluable resources on writing picture books.
“This one’s for me.” a Guest Post by Dev Petty
March 18, 2025 by Travis Jonker Leave a Comment
Today we have a guest post from author Dev Petty, explaining the unique dedication in her latest book . . .
This one’s for me.
-D.P.
That is the dedication I wrote for my upcoming book, Monty and the Mushrooms which will release March 18th and is illustrated by the extraordinary Jared Chapman and brought to life on the shelf by Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster.
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This one’s for me. Because it’s big and loud, it has a song about mushrooms, an irritable marmot, some quasi science, and a wee bit of a dark ending- among other oddities. It’s for me because it is totally, utterly, warts-and-all…me.
It was still in the peak of the pandemic when I began writing it. I’d had a couple of releases which had landed with a thud, and had actually wondered if anything would ever be funny anymore. Indeed, predicating one’s career on channeling humor is a tricky business in dark times. I talk a lot about “threads” in picture books, that thing which winds through the words, anchors it, the thing you pull on to honor your story idea. The truth was, I’d kind of lost my own thread and I wasn’t entirely sure how to get it back.
In those dark moments, somehow one day, I thought about these snarky, annoying, boisterous mushrooms and found they brightened a little corner of something. I started writing something I had no idea how to write, nor how to explain to anyone without sounding like a lunatic. “See, there’s a bunch of loud mushrooms who gossip and have puppet shows and annoy a marmot, got it?!” I’m not sure I was even concerned with getting it published, I just liked what I was doing and wanted to see how it might come out. And humor is always risky anyway, isn’t it? I’m not sure there’s anything more self-revealing than sharing what YOU find funny as a creator. The simple truth is, others may not. I do have a developed inner six year old and I often have the knack of getting some laughs, but there is no guarantee. Ultimately, you…one…or in this case, me, must find it funny.
I braced myself sending it off to my agent, Jennifer Rofé at ABLA, even though she always pushes me to be…ME. But being one’s self isn’t always easy there’s about a million ways we talk ourselves out of things. Too weird. Too long. Too much. I wasn’t sure if she’d like it or speed dial someone to come talk me down.
By now, you can see where this is going. My agent, did in fact, like the text, and she found it a home, part of a two book deal (hope ya like mushrooms!). And so I got to write a dedication which will serve as a reminder to myself to stay true to what I love. To push myself. To commit. It is a reminder not to extinguish sparkly things before they have a chance to light up a corner of the world, even if it’s just my own.
It can feel weird or selfish to lean into one’s quirks and joys and loves during difficult times. What I’m telling you is these are precisely when you need to lean into your art, whatever it is. You must do this for you and your sanity and you must do this because they want you not to. They want you to find everything sort of ho-hum, useless, hopeless. That is a feature, not a bug, and you must fight the urge to divest from the things that make you…YOU. You may wonder if you should table goals or extinguish the sparks of ideas, in deference to attending to more global matters, and I’m here to tell you, you should not cede yourself to the times.
I found myself musing about this upcoming release and my feelings about sending my strange book off into the somewhat grim, challenging Universe we find ourselves in right now. It makes some kind of crazy sense that this book was born of a terrible period of time and will poke its silly nose into a world with a different sort of terribleness. But for lack of a better way to say it, that’s the task. One of my favorite quotes is from Piet Hein, mathematician, inventor, designer, writer and poet, who wrote (paraphrasing here a smidge) “Art is the solving of problems that cannot be expressed until they are solved.” As such, we people who are writing things they might dedicate to themselves, or painting canvases which may never be hung anywhere but your own wall, or whatever that little light that comes up through the cracks leads us…we are all artists right now.
Dev Petty is the author of many unique picture books for kids, including I Don’t Want to Be a Frog, Don’t Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog), How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?, Claymates, and the upcoming Monty and the Mushrooms. She has eleven published books with eight forthcoming, among them her sixth series.
Dev used to be a visual effects artist but now writes silly books for kids and their people. She lives in Berkeley, California, her hometown, with her family, dogs, cats, and a snake named “Boots.” You can visit Dev online at DevPetty.com
Author Interview: Dev Petty
On May 11, 2020 By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews
This month’s author interview is with Dev Petty, a former Visual Effects artist who “sat in a terribly dark room for ten years working as a texture painter” for films like The Matrix. Don’t read that the wrong way—she really liked it! But after having daughters, she discovered her passion and skill for writing, and things worked out for Dev there, too.
We’ll cover a lot more about her writing career below, but to prepare us for that, here are seven fun Dev facts:
Married her high school sweetheart.
Was on the Bay Bridge in the ’89 earthquake.
Loves Cheezits.
Great at word jumbles.
Wicked good at making sandwiches.
Swears a lot.
Practicing Jew but devoutly Californian.
Here’s a bonus eighth thing about Dev–she’s got a new book out, The Bear Must Go On, and it looks tremendously fun.
Plus, here are some URLs to learn a bit more about Dev and all that she does in the world of picture books:
https://www.devpetty.com/
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/tag/dev-petty/
https://twitter.com/devpetty
With that, let’s get right to the Qs and As here!
RVC: One thing that most text-only picture writers lament is not being able to create the art for their own books. You painted well enough to work for Hollywood. So…why aren’t you doing your own art to go with your picture book manuscripts?
DP: Yes, I was a good painter. I had a knack for color and composition and texture and was good with all the technology to make it sing. I teach art sometimes, and I make art all the time. BUT…being artistic and being able to tell a story with my art are different things. I don’t have a particular point of view. I know what I like, but that doesn’t mean I have a style and certainly no sense of character design, movement, etc. Honestly, I really like the writing part–I grew up in Berkeley in the 70s. I’m by nature pretty weird and have a lot of ideas…the writing suits me fine. Doing the art would feel sort of like a…job.
RVC: I’ll bet the Hollywood experiences still proved useful in other ways.
DP: Being in film does, for sure, inform how I tell a story. In film, you have to tell a story front to back–which is to say if someone is noticing some mistake in the background when something important is up front, you’ve failed as a storyteller. That helps me be economical with words and good at discerning what thread I want to pull on in a story.
Film also taught me to have a terribly thick skin.
RVC: What kind of writing training did you undertake when making the shift from creating art to writing picture books?
DP: I actually wasn’t much of a writer and started by taking a personal essay class, which–I ought to tell you–is the cheapest therapy you’ll ever have. I enjoyed writing but didn’t know that I wanted to write picture books until I just wrote one for fun and totally loved it. After that, I just read a lot of blog posts and a gazillion picture books and just wrote, wrote, wrote. I’m not too much for researching or classes or conferences. I just dove in and figured it out.
RVC: You’ve got a thing for animal characters, it seems. Why do they appeal to you as a storymaker?
DP: Well, yeah. I do write books with humans, just none have been picked up as yet. But I like to write about animals–they come with some intrinsic qualities that create good material. So I’m able to inject a lot into their personalities because there are already certain elements there. But I’m not one to just take a human-like character and decide it’s a walrus for the fun of it.
RVC: Mike Boldt—the illustrator of the Frog books—did an interview where he talked about I Don’t Want to Go to Sleep. Regarding the character of Frog, Mike said that he can “hear his voice and see his expressions just by reading the manuscript.” How do you go about creating an effective voice? What specific steps/techniques are you using?
DP: Mike is the best–just have to get that out there!
RVC: I quite agree! (I hope he sees this and wants do his own OPB interview down the road.)
DP: Frog is fun to write because he’s sort of droll and dry but still curious and engaged in the world around him. Frog has a lot of questions. I’m not sure I take any specific steps–I can just sort of hear his voice, which is very much how I write in any case. I hear a book, at least the opening of a book, in my head before I ever put pen to paper. I don’t think I could write a narrative book with Frog. He’s all dialogue for me.
RVC: I’m a fan of Claymation, so obviously I dug your 2017 book, Claymates. What’s the story behind that book?
DP: A lot of wine.
Kidding!
Well, the extraordinary Lauren Eldridge and I were sort of Twitter friends and talked about working together. She would make these funny clay characters and I thought they were really hilarious. I didn’t want to take something normal, like a regular story, and have her illustrate it in clay. I wanted a story that was ABOUT the fact they were clay, where your character could be anything at any time. That’s so open and abstract and kind of 70s trippy and it all just came out at once–the ideas at least.
I pitched her the idea and she liked it! We did a full photographic dummy to try to sell it because, honestly, how could you pitch that story and not sound like a lunatic?! What’s funny is that in the same way the balls of clay become friends through experimentation, play, being silly–so did we. She’s one of my best friends in the world. Art brings the strangest bedfellows together.
RVC: You’ve talked before about the challenge of finding each story’s thread. Would you explain that concept by way via the creation of one of your books?
DP: Well, Claymates is actually a great example. On the one hand, it’s just some goofball book about some balls of clay who make a mess of themselves. But in a bigger way, the thread of Claymates is about how no matter how many and what sort of hands (parents, teachers, friends) are trying to mold and shape us at any given time, ultimately we have an insatiable need to evolve on our own, experiment, make mistakes, play. I try to remember this as a parent–not to tinker too much in who my kids will become, they have to shape themselves. As long as they’re happy and good people, I don’t care what they end up doing.
RVC: In a 2014 guest post on Tara Lazar’s fine blog, you recommend writers stop writing. Care to give us an explanation on that surprising idea?
DP: Well, I think it’s really easy to go too quickly to writing once you have an idea. You get this lightbulb and want to RUN to start writing. But I’ve found I do much better when I just let things percolate a while, otherwise I just end up shuffling words about on the page instead of digging a little deeper, trying things, finding the thread.
RVC: While OPB interviews agents, we don’t always talk about the HOWS and WHYS of having/getting one. You’re with Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, right? How did you land that relationship, and what has it done for your career?
DP: Jen is actually my third agent (loooooonnnnnng story) and I’m so grateful I reached out to her when I was again looking. She’s Mike Boldt’s agent too, so I already knew she was awesome. Jen pushes me, sometimes really hard, to do my best work. She’s editorial, honest, and whipsmart. I rarely feel intimidated by anyone but if I were to, it might be her. Not because she’s mean, because she’s just really sharp, engaged, and articulate. When we talk I write “don’t babble” on my hands because she is so on point with everything and I never want to look back and think, “Darn, Dev, you babbled!”
But she’s also kind and has an uncanny sense of the industry and how to balance life and writing. She’s just a fantastic person and I’m very lucky.
RVC: If you could time-travel back to that first year of your writing apprenticeship, what would you tell yourself to ease the process? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
DP: I suppose that it’s just a really slow process, even if you start out with a popular book like I did. It takes time to build this career and you don’t want to rush it just to sell books. I learned most of that from Jen, for what it’s worth.
RVC: Alright, it’s time to transition to the always-fun, never-equaled, ever-exciting SPEED ROUND! Are you ready?
DP: Word.
RVC: The Carlton Dance, the Macarena, or the Cha Cha Slide. Which are we most likely to catch you performing?
DP: The Macarena. (I don’t even know what the other two are, but I still know without doubt the answer is the Macarena!)
RVC: Most underappreciated film in The Matrix series?
DP: The first one. Everyone loves it and appreciates it and knows it’s the best and it still couldn’t be overappreciated because it’s really original and thoughtful and smart, so it’s probably underappreciated.
RVC: If picture books were ice cream flavors, what flavor would your Frog series be?
DP: Bubblegum. It’s hard to know what the underlying flavor is and there’s weird chewy bits inside for some reason that you pick out and let stain and stick to your napkin and then eat all at once for like five minutes before spitting it out.
RVC: What’s something about your writing process that might surprise people?
DP: I tend to write the opening a bunch of different ways before committing. Once I find one I like, I let that guide the rest of the writing. I throw a LOT away but save everything in case I did something great.
RVC: “The last truly GREAT picture book I read was __________.”
DP: Oooh. I’m really picky actually. In a way that probably doesn’t serve me well. Sam & Dave Dig a Hole is up there, for sure. It’s dead smart.
RVC: The one-sentence message you hope all of your picture books deliver?
DP: Ask questions.
RVC: Thanks so much, Dev!
DP: The pleasure is mine! Thank you!
Jun
2
Moth & Butterfly: Ta-Da! by Dev Petty and Ana Aranda
Hello, Dev Petty! Welcome back to Watch. Connect. Read.! I always love when you stop by to share a new book trailer. Hooray! What do you want everyone to know about Moth & Butterfly: Ta-Da! before they watch its book trailer?
Dev Petty: First off, thanks for having me. These relationships, these Kidlit relationships connected through books and children and love of ideas is what's sustained me in these dark days. I'm SO grateful for people like you and this community at large.
As to Moth & Butterfly Ta-Da! I want everyone to know that it's beautiful. That's an overused word sometimes, but it is. Ana Aranda speaks through color and charm and movement to create something deeply unique and totally beautiful, but still accessible.
This book is so good for kids right now. Sure it has STEM elements, life-cycles, invertebrates, moth & butterfly differences. But beyond that, it speaks to change. You have two caterpillars who are just sitting around eating leaves together, goofing off. They don't know why, it doesn't matter. But they become friends. When they metamorphosize, they don't know things will be different on the flip side.
Moth & Butterfly Ta-Da! speaks to how we change as individuals and in friendships. How we adjust and we distill the parts of life we need so we are satiated, so we honor our efforts and our personalities. And in this era with so much polarization, it shows that true friendship lasts and finds common ground even through differences.
This book leans a little younger. I hope early classrooms will include it while they nurture caterpillars and other wee creatures. But the lessons inside this book- about true friendship. About common ground. About tolerating change are ones, these days, we can all relate to.
Please finish the following sentence starters:
Ana Aranda’s illustrations are ELECTRIC. Unique. Bright. Inspired. I see in her work in this book that she really "got" what I was after. But beyond that, she created a world of color and beauty and kindness. They have so much heart. Whatever world she was pulling from, I'd like to go there.
Moths and butterflies are different! And I'm sure it is hard for Moth (as you see in the book) to look at Butterfly's bright, colorful, graceful wings and reflect on his own beige, uncooperative appendages. Moth sleeps in the day and flies, clumsily, at night. Butterfly loves the sun and doing graceful loops in the day. She likes to stand out, Moth likes to blend in. But true friendship doesn't care about that. It finds a way.
Nancy Paulsen Books is amazing to work with. Nancy is brilliant and able to see what you were going for and make it more whole and refined. She just has a sense of how to distill things to their most lovely form. If only pairing Ana and me together! I learned a LOT working with her. It is a stunning gift to get to learn so much from an editor. I'm ever grateful.
Dev Petty is the author of I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG (Doubleday) -along with a few other FROG books, CLAYMATES, MOTH & BUTTERFLY: Ta-Da! (Nancy Paulsen Books, June '21), HOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE (Abrams '22), DON'T EAT BEES: LIFE LESSONS FROM HANK THE DOG (Doubleday '22) and more to come. She likes books that make you laugh a lot and think a little, sometimes the reverse.
Before becoming an author, Dev was a senior visual effects artist on The Matrix films and many others. Dev lives in her native San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, daughters, dogs, cat, and a snake named "Boots".
Photo by Feather Weight
Ana Aranda also illustrated The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (by Marc Tyler Nobleman). She was born and raised in Mexico City, and completed her undergraduate studies in illustration in France. She now lives in San Francisco, where she has painted murals in the Mission District, for the Consulate General of Mexico, and for the prestigious de Young Museum. Her biggest inspirations are her childhood memories, the vibrant colors of Mexico, and music.
Look for Moth & Butterfly: Ta-Da! on June 8, 2021.
Posted 2nd June 2021 by John Schu
How Dev Petty Found a Story with Legs…Frog Legs! (plus a giveaway!)
February 20, 2015 in Picture Books, Publishing, Writing for Children | Tags: Dev Petty, I Don't Want to be a Frog, Mike Boldt
devPetty1by Dev Petty
I wrote a whole post for this very blog some time ago about NOT writing and just thinking. I wrote about getting to the heart of your story idea in your head before you ever write a word. I believe in that process…big time. But it’s not how I wrote I DON’T WANT TO BE A FROG. That’s a different story. That’s the story of how a sort of basic story idea turned into one with legs…frog legs! In fact, it was the writing of FROG that taught me to slow down and think, to find the story thread before I started writing.
frogdevpetty
I knew I wanted to write a story all in dialogue. I wanted it to be funny. And I wanted it to be about a frog. I like frogs, it was that simple. Not much to go on, eh? Believe me, my first efforts on frog reflected just how thin the idea was. Frog went from animal to animal saying “I want to be like you…because…you’re furry (or you can fly or you can hop).” It was repetitive and a little hollow and NOTHING REALLY AT ALL HAPPENED. These are the sort of problems I usually suss out when I’m just thinking instead of writing, so I don’t usually have this situation. But there was something about the first draft I liked enough to keep at it.
froginterior
This is when I stopped and realized I needed to answer my own critical, favorite story writing question.
“What is this about?”
The answer, as written, was “A frog who wants to be a rabbit or a cat or an owl.” And after a ton of rewrites and rearranging, it wasn’t getting any better on the page. So I stopped revising. I stopped writing. As I closed the laptop and started thinking, I realized it was a little deeper. The answer really was, “This is a story about a frog who doesn’t want to be a frog.” It’s about wanting to be something other than what you are. Now THAT’S a little more interesting. When I started thinking about it that way, the story opened up and it wasn’t anymore about cats or owls, it was about nature, it was about accepting your nature.
That answer allowed me to start thinking about the frog, the good parts, the bad parts, the way we all sometimes envy things about others that we can never, and probably should never have. The story was getting deeper, but still…nothing really happened. The frog went from animal to animal saying he wanted to be them and then the book ended. You’re a frog. Get over it.
froginterior2
Confession. I’ve tried to write novels. A bunch of em. I am a Viking at writing three awesome chapters and then running out of steam, throwing the laptop across the room and eating ice cream for a while. But I do it often enough that I’ve learned a few things. Newsflash Dev, your story has to have a PLOT and not just be a rambling treatise on frog existentialism. So I decided to bring a new character in…a wolf…who would act as a bit of a therapist, a reality checker who would point out the good parts of being a frog through his own nature. Once something happened, the wolf, my story had a turn and a direction and something, albeit small, happened. I hope kids will read frog and realize that everyone has things they want to change about themselves, and that’s a totally okay, natural thing to explore. But you also sort of have to accept who you are, find the bright parts about who you are and work with what you have.
I guess the truth is, I sort of violated most of my own rules of picture book writing in the writing of the one picture book I have out there. I kind of teased a good story out of a pretty mediocre one. But that’s ok too, it taught me a lot about finding that thread. It helped me develop a process…find the thread FIRST! Remember to TELL a story and not just muse.
Since we’re talking story threads, I thought I’d put down a few tools I use to try to figure out what I’m getting at when I’m developing a story idea in my head, before I start writing.
I write a poem. It’s not the kind of poem anyone would ever, ever, ever want to read. But the lack of rules in poetry allow me to explore an idea without limitations. I usually write pretty long, stream of consciousness poems about my story idea and most of it will be total garbage. But usually, when I read it through, somewhere in there is a thread I can hold onto and start crafting a story around.
Imagine your story as a trailer. I’d never thought of this one until I started watching a lot of picture book trailers and working on my own, for Frog. But when you have to introduce your character, a story problem, a plot twist and a possible solution- you’ve covered a lot of story elements and it’s pretty easy to find where you need to go a little deeper.
Ask yourself what your story is about. Sounds obvious, I know, but I forget to do it ALL THE TIME. And, while you’re busy talking to yourself, why not have a whole conversation?
“Dev, what is this story about?”
“Well, it’s about a frog who wants to be a cat or an owl or something else.”
“Gosh, Dev, that’s not very interesting.”
“It’s not? Crap. OK, it’s about not wanting to be a frog.”
“Getting there.”
“You’re bossy. Fine. It’s about not wanting to be what you are.”
“That’s sad.”
“Okee…it’s about accepting who you are.”
“Bingo!”
“I don’t like you.”
“I don’t like you either.”
Finally, Never throw anything away. Whether you save one giant list of picture books in Scrivener or text files or email drafts (I’m partial to that one), never give up on a story. Put it aside, let it steep, even put it in total cold storage, but don’t throw anything away. SO many of my stories come from little breadcrumbs of ideas I left myself along the way.
Dev Petty is the author of I DON’T WANT TO BE A FROG (Doubleday 2015, Illustrated by Mike Boldt) and CLAYMATES (Little Brown, 2017). A former film effects artist, she lives in Albany, California and writes funny books for kids and immature adults. Visit her at DevPetty.com.
Do you want to be a frog? No? Do you want to own a frog? Not really? How about own a SIGNED COPY of Dev’s I DON’T WANT TO BE A FROG? Plus bookmarks? Yes? OK then, leave one comment below and a winner will be randomly selected in two weeks! Good luck!
Simply 7 with Dev Petty AND Ruth Chan: HOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE?
June 21, 2022 / jenabenton
TWO of my favorite picture book creators collaborated on a book and I get to share it with you today!
headshotDev Petty writes picture books that make you laugh a lot and think a little, sometimes the reverse. She is the author of I DON’T WANT TO BE A FROG, CLAYMATES, DON’T EAT BEES (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog), HOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE? and many others.
She used to work in film effects as a painter and you can see her work in dozens of film, TV, and game projects including The Matrix Trilogy. Picture books are different, but have a lot of similarities- Dev says they’re sort of like little, paper movies and she is grateful to be creative and discover new ways to tell stories.
Dev is a Berkeley native and lives just blocks from where she grew up. She lives with her husband, daughters, dogs, cat, and a snake named “Boots.” You can learn more about her at her website.
How Old COVERHOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE? is a hilarious picture book about a problematic birthday party. Mr. Tortoise is excited to celebrate his birthday because he gets to eat cake (and who doesn’t love that?). BUT when his friends ask him how old he is, he has NO idea. His friends offer many suggestions on how to determine his age, but none of them are truly helpful. They obsess because they want to know how many candles to put on the cake. The solution to this problem is both funny and sweet, with a little scientific detective work and a little math skill thrown in. The icing on the cake (see what I did there) are Ruth Chan’s hilarious illustrations. TWO queens of picture book comedy join together to create a funny picture book that is well worth reading.
Welcome Dev!
Me: You excel at writing hilarious picture books. What gave you the idea for a tortoise’s birthday where no one can tell how old he is (including Mr. Tortoise himself)?
tortoise1Dev: Well, I read about a tortoise named Jonathan who’s 190 and lives on an island in the South Atlantic. There are pictures of him as a younger tortoise and his keepers are wearing knickers and it’s plainly very old-fashioned-y. So of course Jonathan got me thinking. But I also was thinking about how, at fifty years old, I know what day my birthday is but at this point am struggling to remember how old I am. I guess that’s a good sign that I’m not too concerned about it!
I also knew I wanted a story where many characters were working together to solve a problem, though not in the most coherent way. I think it’s so funny how sometimes a problem takes on a life of its own. Mr. Tortoise, of course, couldn’t care less how old he is, but once his friends start trying to solve the mystery, they just can’t stop. They MUST know. I feel like before google and iPhones, we would have a dinner conversation and argue over this or that and have to live with disagreeing. Now, we can just look up the answer and the lively discussion ends. It’s become harder to NOT know the answer to questions.
Me: I have to agree! Several of your books also contain educational info in a very subtle way. In this book, Mr. Tortoise doesn’t know his age and readers have to use some detective skills along with his friends to figure it out. It’s a bit like finding an old picture in your attic and wondering how old it is. You introduce readers here to history and using observational skills. Do you intentionally include educational matter? Is that something you set out to do or is it just a perk of your story’s plot?
Dev: I like including educational matter, but only in a really natural way. It’s likely because I tend to just be more interested in animals and nature than I am with human stuff. Math, biology, history- these are all things just sort of wound throughout nature so I’m happy if I can tap into it in a way that isn’t too fussy. I like the counting/math element in this book because it’s geared for the youngest readers and whether they can figure it out or not, they’ll get a sense of how to approach solving a problem and the fun of doing so.
Me: Exactly! I love how each character has a different suggestion to figure out Mr. Tortoise’s age. They sound just like children! Do you work with lots of young kids? How do you get that authentic child’s voice in your stories?
tortoise4Dev: Honestly, probably because I’m just pretty immature. But it really comes from what I love about kids and what so often cracks me up about them- their reasoning is based on their personal experience, their sense of how things work in the world, their sense of how things could work. Kids are fabulous at extrapolating and generalizing their own experiences and doing it with so much confidence. I guess that’s what I was trying to channel with those characters and their absurd guesses.
Me: I love the illustrations by Ruth Chan. There are so many different and unique animal characters here. Did you have art notes explaining what animals were also included in the story with Mr. Tortoise? Or did she come up with them on her own.
Dev: I think a few were specified because they had names and lines and a role to play in the whole thing. But Ruth added so much with other animals and creating this kind of ensemble cast. It really feels like the entire zoo is in on solving the problem. I love that because it reminds me of how a certain issue can take over a whole playground at recess and suddenly everyone is in on it.
Me: LOL! That is so true. Ruth Chan excels at funny illustrations. Were there any illustration surprises for you? What was your favorite illustration?
Dev: Ruth is just brilliant. She’s so funny herself and creates so much action and liveliness on the page. I love that she did this in graphic novel format because it’s a perfect fit for the story and the characters. I think I was most surprised by just the range of expressions that she gave to Mr. Tortoise. I’m not sure how expressive tortoises really are, but she was able to do it with a ton of charm and subtlety but lots of variety too. I was also so delighted by how the illustrations develop throughout the whole book. Similar to what I was saying about how all the animals got in on solving the problem. There’s an acceleration to it. I think kids will want to join in on the urgency to solve the problem (or to have cake!). My favorite illustration? Probably the one with the photograph of Mr. Tortoise in the 70s with mutton chops. I put that in as an art note and never thought it would actually make it to the page. I’m delighted.
tortoiseMuttonChops
Me: I love that picture too. What is one thing that surprised you about writing this story?
Dev: What a good question! I suppose just that it came together in such a charming way without being fatiguing to read. It was a tricky bit of writing. I knew I wanted a bunch of characters working together, but having so many characters and all in dialogue can make for something sort of cluttered. But I feel like it ended up working and makes for a fun read aloud. I can’t wait to do school visits and have everyone sing happy birthday at the end!
Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers?
Dev: I tend to give two pieces of advice for new writers. One is to write A LOT. It takes time to find your voice, your point of view, and you can’t really find that from just revising the same few stories over and over. Write three, five, ten, fifteen stories and then see where you’re at.
The other advice is to really focus on the idea. I do a lot more thinking than I do writing. I will mull an idea over for months sometimes before I ever type a word. I see many writers who get an idea and run to open the laptop to begin, but it’s really important both to play conceptually with the idea so that you get more depth in your story, and to experiment with point of view, voice, tense, and structure. I always ask myself, “what is the most interesting way I can tell THIS story?”
That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog Dev.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! I’ve also interviewed the illustrator.
RC headshot 2021 2Ruth Chan spent much of her Canadian childhood tobogganing, her teenage years in Hong Kong and China, another portion of time studying art and education at Wellesley College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a decade working with youth and families in schools, after school and summer programs in underserved communities in Boston, DC, and NYC. She nows spends her time creating children’s picture books, drawing comics, and freelance illustrating. Ruth lives in Brooklyn, NY. You can learn more about her at her website.
Welcome Ruth!
Me: Can you share about your artistic journey? When did you start creating art?
Ruth: I’d always loved drawing and painting growing up. In fact, I distinctly remember one summer my brother and I mass produced dozens of paintings and went door-to-door to try to sell them, convinced they were masterpieces. I think my parents were the only ones who bought any.
But ever since then I’ve always been engaged in art in some way. I was a High School Art kid, majored in photography in education in college, and did my Masters in Arts in Education where we talked about how to make the arts accessible to anyone and everyone. It took a few years until I became a “full-time artist” myself, but now that I’m here, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
Rough Sketch
Me: You have had several books published as either an illustrator of others’ work or an author illustrator now. How did you get into the work of illustrating picture books? Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to illustrating this book?
Ruth: After college and grad school, I went on to teach for a few years at arts-based schools before moving onto managing youth development programs in underserved communities. I was constantly surrounded by picture books, even though I wasn’t making much art.
Then in 2012, a number of really difficult things happened at the same time and I found myself alone, jobless, and, quite honestly, depressed. I remember sitting down in the mornings and drawing because I didn’t really know what else to do, and then— as things sometimes unfold— that aimlessness led to more illustrations, which led to taking a few SVA continuing classes, and then to attending an SCBWI conference.
I’d always loved picture books because they seamlessly encompass some of the most beautiful things in life: A good story, beautiful language, incredible art, humor, wit, tenderness, and truths. I’d amassed a huge collection of them over the years, but never allowed myself to really consider making them. While I doodled here and there, I had no formal illustration background, and, in my mind, there was no way I’d make it in such a competitive industry. But the SCBWI conference really motivated me to give it a shot.
I worked hard on my illustration and writing and attended another SCBWI Conference with a whole new portfolio. The portfolio ended up receiving a Runner-Up award at the Portfolio Showcase, and within six months, I had signed with an agent, and had a two-book deal.
Since then I’ve been working on picture books but have also started creating comics, including a middle-grade graphic novel.
Sketch 1
Me: Oh my goodness. That’s so inspiring! I feel this in everything I’m doing myself right now. What does your illustration process look like? Is it a blend of traditional media and digital?
Finished lineworkRuth: Yes, my illustration process tends to be a mix of both traditional and digital. My first few books were all made with watercolor and ink, and I’d use Photoshop to tweak a few things like colors (because I am terrible at deciding on colors!) Recently—and especially during the pandemic when I couldn’t access my studio—I started mixing it up more. In HOW OLD IS MR. TORTOISE?, I made all the line work by hand using brown ink, scanned those paintings in, and colored the paintings digitally on my iPad using Procreate. I used to be a little resistant to “going digital” but now I see it’s just another tool like a paintbrush or pencil.
Me: I love that! And I loved the variety of characters you put in this book. Were they described in the text? Were there art notes? How did you know what animals to make each character?
Character SketchesRuth: The characters are some of my favorites I’ve ever created! The author, Dev Petty, had some of the animals indicated in the art notes like the cockatoo and the leopard, and I had a blast choosing the others, like the walrus and aardvark. I’m a sucker for weird animals and I loved the idea of this book being about a random assortment of animals all being friends and coming together to celebrate Mr. Tortoise.
Me: I loved the inclusion of the walrus! What is one thing that surprised you in illustrating “How Old is Mr. Tortoise”?
Ruth: I think the thing that surprised me was how well using sequential panels like a comic or graphic novel worked for this manuscript. The book is all speech with no narration, so it made sense to show as many fun character interactions as possible.
Me: I really love this style for the book. It’s perfect! What was your favorite part of this book? Is there a favorite scene you drew? What made you say “yes” to illustrating this particular book?
Ruth: I have two favorite scenes in this book. The first is when the animals are trying to do the math to calculate how old Mr. Tortoise is. There is a pause where they all look very confounded, and this is basically me on a daily basis any time I am required to do any type of math. The second scene is the big birthday cake scene where all the friends are gathered around and sing Happy Birthday to Mr. Tortoise in the glow of the birthday candles. I love how clearly his friends love him, and the scene makes me very nostalgic about the joy of friendship, family, and a birthday celebration.
Interior 4
Upon reading Dev’s manuscript for the first time, I knew I would say Yes to illustrating this book. I loved the humor and warmth in it, but more than anything, I loved how unique each character’s voice was and I was excited by the idea of bringing them to life. I will say, the one challenge of this book was the actual math! Our editor, Courtney Code, had to break down some of the math for me to make sure the illustrations were consistent with it, and I will be forever grateful that she is better at math than I am.
Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers and/or illustrators?
Ruth: 1) Find a group and/or community of fellow children’s book authors and illustrators. They’ll be your support as you navigate the ins and outs of this career. I was lucky to connect with a few illustrators who were starting out the same time I was, like Tim Miller and Misa Saburi, and it’s been so fun to be able to see how much we’ve learned and grown since the days where we felt like we were chickens running around with our heads chopped off. I was also lucky to connect with illustrators who had a few years under their belt and they’ve given me lots of great advice over the years.
2) Get yourself out there! Go to book events, go to industry events, join SCBWI, get in that Twitter conversation. Making books is a lonely business and I’ve found that those social opportunities are much needed (plus there’s always lots to learn).
3) We all feel like imposters, no matter how many books we’ve made. It’s just part of the journey!
Wow. That is great advice too. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today Ruth.
Petty, Dev I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG Doubleday (Children's Picture Books) $16.99 2, 24 ISBN: 978-0-385-37866-6
A tiny frog desperately wishes to be any other animal.After reading a book about a cat, the young frog stretches open his mouth as wide as it will go and decidedly declares, "I want to be a CAT." His father patiently explains, "You can't be a CAT....Because you're a FROG." But frogs are too wet and slimy. The little frog then decides to be a rabbit. After all, he can already hop. But father points out that he does not have long ears. The young amphibian is not deterred. There are many other options--a pig, perhaps? Or an owl? But his no-nonsense father explains away each one. Until a wolf, who enjoys eating many animals--except wet, slimy frogs--comes along and changes the young frog's perspective. Debut author Petty presents a droll take on this oft-explored wish of being different. But what shines the brightest is Boldt's expressive frog duo. Question-weary grown-ups will understand the father's heavy-lidded eyes, and nothing embodies a childlike curiosity (and/or crazy, determined declarations) more than the tiny frog's wide-open mouth. Colored speech bubbles distinguish the speakers' words and tumble over each other on the page. A lively look at self-acceptance. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Petty, Dev: I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A389797674/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5608589f. Accessed 18 June 2025.
* I Don't Want to Be a Frog
Dev Petty, illus. by Mike Boldt. Doubleday, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-385-37866-6
First-time author Petty's dialogue between a frog father and his son makes its point about accepting one's nature with a big grin. Boldt (Colors Versus Shapes) draws the two with exaggerated stringiness: the son is all rubber lips and sticky toes, his bespectacled father working as straight man. The young frog would rather be a cat, or perhaps a rabbit. "You can't be a Rabbit," says his beleaguered father. "Why not? Look, I can hop!" "Sure, but where are your long ears?" The small frog looks up, purses his lips, and feels around his head--nothing! "Besides," his father adds, "what's wrong with being a Frog?" "It's too slimy," the young frog replies. He wants to be a pig, then an owl, until a wolf appears--one who loves to eat cats, rabbits, pigs, and owls, but considers frogs "too wet and slimy and full of Bugs." Now the frog sees his existence in a delightful new light. The story might create similar gratitude in the minds of readers--or it might just make them giggle. Ages 3-7. Illustrator's agent: Jennifer Rofe, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"I Don't Want to Be a Frog." Publishers Weekly, vol. 261, no. 48, 24 Nov. 2014, p. 73. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A393098335/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fadf0d70. Accessed 18 June 2025.
PETTY, Dev. I Don't Want To Be Big. illus. by Mike Boldt. 32p. Doubleday. Oct. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781101939208.
PreS-Gr 1--A little frog has a spirited discussion about why he doesn't want to be big in this amusing picture book. Two bright green frogs, one little and one big, talk about why eating dinner is so important. The little frog goes on to explain that he does not need to eat dinner, since he has no interest in being big. After some hilarious questioning from the older frog, the little frog finally decides that getting big might not be so bad, as long as he does not ever have to take a bath. The lively illustrations, with few background details, are a great match for the use of speech bubbles in each spread and are reminiscent of Mo Willems's "Elephant and Piggie" series. Children should be able to easily identify which character is talking throughout. VERDICT An amusing book about why getting big doesn't necessarily mean you have to grow up. A general purchase for most libraries.--Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Newberry, Brooke. "Petty, Dev. I Don't Want To Be Big." School Library Journal, vol. 62, no. 10, Oct. 2016, p. 83. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A466166866/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0208c219. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev CLAYMATES Little, Brown (Children's Fiction) $16.99 6, 20 ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what's going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration--expressed as a tangled black scribble--reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a "pig-e-phant" doesn't come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to "fix [them]selves" on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naivete of the "clay mates" is perfectly captured by Petty's feisty, spot-on dialogue: "This was your idea...and it was a BAD one." Eldridge's endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist's work table to great effect. The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own. (Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Petty, Dev: CLAYMATES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A489268410/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d678fa86. Accessed 18 June 2025.
By Dev Petty
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Illustrated by Lauren Eldridge Little, Brown $16.99, 40 pages
ISBN 9780316303118 eBook available Ages 3 to 7
PICTURE BOOK
Two blobs of clay (with eyes) sit on an artist's bench. The gray one seems mischievous; the brown one looks a tad nervous. When the artist (or at least her hands) shows up, she bends and stretches and smooshes and scratches the blobs into a gray wolf and a brown owl. But that's only the beginning. The wolf (true to its playful origins) isn't satisfied with its chosen form and starts improvising, crafting crazy ears, funny hairstyles and dramatic eyelashes out of clay. The more cautious owl isn't so sure--until it starts tentatively experimenting with its own clay and soon discovers the joy of reinvention. But what happens when all that creativity gets out of control? Perhaps the two clay creatures will go beyond being just "claymates" and prove they're true friends.
The charming story in Claymates is told through humorous cartoon-style dialogue, hand-lettered in ink (matching the speaker's clay color) on torn scraps of paper. The expressive characters, made only of clay and dolls' eyes, come to life in memorable color photographs, which are remarkable for showing an artist's studio and an artist at work, complete with all the tools of her trade. Parents be forewarned: You might want to purchase some modeling clay before giving your child this book. They'll come away inspired and eager to create their own claymates.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 BookPage
http://bookpage.com/
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Piehl, Norah. "Claymates." BookPage, July 2017, p. 30. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A497099122/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=670b8fff. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev THERE'S NOTHING TO DO! Random House (Children's Fiction) $16.99 9, 19 ISBN: 978-0-399-55803-0
Petty and Boldt's young frog often has plenty to gripe about (I Don't Want to Be Big, 2016, etc.); this time, he is bored.It is a whine that no caregiver can ever escape: "There's nothing to do!" A bespectacled older frog asks, "You can't think of anything?" Full of childhood angst--sprawled out on the floor in despair--the small frog answers, "I can think of lots of things... / buuuuut I don't want to do any of them." After naysaying all possibilities, even the ever popular "then clean your room," the frog decides to ask some friends for advice. Rabbit really likes to hop in circles and then stare into space. Cat suggests licking in between toes, and Owl thinks sleeping is the best idea. Pig helpfully unfurls a list of "Pig's Fantastic List of Things to Do When He Doesn't Know What to Do." Unfortunately, nothing on the list is very fantastic. Boldt's putty-mouthed frog is the picture of boredom and dejection, finally brightening at the yogic realization that sometimes doing nothing, just being in the moment, is better than anything. This is a lesson well-learned, except when school is the next day and the young frog happily wants to do...nothing (oops). In a structured, overstimulated world, downtime needs to be appreciated, and this small amphibian shows the way. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Petty, Dev: THERE'S NOTHING TO DO!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A497199601/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=85cb9d98. Accessed 18 June 2025.
PETTY, Dev. There's Nothing To Do! illus. by Mike Boldt. 32p. Doubleday. Sept. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780399558030.
PreS-Gr 2--So what do you do when there is absolutely nothing to do? Nothing. That is the premise behind Petty's latest. The story follows an uneventful day in the life of Frog as he solicits advice from his animal friends, owl and pig, about how he should spend his day. Instead of offering suggestions that are of benefit to Frog, both owl and pig give quirky, self-indulgent advice ranging from sleeping all day to sniffing dirt. Frog soon becomes disenchanted when he realizes that the advice from his friends only prove that they don't have any clues about what he should do, either. Later, Frog has an epiphany and concludes that doing nothing is a great way to spend the day. Although the story attempts to use humor as a vehicle to teach a lesson about boredom, it is only mildly entertaining. Filled with cliches and semi-comedic dialogue, the story lacks any real lessons of value. On the one hand, Frog learns that in doing nothing he can find enlightenment. He then gets the idea that it would be better to do nothing as opposed to going to school. On a positive note, vibrant illustrations do make the book visually appealing, and the use of dialogue boxes make the text easy to read. VERDICT with minor humor and a lackluster story line, this book would add little value to library collections--Andrea Jamison, Lincoln Elementary School, Calumet City, IL
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Jamison, Andrea. "Petty, Dev. There's Nothing To Do!" School Library Journal, vol. 63, no. 10, Oct. 2017, pp. 80+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A507950720/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ee5002d8. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP Doubleday (Children's Fiction) $16.99 10, 16 ISBN: 978-1-5247-6896-6
Always displaying a penchant for the dramatic, Petty and Boldt's young amphibian is back for a fourth installment of childhood angst--bedtime.
The tiny frog is so excited for winter he can't contain himself. He is going to have a blast throwing snowballs, drinking hot cocoa, and cozying up in warm clothing. But his friend, a wise owl, breaks some bad news: "Frogs hibernate." The young frog's flippant response? "I don't know what that means, but I don't like it." Owl explains, but the frog doesn't want to hear it. He has to burrow in the mud all winter, while his friends have endless fun? The embodiment of pure despair, the young tot opens his mouth and eyes wide with terror, his horrified expression taking up an entire spread. Luckily, a compromise is reached--one that doesn't bode well for his nonhibernating friends. Silliness abounds, with a nod toward the nature of coldbloodedness, as Boldt variously shows a crispy, smoldering frog near the winter fire and an ice-block frog, frozen in place.
Young readers may not quite make the leap from a desolate frog missing winter to a cranky child not wanting to sleep, but it's a fun read-aloud that will at least make bedtime more enjoyable. (Picture book. 3-6)
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"Petty, Dev: I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A548137843/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3d7d91c1. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev THE BEAR MUST GO ON Philomel (Children's Fiction) $17.99 2, 11 ISBN: 978-1-9848-3747-9
Four woodland animal friends put on a show.
Rabbit, Squirrel, and aptly named Other Squirrel (who has slightly redder fur than Squirrel) are a flurry of activity. They are going to put on a show. "A BIG show.…The BEST show!" It will have hats (tall ones), tickets (shiny ones), and a curtain (red--no, green). There are many decisions to be made. Bear, however, does not want to be part of it. He is too shy. He would prefer to be the note taker. Rabbit, Squirrel, and Other Squirrel fire off ideas, amending one another's at furious speed, and Bear writes them all down. Scribbles appear in the white space surrounding the boulderlike ursine's head. The ideas pile up; debut illustrator Todd deftly covers an entire page while Bear hunches in the middle, furiously writing. He hums a tune to keep himself calm. On the night of the performance, everything seems ready. Everything except…the show! They were so bogged down with the details, no one figured out what the show would be. The title gives away the ending from the very start, but Bear's pluck is nevertheless laudable. Petty's comedic quips are echoed in the frenzied art, with Bear looming large yet timid to ground it all. Limited, skilled use of panels helps to control the pacing.
A snort-inducing lesson of both bravery and preparation. (Picture book. 4-7)
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"Petty, Dev: THE BEAR MUST GO ON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A606964397/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5296753c. Accessed 18 June 2025.
PETTY, Dev. The Bear Must Go On. illus. by Brandon Todd. 40p. Philomel. Feb. 2020. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781984837479.
PreS-Gr 2--Three woodland creatures want to put on the perfect show. This means they need shiny tickets, sparkly curtains, and birds with tiny hats. Shy Bear is the scribe, taking notes on all the elements of production, happy to stay away from the spotlight. The night of the production, everything is ready to go, but the critters forgot a major detail: They never wrote a script. Bear, a performer at heart, might be able to save the day with an original song, as the show must go on. From the author of I Don't Want to Be a Frog comes this adorable, theatrical tale of overcoming stage fright. Two squirrels and a rabbit pop off the page, illustrated in bright colors and contrasted with the muted, timid bear, shown with a dainty pencil tucked behind his ear. These little details are what make the illustrations so charming. The exuberant squirrels and rabbit appear all over the page, with large speech bubbles and bolded words, while the bear sits quietly by himself on opposite pages, mirroring the plot of the story and demonstrating to readers that there are different kinds of people in the world and they can work together to make great things happen. VERDICT This playful and endearing story offers young readers a heartfelt message about collaboration and overcoming fear, making it an excellent choice for most collections. --Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia
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Malixi, Kaitlin. "PETTY, Dev. The Bear Must Go On." School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 2, Feb. 2020, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A613048740/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0629c269. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev MOTH & BUTTERFLY Nancy Paulsen Books (Children's None) $17.99 6, 8 ISBN: 978-1-5247-4051-1
Change is in the air!
Two caterpillars romp happily through a garden, but something is about to happen! Minimal, energetic text and brightly colored illustrations full of kid appeal tell the tale of the two friends and capture the excitement of change in this exuberant introduction to the concept of metamorphosis and the differences between a moth and a butterfly. The story artfully incorporates the idea of change and the appreciation of differences and similarities between two friends with the concrete differences between the two insects that develop over the course of their life cycles; initial commonalities are described (legs, spots, eating habits) before the friends disappear into pupae to undergo metamorphosis, and then “POP!” Each appears in a new winged form (a moth and a butterfly), and differences are succinctly enumerated (color, movement, camouflage, sleep cycles). Warmth abounds, and life continues as the two friends see young caterpillars and greet them with a cheery “Happy Metamorphosis!” The simple text includes speech bubbles that add to the excitement and fun, and the author’s choice to focus on one big word and concept (metamorphosis) rather than a hefty vocabulary or the full life cycle (eggs are unmentioned) makes this a great choice for the very young.
A deceptively simple mix of engaging story, appreciation of differences, and introduction to moths and butterflies. (Picture book. 3-6)
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"Petty, Dev: MOTH & BUTTERFLY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A659924814/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4046c808. Accessed 18 June 2025.
PETTY, Dev. Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da! illus. by Ana Aranda. 32p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. Jun. 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781524740511.
PreS-K--As leaf-eating creepy-crawlies, these two best friends naturally love all the same things. Both have many legs, spots, and love to chew leaves into funny shapes. Ornately and uniquely decorated, the pair undergo their metamorphosis inside cheerfully decorated pupas. Weeks later, Moth and Butterfly emerge with fewer legs, antennae, and wings. They fall right into the groove of their former friendship but notice some cumbersome differences. Moth likes to stay out all night. Butterfly is graceful in flight, but Moth cannot stop bumping into things. Will their friendship endure? Whimsical, silly illustrations use bold colors to make this garden paradise really pop. The fast-paced story uses minimal text and a light-hearted narrative to capture the attention of preschoolers. There is not a wealth of content here, but lessons about the natural world and friendship in the face of differences flourish. VERDICT This basic, colorful introduction to metamorphosis and friendship for the youngest of preschoolers is a recommended purchase.--Richelle Rose, Kenton County P.L., KY
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Rose, Richelle. "PETTY, Dev. Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da!" School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 8, Aug. 2021, p. 64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A670397897/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=47214db6. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Don't Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog #1)
Dev Petty, illus. by Mike Boldt. Doubleday, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-43312-6
Chip, a white hound with a brown fur patch over one eye and a long, boopable snout, is a fount of knowledge--most of which, as conveyed by the previous collaborators (/ Don't Want to Be a Frog), "involves what to eat and what not to eat." Actually, bees are the only item on the "don't" list, oft repeated to comic effect. The litany of "do"s, on the other hand, includes unwanted food that Chip's young lightskinned owner slips under the table ("Yes, peas, no bees"), Grandpa's dentures, and cat food ("Who's a dumb dog NOW, Mittens," writes Petty, channeling the canine narrator's snarl at a feline nemesis). Boldt's signature sculptural dimensionality and flair for goofy expressions give readers much to savor in this character study masquerading as a handbook. En route to a sudden wrap-up, one vignette ("Do: Eat important papers!") shows that dogs not only eat homework but do so with elan: a blissed-out Chip floats across the spread like a parade balloon as notebooks, papers, a backpack, and school supplies swirl in the air. Ages 3-7. Agent (forPettyandBoldt):Jen Rofe, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)
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"Don't Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog #1)." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 9, 28 Feb. 2022, p. 68. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A696341895/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=aaf739f5. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev DON'T EAT BEES Doubleday (Children's None) $17.99 5, 31 ISBN: 978-0-593-43312-6
A dog's guide to what to eat.
Oblivious to the amusement--or, considerably more often, outrage--of the beige-skinned family in the background, an overstimulated pooch proudly tallies the "dog things" they know. These begin with "how cats are awfully self-important for animals who poop in a box" but go on quickly to proven or potential yummies, from socks and homework to cat food ("Who's a dumb dog now, Mittens?"), furniture, unguarded sandwiches, a whole turkey snatched off the table, and Grandpa's teeth. There are some no-nos, though, including lemons, lit candles, and most especially bees: "No sir! Never ever ever // again." Boldt brings suitable ballyhoo to his depictions of wild domestic carnage, and though he dials down the perpetrator's reaction to the bee experiment from realistic anguish to sheepish embarrassment, the scene with the dentures is hilarious, and the dog's expression after munching on a lemon will dry up plenty of viewers' mouths in sympathy. "I am a smart dog," the flop-eared foodie repeatedly proclaims. Readers seeing the pooch eagerly eyeing the potted cactus in the final picture may side with Mittens. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A chewy treat for dog lovers. (Picture book. 5-7)
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"Petty, Dev: DON'T EAT BEES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A701896575/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=28fb3ffe. Accessed 18 June 2025.
How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?
Dev Petty, illus. by Ruth Chan. Abrams, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-4670-3
All Mr. Tortoise wants for his birthday is to celebrate "a good life with good friends... and good cake"--the latter being a scrumptious, three-tier confectionery covered in pink icing. But these plans are derailed when his animal friends discover that Mr. Tortoise doesn't know his age. "Then how will we know how many candles to put on ypur cake?" one asks earnestly. While Mr. Tortoise patiently waits--tying on a polka-dotted napkin and suggesting that candle accuracy doesn't matter--the animals cogitate. They count the sections of his shell, they extrapolate based on their own experience (a smaller tortoise figures that Mr. Tortoise must be twice as old because he's twice as big), and they attempt to deduce a birth year from cultural references. Finally, a possible answer emerges; "HOORAY, CAKE!" says Mr. Tortoise. And hooray for Petty (Don't Eat Bees) and Chan (Thank You, Neighbor!), whose comic hearts beat as one in this impeccably paced story told in graphic novel panels. With deadpan dialogue and endearingly goofy character-focused art, they've created a funny and loving salute to friendship, critical thinking, longevity, and cake. Ages 4-8.
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"How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?" Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 49, 23 Nov. 2022, p. 20. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A728493723/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7313f75c. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev DON'T TRUST CATS Doubleday (Children's None) $18.99 1, 2 ISBN: 9780593706787
A very good, very smart dog explains how readers can be their best doggy selves.
Chip, the protagonist of Don't Eat Bees (2022), is back with some more lessons. First and foremost? "Don't trust cats!" It doesn't matter if they're fluffy or stripy, big or small. But our hero assures us that there are plenty of things we can trust--like one's nose. Of course, our narrator may be a bit too trusting; Chip emphasizes that "Those birds and squirrels you try so hard to catch? You can trust them. They're laughing with you, not at you." (Readers may beg to differ.) Boldt's views of a wide-eyed pooch with a massive, shiny nose enthusiastically rolling in muck, shredding mail as it drops through a slot, and bounding up to a porcupine and then a skunk in expectation of meeting new friends steal the show. But Petty gets in quite a few good zingers, too--punctuating a tally of "trustastic" things like the fire hydrant ("It's always been there for you") and Grandpa, who may cheat at cards but always has a doggy treat ready. Don't trust the vacuum, though, advises the stubby-tailed sage, and ESPECIALLY don't trust cats: "Nohow, no meow." A sly-looking cat and an olive-skinned human family add comical background reactions to the hilariously mismatched maxims and misdeeds of this canine life coach.
What a wag! (Picture book. 5-8)
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"Petty, Dev: DON'T TRUST CATS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A770738824/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=78564e6b. Accessed 18 June 2025.
PETTY, Dev. Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog. illus. by Mike Boldt. 32p. (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog). Doubleday. Jan. 2024. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780593706787.
PreS-Gr 3--This follow-up to Don't Eat Bees brings more advice from Chip the dog, a noted expert on living the best life one can. Who does a very good, very smart dog trust? According to Chip, cats are the most untrustworthy of all, unless they have snacks. Squirrels and birds are trustworthy--they're laughing with dogs, not at them. Persons are "trustastic" even if sometimes they don't tell the truth, like when a trip to "the park" turns out to be the veterinarian's office. The artwork is often just as explanatory as the text in this funny book. On one page, Chip explains that criminals that come to the door should not be trusted; Boldt's exuberant scenes show two Girl Scouts trying to sell cookies and Chip in full guard-dog mode. Interpreting the pictures is a big part of the fun for readers or listeners. The sneaky cat and Chip's family show readers that maybe Chip isn't quite the expert he thinks he is. There really is no story here; this is a list of things Chip, for one, does not trust. But it's a funny, entertaining read. VERDICT A fun and exuberant picture book that lots of young readers and their grown-ups will enjoy. --Debbie Tanner
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Tanner, Debbie. "PETTY, Dev. Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, Feb. 2024, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784714352/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=93f6e448. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev ELMORE THE CHRISTMAS MOOSE Doubleday (Children's None) $18.99 10, 15 ISBN: 9780593487167
Santa tells readers about an unusual Christmas.
Santa has a job opening, since Prancer will be attending a ventriloquist convention this year. So Elmore, a moose who's long dreamed of pulling Santa's sleigh, applies. He writes a letter to Santa describing his qualifications: He's a "go-getter" with a "good sense of direction" who's mostly overcome his elf phobia. Santa agrees to meet him but immediately notices that Elmore isn't a reindeer. Elmore is sent home but mails another letter, promising to "hit the ground running." Invited back, Elmore accomplishes just that: He remains on the ground. Back home, Elmore writes again, apologizing for omitting the "can't fly" thing. Believing in the power of Christmas miracles, Santa decides to give Elmore another try. But Elmore, having made several unsuccessful attempts at flying, writes another letter wishing Santa good luck finding someone else and enclosing a batch of Chocolate Moose Cookies. This time, Santa offers Elmore a different job. This comical, warmhearted story with an original twist will not only have kids giggling and rooting for Elmore; it will also confirm their belief that wonders really do happen at Christmas. Elmore's tongue-in-cheek correspondence will elicit belly laughs. Nervous Elmore, in his necktie, cuts an endearing figure, as does gentle, brown-skinned Santa, eager to find a place for the wayward moose. Boldt's energetic cartoon illustrations are rife with fun details; note the riotous "classified ads" in front and back endpapers. Santa's elves are racially diverse.
A delightful Christmas tale that has it all--holiday cheer, joy, and a most persistent moose.(Picture book. 5-8)
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"Petty, Dev: ELMORE THE CHRISTMAS MOOSE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A806452663/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=75862c7f. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Monty and the Mushrooms
Dev Petty, illus. by Jared Chapman. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3259-2
"As everyone knows," mushrooms--at least the ones that populate this picture book's comically skewed, anthropomorphized forest--"are LOUD." Lacking inside voices or any sense of boundaries, they argue and gossip, recite bad poetry, and sing "long, loud songs about how great it is to be a mushroom." ("Even trees think mushrooms are noisy, and everyone knows how noisy trees are.") Marmots, meanwhile, who also reside in the forest, can't abide noise--"especially singing." When a handful of mushrooms pops up around the entrance to Monty the marmot's den, the animal politely lodges a complaint with the head mushroom, then vows to eat the fungi (a useless threat, since they're poisonous). Finally, the marmot leaves in disgust, making room for new neighbors: banana slugs, which can't hear but cheerfully declare, "We CAN eat poisonous mushrooms." Some readers may find this reveal unsettling; despite the cacophonous thoughtlessness, the mushrooms are kind of adorable in their incessant commentary and unbridled enthusiasm. But those who don't mind nature-based-turnabout-as-fair-play will find the comic timing of Petty (Elmore the Christmas Moose) impeccable, and digital goofy cartooning by Chapman (Seals Are Jerks!) aptly captures the barely contained chaos of a forest on the brink. Ages 4-8. Author's agent; Jennifer Rofe, Andrea Brown hiterary. Illustrator's agent; Rebecca Sherman, Writers House, (Mar)
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"Monty and the Mushrooms." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 47, 9 Dec. 2024, pp. 122+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A820017359/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cad130bf. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev MONTY AND THE MUSHROOMS Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $19.99 3, 18 ISBN: 9781665932592
A boisterous bunch of fungi drive a peaceful marmot from his underground home.
"As everyone knows, mushrooms are LOUD." Mushrooms "gossip all day and argue all night." They tell jokes and long stories and "sing long, loud songs about how great it is to be a mushroom." And when some mushroom spores blow over to Monty the marmot's home, they annoy the heck out of him. Delightful details in the illustrations show Monty's dedication to a quiet lifestyle: When readers first meet him, he's curled up with a blanket, readingThe Art of Putting Boats in Things, and later he works on a model boat. The friendly, oblivious mushrooms test his patience by putting on a raucous puppet show under the light of a full moon. Monty tries to talk to them ("Nature is all about communication"), but they're unable to provide even 10 seconds of respite. So Monty decides to move out and in a laugh-out-loud twist ending, some new creatures move in. The layout includes full-bleed page spreads as well as comiclike panels, and one inventive 90-degree page turn. The noisy mushrooms are varied in appearance, with cartoonishly large grins; Monty's mounting frustration is evidenced by expressive eyebrows and motion lines. The rhyming song that the mushrooms sing is an especially funny touch, and readers will cheer as the fungi get their comeuppance at last.
Certain to deliver giggles aplenty.(Picture book. 4-8)
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"Petty, Dev: MONTY AND THE MUSHROOMS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128387/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6e856461. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Petty, Dev DON'T LOSE MR. CUDDLES Doubleday (Children's None) $18.99 5, 6 ISBN: 9780593900758
Chip the dog offers further important guidance for readers of all species to chew on.
Like life, "dogness can be complicated." So, Chip observes, it's vital to have a "special someone" with whom to share one's hopes and dreams--in this case, a purple plush bunny companion named Mr. Cuddles. While it's OK to lose balls or bones, which can be replaced, the bunny's disappearance touches off a histrionic descent into guilt and despair. And no, a replacement plushie offered by Chip's olive-skinned human family won't butter the biscuit. "Ignore ALL my advice!" the despairing doggy wails, referencing Petty and Boldt's previous installments in the series. "Eat bees, eat fire, trust cats. Just don't lose Mr. Cuddles!" Readers will feel for this devastated, drooping pooch, at least until anguish gives way to suspicion when a household search turns up a trail of kitty treat crumbs and unfurled toilet paper. Could the culprit be a certain cat? Uh-oh. That the ensuing denouement leads not to violence but to a glad reunion and a cozy general snuggle suggests that Chip is a worthy model for conflict resolution while testifying to the fact that our hero really is a "smart dog."
Fetching tips for personal and domestic harmony.(Picture book. 5-8)
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"Petty, Dev: DON'T LOSE MR. CUDDLES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A827101133/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8f2d875b. Accessed 18 June 2025.