SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Pigs Dig a Road
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://mrbiggs.com/
CITY: Philadelphia
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 352
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born March 9, 1968, in Little Rock, AR; married; children: one son, one daughter.
EDUCATION:Parsons School of Design, degree (graphic design), 1990.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Designer, illustrator, cartoonist, and animator. Has worked as an art director and graphic designer, as an animator for interactivity and multimedia projects, and as a teacher, writer, and illustrator. Has designed puzzle games for Cranium and Mudpuppy, bike helmets for Bell Sports, and greeting cards for Peaceable Kingdom Press.
AVOCATIONS:Creating synth music, bicycles, food, photography.
AWARDS:Nominated for Harvey and Eisner awards; Print Regional Design Annual selection, 1999, 2001, 2003; Christopher Award, 2005, for Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen; Oregon Book Award finalist, 2012, for Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant.
WRITINGS
Also creator of self-published minicomic Nineteen Weird Guys and a Portrait of the Artist, 1997. Contributor of illustrations to periodicals, including San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Nickelodeon, Wired, Philadelphia Weekly, and Village Voice.
Dear Julia was adapted as a live-action film, 2002. The “Everything Goes” series was adapted as a series of easy readers illustrated in the style of Biggs.
SIDELIGHTS
In addition to his work as a designer, cartoonist, and animator, Brian Biggs is an illustrator whose work can be found in picture books by writers that include Garth Nix, Jon Scieszka, Cynthia Rylant, and Mark Lee. Biggs’s own name is among them; he has both written and illustrated two series of beginning readers: the “Everything Goes” and “Tinyville Town” books, as well as creating the standalone picture book The Space Walk. His work as a designer includes bike helmets, greeting cards, and puzzles, among other projects, and his original artwork has appeared in the pages of prominent periodicals such as the New York Times, Village Voice, and Wired.
A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Biggs lived and worked in Paris and San Francisco before settling in Philadelphia, where his studio is located. In 1993, he made his literary debut with Frederick and Eloise: A Love Story, a haunting graphic novel set in Paris. Three years later he produced a second graphic novel, Dear Julia, which focuses on Boyd Solomon, a man obsessed with birds and flight. “The way Biggs delivers almost everything through Boyd’s shaky state of mind makes for a fascinating narrative,” Eric Reynolds remarked in a Comics Journal review of Dear Julia.
Biggs entered the world of children’s literature when he won the assignment to illustrate Wendelin Van Draanen’s “Shredderman” series for middle-grade readers. Secret Identity introduces Nolan Byrd, an undersized and nerdy fifth grader who becomes an Internet sensation after he launches shredderman.com, a website devoted to tracking the comings and goings of a school bully. “Droll, black-and-white cartoons are a perfect accompaniment to the clever text,” wrote School Library Journal reviewer Edward Sullivan in appraising the series opener. Christine McGinty, also writing in School Library Journal, wrote of Attack of the Tagger that Biggs’s pictures “capture the humor and action of the straightforward plot.” Another book series, Scieszka’s “Frank Einstein” series of middle-grade novels, also benefits from Biggs’s artistry. Appraising series installment Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, a Publishers Weekly critic observed that the illustrator’s “two-color cartoons and diagrams run the gamut from silly to scientific,” a critic noted in Publishers Weekly. Frank matches wits with the nefarious T. Edison, who hopes to gain control of the town’s power plant, in Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger. “Scieszka’s furious narrative … flies along, accelerated by Biggs’ spot illustrations, diagrams, and scientific figures,” Thom Barthelmess reported in Booklist.
In The Space Walk, Biggs shares his fascination with outer space by introducing an astronaut who is lonely so far away from his home planet. Hoping to meet a new friend, Astronaut Witherspoon is given authorization to exit his spaceship after tidying up his cramped living quarters. Although he is ordered not to talk to strangers, a stranger is who he finds when he exits the ship and becomes one of many objects that are floating nearby. A smile to this colorful space creature quickly leads to friendship, and he manages to obey his direct orders, if not their intention. Reviewing The Space Walk in Kirkus Reviews, a critic praised it as “an effervescent outing with a refreshingly (or, in some quarters, distressingly) subversive message.”
The books in Biggs’s “Everything Goes” series often draw comparisons to the works of Richard Scarry. In the first installment, On Land, he follows young Henry and his father as they journey from the suburbs to a metropolis whose bustling city streets are crowded with cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trains, RVs, bikes, and other vehicles. “In a visual feast for fans of wheeled vehicles, … Biggs presents a series of high-density street scenes done in an amiably rumpled cartoon style,” a writer in Kirkus Reviews noted. In the Air finds Henry and his parents discussing the history of aviation as they wend their way through a busy airport. “The cheery cartoon illustrations are chock-full of details, making each invitingly crowded spread a destination worth slowing down for,” Kitty Flynn explained in Horn Book.
Biggs explores the meaning of community in his “Tinyville Town” series of board books, which are set in what a Kirkus Reviews critic described as a “refreshingly multicultural Anytown” where women often hold the same jobs as men. In Tinyville Town Gets to Work!, a group of industrious citizens band together to solve a vexing traffic problem, and Time for School! follows a new student as she meets the students and staff at Tinyville school. “Biggs breaks the trouble down with admirable clarity,” a Publishers Weekly critic maintained of Tinyville Town Gets to Work!, and School Library Journal contributor Amy Nolan praised the “broad and colorful cartoon art” here. Reviewing Time for School! in the same periodical, Daryl Grabarek noted the “bubbly tone” created by Biggs’s art and predicted that the book’s “smiling figures are sure to soothe any first-day jitters.” Discussing the “Tinyville Town” series as a whole, a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that “Biggs’ cheerfully chunky cartoon style, which employs a thick black line and bold colors against white backgrounds, is friendly and inviting.”
In I’m a Police Officer, I’m a Firefighter, I’m a Mail Carrier, and I’m a Librarian, Biggs shines the spotlight on Tinyville’s conscientious and kindhearted professionals, and he “has boiled down the … job description to the activities a toddler can relate to,” as a Kirkus Reviews contributor observed of I’m a Librarian. In I’m a Mail Carrier a woman drops her children at school before driving to the post office and spending her workday delivering male to Tinyville residents. Noting that the author/illustrator’s “background in comics and advertising is apparent,” a Kirkus Reviews critic praised I’m a Mail Carrier for filling the need “for board books about community helpers.”
Biggs’s many illustration projects for other authors include Garth Nix’s One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales, in which he “renders even the most monstrous creatures as ludicrous rather than gruesome in his lighthearted cartoons,” according to a Publishers Weekly critic. Beastly Rhymes to Read after Dark, a collection by Judy Sierra, contains poems about werewolves and tapeworms, among other strange subjects, and the artist adds to the creepy aura by contributing what a Kirkus Reviews critic described as “loud, crowded cartoon illustrations in appropriately queasy colors.”
In Marilyn Singer’s The Boy Who Cried Alien, a youngster with a reputation for fibbing has trouble convincing his friends and neighbors that a spaceship has landed in a nearby lake. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, the “thickly outlined mixed-media art” Briggs contributes to Singer’s story “pops with vibrant color, the drama unfolding in a series of comic book-like panels.” A youngster and his canine magically swap bodies in Kelly DiPucchio’s Dog Days of School, and Luann Toth asserted in School Library Journal that “Biggs’s delightful, boldly outlined cartoon art extends the humor and brings down the (dog) house.” A car dealer is aided by two savvy young relatives when dinosaurs start shopping for new transportation in Mark Lee’s quirky What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?, and Biggs’s “comical cartoon illustrations … bring the kooky premise to life,” according to Horn Book contributor Kitty Flynn. According to Shelle Rosenfeld, writing in Booklist, the artist’s “blocky illustrations with retro flair lend further humor and liveliness” to Lee’s dino-friendly story.
(open new) Bigg’s personal interest in bicycle riding helped him as he created illustrations for Elizabeth Verdick’s Bike & Trike. In an interview with Verdick on her website, Biggs discussed his connection to biking, explaining: “It wasn’t until 2013 that I really got into bikes and started riding the amount of time and miles that I do now. I’ve ridden 17,500 miles (!!) since 2014, and my guess is that I rode less than 3,000 miles all the years combined up to then (1968-2013). So, let’s say 20,000 total.”
In the book, Trike is an old, red tricycle whose owner, Lulu, has seemed to neglect. When Lulu has a birthday, she receives Bike, a shiny new two-wheeler. Trike worries about Lulu’s safety, while Bike is excited to go and explore. Bike and Trike have a race that goes terribly wrong, leading Trike to acknowledge that times have changed. In the same interview with Verdick, Biggs commented on his similarities to Bike and Trike, stating: “When my kids were young, I was more like Trike: ‘Be careful!’ ‘Slow down!’ ‘Watch where you’re going.’ But now that they’ve grown and are out on their own, I’m probably a little more like Bike: ‘Hey, look at me jump over this giant rock!’ I mean, no one was really surprised when I broke my ankle in 2020, while riding my bike. My doctor just rolled her eyes.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly offered a favorable assessment of the book, praising the “dynamic anthropomorphic energy and emotion dexterously conveyed by Biggs” and calling the volume “an amusing friendship story that’s just right for reading aloud.”
In Pigs Dig a Road, by Carrie Finison, Biggs illustrates the story of a pig named Rosie, who leads a crew that is building a road to take people to the Hamshire County Fair. Rosie’s crew members do not perform their work well, so Rosie is forced to redo it all, staying up all night to plan. When exhausted Rosie falls asleep, her crew member, Pinky, steps in to help delegate work. They finish the road just in time. When Rosie wakes up, she is proud of her team and welcomes fairgoers who begin moving along the road. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly commented: “This work about leading through empowering others (even unintentionally) underlines the capacity for anyone—or any pig—to steer.” A Kirkus Reviews critic described Biggs’s drawings as “comically lively” and called the book “a cheery tale with a much-needed message: The road to success is predicated on collaboration.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2004, Jennifer Mattson, review of Attack of the Tagger, p. 125; February 1, 2005, Todd Morning, review of Meet the Gecko, p. 962; August, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Enemy Spy, p. 2030; July 1, 2007, Carolyn Phelan, review of One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales, p. 62; August 1, 2008, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs, p. 82; December 1, 2009, Kristen McKulski, review of Brownie and Pearl Step Out, p. 48; September 1, 2011, Carolyn Phelan, review of Brownie and Pearl Grab a Bite, p. 126; November 1, 2011, Ian Chipman, review of On Land, p. 74; March 1, 2012, Daniel Kraus, review of The Boy Who Cried Alien, p. 92; November 15, 2013, Carolyn Phelan, review of Good Night, Trucks: A Bedtime Book, p. 52; February 1, 2014, Julia Smith, review of EllRay Jakes Is Magic!, p. 69; September 1, 2014, Thom Barthelmess, review of Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, p. 112; June 1, 2014, Carolyn Phelan, review of Dog Days of School, p. 109; April 1, 2015, Thom Barthelmess, review of Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger, p. 80; September 1, 2016, Ilene Cooper, review of I’m a Veterinarian, p. 116; November 1, 2016, Lolly Gepson, review of Noisy Night, p. 66; September 15, 2017, John Peters, review of This Is Not a Normal Animal Book, p. 60; April. 15, 2019, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?, p. 55; February 1, 2022, Lydia Mulvany, review of How to Bake a Universe, p. 41; May 1, 2022, Becca Worthington, review of My Hero, p. 50.
BookPage, August, 2014, Sharon Verbeten, review of Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, p. 30.
Horn Book, March-April, 2010, Betty Carter, review of Brownie and Pearl Step Out, p. 50; November-December, 2011, Kitty Flynn, review of On Land, p. 79; November-December, 2012, Kitty Flynn, review of In the Air, p. 64; November-December, 2013, Kitty Flynn, review of Santa Goes Everywhere!, p. 61; January-February, 2014, Kitty Flynn, review of By Sea, p. 68; November-December, 2014, Sam Bloom, review of Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, p. 109; January-February, 2017, Julie Roach, review of Noisy Night, p. 76; July-August, 2019, Kitty Flynn, review of What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?, p. 110; January-February, 2021, Elissa Dershowitz, review of Sullivan, Who Is Always Too Loud, p. 85.
Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2004, review of Meet the Gecko, p. 1210; June 15, 2008, review of Beastly Rhymes to Read after Dark; December 15, 2009, review of Brownie and Pearl Step Out; July 15, 2011, review of Brownie and Pearl Grab a Bite; August 15, 2011, review of On Land; August 15, 2012, review of In the Air; July 1, 2013, reviews of Stop! Go! A Book of Opposites and Blue Bus, Red Balloon: A Book of Colors; January 1, 2014, review of What Flies in the Air?; June 1, 2014, review of Dog Days of School; July 1, 2014, review of Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor; December 1, 2016, review of Noisy Night; January 1, 2017, review of I’m a Veterinarian and I’m a Firefighter; July 1, 2017, review of I’m a Librarian; January 1, 2018, review of I’m a Police Officer; July 1, 2018, review of I’m a Mail Carrier; July 1, 2019, review of The Space Walk; July 15, 2022, review of I Can’t Draw; July 1, 2024, review of Pigs Dig a Road.
Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2007, review of One Beastly Beast, p. 189; November, 2009, review of Brownie and Pearl Step Out, p. 45; August 1, 2011, review of On Land, p. 46; January 16, 2012, review of The Boy Who Cried Alien, p. 53; April 21, 2014, review of Dog Days of School, p. 79; June 16, 2014, review of Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor, p. 76; July 25, 2016, review of Tinyville Town Gets to Work!, p. 72; January 23, 2017, review of Noisy Night, p. 79; September 11, 2017, review of This Is Not a Normal Animal Book, p. 67; February 25, 2019, review of What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive?, p. 77; December 9, 2019, review of Bike and Trike, p. 146; October 24, 2022, review of The Famously Funny Parrott: Four Tales form the Bird Himself, p. 75; May 27, 2024, review of Pigs Dig a Road, p. 55.
School Library Journal, May, 2004, Edward Sullivan, review of Secret Identity, p. 158; November, 2004, Christine McGinty, review of Attack of the Tagger, p. 156; January, 2005, Jennifer Cogan, review of Meet the Gecko, p. 138; May, 2005, Jennifer Ralston, review of Secret Identity, p. 50; July, 2005, Kim Carlson, review of Enemy Spy, p. 110; September, 2007, Elaine E. Knight, review of One Beastly Beast, p. 173; December, 2013, Tanya Boudreau, review of By Sea, p. 89; July, 2014, Luann Toth, review of Dog Days of School, p. 58; October, 2016, Amy Nolan, review of Tinyville Town Gets To Work!, p. 72; February, 2017, Lynn Vanca, review of Noisy Night, p. 64; August, 2017, Daryl Grabarek, review of Time for School!, p. 58.
ONLINE
Brian Biggs website, http://mrbiggs.com (December 16, 2024).
Comics Journal, http://www.tcj.com/ (July 11, 2006), Eric Reynolds, review of Dear Julia.
Elizabeth Verdick website, https://www.elizabethverdick.com/ (March 28, 2021), Elizabeth Verdick, author interview.
Literati, https://blog.literatibooks.com/ (November 14, 2017), Gaby Brabazon, author interview.
Middle Grade Mafia, http://middlegrademafia.com/ (October 17, 2014), Alison Hertz, author interview.
School Library Journal, http://www.slj.com/ (August 12, 2016), Elizabeth Bird, “Talking Tinyville: Roping Brian Biggs into Conversation.”*
I’m an illustrator, designer, educator, and author in Philadelphia.
I’ve written and/or illustrated more than 75 children’s books, which have been read by many imaginative adults and clever children all around the world. Some of these books have been New York Times bestsellers, and some of them have won awards.
I have also designed fonts, illustrated for hundreds of magazines and newspapers, created puzzles, raced bicycles, briefly appeared on Martha Stewart’s The Apprentice, served as calligrapher for a princess, and for a short time played the accordion quite well.
My clients include (but are not limited to) : The Museum of Modern Art, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ritchey Bikes, The New York Times, Knopf, Disney, Harpercollins, Adobe Systems, Random House, The Princeton Public Library, Bill Graham Presents, Rodeo Labs, Penguin Publishing, The Washington Post, Warner Bros, Bicycling Magazine, Workman, Simon & Schuster, TapeOp Magazine, The Yellow Pages, The Philadelphia Book Festival.
I am available for all sorts of illustration and design jobs. If you have an idea, get in touch.
QUOTED: "It wasn’t until 2013 that I really got into bikes and started riding the amount of time and miles that I do now. I’ve ridden 17,500 miles (!!) since 2014, and my guess is that I rode less than 3,000 miles all the years combined up to then (1968-2013). So, let’s say 20,000 total."
"When my kids were young, I was more like Trike: 'Be careful!' 'Slow down!' 'Watch where you’re going.' But now that they’ve grown and are out on their own, I’m probably a little more like Bike: 'Hey, look at me jump over this giant rock!' I mean, no one was really surprised when I broke my ankle in 2020, while riding my bike. My doctor just rolled her eyes."
Meet Biker and Book Illustrator Brian Biggs
March 28, 2021
No Comments
Meet Biker and Book Illustrator Brian Biggs - placard
Here’s the scoop on Brian Biggs, an artist, a children’s book illustrator, and an avid biker. He illustrated my picture book Bike & Trike. He’s a colorful character, like the ones he draws. I loved interviewing him and learning more about his rides and creative side.
How many miles did you bike last year?
I rode 2,650 miles on my bikes in 2020. Which is about average for me, since 2014. I broke my ankle on December 12, 2020, while riding and didn’t ride again until March 2021, so it could have been more!
What was your favorite bike when you were a kid? And now?
Brian Biggs's First BikeMy favorite bike as a kid was my first bike. My dad put it together and painted it red, white, and blue. It was the bicycle I learned to ride on. Our house was on a hill, and my dad would push us (my brother and sister learned to ride this way too) down the grassy slope and we’d “ride” into the backyard until we’d either fall down or crash into the swing set.
I currently have seven bikes, all of them assembled by me in my basement. I’m very picky about the parts—like handlebars, pedals, and tires—I choose for my bicycles, and because of the kind of riding I do, I like to make sure that everything works exactly the way I want it to. I even build my own wheels! My very favorite bike I own right now is a blue bicycle that was designed and welded by my friend Mark Weaver. It was a 50th birthday present to myself, and he and I planned every detail of it, specifically for what I wanted.
50th Birthday Present
50th Birthday Present
What can you share about the process of drawing my book Bike & Trike?
Bike & Trike was not an easy book to illustrate. As soon as I read your script, I knew it would be hard to give personality and emotion to these two inanimate objects. I didn’t want to go the route of a lot of cartoons and movies and give Bike and Trike eyes and mouths, especially because we had the human characters of Lulu and Tru riding them, which I felt would seem strange. So I had to figure out how to make subtle things like the angle of the frame, or the tassels on the handlebars, express surprise or anxiety. This is where the fact that I really like and know a lot about bikes helped. I could bend and turn and exaggerate certain things about Bike and about Trike, and still have the anatomy of the bike work. But it wasn’t easy.
How did you decide what Bike would look like?
Since Bike is a present for Lulu, I wanted him to be special. Fenders and lights and tassels and a horn. A classic bike, a little like we had growing up in the ’70s, but not an antique. I didn’t see Lulu in a bike outfit racing a road bike, or getting all rad on a mountain bike, so I stuck with the timeless look.
What inspired how you drew Trike?
Trike might be well-used and a bit worn in places, but it wasn’t long ago that he too was the shiny new thing. He has a bell, a little rusty but it still ring-a-lings loud and clear, and he has tassels too, though one or two might be missing. I actually ordered a small red toy tricycle to use for reference for Trike, and that drove a lot of the choices I made in drawing him.
How would you describe your artistic style?
Ha, ha—a lot of people describe it for me with terms like “fun” and “cartoony.” I usually like big, bold lines and bright colors and a lot of visual humor. I really like just drawing, so even though a lot of my books are made with a computer, including Bike & Trike, I spend a lot of time drawing them with pencil and pen and ink, first. That’s my favorite part.
What is your studio like?
It’s an old garage here in Philadelphia, a short distance from my house. My studio is a place where I like to go and play, but it’s set up so that work gets done. I spend a lot of time alone there, making things, being creative, but mostly really working. When I was a kid, I dreamed about having a space full of art supplies and books, and room to make stuff. Now I have that, and I can play music as loud as I want while I’m drawing, and I can take a break to read a favorite picture book. It gets too cold in the wintertime, but otherwise it’s perfect.
Brian Biggs Studio
Brian Biggs Studio
What is your workday like?
Brian Biggs Workday
It’s different depending on what I’m working on and how close the deadline is. Right now, I’m thick in the middle of a book I’ve been working on for a long time, and it’s at an exciting but difficult place for me. So I leave the house after spending the morning answering emails and walking the dog, head to the studio, and figure out what problem I need to solve. Currently, that problem is how to draw a purple octopus (yes, for real) for a book I’m writing and illustrating called My Hero (Dial, 2022) so I turn on some “purple octopus” music, or a podcast, and start drawing. If I’m writing a book or thinking about a new story, I might not go to the studio at all. You might actually see me out riding my bike in the middle of nowhere, but I promise you that I’m carrying a small sketchbook and a pencil, and I’m thinking about ideas. I’m working.
How many miles do you think you’ve biked in your lifetime?
Hmmm, that’s a good question. I rode bikes like typical people most of my life. Meaning, I didn’t ride bikes much at all. I had bikes as a kid, and I rode all over my neighborhood. I had a bicycle my first year of college (1986-87) at North Texas State University, where I rode around the nearby farmland. (I later got my degree from Parsons School of Design in NYC.) I had a bike for a few years when I lived in San Francisco in the 1990s, and I would ride it to the ocean, or around town a little (but the hills!). And then I rode mountain bikes on the weekends when I moved to Philadelphia, where I now live. It wasn’t until 2013 that I really got into bikes and started riding the amount of time and miles that I do now. I’ve ridden 17,500 miles (!!) since 2014, and my guess is that I rode less than 3,000 miles all the years combined up to then (1968-2013). So, let’s say 20,000 total.
Are you more like the character Bike or more like Trike?
Well, I think I’m like both at different times. When my kids were young, I was more like Trike: “Be careful!” “Slow down!” “Watch where you’re going.” But now that they’ve grown and are out on their own, I’m probably a little more like Bike: “Hey, look at me jump over this giant rock!” I mean, no one was really surprised when I broke my ankle in 2020, while riding my bike. My doctor just rolled her eyes.
Brian Biggs Biking
Here’s Brian with his current bike. This picture was taken 20 miles into his longest ride ever, in October 2020. It was up in the mountains in rural Pennsylvania, and by the end of the day he’d ridden 123 miles!
Check out the “Downloadables” section of my website for Bike & Trike activities!
QUOTED: "dynamic anthropomorphic energy and emotion dexterously conveyed by Biggs."
"an amusing friendship story that's just right for reading aloud."
Bike & Trike
Elizabeth Verdick, illus. by Brian Biggs. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5344-1517-1 Growing pains abound in rhis vehicular tale about change and new beginnings. Outgrown by child Lulu, red Trike languishes in the garage ("a rusty little fellow,/ a trusty little fellow") until teal Bike arrives, a gift for Lulu's birthday.
Lonely and insecure, Trike worries that the child will forget all they braved together: "summer bees,/ skinned knees" and the terrible day Lulu finally outgrew her tricycle ("No go,"-says her younger sibling, Tru). Challenged to a race by overconfident, wheelie-popping Bike ("a happy young fellow, a snappy young fellow"), careful Trike sees an opportunity to secute safety for Lulu, but calamity strikes when the two hit the road. Together, Bike's uncontrolled enthusiasm and Trike's cautious concern represent two very real and often competing emotions commonly felt during times of significant change. Rhythmic, personality-laden text by Verdick (Small Walt) couples with dynamic anthropomorphic energy and emotion dexterously conveyed by Biggs (The Space Walk) to create an amusing friendship story that's just right for reading aloud. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Mary Cummings, Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Bike & Trike." Publishers Weekly, vol. 266, no. 50, 9 Dec. 2019, pp. 146+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A609311085/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dc82e0a5. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
Sullivan, Who Is Always Too Loud
by Micol Ostow; illus. by Brian Biggs
Preschool, Primary Roaring Brook 40 pp. g
11/20 978-1-250-30772-9 $18.99
The title page shows a little boy, with a huge smile, at an apartment window. With a page-turn we're inside his room and introduced: "This is Sullivan, who is always too loud. Not just sometimes. Not just often. Always." The illustration shows an enthusiastically waving child alongside a huge, colorful, friendly "HELLO!" There's not a trace of malice in Sullivan: he doesn't mean to wake his baby sister, annoy the downstairs neighbor, or prevent his mother from "hearing [her]self think." (And whose bright idea at school was it to give this kid percussion instruments?) Nevertheless, as we learn from the surprisingly self-aware Sullivan: "I have loudness. In my body. Bubbling up. Always." What's more, when he tries to stuff it down, it just comes out eventually, and louder than ever. Mama suggests the strategy of counting to three, with some success (the refrain: "It's a start"). And, satisfyingly, before story's end, Sullivan is able to put his big voice to good, helpful, and appropriate use. Biggs's (the Tinyville Town series; recently The Space Walk, rev. 1/20) trademark illustrations, too, are here put to good use, with his approachably bubbly shapes and speech balloons; his thoughtful use of color and judicious use of white space. Many people know--or were or are--a kid like Sullivan, and this nonjudgmental story about an exuberant, volume-challenged child could make an entertaining read-aLOUD.
g indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the suggested retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Gershowitz, Elissa. "Sullivan, Who Is Always Too Loud." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 97, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2021, pp. 85+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A648409761/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=13be5d42. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
My Hero. By Brian Biggs. illus. by the author. May 2022. 40p. Dial, $18.99 (9780525553380). K-Gr. 3.
Quicker than lightning and stronger than steel--but disguised as a normal child--Abigail is actually (cue superhero music) Awesome Girl! But every time she reminds her father that she is a defender of justice, he just reminds her to be careful as she goes about her derring-do. While Abigail hurls herself into superhero work, Dad is never far behind, making sure she stays safe. But when an evil purple octopus kidnaps her father, it's up to Awesome Girl to save the day and finally make him recognize her for the hero she is. The pastel and colored pencil artwork is softer and gentler in line and color than traditional superhero stories, but there are still plenty of clever nods to the genre, including an homage to Clark Kent in the father's appearance and the way that the traditional full-page picture book spreads change into graphic novel panels for the purple octopus plotline. Above all else, this is a sweet father-daughter story about believing in your child, but with the bonus of a flying cat sidekick.--Becca Worthington
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Worthington, Becca. "My Hero." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 17, 1 May 2022, p. 50. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711045829/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7e9e8b82. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
How to Bake a Universe. By Alec Carvlin. Illus. by Brian Biggs. Feb. 2022. 56p. Norton/Young Readers, $18.95 (9781324004233). K-Gr. 2. 523.01.
What would it be like to be the creator of the universe? This book's answer is this: like a small child who's into baking but not particularly careful about following a recipe. This is an entertaining twist on the scientific account of how everything began, from the big bang to the primordial soup to the creation of stars and planets. It's also a nonsensical tale about a little girl bringing the universe into being through her cooking skills. It's a setup full of contradictions from the get-go ("To bake a universe, you need a heaping pile of nothing"). It has fun by applying the unimaginable scale of the universe to the human ("Set your timer to 180 million years"). The genius lies in how the book uses absurdity to make things that are by nature incomprehensible--from the speed of light to invisible quarks--less intimidating, giving readers a way to understand the scientific account of the universe through the imagination. In the end, the protagonist chef has waited billions of years for her universe to bake, and she can tell it's ready because it looks exactly like everyone else's universe, including her friends' and neighbors'. The fitting end to this tale is the universality of the universe: "It isn't complete until it belongs to everyone." --Lydia Mulvany
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Mulvany, Lydia. "How to Bake a Universe." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 11, 1 Feb. 2022, p. 41. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A693527483/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=88ea25a3. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
Martin, Stephen W. I CAN'T DRAW McElderry (Children's None) $18.99 10, 18 ISBN: 978-1-5344-9341-4
What makes a good drawing? Accuracy or embellishment?
This ode to the triumphs and difficulties of drawing opens with the step-by-step construction of a cat. A child named Max then proclaims, "I can't draw!" Wadded-up scraps of paper on the ground are signs of Max's frustration as they display their efforts at creating a space cat and a horse. Sorta. In contrast is the horse that Max's friend Eugene has drawn, a prancing, beautifully rendered equine. Max proceeds to offer Eugene cupcakes in exchange for lessons, which Eugene does, first by giving Max a book and then by working side by side with Max on landscapes, animals, and self-portraits. Alas, only tracing improves Max's efforts. But Max and their imagination carry the day as the child proceeds to jazz up Eugene's precise renderings, adding dinosaurs, lasers, and robots--unpolished but attention-grabbing additions. Whether they can draw well or just love to draw, children will enjoy the efforts and friendship of the two round-faced characters. Max's work is rendered in crayon and Eugene's work in graphite pen. Additional, colorful illustrations are done with colored pencils, pastels, and ink. All are child-friendly and appealing, reflecting both characters' talents and passions. Coming full circle, the book concludes with Max's personalized step-by-step instructions for drawing a cat. Max is light-skinned and bespectacled; Eugene is dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
In this relatable account, a child's struggles to draw turn to triumph. (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Martin, Stephen W.: I CAN'T DRAW." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A709933241/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=98c637bc. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
The Famously Funny Parrott: Four Tales from the Bird Himself
Eric Daniel Weiner, ill us. by Brian Biggs. Delacorte, $15.99 (144p) ISBN 978-Q-593-37820-5
Wooster- and Jeeves-esque portrayals characterize Dora the Explorer cocreator Weiner's debut, a sweetly absurdist domestic comedy starring avian dandy Frederick "Freddie" Parrott and his capable pig-like butler, staid Oswald Peccary. Freddie's exuberant voice narrates the volume's four energetic chapters as the animal duo investigates an apparently self-knocking front door, searches for a missing batch of coveted waffle batter, navigates the perils of a windy autumn drive, and rescues the Parrott family from a brunch-related public embarrassment. Black-and-white illustrations from Biggs (How to Bake a Universe) admirably capture the animals' outsize personalities and buoy the freewheeling story line's humor, as do recurring characters, including two long-suffering local police officers and the opening tale's vociferous, knock-knock-joke-telling front door. Zippy dialogue, sharp comic timing, and a genuine affinity between Freddie and Peccary help keep the welltrod dynamic from becoming stale in this effervescent and compulsively readable chapter book of friendship. Ages 7-10. (Dec.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Famously Funny Parrott: Four Tales from the Bird Himself." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 44, 24 Oct. 2022, p. 75. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A726744426/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=70b9a506. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
QUOTED: "This work about leading through empowering others (even unintentionally) underlines the capacity for anyone--or any pig--to steer."
Pigs Dig a Road
Carrie Finison, illus. by Brian Biggs. Putnam, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-984816-54-2
Diligent construction pig Rosie has conceived of an ambitious project: building a new road to connect her anthropomorphized animal community "from here to there,/ to reach the Hamshire County Fair," writes Finison (Dozens of Doughnuts). Unfortunately, Rosie's porcine crew, consisting of Curly, Pinky, and Stinky, is as chaotic as it is enthusiastic. Digital cartoon vignettes by Biggs (How to Bake a Universe) chronicle a cascade of comic mishaps as the trio attempts to map, dig, and lay asphalt to Rosie's specification. Rosie must redo all the work herself--already weary from pulling an all-night planning session, she falls into a deep sleep right on the job. But Pinky saves the crew, and the road, by stepping up with a solid "Teamwork Plan" that motivates the pigs to divide tasks, labor diligently, help one another, and check their work. Just as they finish placing the final sign, a rejuvenated Rosie returns and praises their efforts: "You figured out just what to do,/ and did it well. I'm proud of you!" For collaboration and construction enthusiasts, this work about leading through empowering others (even unintentionally) underlines the capacity for anyone--or any pig--to steer. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Epstein, Linda. "Pigs Dig a Road." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 21, 27 May 2024, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799270293/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=00718583. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
QUOTED: "comically lively."
"A cheery tale with a much-needed message: The road to success is predicated on collaboration."
Finison, Carrie PIGS DIG A ROAD Putnam (Children's None) $19.99 9, 10 ISBN: 9781984816542
A porcine crew forges a path to teamwork.
Construction crew chief Rosie creates plans for a road leading to the county fair. She explains the steps involved to the other three members of her team. From the outset, things go awry, but Rosie quickly fixes the mistakes. Next, it's time to dig, which will require the work of various large vehicles. Once more, things go amiss, and it's Rosie to the rescue again, ensuring all's well. Finally, it's time to paint the lines on the road. Rosie, thoroughly exhausted from her exertions, falls asleep. One crew member wants to wake her; another says, "That's not nice! Rosie needs a good long rest." So--just as the public is heading toward the fair--the crew members decide to follow a Teamwork Plan and complete the work themselves. They're successful, and Rosie awakens in time to congratulate them--and just in time for the public, including the chickens, to cross the road to the fair. Rosie and her crew also attend. Truck mavens will especially appreciate this humorous tale, expressed in jaunty rhymes; they'll enjoy observing favorites doing their special tasks, while others will learn about specific trucks' functions. Commendably, Finison and Biggs portray female characters--indeed, one in a supervisory position--in typically male-dominated jobs. Biggs' thick-lined, digital illustrations of expressive, industrious pigs are comically lively; onomatopoeic words are occasionally incorporated into the artwork.
A cheery tale with a much-needed message: The road to success is predicated on collaboration. (Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Finison, Carrie: PIGS DIG A ROAD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799332878/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=207a8349. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.