Pirasaurs!, Illus. by Michael Slack, and Mary Had a Little Glam, Illus. by Vanessa Newton, Make 2016 Best In Rhyme List
February 1, 2017
Angie Karcher, a children’s author and blogger, has nominated her top ten rhyming children’s books for 2016, and two books illustrated by our artists made the cut. Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, tells in rhyme the story of a tiny piratical dinosaur. Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammy Sauer and illustrated by Vanessa B Newton, takes the story and rhyme scheme of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and retells it as a story of a fashionable little girl and her attempts to glamorize her classmates. Both have been praised for their fun story and playful rhymes as well as their bright, energetic illustrations.
The final award announcements will be streaming on KidLitTV February 12th at 8 pm ET. Make sure to check it out!
The full list of rhyming winners can be found on Angie Karcher’s blog here. Pirasaurs! can be purchased here and Mary Had a Little Glam here.
Michael Slack Reading Pirasaurs! at Bel and Bunna Bookstore This Weekend
September 16, 2016
This weekend is Speak Like a Pirate weekend at Bel and Bunna’s bookstore in Lafayette, CA, so of course you can find Michael Slack and the Pirasaurs there this weekend (9/17-18). Michael will do a reading and signing of his new picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael. He’ll also do drawings and, obviously, he’ll speak like a pirate. He’ll be at Bel and Bunna’s from 11 am to 2 pm, so be sure to drop by if you’re in the area!
You can read more about the event on Bel and Bunna’s website. Pirasaurs! can be ordered online here.
School Library Journal Praises Pirasaurs!, illus. by Michael Slack
September 8, 2016
In their September issue, the School Library Journal reviewed the recently released picture book, Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack. Pirasaurs! is the story of the youngest recruit on a pirate ship that is, of course, run by dinosaurs. The School Library Journal praised the rhyming prose and wrote that Michael Slack’s “Angular and toothily aggressive depictions of the pirasaur crew bring the digital cartoons to life.” All together, they call it, “A rip-roaring read-aloud for storytime or small group sharing.”
You can order Pirasaurs! online here.
Michael Slack Interviewed on Podcast All The Wonders
August 4, 2016
Illustrator Michael Slack‘s latest work is the picture book Pirasaurs!, which tells the tale of a crew of pirates that are also dinosaurs, and their tiniest new recruit. Pirasaurs! doesn’t come out until August 29th, but until then you can listen to his interview on the podcast All the Wonders, in which he discusses his inspirations, art, and how he comes up with his characters. Plus, look out for the pirasaurs to commandeer popular book blogs leading up to the book release. They’ll be featured in specially created gifs on selected blogs.
Preorder Pirasaurs! here.
Pirasaurs!, illus. by Michael Slack, Receives Praise from Publisher’s Weekly
June 8, 2016
Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Michael Slack, is, of course, a picture book about dinosaurs who are also pirates! In this energetic new picture book, it’s up to the smallest and newest recruit of a pirate crew to save the day when the crew conflicts with another pirate crew. Publisher’s Weekly praised Pirasaurs!, complimenting the rollicking rhyming text and Michael’s illustrations. They write, “Slack’s…richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny.”
You can read the full review on Publisher Weekly’s site here. Pirasaurs! isn’t coming out until August 30th, but you can preorder it online here.