Miss Brooks Loves Books,

(and I don’t)

by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Michael Emberley

“Seven Cheers (Make That Fist Pumps) for Miss Brooks“ “A real charmer. Not to be missed. Kirkus wrote, “In a word: lovable.” That pretty much covers it. Love. Love. Love. I adore this book.” –Jules – Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, children’s Book blog. http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1932

“In a word: lovable.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Guaranteed to be warmly welcomed by librarians everywhere, this paean to the joys of reading will find an enthusiastic audience among kids and parents as well. The first-grade narrator is clearly an iconoclast and a curmudgeon. She wears the same scruffy overalls and striped hat (pulled down to her eyes) throughout, turns away from reading circle to pursue her own interests and doesnít even bother with a Halloween costume. She looks askance at Miss Brooks, the tall, lanky (and, in her opinion, overenthusiastic) librarian who dresses up for storytime and urges her listeners to share their favorites with the group. After the narrator rejects her classmates picks, Miss Brooks sends yet another pile home, with similar results. When her remarkably patient mother opines that she is as stubborn as a wart, however, a seed is planted. A book with warts (Shrek) is found, loved and shared with great success. Bottnerís deadpan delivery is hilarious, while Emberleys exaggerated illustrations, executed in watercolor and pencil by way of computer, bring her charmingly quirky characters perfectly to life. In a word: lovable.“ — Kirkus Reviews.

“Lots of fun for avid and reluctant readers alike.”   – BookList

“The Heroine makes an indelible presence…

Emberly’s slice-of-life cartooning is funny, empathetic, and of-the-moment.”-–Publishers Weekly

“…Clever and Quirky.” — Amazon’s Best Books of March(2008) -

“Bottner’s deadpan humor and delicious prose combine with Emberley’s droll caricatures to create a story sure to please those who celebrate books. ”   —School Library Journal – * Starred Review

“Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley pay playful homage to the diverse tastes of child readers and valiant librarians.”   -–Powell’s Books

Welcome Back Sun

by Michael Emberley

Little Brown & Co./Hachette (New York)

*A Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, 1994 Blue Ribbon Award winner.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Both an enlightening glimpse of another culture and a lyrical, heartwarming story, this volume also stunningly showcases Emberley’s ( The Present ; Ruby ) elegant, emotion-charged art. The tale takes place in Norway during murketiden , the “murky time” between September and March when the sun disappears behind the mountains. Emberley’s likable young narrator recalls a legend about another girl in another murketiden , who could no longer bear the darkness and trekked through the mountains until she found the long-lost sun and led it back into the valley. The story stokes the narrator’s imagination during the oppressive darkness, until she finally persuades her parents that it’s time to climb the same mountain, find the sun and “show it the way home”–a local custom, but Emberley allows his heroine (and the reader) to believe that her adventure has indeed brought the sun. Emberley’s pictures deftly convey the story’s ambience. In addition to the traditional Norwegian garb of his characters, he renders the twilit gloaming of the murketiden , delicately contrasting shadowy landscapes and interiors with the first light of spring. Ages 4-8.

School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-The power and simple beauty of sunshine are eloquently evoked in this charming tale about the long-awaited arrival of spring. A young Norwegian girl describes the long, dark winter days, known as the murketiden, and confesses her yearning for the return of the sun. Her mother also finds the long winter oppressive, though her father seems to fare somewhat better. As the darkness drags on, however, even he begins to feel the strain. It is then that the child succeeds in convincing her family to follow the footsteps of a legendary girl and climb the nearby Mount Gausta in search of the sun. As the family trudges upward, they meet friends and neighbors, all of whom gather at the mountain pass to welcome the bright light. Captivating artwork illuminates the text. Using colors and techniques reminiscent of Ed Young’s work, as well as more defined and detailed drawings, Emberley captures the feel of both the cold, gray “murky time” and the brilliant, clear sunshine. The illustrations reflect the warm affection among family members and place the story firmly in its cultural context. A most welcome seasonal selection.

Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Booklist

Ages 5-8. This is a special story, and it’s very different from Emberley’s acclaimed Red Riding Hood spoof, Ruby. Here, the setting is a small Norwegian village; the time is murketiden, the dark winter months. The young narrator describes how the hunger for sunshine makes her Mama “fret and stare and snap at me.” Inspired by the legend about the little girl who found the sun the first time it was lost, the narrator longs to climb Mount Gausta to bring the sun back home. After such hopeful signs as the noontime brightening of the village sky and newspaper reports of the sun’s rising in Oslo, her close-knit family sets out on a hike that begins in a deeply shadowed bedroom and ends on a summit wreathed in sparkling yellow and orange sunlight. In contrast to the striking impressionistic grounds that reflect the ever-changing light, the precise, detailed figures of the people are in light, warm colors. With its secure tone and satisfying ending, this evocative and beautifully illustrated story is an ideal choice to share with any child experiencing a difficult, dark time. Julie Corsaro

Kirkus Reviews

A little girl who lives “wedged deep in a narrow mountain valley” far in the north describes the weary months Norwegians call “murketiden”–“the murky time” when the sun has disappeared–and the joyful March day when she and her parents make the steep climb to glimpse its first reappearance. Emberley captures the effect of the darkness on these villagers with unusual sensitivity, touching on the hunger for sunshine that most people hold off until Christmas but that affects even patient, stoical Papa before spring; the eager trek up Mount Gausta to find the glorious explosion of “brilliance [that] flashes off snow and ice” makes a tellingly dramatic conclusion. Emberley’s beautifully composed illustrations, with expressive, delicately limned characters that recall Lena Anderson’s, are especially fine. A perfect antidote to a dreary winter week.

MAYBE A BEAR ATE IT!

Emberley/Harris

Scholastic/Orchard Books(New York)

* A 2009 American Library Association Notable Book
* A 2008 National Parenting Publication Gold Award Winner

Editorial Reviews

“Emberley obviously knows just how toddlers move and react, and every feeling blasts right out across the page. The picture of the critter gleefully skipping across an empty white expanse with his book in hand is priceless. Even adult readers will be hard pressed not to smile when the lost is found.” Pair this with Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny books.”-Stephanie Zvirin, Booklist(USA)

“…aside from the quick-to-read story, (there are) wonderful, colorful illustrations by Michael Emberley This book will teach kids to love books. It’s obvious that the little guy in the striped jammies can’t live without his book and will do anything to find it. He hugs it when he finds it, which just melted my heart. It’s a subtle message, but one that children will undoubtedly pick up on.

If you’ve got a kid who hates to be put to bed but loves to have a bedtime story, “Maybe a Bear Ate It” is one he or she will ask for again and againAny 3-to-6 year old is going to eat this book up.By Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Westerly Sun

Recommended reading

Michael Emberley provides energetic illustrations. It’s perfect for story time, bedtime, or library time, and it’s a great book to introduce young readers to the vital importance of books.“Lori O’Toole Buselt, The Wichita Eagle,

MAIL HARRY TO THE MOON

LITTLE BROWN/HACHETTE (NEW YORK)

EMBERLEY/Harris

Awards

*School Library Journal Best Book of the Year for 2008

* Bank Street College/Irma S. & James H. Black  Book Award 2008

Editorial Reviews

“Harris and Emberley are old hands at striking the right balance between comic Sturm und Drang and genuine poignancy and their considerable talents make this otheriwse familiar tale feel

fresh and funny and psychologically true. Emberley’s cartooning brims with terrific shitck–he gives the hero some slow burns and outbursts worthy of Ralph Kramden. Kids will particularly appreciate Emberely’s gift for staging: the final sequence… blows out any vestige of sentimentality with its full-throttle energy.“

– Publishers Weekly, 2008 STARRED REVIEW.

“ Emberley’s strong visual punch lines bring the (story’s) humor to life, and the older boy’s expressions clearly get his feelings across.”
-School Library Journal, Starred review

“Author Harris nails big brother’s emotional tirades, but Michael Emberley nearly steals the show with his funny illustrations. His cartoon-like drawings in bright colors capture every nuance in big brother’s angry eyes, slumped shoulders and gritted teeth, telegraphing his mondo irritation over baby vomit on his face, baby in Grandma’s lap and baby screaming.“

-Judy Green, The Sacramento Bee

“This is a good-quality book – an important consideration in children’s reading material. Good fonts, good color and illustrations. Michael Emberley‘s engaging cartoony style puts the mood and emotions right there on the page with a sense of wry amusement.”

-Maryan Pelland, www.suite101.com

“the (Emberley’s) illustrations, are simple yet wacky and whimsical, and go well with the story. This is a book that will especially appeal to little boys”

Mayra Calvani, Armchair Interviews

“This is one of the most fun children’s books I’ve ever (seen)! …perfectly complemented by Michael Emberley’s drawings.”
-A Book Blogger’s Diary 2009

“enlivened by Michael Emberley’s emotive illustrations,  The ending is perfect.”

-Hilary Williamson, Book Loons

The Present

by Michael Emberley

Little Brown & Co./Hachette (New York)

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In this droll though somewhat wordy tale, Emberley ( Ruby ) introduces readers to the difficulties of gift-giving. Looking like Happy of Snow White fame, an endearing Uncle Arne finds the perfect gift for Tove, his young nephew–so perfect, in fact, that Uncle Arne decides to keep it for himself. Feeling slightly guilty, he then constructs a bicycle for Tove, a gift he himself will surely not covet, for bike riding is hardly his forte. Or is it? Emberley’s gentle, homey watercolors are particularly winning in their use of an innovative technique in which multiple small images convey the impression of movement and ongoing action. Whether or not children will understand this concept does not really matter, for they are sure to enjoy the busy scenes–especially the chaos that Uncle Arne causes at the market. Ages 4-8.

Kirkus Reviews

The author of Ruby (1990) creates another charmingly original story, this time set in rural Denmark. Arne, proprietor of a fix-it shop, is reminded by the postman (who seems to have read Arne’s mail) that his nephew Tove’s 12th birthday is coming up; Arne will need to find a present. In the busy village market, he finds a 17-blade knife, fixes it up–then, deciding to keep it, repairs an old bike as a substitute. He’s so fat that he’s a precarious rider, but off he wobbles on his present–only to be greeted by Tove with his fine new bike. Never mind; the knife still in Arne’s pocket makes the perfect gift, and now they can ride bikes together. Told with wry good humor and some comical repetitions (a true Dane, Arne consumes pickled herring at every opportunity), but the illustrations are the most fun: dogged, a little foolish, but endearing, Arne searches the market, labors in his shop, or careens on the bike, sometimes appearing dozens of times across a double-spread landscape as if appearing in the frames of a film sequence. Lighthearted and innovative: a story to amuse older children as well as its intended audience. (Picture book. 4-11)

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You/

Very Short Stories to Read Together

Megan Tingley Books, Little, Brown & Co.(New York)

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

*Fifteen weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. Reaching #2 on the list.

*Notable Book, American Library Association 2002

*A Best Book, 2001, Chicago Parent

Editorial Reviews

“Michael Emberley’s pictures often have visual jokes of their own, which refresh the reading moment.”

-Chicago Tribune

“exuberant illustrations…“, Booklist

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You

/Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together

Megan Tingley Books, Little, Brown & Co.(New York)

Illustrated by Michael Emberley.

Awards

* 2005 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts by the Children’s Literature

Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English

*2004 Gryphon Award Honor Book by the Center for Children’s Books.

Ruby

Little, Brown/Hachette

By Michael Emberley

*An ALA notable book of the year

Editorial Reviews

“A delightful modern take-off on Red Riding Hood :  …Hilariously depict(ing) urban blight and it’s denizens…A deft cartoon-like style to rival Stevensen’s or Marshall’s; dozens of imaginative comic details (the animal caracatures of city dwellers going doggedly about their business are especially wonderful); and Emberley’s brisk pungent telling make this one of the year’s most deliciously amusing picture books.” —   Kirkus Reviews

“In transplanting “Little Red Riding Hood” from the country to the streets of Boston, Emberley plays fast and loose with some of the traditional elements of the story.   The bizarre collection of creatures stalking Beantown’s streets look a lot like the motley crew from the bar scene in Star Wars…Emberley brings this urbanized Red Riding Hood vividly to life, with multi-colored, intensley detailed paintings capturing the clutter and constant motion of city life. …Ruby is a folk hero for the nineties…” —   Booklist

Ruby and the Sniffs

Little Brown /Hachette

By Michael Emberley

Editorial Reviews

“both story and illustrations work wonderfully together to create a hilarious romp that will keep older children laughing and rereading.“

– Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!

Candlewick Press Boston/Walker Books London

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

Awards

* Booklist Editor’s Choice (starred review)

* School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

* Parents Best Book of The Year winner

* Parenting Reading Magic Award winner

* Children’s Literature Choice List title

* New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, 1996

* Recommended by Parenting, Parents and Parent’s Choice

Editorial Reviews

“A warm, tender picture book. Emberley’s illustrations in pencil and pastels fill the oversized pages with soft-focused, cozy colors and true-to-life detail.”

-School Library Journal, (starred review)

“Tenderness flows like a current throughout the warmhearted prose and the gentle, sweeping lines of Emberley’s realistic artwork. With its oversize format and large-as-life illustrations, this book telegraphs a sense of immediacy that makes it all the more appealing.”

-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Emberley’s paintings are spectacular. Large, realistic, and softly colored, they literally glow as they catch the tender moments: the baby girl naked, eyes barely open, umbilical cord still attached; squalling, fingers clutching; at mother’s breast; in father’s arms; peacefully asleep encircled by Mom and Dad. The book will be a hugely appealing library item, with potential for small-group use as well as lap sharing. this touching book, speaks with joy and wonder to young children and their parents.”

-Stephanie Zvirin, Booklist, (starred review)

” …children will love the two-page close-up pastel drawings by Michael Emberley. ”

-The New York Times Book Review

” Large, softly glowing pictures of the tiny, wrinkly baby reinforce how wrapped in love it is and how thrilled is the family.”

-The Huckleberry Bookshelf

“(A) beautifully conveyed drama.   Especially noteworthy are Michael Emberley’s pencil-and-pastel illustrations, which are tender without being sentimental. In my favorite, the infant peers out at the world for the first time, looking surprised and a little disgruntled at the lights and noise. The soft tones and emphasis on close-ups of mother, father and baby highlight the miracle of birth.”

-Washington Parent

“(the)Large, full-page paintings a(re) realistic and tender ”

-New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection

“Emberley’s dramatic large-format pencil and pastel drawings have the joyful intimacy of a family photo album.”

-Parenting

“Tender illustrations. (A) celebration of the joy and love felt when a baby is born.”

-The Dallas Morning News

HI NEW BABY!

Candlewick Press Boston/Walker Books London

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

Awards

- Parenting Reading Magic Award

- New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection

- Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award 2000 Gold Seal Award

Editorial Reviews

“Reprising the family first introduced in Happy Birth Day!, Harris and Emberley return with another sensitive and visually sumptuous portrayal.  Working in full-bleed spreads in glowing peach tones, Emberley creates warm, intimate pictures (the audience is often just beyond the characters’ noses); by frequently framing the action at the girl’s eye level, he captures the full force of her stormy emotions. ”

-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The family first introduced in Happy Birth Day! returns for a sensitive and visually sumptuous portrayal of a domestic milestone: the arrival of a second child.”

-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“(A) reassuring, emotionally on-target book.”

-Parenting magazine, Reading Magic Award

“…marvelously realistic, often life-size oil pastel illustrations.”

-CCBC Choices

“The best children’s books respect young people. They don’t oversimplify, demonize, or cute-ify. Judging from two titles that have recently come my way from Candlewick Press of Cambridge, Mass., someone  or several someones  have taken their mission as publishers of high quality juvenile books very seriously… illustrated by Michael Emberley with soft but realistic pictures of a family with a new baby. Emberley’s illustrations are a welcome change from two types of art that often accompany books for children – the cartoon and the vaguely romantic. Though Emberley’s illustrations are done in loving detail, he doesn’t glamorize anyone. Both parents have double chins. The very new baby’s anatomy is unmistakably male, and his new cord stump still has its plastic clamp attached. He has the unfocused, wrinkled, drooling look of the typical newborn, and his head lolls to the side while one eye squinches shut.

-Francette Cerulli, The Times Argus

“(A) glorious team. Emberley’s realistic oil-pastel pictures are utterly wonderful. A slightly balding dad, a round-faced mom, the little girl, the baby, and the grandparents are seen mostly in tight close-ups, a genuine kid’s-eye view: Mom nurses while she munches a pickle; the grandparents change the drooling infant. The emotions on the faces, from bemusement to fear to anger to delight, are rendered with pitch-perfect precision. Pair this with Kevin Henkes’ Julius, the Baby of the World (1990) for a siblingfest of reassurance and joy.”

-GraceAnne A. DeCandido, Booklist

” Delightful!”

-Boston Herald

“Perceptive, amusing and touching, …the gorgeous illustrations in pastel colors convey the sweet moments after the little girl accepts her sibling.”

-Journal Inquirer

Hello Benny

Simon & Schuster(New York)

Emberley/Harris

Editorial Reviews

“Emberley infuses his artwork with a spontaneity and humor that’s perfect for the mood of the text. He renders the rapture of new parenthood as confidently as he does the skepticism of new siblinghood, ”
-Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

“Emberley’s large-scale artwork, rendered in watercolor, pastel, and ink, brims with warmth.”

-Booklist, (starred reviews)