about the book
Convinced that creative and imaginative ideas are bad, the Dullard parents try to keep the activities mundane in their house. Their favorite pastimes include watching the beige paint dry and sitting in front of an unplugged TV.
But their children, Blanda, Borely, and little Dud, discover books. A whole new world opens up to them—much to their parents’ dismay. They try out many different exciting occupations, including being a juggler, an animal whisperer, and a funambulist (a tight rope walker).
As the Dullards try to reign in their unwieldy offspring, they dodge sociable neighbors, floral wallpaper, and chunky applesauce (too unpredictable). However, Blanda, Borely, and little Dud won’t be stopped as their creative spirits lead them to their ultimate calling.
about the author
Sara Pennypacker was born in a tiny Massachusetts town. Shy and way too tall, she loved books, art, and most of all—baseball. Her childhood dream was to play shortstop for the Boston Red Sox.
As an adult, she began painting with watercolors and opened her own gallery. After she had children, she spent a lot of time in libraries looking for books to read to them, and she realized that she wanted to write children’s books most of all. She considers kids the best audience, because they fall in love with the stories and the characters of the books they read. She’s written seventeen children’s books so far!
Sara has two grown children. She says that they were “nutballs” when they were young, and she modeled Clementine after them. For her book Pax, Sara consulted with a fox expert, Matt Walker. She learned that foxes are brilliant and can interpret the language of dozens of different species.
Sara has a sign over her desk that says “The story is the boss.” The quote is from writer Stephen King, reminding her to let the story tell her how it needs to be told. In Pax, part of the story had to be told by the fox. Writing is hard work, and after she finished Pax, Sara decided she wouldn’t write for a few years. Then this bossy new idea came to her and demanded to be told, too. We’ll have to watch for it in her next new book! So much for taking time off!
Sara lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and in Florida. When she isn’t writing, she likes to read, swim, and take walks.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: NPR
Also by Sara Pennypacker:
Sparrow Girl. Hyperion Press. 2009.
about the illustrator
Daniel Salmieri grew up in New York, where as a kid and teenager he would draw pictures of fighter jets, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even the basketball stars of the 1990s New York Knicks.
In 2006 he graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Illustration. Shortly after graduating, a friend introduced him to Adam Rubin. One time the two spoke over the phone, and then Adam sent Daniel a brief story he had written. He made a few sketches, somehow lucked his way into a meeting with an editor, and voila! Both Daniel and Adam had contracts! Adam once described it as “ludicrously easy,” and today Daniel, with Adam, has won several awards!
Aside from children’s books, Daniel also creates theater posters, art for music albums, and portraits of peoples’ dogs.
He still lives in Brooklyn to this day.
Source:
Illustrator interview : Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Also illustrated by Daniel Salmieri:
Dragons Love Tacos 2 : The Sequel by Adam Rubin. Dial. May 2017.
Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin. Dial. 2015.
Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin. Clarion. 2014.
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin. Dial. 2013.
Those Darn Squirrels Fly South by Adam Rubin. Clarion. 2012.
Dragons Love Tacos. Dial. 2012.
Around the World on Eighty Legs : Animal Poems by Amy Gibson. Scholastic. 2011.
Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin Clarion. 2011.
Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin. Clarion. 2008.
read more!
Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead
Peter and his dog, Harold, lay awake in their new home as they worry about what lurks in the woods at the edge of the property. The next day, Peter and Harold make a guardian named Lenny out of blankets and cushions. Both feel much better, but worry that Lenny might be getting lonely, so they create Lucy as a friend. When they meet the new neighbor Millie, the five become fast friends, and Millie shows Peter that the woods aren’t as scary as he imagines.
Neville by Norton Juster
New to the neighborhood, the lonely boy goes for a walk, hoping to meet someone. At the corner, he shouts, “Neville.” Soon someone joins him, calling out the name, too. More and more join in the hunt for Neville. Finally, the crowd breaks up, promising to gather tomorrow to help him again, and the young boy heads home…where his mother tucks the happy Neville into bed!
Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker
During the “Sparrow War” of 1958, Chinese Chairman Mao declared war on sparrows he thought were eating too much of the wheat crop. When the sparrows were driven away, locusts devastated the crops and caused a three-year famine. Ming-Li feels sorry for the and rescues seven of them, sheltering them in a barn on her family’s property.