Battle of the Books

The books on Josh’s shelf are at war.Each one is vying to be the book that the boy wants to read most for “story time tonight!” Pirate Book says, “Josh wants a rousin’ tale with deadly swords and treasure hoards!” Poem Book states, “Let me through! Roses are red. Violets are blue. Josh will pick me. He will not pick you.” Joke Book counters with, “At least I make Josh laugh!” Spouting hilarious dialogue, the amusingly rendered books, pictured with anthropomorphic features-Joke Book with Groucho-like glasses, nose, and moustache; Pirate Book with a black eye patch and red bandanna; and Poem Book with daisies for eyes-jostle and push. Space Book, Dinosaur Book, and Pop-Up Book join the crowd, all fighting against each other until poor Pirate Book is pushed to the floor, where shark toys lurk under the bed. Quickly, the books unite to rescue Pirate Book. Pop-Up Book has a “spectacularly designed staircase” that tumbles out of its castle to save the day. By the time Josh and Grammie (who both have light brown skin and dark hair, with Grammie’s turning a little gray) come in to choose a bedtime story, all the books are tucked away on their shelves, still worried over Josh’s pick. The boy surprises them by choosing his many favorites (the six featured books), and Grammie agrees to read them all. A humorous approach to the dilemma of choosing just one bedtime story. * Kirkus Reviews *

Melanie Ellsworth writes in an old barn in Maine, surrounded by books clamoring to be read. Her picture books, often inspired by her family and pets, include Battle of the Books, Clarinet and Trumpet, and Hip, Hip…Beret! Before becoming a children’s book writer, Melanie worked as an ESOL teacher and a literacy specialist. She has a M.Ed. in Language and Literacy from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

James Rey Sanchez’ love for art came from countless hours of reading comics, playing video games, and 90’s Saturday morning cartoons. After graduating from the Academy of Art University, with a BFA in Visual Development and a focus on character and prop designing, Sanchez freelanced in the animation world, most notably at Class Dojo, before jumping into children’s books. He received a Sydney Taylor Notable Award for his first children’s book IRVING BERLIN.

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