Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. You are in for a treat this weekend, for sure! A VERY SWEET TREAT! I’ll give you a hint…think maple syrup.
That’s right! You are all so smart! One of my favorite authors, Josh Funk, has a BRAND-NEW SEQUEL to the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series…and we are TWO stops on his blog tour! Woo-hoo! And guess what? If you leave a comment, we’ll enter you in the giveaway of a copy of Josh’s FIRST book – the one that started this whole series! At the bottom of this post, you’ll find the blog tour line-up – check it out so that you don’t miss any of the stops.
SHORT AND SWEET
Written by Josh Funk
Illustrated by Brendan Kearney
Published by Sterling Children’s Books (September 1, 2020)
Ages: 3 and up
Themes: Teamwork, ingenuity, humor
Synopsis: From Amazon:
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast are back with a twist: they’ve been transformed into small children. Now it’s a race against the clock to turn our favorite duo into grown-ups again!
Lady Pancake is aching; Sir French Toast’s looking pale. Could they be going . . . STALE? Maybe a visit to Professor Biscotti’s lab for her despoiling procedure will help. But instead of beautifying them, Biscotti accidentally transforms the two treats into toddlers! Frightened of the now gargantuan (to them) Baron von Waffle, the mini breakfast foods scamper off on an adventure in the fridge, visiting everywhere from the Bran Canyon to Limes Square. Will Baron von Waffle and Professor Biscotti figure out a way to turn them back into a grown Lady and Sir? Or will they stay short & sweet forever?
The book has already gotten starred reviews…I’m not surprised! Right before Covid hit, I was lucky enough to attend a bookstore event for Josh and I heard him read several of his books…they have heart and humor – a winning combination!
Here’s the adorable book trailer:
Why I love this book:
1, Did you watch the above trailer? Yup…that’s one of the reasons…what a clever idea for a story, don’t you think?
2. Josh has a knack for word play and humor…and the kids love it and so do the adults, even though they probably have to read the story over and over again.
3. Illustrator Brendan Kearney knows what kids love…and his pictures keep the reader engaged from the first page to the last.
RELATED ACTIVITIES
Definitely, without a doubt, you need to make French Toast and Pancakes with your kids! I think because of Covid, a lot more parents are probably inviting their kids to help in the kitchen. One of the best ways to encourage children to try new foods is to have them be part of the preparation. Also, there is so much learning that takes place when you cook – math, science, geography, literacy…the list goes on and on.
And then, how about making a fun paper plate pancake puppet.
Photo courtesy: https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/paper-pancake-dolls
For detailed instructions, please go to the fabulous Activity Village website: https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/paper-pancake-dolls
And just so Sir French Toast fans don’t feel left out, you can easily adapt this craft and make a Sir French Toast puppet by trimming the paper plate and creating a square.
Here’s the graphic of all of the stops for Josh’s book blog tour:
And even though it doesn’t say anything about tomorrow’s Will Write for Cookies, I PROMISE you that Josh will be stopping by to visit…and you don’t want to miss his answers because he always shares important stuff.
There is also going to be a virtual book launch – I’ve been to a few recently and they are really lots of fun. Usually the author, and sometimes the illustrator, will talk about the writing/illustrating process and how they collaborated. It kind of cool because you don’t have to get dressed up and travel to a bookstore…but you do get to celebrate with the author and illustrator!
For more information and details, you can hop over to Josh’s website: https://www.joshfunkbooks.com/tour
And last, but certainly not least, you can even pre-order a copy of this awesome book:
I think we are done. Good thing, because now I am hungry for some French Toast…one of my absolute favorite breakfasts that I only have when I go out to eat because at home I try to be good and eat oatmeal.
I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend…I’m in the last days before the movers come – so I’ll be packing boxes. Please make sure you leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway…and come back tomorrow to say howdy to Josh!
I love Josh’s fun writing! Can’t wait for his book launch!
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What a great new addition to the series. The trailer was so fun!
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I love the trailer and all the characters. Can’t wait to read it!
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Josh’s wordplay is so much fun, and he is so generous within the kidlit community. Vivian, You have found some great activities to accompany his food series. Thanks!
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Josh Funk is one of my favorite authors and his sense of humor shines through his writing. I’m looking forward to reading tomorrow’s post with Josh. He is so supportive of the book community.
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I’ve loved every book written by Josh–his word play, his rhyme, his sense of humor! And I’m excited to see another book in the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series! And what a wild blog calendar! Way to go, Josh!
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Yay! Another amazing picture book by Josh Funk! His stories are always well thought out and clever. Got a feeling I’m going to love his latest and greatest, Short and Sweet!
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Can’t wait to see this!!
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This book series looks like it would be great for my twins!
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Congrats! Loved the trailer. So fun!
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Coolest! I was at a SCBWI conference when Josh was writing this story, and he told us to not be afraid of poetry. I love pancakes, and I love to see the finished product (pancakes plus poetry=winner).
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Cute story and video trailer. Kids will gobble up this fun story.
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Loved the video trailer! Sounds like another fun book from Josh!
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Such fun food word play! Great trailer!! Congrats, Josh!
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I need something short and sweet most days! In fact, I think I’ll finish writing and getting something. I have a feeling kids will love this as much as I did (2nd grade teacher of 33 years)
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Josh has such a gift for writing entertaining and engaging stories. I am so excited to read the newest story in his series.
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I can’t wait to see what happens to these characters next.
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I’m looking forward to reading this!
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What a fun theme for a kids book.
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Food, fun and now a video….perfect trifecta! I absolutely love the video. Can’t wait to read.
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This looks delicious! Congratulations on another winner!
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Loved the trailer and the book looks amazing.
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