Thursday, November 6, 2014

The real Guardians of the Galaxy

Sure, Marvel's surprise summer blockbuster featured a unique cast of good guys. But that film's stars surely can't hold a candle to the real heroes of history, found all around our world, and believed in by millions of people for thousands of years.

On every continent, in every country, families have found inspiration in legendary champions. Elemental gods such as the Norse Thor. Skilled deities such as the Greek Artemis. Mythic avengers such as the Monkey King. Supreme defenders such as the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl.

Discover them and more in Good Dream, Bad Dream, created by Juan Calle and his team at Liberum Donum studios in Bogota, Colombia, and co-written by Serena Valentino. Our first Spanish bilingual book, it was successfully funded on Kickstarter by hundreds of fans who were excited by the fantastic artwork and multicultural themes.

In this universal tale, a boy named Julio is afraid of having nightmares. His Papa comes to the rescue, by telling his son that people have always relied on superheroes to make their dreams good. Next come panaromic examples from around the globe of powerful protectors facing off against equally infamous foes.

Illustrated in a dynamic comic book style, Good Dream underscores the common experiences we share, both as individuals and as cultures and as a species. Human nature is rooted in the primal need to belong but also to stand out and for principles that are bigger than any one of us and ultimately can unite us all.

The prequel to Jurassic Park

Before the famous reptiles Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops existed, there was the Permian Era. In this span from 299-250 million BC, the terrible lizards were technically not considered "dinosaurs". But that doesn't mean they weren't always hungry!

So starts Dave Derrick's fourth storybook Play with your Food. Now an animator at Disney, Dave has created yet another fun, fascinating, and fully immersive adventure that kids and adults can both enjoy.

True to his track record of depicting charismatic animals (Sid the Squid; Animals Don't, So I Won't!; and I'm the Scariest Thing in the Jungle!), Dave populates this lost world with a rainbow of swimming, crawling, and flying beasts. But two in particular stand out...

The first is a little lizard called a coelurosauravus. Unfortunately it's timing is off, as it lands on the menu of a larger predator - the dimetrodon. Can the small fry convince the big cheese that it is better to play with your food? Remember that the law of the jungle is that it is the survival of the funnest!

Check out Dave's animated trailer and discover how these two cutups could teach Miss Manners what proper and practical etiquette really was...prehistorically!