Homeschool tools for Young Readers

Stay safe in these uncertain days.

The world has changed in just a few weeks and everything we have taken for granted has now been put on hold. Support our first responders and medical professionals who are on the front lines of treating patients.

In the meantime, for all you parents at home with children... good luck keeping them occupied!

With schools and libraries closed, it is a challenge  for mothers and fatthers to homeschool in this era of instant distractions by phone, tablet, and computer.

Still sharing a good storybook is the way for children to stoke their imaginations and learn something new at the same time.

To help in this endeavor, we offer some free and fun goodies for your families.

Coloring Pages
For most of our stories, we offer free coloring pages (which we often provide at our book events). Download them from our gallery, open them up in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and print them out.

Activity Sheets
We also have curriculum guides for some of our stories and series. Now that parents are teachers, feel free to share these brief and engaging activity sheets with your kids. Lesson plan packets have:

• A page of questions encouraging readers to think about how the story relates to their lives
• Word Search
• Mini-Crossword Puzzle
• Maze
• and maybe more!

Staying in place and social distancing will be an ongoing challenge. We have been pushed off the starting line in a marathon we've never run before. But books will always be there to help us, now more than ever. Reading is a way to keep ourselves both occupied and mentally engaged.

The Discovery of Anime and Manga - on Kickstarter!

We're returning to the blogosphere after a "brief" hiatus...to announce the 3rd adventure in our series The Asian Hall of Fame, which explores cool inventions from Asia.

The first was The Discovery of Ramen in 2017.

Then the co-authors Phil Amara and Oliver Chin teamed up again with the illustrator Juan Calle and graphic designer Joy Liu on the sequel in 2018: The Discovery of Fireworks and Gunpowder.

Now in 2019, we came up with another fantastic idea. This time we're going back to Japan to see how Japanese animation and comics were created.

The Discovery of Anime and Manga launched on Kickstarter this week. Check it out in the next month and let us know what you think!

Our terrific trio of the guide Dao (a cute red panda) and the kids Emma and Ethan have perfected time-travel tourism.

They teleport into the past and reappear in the land of the rising sun... hundreds of years ago. Then they zip through the decades to see how art and media advanced together to produce manga and anime.

Along the way, we see have anime and manga, intertwined like two strands of DNA, evolve together to entertain and educate the public. From newspapers and books to magazines and comics. From film and TV to home video and internet streaming. Fans become "otaku" across the seven seas.

Meanwhile some creators became "gods" as their characters became even more famous around the world!

Check out our crowdfunding campaign. Backers can pre-order an autographed copy and get amazing rewards!

As always, thanks for your support.

The Discovery of Ramen on Kickstarter

Greetings! Today we launched a Kickstarter campaign for our new book idea The Discovery of Ramen.

Hopefully this will be the first adventure in an ongoing series called The Asian Hall of Fame.

The kids Emma and Ethan see something that piques their curiosity. Lucky for them...POOF! Out of a cloud of smoke comes a cute red panda! Dao can show them how that cool thing was invented in Asia. Dao can guide them back into time and place and bring them to where it all began.

The first journey is about ramen!

There has never been a U.S. children's book about ramen.

We intend to remedy that oversight. Ramen is more popular than ever and millions of people love eating it around the world.

So we hope those ramen lovers will learn about our book idea and support it on Kickstarter.

The tale of ramen starts in Japan in the 1800s. From there, Dao leads Emma and Ethan across the country to explore how these noodles became special. Together they visit restaurants, factories, and museums.

Then they zip through the decades, into outer space and back to America, where ramen mania has gripped the West!

Co-authors Phil Amara (The Treehouse Heroes) and Oliver Chin (Julie Black Belt) unite with artist Juan Calle (Good Dream, Bad Dream) to create a journey that blends travel, history, culture, food, and fun!

We have a special combo of rewards for our Kickstarter backers. So check out our project and we appreciate your support.  With your help, we'll all enjoy fantastic storybook which can be a great gift to give for the upcoming holiday season.

The rooster has landed

Just in time for the holidays, our new adventure The Year of the Rooster has arrived!

This is the 12th and final adventure in our annual series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac.

Ray is a young chick who has a bundle of energy! He and his friend, the girl Ying, embark on an incredible journey to find a mysterious and magical creature. But can Ray discover his own calling along the way?

The fantastic art is by Juan Calle, who created our recent superhero story Good Dream, Bad Dream.

The Rooster, like 2016's The Year of the Monkey, features a bilingual translation in simplified Chinese.

Good news! Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide will sell The Year of the Rooster in their Chinese New Year displays in their children's sections in January 2017.

Also select Costco and Hallmark stores will carry our book to the delight of lucky shoppers.

Ray looks forward to flying into your hearts!

May = Asian Pacific American heritage month

It's that time of year again, when both the USA and Canada commemorate the cultures and contributions of their Asian citizenry. Hooray!

We have 5 new Asian themed stories to share with you this season. We've reprinted children's books authored by Ying Chang Compestine and have redesigned them with new bilingual translations in simplified Chinese.

1) Boy Dumplings: A Tasty Chinese Tale
- illustrated by James Yamasaki

Set in old Beijing, this fun-filled romp follows the travails of a hungry ghost. Perchance he stumbles upon a boy who looks good enough to eat! However, the clever child convinces the ghost to delay his easy meal and instead make the more delicious (but more complicated) recipe of "boy dumplings."

2) then there are 4 stories in our series Amazing Chinese Inventions
- illustrated by YongSheng Xuan

The three Kang brothers, Ting, Pan, and Kùai, always seem to get themselves in a pickle. But using their wits and resources, they produce some of the world's greatest creations!

"Xuan’s colourful illustrations with their thick, bold outlines are eye-catching"
- CM magazine

a) The Story of Chopsticks 

The youngest child, Kùai never got enough to eat. Maybe he can he grab food right off the over, when it is too hot for others to touch...but how? Soon the entire Kang family is eating with sticks. But should the boys bring them to a big wedding banquet?

b) The Story of Noodles

It's time for Mama Kang to win the annual cooking contest. But when she leaves her three sons to oversee making her dumpling wrappers, look out!

Boiled strips of dough end up everywhere! Hmmm, but they do taste good. With no time to waste, the Kangs submit a new dish to the judges.

What will everyone think about their entry of... noodles?


c) The Story of Kites

Protecting the rice during the harvest is a full-time job! Whew!  Shooing hungry birds from their fields never stops. Ting, Pan, and Kùai wonder if there is a better way.

Perhaps they can figure out a way to fly in the sky and beat these birds at their own game. They do have some materials handy.

Ouch! Flying themselves may be out of the question. But maybe they can launch something else!

d) The Story of Paper 

These Kang boys need to pay more attention at school! So their teacher writes messages on their hands to show their parents. How embarassing!

If only their teacher could write on something else.

The brothers brainstorm and come up with an idea that may result in what becomes an indispensable school supply!

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Enjoy these tall tales and another month of celebrating Asian themes and adventures!

Happy Holidays from Max the Monkey

Everyone's heard of the Monkey King right? 

The Journey to the West has inspired countless adaptations across the centuries. As legend has it, Wu Cheng'en wrote this Chinese novel during the 16th century's Ming dynasty. Later the story became renowned as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The others are Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dream of the Red Chamber.

Modern versions of Journey to the West include the popular manga and anime Dragon Ball Z, created by Japan's prolific comics artist Akira Toriyama in 1984.  As a little child, Goku starts off with a nice brown tail... but then it gets cut off! Ouch! A nice cartoon version of a boy's timeless rite of passage into adulthood, wouldn't you say? As a small consolation, at least in the future Goku gains a power that would put Clairol and many hairdressers out of business - our spiky headed hero enjoys free and instant hair coloring when he goes Super Saiyan.

In 2008, Hollywood was inspired. Lion's Gate got the bug with its Hong Kong flavored flick The Forbidden Kingdom. Here martial arts maven Jet Li transforms into old furry face himself to square off against the drunken master Jackie Chan. It's sort of the Asian cinematic equivalent of the Street Fighter IV but with better actors than Kylie Minogue and Jean Claude Van Damme.

In 2013 Kung Fu Hustle's Stephen Chow directed (but not starred) in a film aptly title Journey to the West. Therein the Buddhist hero undertakes the famed adventure by protecting a town from demons, falling in love with another fetching fighter, and searching for the fabled Mon-king.

Naturally, given the homegrown subject matter, this movie earned the most of any film in  China in its first day (beating the Transformers: Dark of the Moon only to be bested by the Transformer's even more boffo sequel Age of Extinction in 2014). Soon Chow's Journey became the highest grossing Chinese-language motion picture ever. Poor Wu Cheng'en. If he only had Walt Disney's lawyers, then he'd still be earning royalties.

Our first copy hot off the presses, nicely couched in the heavens.

Now what room in the world is left to say or show anything about the mythic Monkey King?

Well, we knew the upcoming turn of the calendar into 2016 (February 8th to be exact) would herald The Year of the Monkey.

What better way to commemorate this tradition (which has been celebrated for millennia) than to create a brand new character?

Viola!

Max is the son of the legendary Monkey King and Monkey Queen!

Sure this tyke has a lot to live up to (don't we all)...but even the sky is the limit for Max! But like kids everywhere, Max is learning how to learn...as well as squeezing in as much fun as possible!

Amazingly illustrated by the DreamWorks animator Kenji Ono, The Year of the Monkey will inspire readers to fly high! We look forward to sharing this fabulous new 11th adventure in our series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac in the coming year.

May is Asian Heritage Month

Well it's that time of year again, when the USA commemorates the contributes of Asian Americans.

The official commemoration was officially designated three decades ago by President Jimmy Carter (later the entire month of May by President George H. Bush). However, Asian voices still strain to be heard and recognized on a national level. 

A case in point is how President Obama won't even attend the "White House summit" on Asian Pacific American Islanders (AAPI) held in Washington DC this week, as reported by the Daily Beast.

We still live in an era of mixed signals, and where society seems to take one step forward and then drift one step back.

Yet, we firmly believe that sharing children stories is a great way to instill not only understanding cultural differences but also appreciating them.

Kids (as opposed to ossified adults) have a awe-inspiring capacity to soak in new experiences and resiliency to redefine their view of the world. It is no coincidence that polls regularly note how younger generations of voters have become more tolerant of social issues that have inflamed, divided, and bedeviled their elders.

Since 2006, we've been dedicating to publish more new Asian American authors, artists, and characters. These include:

• Tales from the Chinese Zodiac - still the only series in English of its kind
• Julie Black Belt - our popular heroine in the martial arts
• Sora and the Cloud - our first Japanese bilingual book

All told, more than 1/3 (of our nearly 40 books) features Asian American themes.

Diversity in publishing is vital because it reflects the variety of real life. Maybe more interestingly, it is even more important since it underscores how we as a community need to learn from each other and develop bonds for a greater good.

Happy Year of the Sheep

February 19th is the start of the Chinese New Year...and we're ready to celebrate The Year of the Sheep!

We've created original adventures in our annual series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac for a decade. Now the latest yarn centers on Sydney - this lamb redefines (in very positive ways) what it means to be sheepish!

Already we have shared this energetic story with dozens of schools, libraries, and cultural associations...and have seen kids go baaa-baaa-bonkers with enthusiasm :)

Artist Alina Chau illustrated a brand new world for Sydney and our readers to explore - full of color, humor, and the beauty of nature. Well known for her expert use of watercolors, Alina imbues her illustrations with intimate and impressionistic detail. Plus Alina will present the March 1st storytime at Books, Inc. in Burlingame, CA.

Meanwhile author Oliver Chin is reading at many other locales. See our events calendar for a venue near you.

In addition, we are translating Tales from the Chinese Zodiac into Chinese, due to regular requests from teachers and parents from Chinese immersion classes. Now you can download free PDFs that have either the simplified and traditional Chinese translations for The Year of the Sheep and prior Tales.

May 2015 be full of health, wealth, and prosperity for you, your family, and your community.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

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! 

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month... but still needs more diverse children's books

As you may know, the month of May commemorates the contributions and cultures of Asian Pacific Americans.

So it is notable that recently American publishers have recognized (again) that 90% of their children's books don't include diverse faces and themes.

A March New York Times article "Where are the People of Color in Children's Books?" rekindled the debate. The ensuing media coverage prompted New York publishers to form "task forces" to address the issue, get photographed doing so, and create Twitter hashtags - that's sort of like an interagency SWAT meeting without the guns or vans or deadlines. More concretely, School Library Journal dedicated their May issue to the topic of diversity.

There is nothing new under the sun, but the problem is real.

Capitalism is the wheel that drives industry. Superheroes, wizards, vampires, and female archers sell books. Publisher may wonder if Asians, Latinos, and Blacks buy enough books that feature characters like themselves. But it seems like publishing is even lagging behind TV and movies (which can't brag about their track records either) in including minority (soon to be the majority) actors. Even when you factor out the ubiquitous presence of Samuel Jackson, the boob tube is doing a better job than book publishing.

We founded Immedium in 2005 to address this very issue.

One-third of our stories (a dozen and counting) have been multicultural.  We've introduced Asian American characters in Tales from the Chinese Zodiac, Julie Black Belt, and Sora and the Cloud, who appeal to readers universally. This fall, we'll produce our first Spanish bilingual adventure with Liberum Donum, artists from Bogota, Columbia.

This week School Library Journal cited Sora & the Cloud in their culturally diverse book lis:

"An adventurous young boy takes flight on a friendly cloud in this delightful whirlwind of a daydream. The story is artfully structured, with reality turning to fantasy as Sora (a name that means “sky” in Japanese) climbs a tree and hops aboard a cloud for a whimsical journey above the city. His fanciful vision gently gives way to reality again when he drifts to sleep on the cloud and dreams of pleasures grounded in everyday life, like splashing in puddles and digging in sand at the beach. Sora’s airborne fantasy is charmingly depicted with a dreamlike palette of pastel colors. The San Francisco setting in combination with the bilingual text deftly shows the child’s Japanese American identity."
Therefore we celebrate the symbolism of May with you. We hope to continue sharing your journey of cultural exploration and appreciation.

Happy Chinese New Year - 2014 is The Year of the Horse!

We ring in the lunar new year with the 9th adventure in our Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series -  The Year of the Horse!

9 years already? Boy, time flies when you're having fun.

That we've certainly had in abundance during the past decade. Yet when we started, we knew we'd have a lot of ground to cover too. Think about it...when was the last time you've willingly embarked on a 12 year project where you had to make a product every year?

You parents out there know what we're talking about, when I say that having a child becomes much more than a 12 year project. But then would you want to have another baby the next year, and so on, and so on?

Well, without getting too philosophical about it (or straying into the familially fraught territory of TLC's reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting), let's just say we embarked willingly and with brio.

One of our goals was to publish fresh, meaningful stories about Asian American themes and characters. So this hitting upon concept was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I mean no one had ever published a series of stories on each of the Chinese zodiac animals before in English (only later did we learn that a Chinese publisher had done so in Asia, but the tales were much different).

But let's get back to FUN.

2014's heroine is Hannah the Horse. She exemplifies the positive can-do attitude of kids who want to make their mark in the world and enjoy their journey at the same time.

Artist Jennifer Wood notches her 3rd straight hit (following Dragon and Snake) and displays her personal predilection for horses with vibrant scenes of Hannah and her pal Tom energetically romping through colorful vistas. These friends are simply joyful, just like any kids at play.

January 31, 2014 was the first day but the celebrations will kick into higher gears in the coming weeks. Jennifer presented at Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena today, and will read at Vroman's Bookstore on 2/8.

Meanwhile author Oliver Chin visits Southern California this week as well. He participates in the Bowers Museum's festival in Santa Ana tomorrow on 2/2 (quite a Super Sunday). Then he'll travel to many schools and libraries across Los Angeles - check out our event calendar.

In a way, the creators are emulating Hannah's trek to share the fruits of artistic creativity, one of which is the common experience of fun.www.immedium.com/products/yearofhorse.htmlwww.immedium.com/products/yearofhorse.htmlwww.immedium.com/products/yearofhorse.html

Julie is back in Black!

As we mentioned back in May, the sequel of Julie Black Belt was a long time coming...and has finally arrived!

Julie is a young girl who likes the martial arts dynamo Brandy Wu. So Julie has embarked on her own adventure...to learn how to practice kung-fu... and in more dimensions that she previously thought!

Now will Julie succeed in her quest to get The Belt of Fire?

Sampan review the original story The Kung Fu Chronicles: "As society progresses away from gender stereotypes, it is nice to see children’s literature doing the same. Growing up in the ’90s, I spent my childhood wondering why all the heroes were male and females characters who needed saving. Julie Black Belt is a shining example of how things have changed for the better."

In the intervening years since the publication of the first Julie Black Belt story, Kung Fu Panda and mixed martial arts (MMA) have pushed the popularity of martial arts in two directions: comedy on one hand and violence in the other.

However, we still wanted to chart our compass to the true north. We wanted to create a new chapter for families that was substantive. Julie should continue to plumb the depths of emotions that kids actually grapple with, and discover practical lessons that youngsters could also learn from their own experiences.

CM magazine praised the sequel:
"The character of Julie continues to give young girls a strong female protagonist with which to identify. This is further enhanced this time around with the introduction of Master Zhou. When Julie first learns that the Kung fu master is coming for a visit, she automatically assumes it will be a male teacher. It's a nice surprise to learn that the master who taught Sifu everything he knows is actually a woman. The character of Master Zhou serves to both further explore aspects of Kung fu and to provide young girls with yet another role model."

Artist Charlene Chua returns to bring Julie and a diverse cast of characters to life with vibrant colors and eye-catching motion.

Author Oliver Chin read it for the first time to kids at Miraloma Elementary School in San Francisco this week, and will autograph copies tomorrow (Friday, 1 pm) at the NCIBA annual book show at the South San Francisco convention center.

Get free coloring pages at www.julieblackbelt.com.

New book: I'm the Scariest Thing in the Jungle!

David Derrick (www.davederrick.com) is a veritable creative font. A story artist at DreamWorks Feature Animation by day, he has contributed to the movies Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon, and Megamind. But at the same time, he has been imagining new stories chock full of animals that have the same bubbly enthusiasm and curiosity that kids have.

In 2010, Immedium published Dave's debut storybook Sid the Squid and the Search for the Perfect Job, which recently got a glowing endorsement from the Picture Book Review.

In 2010, we produced Dave's 2nd tale Animals Don't, So I Won't!, which is now sold at venues such at the Los Angeles Zoo and Hogle's Zoo in Utah.

This year, we complete the hat trick with Dave's newest romp I'm the Scariest Thing in the Jungle! In the wilds of India, the Bengal tiger is the king of the land but the saltwater crocodile is the master of the water. What will happen when the kids of these two fearsome beasts meet? Well, this will make the UFC look like kindergarten playtime...let's get ready to ruuuuuuumble!

Earlier in September, we displayed our sample copy at the annual convention of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Kansas City, MO. As expected, it was a big hit among these professional animal lovers and we took a bunch of pre-orders! Now you too can get your own copy - this time autographed by Dave himself with a unique animal sketch and free postcard!

Enjoy the trailer which features Dave's expressive character designs and beautiful watercolors:

Meet Dave as he reads at stores and museums throughout Southern California in October and Utah in November.

Justin Time: The Big Pet Story

The second adventure in our Justin Time book series is now out!

The Big Pet Story has Justin and his pals traveling all the way to India!

Like most kids, Justin really wants a pet...and the bigger the better. In no time flat, he and his buddy Squidgy find themselves on the Asian subcontinent. There their friend Olive is a royal pet keeper...and Justin is a rajah - an Indian prince!

Monarchy has its benefits as Justin discovers he does have a pet - an elephant aptly named Tiny. Now everyone discovers that caring for a pet takes a little bit more effort than they had imagined!

These official adaptations of Justin Time episodes are available at bookstores nationwide, including Barnes & Noble.

The TV series is gaining fans across the globe, including Netflix. The licensing of the property will debut at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on June 18th.

Happy Asian American Month

As you may know, May is America's annual month to commemorate the heritage and contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

We at Immedium are happy to do so, since one of our publishing missions is to create more stories with Asian American themes and characters.

On tap is our upcoming September sequel in our series Julie Black Belt. The first story, The Kung Fu Chronicles launched in 2007 and readers have been asking for a follow up ever since. We are finally pleased to oblige them!

Julie is a girl that kids relate to - like any child, she wants to do well and learn new things but discovers that life is full of experiments, trials, and errors. Ultimately Julie understands that challenges require her to open her mind, revise her expectations, and grow with her body.

The notion of kung fu centers around practicing a discipline and honing one's skill. Though it normally is discussed in relation to sports and physical activity, kung fu really is about any endeavor one would want to improve in. Seeing themselves walking in Julie's shoes, youngsters understand what she is going through and, by extension, reframe their own experiences.

Now in The Belt of Fire, Julie is gunning to earn her next belt - orange! She continues to admire her movie idol Brandy Wu, a martial arts superstar. Julie starts watching Brandy Wu's latest adventure on DVD, but soon observes her heroine's success getting stifled by a mysterious stranger. But life starts to imitate art, as Julie discovers that a new kid in town has enrolled in her kung fu class. And her teacher Mr. Fong (aka "Sifu") may think he is better than her!

The amazing illustrator Charlene Chua has returned to draw Julie. We look forward to entertaining young and older martial artists with Julie's continuing adventures!

The Year of the Snake: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac

Back during the era of the Garden of Eden, snakes didn't have Reputation.com to manage their public profile. On that fateful day when Eve ate a simple apple, the street cred of snakes took a big hit and it has never really recovered since then.

From then on, every little snakelet has had to deal with bad PR that would tax the abilities of even the most well-funded Washington lobbyist to spin.

And were not even mentioning the negative Q ratings of G.I. Joe's nemesis Serpentor or of the Lego Ninjago's enemies the Serpentine (Hypnobrai, Fangpyre, Venomari, Constrictai, Anacondrai - boy that is a mouthful - who thinks of these names?!).

Well the new year is as good a time as any to reverse millenia of stereotyping. February 10, 2013 is the start of The Year of the Snake. Therefore, we are proud to introduce the 8th in our annual children's picture book series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac.

We personally cannot think of a better animal to carry the banner than our heroine Suzie. This gal has a lot of fire in her belly and won't take put downs lying down! Suzie and her bff Lily are soon joined at the hip. Together they set out to defrost the others' hoary preconceptions of snakes.

Jennifer Wood (www.artofjwood.com), the artist of 2012's uber popular The Year of the Dragon, has done a bang up job of making Suzie a contemporary 21st century reptile. No bashful skulking in shadows. No boring greens in Suzie's wardrobe, no sirree Bob. She is bright-eyed and bushy tailed. She's is ready to shake, rattle, and roll. She takes the world on by the horns.

Spoiler Alert: Suzie proves, once and for all, people born in The Year of the Snake have no reason to be ashamed. They are stellar characters and have great qualities. They can walk tall and proud and accomplish fantastic things!

new story: The Treehouse Heroes

Our third tale for the fall season is about a realm both far away and yet familiar.
 
The Treehouse Heroes & the Forgotten Beast is the first children's book by writer Phil Amara and artist Alina Chau. Phil was a comics editor at Dark Horse Comics (Star Wars, Predator, Terminator, and many other titles) and Kitchen Sink Press, and is now an elementary school teacher for Boston Public. Alina is a professional animator and now a 3D artist at LucasArts, working on the popular animated TV series on the Cartoon Network Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Together they've created a brave new world, where fantasic scenery and characters are beautifully rendered in flowing watercolors.

Situated high in an ancient forest, five young teens have banded together under the tutelage of a wise teacher. They live in a land of noble traditions which are suddenly under siege by an increasingly rapacious civilization. A case in point is how mystical creatures are becoming rarer, such as the red-coated Zez whose reputed powers are now highly sought after by the power hungry General Moon.

Luckily for the Zez, it befriends the Treehouse Heroes, each of whom also possess special abilities. Cha is super strong. Klee can shape-shift. Gru is a speedster. Flo can teleport. Bri's breath is like the wind. But together can they save the Zez and the vanishing world it represents?

Sunil Thankamushy from DEEPBLUE Worlds called this a "A beautifully illustrated mythical adventure filled with fun and magic for young kids. The vibrant characters and creatures pop out of the pages and fill your imaginations. My kids loved it!" Discover this unique blend of picture book and graphic novel storytelling for yourself :)

new book: Animals Don't, So I Wont!

Our next story that is unleashed into the world is fittingly about wildlife.

David G. Derrick, Jr. is a story artist at DreamWorks. His first adventure was the funny and poignant Sid the Squid and the Search for the Perfect Job.

Now his second tale, Animals Don't, So I Won't!, features more eye-catching creatures than you can shake a stick at.

Here a boy loves animals so much that he can imagines himself to be any one of his favorite furry, feathered, or finned friends. Ben has a will of his own and likewise becomes beasts that cannot be tamed!

But little does Ben expect his mother to have the same power to transform... especially when she wants her son to clean up, eat dinner, and take a bath! So ensues a battle of wits that will entertain and inform kids, and cause knowing smiles to spread across parents' lips.

Drawn in traditional watercolors, the scenery pulses with a vibrant energy. Characters are drawn with a unique touch that is both photo-realistic but emotionally expressive. Watch the animated book trailer on YouTube.

Dave is sharing Animals Don't, So I Won't! throughout Southern California. This romp will find a home wherever there is a child who loves stuffed animals ("stuffies" in common parlance). Plus it  touches the hearts of those who like visiting zoos and aquariums, and enjoy the company of our kindred souls on four legs (or more).

new book: Justin Time: The Pancake Express

This fall we have many new stories to share with you. The first is our first book based upon an existing TV character!

Justin Time is a new animated TV series that is reaching more fans worldwide. In the USA it airs on PBS Sprout and NBC Kids on Saturday mornings. In Canada it broadcasts on Disney Junior's The Family Channel.

Justin is a kid just like us: he has a boundless imagination! So much so, that he can quickly imagine himself in a different place and time. There adventure awaits! Luckily his pals Squidgy and Olive accompany him, and together they learn about fun lessons about people, landscapes, animals, traditions, and cultures before returning to the familiar comforts of home.

Justin was created by Brandon James Scott and produced by Guru Studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brandon now has created brand new illustrations for the first book adaptation of one of the episodes. The style hearkens to the classic Golden Books of our youth, but reflects the energy and expressiveness of Justin's 21st century can-do attitude.

In The Pancake Express, Justin likes trains so much that he wants to drive his own locomotive. Presto! He and Squidgy are now steaming through the Canadian wilderness and steering their own engine. They stop at Olive's junction, where she has an important delivery for them. She needs help to transport her and her delicious maple syrup to the Pancake Festival at Flapjack Falls on the double! Can they make it in time? Find out!

Meanwhile, the TV series' first two seasons have been picked up by Germany's Super RTL, which will premiere them this December, Estonia's ETV (November), and Disney Jr. Germany for Austria and Switzerland (March 2013). Already in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, the show debuted on VRT in Belgium and on Pop TV's Tiny Pop in the U.K in October.

We're working on the next book sequel for March 2013...so stay tuned!