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! 

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.

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!

Billie the Unicorn in Bloom!

As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. However it rained today in San Francisco but our flowers were already in bloom!

Likewise, we're sharing a very beautiful flower this month. We can't help ourselves...take a gander at Billie the Unicorn!

The author Brianne Drouhard launched her debut storybook at WonderCon in San Francisco at the start of April, much to the delight of her appreciative fans.

At our booth #220, Brianne happily provided special Billie buttons, necklace charms, limited edition prints, and convention sketches. Plus she generously drew a cool picture of Billie inside each of her new books.

We quickly sold out of our 1st few cartons and surely needed more copies to satisfy eager (yet patient) readers who pre-ordered the story!

Today our breath was taken away when we received a batch of amazing "autographed" faceplates from Brianne. Going far beyond our wildest expectations, she drew and colored dozens of original sketches of Billie and her cousins Smudge and Rhubarb!

The sheets of 6 stickers were fantastic works of art in their own right. We managed to capture most of them for posterity and your viewing pleasure...before we started mailing them away!

Like Billie, each is unique and special in their own way and we are extremely proud to be sending these along (with Brianne's signature) to lucky readers from Alaska to Australia, and from Dover (New Hampshire) to Denmark.

We may have a few left, and who knows if we'll ever see such an amazing sight of dozens of Billie flowers in bloom again.

And who other than Brianne would make a plain mailer so very special by gracing it with a fleet unicorn?

We are lucky to collaborate with an artist who cares so much about her art! On behalf of our appreciative readers, we thank you very much!