Enjoyable humor with a subtle lesson about…accepting a child who is different.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A great read-aloud for engaging and amusing…preschoolers with short attention spans.” — School Library Journal
Praise for AUSTIN, LOST IN AMERICA: “Full of colorful, energetic images in [Czekaj’s] typical witty style, with laugh-out-loud graphic novel-style scenes from start to finish… A recommended purchase.” — School Library Journal
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “This circular tale offers plenty of laughs, and children will love to join in on the wacky string of animal sounds. A great storytime choice....Pass it on.” — School Library Journal
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “Get ready for many, ever-sillier rereadings.” — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “Czekaj wrings an impressive amount of humor from a simple conceit; the story will likely have children ready to play telephone (or just make some animal noises).” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “There’s readalone potential here as well as readaloud, but most of all there’s pretend-to-be-a-kitty potential, and kids will find the opportunity irresistible.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “The book has obvious appeal as a read-aloud, with its instructions and large-format cartoons, but it has the intimacy of a story to be read independently.” — School Library Journal
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Irresistible cartoon art.” — Booklist
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Expressive, high-contrast, high-energy cartoons.” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for HIP AND HOP, DON’T STOP!: “The bright colors and engaging characters will grab children’s attention.”- — School Library Journal
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Irresistible cartoon art.
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO: “The simple compositions, dynamic posed animals, bright colors, and large word bubbles will make this as successful with larger groups as it will be with an audience of a few.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for CAT SECRETS: “Irresistible cartoon art.
10/01/2016 PreS-Gr 1—In this silly tale, two dogs are tricked into raising a baby bird as if it were a puppy. Their attempts to "show Junior" how to growl, roll over, and bark will have kids giggling in fits when the bird can't mimic the canines. As one might expect, this bird acts like a bird. However, in the finale, the author defies expectations when the bird scares the naughty cat responsible for fooling the dogs, with one mighty "WOOF!" Czekaj's straightforward text and humor are perfect for storytime. The same is true of the visual style. Characters have large features, colors are solid shades, and there are plenty of opportunities for dialogic reading (especially when the cat pops up). Pauses are incorporated right into the illustrations, so even with a question-and-answer component, the flow is barely interrupted. This work also has a positive underlying message about adoption. VERDICT A great read-aloud for engaging and amusing those "ants-in-their-pants" preschoolers with short attention spans. Especially recommended for fans of James Proimos.—Rachel Forbes, formerly at Oakville Public Library, Ont., Canada
2016-06-28 Two dogs find an egg in a nest and try to teach a newly hatched baby bird how to be a puppy.Readers see at the opening of the book that egg and nest were left for the dogs by a mischievous, black cat. (There is no hint as to what’s happened to the mother bird.) The cat hides a note in the nest advising the dogs to sit on the nest, hatch the egg, and “teach baby to be a good dog.” The clueless canines fall for this setup, sitting on the egg through rain and snow until a tiny bluebird hatches. The bird, spotting the gray, male bulldog, immediately imprints on the dog, repeating “Ma-ma” as he looks at the dog lovingly. The male bird is dubbed Junior, and the dog parents try to teach him proper dog behaviors, such as growling and rolling over. The bird follows his own instincts, responding with “tweet”s and pulling a worm out of the ground, until the dogs finally realize their baby is really a bird. When the black cat reappears to laugh at the situation, the bird scares the cat away with an enormous “WOOF!” in huge display type. Czekaj’s digitally produced illustrations have a flat, comic-strip look, complementary to the broad humor and primary color palette. The dialogue is set off in white speech balloons in large type that will be accessible to both new readers and older readers who need a simple storyline. Enjoyable humor with a subtle lesson about parents accepting a child who is different. (Picture book. 3-7)