Brian Lies (The Children's Book Podcast #484)
THE ROUGH PATCH + GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S!
Brian Lies (@BrianLiesbooks) is the author/illustrator of the best-selling BATS IN THE LIBRARY series. He shares in our conversation that he's always had an interest in drawing animals and that, for him, casting animals as main characters in his books helps to make the story more universal to the readers. Brian joins me today to share his latest picture books. In GOT TO GET TO BEAR’S!, chipmunk receives an urgent notice from her friend and sets out in a blizzard against all odds in order to get to Bear’s home. Izzy, the chipmunk, is the kind of friend everyone of us wants to have in our life and the kind of friend I think we all hope to be to someone in our life. In THE ROUGH PATCH, a male fox laments the loss of his dog and, in his pain and suffering, first lets his beloved garden go, and then decides in his anger and sadness that he is going to make his garden the saddest and most desolate place he can. And soon it is.
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
Evan and his dog do everything together, from eating ice cream to caring for their award-winning garden, which grows big and beautiful. One day the unthinkable happens: Evan’s dog dies. Heartbroken, Evan destroys the garden and everything in it. The ground becomes overgrown with prickles and thorns, and Evan embraces the chaos.
But beauty grows in the darkest of places, and when a twisting vine turns into an immense pumpkin, Evan is drawn out of his misery and back to the county fair, where friendships—old and new—await.
New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies has created a beautiful, accessible, and deeply personal story about friendship, loss, and recovery. The Rough Patch features stunning paintings by the award-winning creator of Bats at the Beach.
Bear never asks for anything. So when she sends a note to Izzy urgently requesting her presence, Izzy can’t refuse! But a blizzard begins and slows Izzy's progress. As the snow accumulates, so do her friends, helping her on her way to Bear’s place.
This heartwarming tale from best-selling author and illustrator Brian Lies shows readers the rewards of counting on friends to get you through, snowstorm or not.
SHOW NOTES:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:
Brian Lies is the award-winning author/illustrator of the New York Times bestselling bat series, including BATS AT THE BEACH, BATS AT THE LIBRARY, BATS AT THE BALLGAME, and BATS IN THE BAND. His latest books are THE ROUGH PATCH (Greenwillow / HarperCollins) and GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). He's the author and/or llustrator of more than two dozen other books, including MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT (by W.H. Beck, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and MORE (by I.C. Springman, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). He has won many awards for his work, including the 2011 Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award (Kansas State picture book award). Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Brian lives in eastern Massachusetts with his wife and daughter. He has loved libraries and books since he was little, and enjoys working with students in schools around the country. When he travels, he rarely misses an opportunity to explore the local library.
Learn more about Brian at brian-lies.squarespace.com
And purchase any one of Brian Lies's books for you, your readers, a friend, or a library HERE.
OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED:
*This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through these links will support the costs of maintaining the podcast, webcomic, and other materials associated with this site.
SHOUT OUT TO OUR PATRONS!
Thank you, JENNY SUE, AMY, SARA, KATE, LISA, DARSHANA, MARIANNE, JARRETT, ANITRA, MIKE, LYNN, LINK, CORRINA, CYNTHIA, ELAINE, DOUG, JUDI, AMANDA, RUTH, LARA, TERESA, and others who are coming with me on this journey. You’re welcome to join us. Just visit Patreon.com/matthewcwinner and pick the support tier that’s right for you. All the hugs and high fives for all of the many, many ways all of out there listening support this show.
Comments