Lane Smith, Author . Viking $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-670-03585-4
Consummate jester Smith (Baloney [Henry P.]) revisits the classic tale of a misbehaving puppet, and needless to say, this ain't 19th-century Italy. Smith summarizes all of the Pinocchio story in two pages of 50s-retro cartoons, then zooms in for
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Lane Smith, Author . Viking $16.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-670-03594-6
A decade after the original Happy Hocky Family!, Smith relocates the optimistic Hockys to a rural setting. At first, the chipper narrative and straightforward images seem to state the obvious: "Here is the Hocky family's new house./ Their...
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Lane Smith, Author . Hyperion $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7868-4893-5
For those constitutionally opposed to history lessons, Smith (Math Curse
) profiles the Founding Fathers as the nonconformist kids they might have been. Beatles allusions, like the title, are mercifully few but well-placed ("Say
, you want a...
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Lane Smith, Author . Disney-Hyperion $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1667-7
In this droll parade of embarrassments, a nerdy donkey in glasses and a bow tie asks his pal to discuss “the big elephant” in the room. “I was expecting this!” his buddy screeches defensively. But he isn't quite sure...
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Lane Smith, Roaring Brook, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-606-0
Smith (Madam President) addresses
e-literacy in his irreverent style, casting a donkey in the role of digital junkie and a gorilla as a literary type. The donkey fiddles with a laptop while the gorilla holds a novel. "What do you have there?" asks...
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Lane Smith, Author Viking Children's Books $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-670-83378-8
``The girl was small and the cat was big,'' begins a bizarre nighttime journey during which small children and their giant pets frolic somewhere in the dreamy heavens. The girl and her oversize cat are joined at the Milk-Pool by other happy felines,
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Lane Smith, Author Puffin Books $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-14-054484-8
PW found this zany tale--in which an odd optometrist tries to convince his young patient to wear specs--a ``visual treasure trove.'' Ages 5-up. (Feb.)
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Lane Smith. Roaring Brook, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-62672-054-1
What is happening to Augie Hobble? Despite obvious artistic talent (he liberally illustrates this summer-of-transformation story with his own drawings), he has flunked creative arts class and must redo his final project. He’s also obligated to work...
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Lane Smith. Roaring Brook, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-62672-056-5
Though Smith’s story is mostly built around terms for groups of animals—
“a crash of rhinos,” “an unkindness of ravens”—it stars a solitary human child,
a cross between Peter Pan and Mowgli. Dressed in leaves, he kneels among baby mountain goats (“T
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Lane Smith. Roaring Brook, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62672-536-2
Smith (There Is a Tribe of Kids) takes readers to a house in the countryside in a neatly constructed story that reveals how simple pleasures create a “perfect day” for several animals. Cat couldn’t be happier sitting in a bed of daffodils, Dog rests
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Lane Smith, Author, Lane Smith, Illustrator . Disney-Hyperion $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4231-0846-7
Smith, who slyly recast U.S. history in John, Paul, George and Ben
, introduces a zealous, freckled girl with presidential aspirations. Refreshingly, Katy skips the hand-wringing and never questions whether a girl could become commander-in-chief̵
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Lane Smith, Author, Lane Smith, Illustrator Aladdin Paperbacks $4.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-80376-5
Jake discovers what it's like to be a bird in this wordless flight of fancy, which PW described as a ""somewhat eccentric, thoroughly delightful adventure."" Ages 3-8. (Feb.)
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Lane Smith. Roaring Brook, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-608-4
The device of a conversation between a schoolgirl and Lincoln’s ghost could have been a clumsy gimmick, but Smith (Grandpa Green) executes it with casual grace. Riffing on a piece of trivia—that White House dogs often barked inexplicably outside the
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Lane Smith, Author, Brenda Smith, Author Viking Children's Books $13.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-670-85206-2
Step aside, Dick and Jane, or the very hilarious Happy Hocky Family might just run you over. Deftly parodying the repetitious, simplistic sentence structure of basal readers with lots! of exclamation points, Smith adds his signature prankishness to...
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Lane Smith. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-43033-0
A rabbit quests to give his Nana a gift, even though it’s not her birthday, nor even “a major hare holiday,” in this wandering picture book. When a crow tells him that the perfect gift isn’t far away, round-headed Rabbit sets off, encountering...
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Lane Smith. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-4983-1
The eponymous protagonist of this wonder-oriented picture book, who appeared previously in Smith’s A Gift for Nana, has eight googly eyes, a round twiggy body, bat-like ears, and a positive mental attitude that’s off the charts. After running down a
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