Welcome back to toydust.com where we talk books, toys, and writing! And arrrrgggghhhhh, today be Talk Like A Pirate Day. In honor of the day, let's discuss PIRATE PETE AND PIRATE JOE, an early-reader series written by Ann Cannon and illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. These books were released 2002 through 2006 by Penguin, under … Continue reading “Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe” by Ann Cannon
Choose Your Own Adventure
Who remembers the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE series from the '80s and '90s? This was an action-packed, free-spirited series where the main character was you. You were given choices throughout the book that would lead to different stories and different endings - some successful and some deadly. In one book (#5) you were a kid … Continue reading Choose Your Own Adventure
Star Wars Vintage Toy Guide by Mark Bellomo
Welcome back! Toydust here. Today's topic: This guide, published by Krause Publications in 2014, is packed with information and pictures. Some figures are shown with their vintage packaging, as is the case with the original Leia figure, but most, sadly are not. Still, this is a fantastic guide that shows variations, all the accessories, and … Continue reading Star Wars Vintage Toy Guide by Mark Bellomo
Toydust and Writing Walrus
Hello, everyone! So, this happened: So, yeah. I guess I have a sidekick now. I hope I don't regret this. We'll see... This is Toydust signing off. We will return on Monday!
Dialogue Tags
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to toydust.com where we talk books, toys, and writing. Today's topic? Dialogue tags! Dialogue is what a character says in your story. A dialogue tag is a short phrase that goes along with a line of dialogue that lets the reader know which character is speaking. For example: "Let's go to … Continue reading Dialogue Tags
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Here is one of my favorite picture books, written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. It was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2003 and won the Caldecott Medal. It is the true story of Philippe Petit, who walked between the World Trade Center towers on a tightrope on August 7, 1974. (There is also a … Continue reading The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
The Complete Peanuts (1950 – 2000)
Welcome back to toydust.com where we talk books, toys, and writing! Today's topic? Well... Have you ever wanted to see the complete PEANUTS comic strip collection on one shelf? You're welcome. The first PEANUTS strip came out October 2, 1950, and the final strip was released on February 13, 2000. You have to admire the … Continue reading The Complete Peanuts (1950 – 2000)
G.I. Joe #255 Tri-Fold Cover
G.I. JOE #255 came out last week, and the special tri-fold cover by John Royle is fantastic. The original G.I. JOE series, written by Larry Hama and published by Marvel (1982-1994), lasted for 155 issues. In 2010, Larry Hama picked up the story where he left off with #156, this time published by IDW. With … Continue reading G.I. Joe #255 Tri-Fold Cover
Superman
Superman debuted eighty years ago in Action Comics #1 back in 1938, and last April Action Comics #1000 was released. Pretty impressive. I mean, how often does a comic book series hit the 1,000 mark? 80 x 12 is 960 so there must have been times when the series put out more than one issue … Continue reading Superman
Children’s Writer’s & Illustrators Market
Would you like to become a children's book author or illustrator? If so, you should be aware of this guide: The cover does a good job selling it. It gives you the following information about publishers and magazines: *which publishers are open to submissions without agent representation (and those who are not) *submission guidelines *what … Continue reading Children’s Writer’s & Illustrators Market