Good morning my toy-dusty friends! I think it's time for another book recommendation, so here we go: JOURNEY was published by Candlewick Press in 2013 and won the Caldecott Medal. A girl opens a doorway to another land with a red marker and goes on an adventure! The illustrations are outstanding and I love the … Continue reading JOURNEY by Aaron Becker
Happy Halloween, everyone! And what a great day to read CREEPY CARROTS! Written by Aaron Reynolds, and illustrated by Peter Brown, CREEPY CARROTS! was published by Simon & Schuster in 2012, and went on to become a Caldecott Honor book. Jasper Rabbit loved carrots... ...until the day they started to stalk him. What happens next? … Continue reading CREEPY CARROTS! by Aaron Reynolds
Being Halloween time, here we go with another creepy story suggestion. ZOMBIE KID! Written by J. Scott Savage and published in 2013 by HarperCollins. Recommended for ages 8 to 12. Nick is super excited to go trick-or-treating with his friends, but is forced to travel to Louisiana for his great-aunt's funeral instead. He thinks this … Continue reading ZOMBIE KID by J. Scott Savage
Welcome back to toydust.com where we talk books, toys, and writing! With Halloween around the corner, it's a great time to talk about scary stories. A fantastic, spooky read (recommended for ages 10 to 14) is DOLL BONES by Holly Black. DOLL BONES was published by McElderry Books in 2013 and is a Newbery Honor … Continue reading DOLL BONES by Holly Black
Welcome back to toydust.com where we talk books, toys, and writing! The correlation between books and writing is obvious, but what about toys? Why include toys with a blog about books and writing? A good question perhaps, but here's another question: What happens when you play with toys? As a kid, the first stories I … Continue reading Books, Toys, and Writing
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
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
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
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
Welcome back to toydust.com where we discuss books, toys, and writing! Today's topic? CLARA AND ASHA by Eric Rohmann, published by Roaring Brook Press in 2005. Clara has an imaginary friend who is a giant fish named Asha. Which seems really random. I mean, why a giant fish? But then we see how they "met." … Continue reading “Clara and Asha” by Eric Rohmann
