Book Giveaway: DON’T CALL ME FUZZYBUTT! by Robin Newman

Robin Newman has written a new picture book, FUZZYBUTT! illustrated by Susan Batori and published by Sleeping Bear Press. It is available in bookstores, now. SBP has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner living in the United States.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. So, thanks for helping Cynthia and Mary.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In Don’t Call Me Fuzzybutt! illustrated by Susan Batori (Sleeping Bear Press 2021), Bear turns grizzly when he doesn’t get his much needed 243½ days of sleep. But Bear has a problem. He’s a very light sleeper. So, Bear builds a brand new door to keep the noise out of his den. Meanwhile, one of Bear’s neighbors is Woodpecker. He’s a master carpenter with a specialty in real estate development. He loves building houses. But recently, he too has been having a problem. His houses have been disappearing. One morning, he discovers a trail of debris, and this trail leads him straight to Bear’s new front door. Well readers, I’m sure you can figure out what happens next. Bear and Woodpecker have a feisty exchange of name-calling. Will Bear and Woodpecker patch it up—literally—before Bear loses too much sleep?

THE BOOK’S JOURNEY:

Don’t Call Me Fuzzybutt! was inspired by my son. Around the time when he was in third grade, he went through a terrible phase where he used to think it was super cool to say bad words. After all, these were words he wasn’t allowed to say that older kids and adults did say. And he’d hear these words everywhere—in the lunchroom, at recess, and on the walk home from school. And once you’ve learned a new word (even a bad word), he was more than eager to give his new-found word a test drive to the delight of his proud parents.

My first drafts of Don’t Call Me Fuzzybutt! focused on using bad words. In fact, the book was originally titled, Bear Said a Bad Word. But as the book evolved in the yearlong revision process, it became clear that the story wasn’t just about saying a word that should never ever be repeated. It was about calling others names and the hurt feelings that resulted.

I so hope that children reading the book will realize that their words are powerful. Words can be uplifting and supportive, but at the same time they can be extremely hurtful. One needs to understand that the words we use will impact others and therefore, they must be used and chosen carefully.

Below is a craft project and a printable bookmark for your favorite readers!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – ROBIN NEWMAN :

Raised in New York and Paris, Robin Newman is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the City University of New York School of Law. She was a practicing attorney and legal editor, but she now prefers to write about witches, mice, pigs, bears, and peacocks. Author of the award-winning Wilcox & Griswold Mystery Series, she’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, National Writing Project’s Writers Council, the Bank Street Writers Lab, and PEN America, CYAB. Robin lives in New York with a motley crew of fuzzybutts, including a husband, son, and three spoiled dogs. She is represented by Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency. For more information, please visit www.robinnewmanbooks.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR – SUSAN BATORI:

Susan Batori lives in Budapest, Hungary, with her soul mate, Robert, and her cat, Kamilla. She studied graphic design at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest. She worked as an art director at DDB Advertising Agency until she noticed that drawing hilarious characters was much more fun. Since 2013, Susan has been working as a freelance children’s book illustrator. Humor is the one thing in her studio that she could not live without. For more information, please visit https://susanbatori.hu/.

Robin thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I have a copy and it is adorable. I love how your story helps kids realize that sometimes, we have to work through auguments, even if it’s scary and uncomfortable.  Your fun text and Susan’s wonderful illustrations provide so much humor and action, I know kids will want to visit this book many times. School libraries will definitely want to add this to their collections. It’s a great at-home conflict resolution resource. too.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy