Heya <<First Name>>,
Every three months or so I like to check in with a reminder that you can read all our books for free.
We’ve published 9 so far, and we’ll have a total of 12 by the end of the year.
Here’s a roundup, with links to the PDFs. (Feel free to share them around.)
The “hot off the press one” with the anagrams
Summary: America is a land of anagrams — like RHINO SADDLE (“Rhode Island”), LET’S EAT (“Seattle”), and TERRIFIED OF PETS (“Petrified Forest”). Some are surprising, some are sublime, and some are just silly. But when you put them all together, you start to see the country in a whole new way.
Style: A road atlas run through a word blender.
Perfect for: Keeping road trips lively … or teaching state capitals to the geography-averse.
(PS. This book has only been available to buy for a few days.)
The one with gratitude for underloved things
Summary: “Messy Blessings” is a celebration of the uncute and underloved things in the world. It’s also about how great life feels when you realize just how much there is to be thankful for. Like morning breath and awkward hugs and laughing till you fart.
Style: Irreverent, heartfelt rhymes.
Perfect for: Practicing gratitude and silliness at the same time.
The one with a poem about an adorable maggot
Summary: Here’s to the axolotls, the jerboas, and the yapoks! “Ooh Odd Zoo” is a delightful, irreverent ABC book about the oddballs of the animal kingdom.
Style: Dr. Seuss meets Shel Silverstein.
Perfect for: People who love odd animals, irreverence, and made-up words, like “fartle.” So … everybody, basically.
The one with the meandering fox
Summary: Did you know there was another animal in the race between Tortoise and Hare? It was Fox.
In the old days, Foxes were known for one thing: going in straight lines.
But this fox was different — she couldn’t stop meandering.
Style: Longer Aesop.
Perfect for: Embracing detours.
The one where the words ARE the pictures
Summary: Balloons. … Trapeze. … Bookshelf. … Accordion Bus. …
They’re words you’ve seen all your life. Are you ready to see them in an entirely new way?
Style: Words that look like the things they describe.
Perfect for: Anyone who loved the book “CDB” as a kid.
Or people who love their books in black-and-white.
Or minimalists.
The one with zombies
Summary: Bedtime is undead-time.
This irreverent, warm-hearted, slightly gross story will (hopefully) have your kids giggling, saying “eww,” and then asking you to read it again.
Style: Edward Gorey does “Goodnight Moon.”
Perfect for: Any kid with a slightly macabre sense of humor. Also: any grownup who can’t read another Margaret Wise Brown book tonight.
The one with the cool-grandmother protagonist
Summary: Life was peaceful on the Island of Slippery Souls until greedy King Clench built a machine to gather them all up. Now, only one person can stop his terrible plan, a woman who would really rather be gardening.
Style: Irreverent fantasy.
Perfect for: Kids who like irreverent fantasy chapter books. And cool grandmothers.
The one for when you’re sad
Summary: From the time they were small, Po and Esperanza were best friends. But then something happened that wasn’t supposed to, something that changed Po’s life. This is the story of how you can get lost, and then get found again if you don’t lose hope.
Style: Melancholy parable.
Perfect for: People trying to carry on after a loss. (To be honest, there’s not much of a market for this book, but it’s beautifully illustrated and I’m really proud of it.)
The one with all the U’s
Summary: Too long unsung, it’s time U got what U deserved: a book all its own. So let’s celebrate used unicycles, unforgettable underwear, ugly unicorns, and lots more! Let’s celebrate U, the alphabet’s ultimate underdog. U will be glad you did.
Style: Super-simple picture book.
Perfect for: Valentine’s Day.
Happy reading.
Jeff and Bob … … who believe that reading with kids can change the world for the better |