Deborah Zemke

Touch here with your magic wand to see the new picture book about an unlikely friendship that I illustrated, written by Ian Lendler.

Help Bea Garcia save Sophie! Read her new book, Tale of a Scaredy Dog.

Bea Garcia’s dog, Sophie, is smart, sweet, loyal, and brave---until she meets the monster cat who lives next door. When Big Kitty chases Sophie right out the window, Bea tries to save her beloved dog. But as Bea searches, it starts to rain and it seems like Sophie might be...

Can Bea bring Sophie home? Find out in the tale of a girl, her dog, and some peanut butter cookies, the third book in the acclaimed Bea Garcia chapter book series, published by Dial Books.

From New York...“My Life in Pictures strikes me as the best of the new crop (of chapter books)."--New York Times Book Review

to Moscow! “My Life In Pictures is a short book with lots of comic strips. I love this book because it is a really fun book to read.” Gretchen, Age 7, Kid Advisory Board, Bookpeople of Moscow (Idaho) "[Zemke] clearly shows how art, self-expression, and humor can be solid allies when life doesn’t go as planned."—Publishers Weekly

“Zemke introduces a creative, young protagonist whose skilled artistry captures the imagination in a new series for early readers...Readers will find inspiration to write, draw, explore, and imagine.” Kirkus Reviews

"Despite conflict and admission of unkind, even hostile thoughts, the stories glow with goodness (a la Ezra Jack Keats’ work, for one). And Zemke’s child-friendly illustrations have the profound simplicity of, say, James Thurber or Shel Silverstein, and maybe even the kineticism of Joseph Schindelman." David Herrie, Bookolage

Awards for Bea Garcia: NY Public Library Book of the Year, Bank Street College Book of the Year, Sunshine State Young Readers Award finalist, Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award honor book, Beverly Cleary Children's Book Award.

Visit Bea at her website www.beagarciabooks.com.

You can order Bea Garcia books at your favorite store or online:

Amazon    Barnes and Noble    Books A Million   Indiebound

 Make your own Life in Pictures with this free download:  Your Life in Pictures

 

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2015 Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book

A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery 

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

 "Readers ready for chapter books will solve the crime and then be surprised by the twist at the end. Here's hoping for more hard-boiled detecting from Wilcox and Griswold!" ---Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery

The Case of the

Poached Egg

A hardboiled case that will crack you up!  Funny and punny, this fast-paced comical mystery is perfect for first readers and to read aloud.  

Click here to see a video of  Wanda Sykes reading The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake.

           

written by Robin Newman    illustrated by Deborah Zemke

You can order Wilcox and Griswold mysteries from your favorite store or at    

Amazon    Barnes and Noble   Books A Million   Indiebound

   Click here to see Wilcox and Griswold in action!

 

2015 Honor Book, International Literacy Association

Cock-a-Doodle Oops! by Lori Degman

illustrated by Deborah Zemke

"Will Farmer McPeeper ever wake up? Not without Rooster...and Rooster's on vacation. Children will jump right in and crow along with each cock-a-doodle- baa, cluck, bleat, etc...as each animal tries in vain to wake up the very deep sleeper. This bouncy rhyming read-aloud is perfect for story time. The come-full-circle ending is sure to elicit lots of giggles."
-- Erica Silverman, author of Cowgirl Kate and Coco

To order Cock-a-Doodle Oops! click here.

Download FREE masks!  Crow along with Chicken, Cow and the other critters trying to wake Farmer McPeeper with these fun masks!  Download Oops masks.

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 The Deep, Deep Puddle in Chinese!

I had a wonderful time illustrating this fun counting book written by Mary Jessie Parker, so was delighted to see a new Chinese edition.

              

 When the book first came out I participated in a blog tour:

1. What is the title of your new book?

The Deep, Deep Puddle by author Mary Jessie Parker is coming out on April 18.  It's published by Dial Books for Young Readers.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Mary Jessie Parker's counting book text provided a fun platform for me to jump off from---and a deep puddle to dive into, of course!  I had a wonderful time imagining the characters---these robbers were the first to come to mind.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

It's an urban counting cops and robbers storybook featuring 1 shaggy dog, 2 stray cats, 3 thirsty squirrels, 4 pigeons, 5 school kids, 6 tourists, 7 taxis, 8 street vendors, 9 robbers, 10 cops, 11 tanker trucks, and 12 public works employees---and of course, a deep, deep puddle. You can find them all in this scene:

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

 I'd love to see Meryl Streep play the part of the robber in the fur coat and sunglasses.

5) How long did it take you to do the art?

Much, much longer than usual for me---two years---in part, because I traveled to Asia for 6 months right in the middle of the project. When I got home, I did all the finish gouache paintings in four months. The big break between sketches and finish art was like a long, deep breath that allowed me to approach each frenetic painting with a sense of calm---and the trip itself was amazing.

6) What inspired you in illustrating this book?

It was fun to work with an urban setting, and with characters in yellow slickers and hard hats. 

7) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I think it will be a great book for parents to share with their very young kids and for 6- and 7-year olds to explore on their own---it has a little Where's Waldo? aspect to it as kids look for each of the characters in the pictures. It's both a story and a counting book, and as a counting book, it's a little different in that it counts up to 12 and then back down to 1 shaggy dog again, and then---but I won't give away the surprise ending.

To order a copy of The Deep, Deep Puddle click here.

 

 

 

 

 

Veterinarian

From the book, 35 Uses for a Daughter.