Zombelina School Days

Description

Zombelina loves to dance, and going to school is just as fun! She leaps on the bus and twirls down the aisle. In class she raises her hand high in the air, even if sometimes it falls under her chair. When it's time for show-and-tell, Zombelina can't wait to share her hip-hop moves, but a new student named Morty has his own case of stage fright . . . something Zombelina knows how to fix. She has the perfect idea to make Morty feel welcome: a big rockin' dance party! After all, friends who dance together, stay together!

KRISTYN CROW loves to use rhythm, rhyme, and repetition to make reading snappy and fun. Her first book, Cool Daddy Rat, received starred reviews and was named a Blue Ribbon Book by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Other titles include Bedtime at the Swamp, The Middle-Child Blues, and Skeleton Cat. Kristyn enjoys visiting elementary schools, where she directs eager young readers in a "swamp rhythm symphony" using a variety of percussion instruments. Kristyn is the mother of seven wonderfully creative children, and is married to a policeman, who doubles as a mad scientist/inventor. She lives in Layton, Utah. www.kristyncrow.com MOLLY IDLE is the Caldecott-Honor winning author and illustrator of Flora and the Flamingo and Flora and the Penguin, as well as Tea Rex and Camp Rex. She is also the illustrator of the Zombelina books. Molly worked at DreamWorks Feature Animation Studios for five years before turning to book illustration full-time. When not making mischief with her boys or watching old Technicolor musicals, she can be found at her desk scribbling away, with a pencil in one hand and a cup of espresso in the other. She now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family and two snuggly cats. www.idleillustration.com @MollyIdle

A good match for first-day jitters. . . . Caldecott Honor-winning Idle's art seems to glide and dance mischievously across the pages. * The New York Times * Themes of inclusion and welcoming differences shines through . . . Zombelina delights with her confidence and acceptance of herself as well as her persistence. * School Library Journal * This zombie may not be able to keep her body together, but she can sure keep her head in delicate situations and be a good friend. * Kirkus Reviews * Idle's balletic, curving lines are put to excellent use in this dance-themed story. * Publishers Weekly * Fans of both paranormal characters and ballet will like this. * Kirkus Reviews on ZOMBELINA DANCES THE NUTCRACKER * Zombelina is a wonderful dancer, but it's really Idle who's superb--few others could make running jokes about detached limbs look this graceful. Crow's rhymes offer a similar blend of playfulness and gross-out humor. * Publishers Weekly on ZOMBELINA DANCES THE NUTCRACKER * Spook lovers will grab the book . . . The strength of the book is the handling of overcoming stage fright. * Library Media Connection on ZOMBELINA * Crow's rhyming text is ready-made for reading aloud. Idle's colored-pencil illustrations are bursting with details, facial expressions, wonderfully slightly spooky touches, and when appropriate, love. An unusually well-done mix of Halloween, dance, and family that's sure to please many youngsters. * School Library Journal on ZOMBELINA * If Dr. Frankenstein, Tim Burton, or Charles Addams had tried to create a picture-book protagonist, it might have been Zombelina . . . An especially funny horror story with a warm message in its unbeating heart. * Booklist on ZOMBELINA *