Stick with Me! On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex

Never go to bed with bubble gum in your mouth!

What can possibly happen, you ask?

Let me tell you!

THAT'S THE GUM.

RIGHT THERE,

THAT YOU GOT IN YOUR HAIR.

Like most guys, Dad is sure there's a tool for that--SCISSORS--and he tries to cut the blob of pink bubble gum out of his daughter's hair.

Now the scissors are stuck in his daughter's hair. Mom tries the old home remedy: she goes to Google to find the cure--butter!

DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK!!

A girl with bubble gum, a pair of scissors, and two sticks of butterin her hair has a built-in look! Her aunt almost remembers a remedy she might have read somewhere--and before she knows it, there's grass in the girl's hair, too. Grandpa tries noodles and bacon, and when they stick in her hair, he reasons that a hungry rabbit could at least get rid of that grass. But now the bunny is stuck with the bubble gum, et al,

THE BUNNY JUST SAT, SO THEY BROUGHT IN THE CAT.

Somebody remembers that cats always flee vacuum cleaners.... but not this one, apparently. Cats do stick to bubble gum, though. Then her aunt returns with the girl's birthday cake, but everyone shoves her back out the door and the cake and candles hit the floor!

And, OH, by the way--

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And today is also... SCHOOL PICTURE DAY!

Well, you did ask!

Anything can happen, in Adam Rex's brand-new, jolly cautionary tale, On Account of the Gum (Chronicle Books, 2020), in which everything happens to make for the most memorable school picture day portrait ever! Rex's "stuck-up" protagonist features some of the funniest facial expressions ever, in this clever rhyming take-off on the old cumulative tale of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Done with artist Adam Rex's clever cartooning-style illustrations, especially the resulting packet of school photos that result, this one is a sure-fire giggle fest and first choice for reading aloud, especially if school picture day is immenent on the calendar. And to get kids ready to smile for the camera, be sure to share this one with Lynn Plourde's School Picture Day (Picture Puffin Books)

Undercover Report: Time for Bed's Story by Monica Arnaldo

Bed has got a some job grievances, and he's not taking his treatment lying down!

HELLO? BED HERE.

YES, BED.

BED HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.

He gets it that kids don't necessarily love him at bedtime. He's used to excuses like a needing a few more minutes to finish a game or yet another drink of water, or one more story. He's a professional and knows those excuses go with the territory.

BUT LOOK! YOU ARE NOT SO GREAT EITHER!

You kick all night! You drool stinky slobber all over. Yeah, yeah. You say you brush your teeth.

BUT BED IS NOT SO SURE.

And that's not the only source of smelly stuff. How about that banana peel turning black under the bed along with that half-chewed slice of pizza and your stinky old sneakers collecting dust woozles under there! And why, oh why, do you insist on putting unsightly stickers all over every surface? They don't exactly improve with age either! And there are always, er, improbable/i> things under the covers.

WORST OF ALL--THE TOOTH!

Bed points out that he is always there, doing his duty. Night in, night out, he always there. Could his client perhaps grow up a bit?

NO?

Despite what kids might think, being their beds is not a cushy job, but somebody's got to do it, in Monica Arnaldo's Time for Bed's Story (Kids Can Press, 2020), in this quirky story of unappreciated furniture laying out job complaints from an unexpected point of view. Says School Library Journal, "The character of Bed is endearing in his curmudgeonly demeanor, [with] out-of-the-box thinking.