Author/Illustrator Matthew Holm

SQUISH: SUPER AMOEBA on WTNH TV, Connecticut!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:32:00 +0000

The lovely and fabulous Katie Davis was kind enough to mention SQUISH: SUPER AMOEBA on her book segment for WTNH TV in Connecticut. Check out the video!

New books for young readers: wtnh.com

BABYMOUSE e-books in Apple's iBookstore!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:12:00 +0000

The day is finally here! You can now buy BABYMOUSE titles via Apple's iBooks app! I just downloaded BABYMOUSE: QUEEN OF THE WORLD! and it looks killer.

Looking at it as a spread, the pages are almost as big as the real book, and super-sharp. (Of course, you can zoom in, too.)

A single page on the iPad is exactly the same size as on paper. Sweet!

These versions have no sound or animation or other weird add-ons—just a straight, true translation of the original. So if you're looking for something to hand to your kid on that next long car ride or plane flight, and you don't feel like toting a whole bunch of separate paper books ... you're covered!

We should see versions for Kindle and Nook before summer. I'll keep you posted!

Women and Children First: How to Save Comics

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Came across a great interview (thanks to Blog@Newsarama) with Former DC Comics editor Janelle Asselin at the Tumblr site DC Women Kicking Ass. Janelle, in addition to being an editor at DC during the recent relaunch of the "New 52", also wrote her Master's thesis on women and comics. Some of her conclusions on how to reach the underserved half of America include (bolding added):

The primary conclusions I made from my research are that there are four different ways the comics industry can adjust to increase sales to an often excluded demographic that just happens - oh yeah - to make up over 50% of America. Those four ways are better marketing towards women, more inclusive content, more effective distribution, and changing the cultural preconceptions of comics. ...

The thing that surprised me the most was that the answers, as I saw them anyway, were not insane, drastic measures that companies would need to take. These are all within the grasp of comics publishers and retailers. Obviously the cultural preconceptions are difficult to change, but with the other three being adjusted, that would come eventually. It just takes actually considering women of any age a viable market for comics.

Blog@ pointed to the most salient section of the interview:

I cannot speak strongly enough about how interrelated I think women and children readers are and how both are extremely important to the future of comics. Women make 80% of the retail purchases in America. EIGHTY PERCENT. And that means that more often than not, if a kid is shopping, it’s with mom. So if the comic industry wants to have a future and hook readers young, they need to target both women and children. If a woman is reading comics, she’ll be more likely to let her kid read comics. And if a kid is raised in a house where one or both parents read comics, I think we all already know that he or she will be more likely to read comics. Kids who never know comics exist are going to have a hard time finding them when they’re at an age that most superhero comics are geared towards. And even better in all of this is the fact that if mom reads comics, she’ll have no problem with her daughters reading comics, which increases the future female readership of comics as well as just the future male readership of comics. There’s no loss here for the comics industry. It just takes foresight. Creating more comics for kids and women, making sure they know they exist, and making sure they’re accessible could genuinely change the future of the industry. Some publishers are already doing a great job making stuff for one or both (Top Shelf and Archaia both leap to mind). We just need a greater segment of the industry to take those demographics seriously.

Janelle says, quite compellingly, what so many people have been saying for so long. The Big Two need to change if they're going to survive. But for reasons unknown, they never do—and comics sales decline every year. I wonder if it's a parochialism, where they are simply not INTERESTED in catering to anyone who is not exactly like them, or if it's simply the fact that comic books have always been such a skin-of-your-teeth kind of enterprise (all the creators barely scraping by on pittances; everyone falling behind deadline; everyone just trying desperately to finish the book/page they're working on RIGHT NOW) that no one over there has made it a priority to take a break, breathe deep, stop working, and really THINK about the future, and how they can possibly sustain their business if they keep selling to the same 30-somethings (now becoming 40-somethings, and soon becoming 50-somethings...) without ever engaging new markets and new readers. Whatever the reason, things have gotta change—for good or ill.

A Brief History of American Comics

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Jim Shooter, former Marvel editor (and apparently an arch-villain to many in the comic-book field... I dunno--never heard about the controversy before; I was always more of a newspaper strip guy than a comic-book insider) has an amazing blog in which he gives his opinions on various things related to comics, but, more interestingly, gives the inside scoop on the daily drama and goings-on at Marvel in the ’70s and ’80s. (There is a Mad Men-type show in there somewhere, I'm telling you.)

But he just posted an entry called "The $10 million Comic Book" that includes, in my opinion, one of the best encapsulations of the history of American Comic Books. So here, in five paragraphs, is why American Comic Books are where they are today:

The American comic book industry started out as a way to reprint syndicated strips and milk extra cash out of existing material. That worked, but comic book publishers quickly used up all the strips available. To keep the ball rolling, publishers commissioned new material, but they didn't want to pay more than they did for reprint rights, so new material was made for low pay under confiscatory rights conditions. No artist or writer wanted to be a comic book creator -- everyone wanted a syndicated strip, where the big money was. Therefore, comic books wound up with second-rate creators who couldn't make it in the big leagues, hacks, the rare significant talent who passed through on his or her way to greater things (Jules Feiffer comes to mind) and the occasional solid craftsman or even genius who arrived in the comic book biz for whatever reason and stuck with it.

Back in the early, big circulation days, publishers got lucky a few times with great properties created despite the lousy compensation and working conditions, creations that struck a chord -- Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and others. Mostly super heroes. Comic books had a great advantage with super heroes back when film special effects were limited, and low-res, limited budget TV was best suited to talking heads.

Later, a few more successes came along, also created under adverse conditions for the talent. Spider-Man, the Hulk, Wolverine...you know.

The comic book industry, by and large, from its beginnings has had a schlock mentality, a quick buck mentality. Most publishers thought comic books were a fad that would run its course (Martin Goodman comes to mind). Many were surprised to find themselves still in business years later.

The quickest, easiest way to make a buck in this business since the early days has pretty much always been to stick with the heaviest hitters of the past. But decades of schlock thinking at the top, decades of unguided, misguided or just plain bad creative work has desecrated and distorted some of those characters almost to the point that they are unrecognizable (the current Wonder Woman comes to mind. And did someone say the new Superboy is a robot? What?). Their equity has eroded.

It's amazing how the initial conditions affected things for decades to come, and explains some weird quirks of the industry—such as the insanely low pay and completely strange ownership/royalty setup (i.e., unlike traditional publishing, most comics creators don't get royalties if their works get reprinted; they get "bonuses" that are not in any way equal to traditional publishing royalties), which developed because the comic book publishers were used to getting content basically for free; also, the weird thing Stan Lee apparently had about caring far more about having a syndicated newspaper feature than creating all those comic books (because comic books were the shlock ghetto for creators, and people who "made it" were in the newspapers).

As I believe I’ve said earlier in this blog, Stan had a special reverence for syndicated strips. And “real” magazines. Not that he didn’t love the comic books, it’s just that when he was a kid, the strips were huge and prestigious while the comic book business was where one scratched out a living until his or her strip got picked up by a syndicate. Anyone who aspired to becoming a syndicated strip creator changed his or her name for work in lowly comic books, hence, Stanley Leiber became Stan Lee. Same logic applied if one hoped to publish a “real” magazine or write the Great American Novel. Never mind that comic books had made Stan a cultural icon, and he had brought comics to unprecedented status in the New Cultural Order. He never lost his veneration of syndicated strips.

Sat., Dec 3: Meet me at the Hollywood Library Branch!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Hello, Portland! You can come see me (and more than a dozen other area authors) this Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1-4pm at the Hollywood Branch of the Multnomah County Library for "Read Local, Buy Local!"

A Children's Place will be selling copies of my books (like A VERY BABYMOUSE CHRISTMAS ... the perfect stocking stuffer!), and I'll be signing and chatting! I may even do a few commission drawings, for the Babymouse (or Squish) fan in your life.

Come out! Read! Buy! Schmooze!

Random House Speakers Bureau

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Are you hosting a reading or library conference or some other large event? I can announce that I am now a member of the Random House Speakers Bureau. To arrange an event, please contact:

Kathy Dunn
Agent Director, Random House Speakers Bureau
kdunn@randomhouse.com

Limited Edition BABYMOUSE Screen Prints for Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Lordy, I haven't blogged in an age. But I'll try to remedy that now. Here's what I want to talk about:

Limited Edition BABYMOUSE Screen Prints! Created by me, Matthew Holm, with all proceeds going to benefit the CL/R SIG of the IRA. (That's the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association.)

I didn't get a chance to blog about this earlier, because the prints were being released at the 2011 IRA conference in Orlando, FL ... which was the start of my book tour. Things got crazy after that.

But the good news, there are still some prints left for sale! And nothing mass-produced about these. I actually summoned up my college printmaking knowledge and hand-screen-printed these myself.

Prepping the screen for the first color.

Just about an acre of Babymouse prints!

I only made and numbered 50 of these, which are three-color silkscreen prints on archival paper. The CL/R SIG gave away print number 1/50 at the IRA conference to this lucky lady:

Kathleen A. Gormley, Associate Professor at The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York

So go to the CL/R SIG web site and buy your own while they last! Only $50.00 for the print (plus $5.65 for shipping and handling). What a bargain! AND you get to help out the CL/R SIG in their fundraising efforts. As they say on their site, "The CL/R SIG is committed to supporting educators’ initiatives regarding children’s literature. Funds will be used for scholarships and research."

Matthew Holm at San Diego Comic Con 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Wow, haven't posted for a while, have I? I blame Twitter, book tour, Twitter, Twitter, making two books at once, and Twitter. Twitter just makes posting too easy. Blogger is such an investment. I mean, look: I'm already way past 140 characters, and the post isn't even up yet. Sigh.

Anyway... I'm going to be at San Diego Comic Con again this year! I've got a bunch of exciting events going on. Check it out:

Thursday, July 21, 2011
1:15-2:15 Books vs. Graphic Novels and Comics— Writers often dabble with various forms of art as an outlet for their creativity. In this panel, authors discuss the process and collaboration involved in publishing a graphic novel versus a novel, as well as the role comic books play in the creation of their characters and story arcs. Panelists Christopher Moore and Ian Corson (The Griff), Jim Butcher (The Harry Dresden series), Tom Sniegoski (The Fallen series), Amber Benson (The Calliope Reaper Jones novels), and Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish) talk about the differences and similarities with moderator David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 6A

(Umm, did you see: AMBER BENSON!!!! Tara! Swooooon.... Oh, and there should also be a book signing immediately after.)

Friday, July 22, 2011
1:00-2:00 CBLDF Master Session 4: Matthew Holm— As the co-creator of the wildly popular kids graphic novel series Babymouse and Squish, Matthew Holm's visual storytelling needs to deliver expressive, charming drawings that are read with ease. He expresses this and tops those pages off with a strong sense of humor and flair. At this CBLDF Master Session, Holm shows you all the steps of his process so you can see how his storyboards and thumbnails come to life as the dynamic graphic novel pages loved by readers of all ages! The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday's CBLDF Benefit Auction. Room 30CDE

(This was a huge honor! Thanks, CBLDF!)

Saturday, July 23, 2011
4:30-5:30 Transforming Super-Powered Comic Book Readers into Super-Powered Comic Book Writers— This presentation focuses on how parents, teachers, and librarians can build on the popularity of graphic novels and transform present-day readers of graphic novels into future writers of graphic novels. Panelists include Dr. Katie Monnin (Teaching Graphic Novels, Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels), Belle Yang (Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale), Dr. James Bucky Carter (Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels), John Hogan (editor at graphicnovelreporter.com), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle), Jimmy Gownley (Eisner Award-nominated graphic novelist of Amelia Rules!), Matt Holm (Babymouse, Squish), and Meryl Jaffe (Teaching Content Area Graphic Novels). Room 26AB

(Okay, Librarians—this is your chance to write off your expenses of coming to San Diego.)

That's it! Hope to see you all there!

Announcing the SQUISH tour 2011!!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Yes, we are happy to announce the impending debut of this blobby little guy...

SQUISH! He's an amoeba, and he's coming to your town... well, actually, Jenni and I are. But we'll be talking about SQUISH and signing books and all that good stuff. So here is our...

Jennifer and Matthew Holm SQUISH Tour Calendar

Saturday, May 7, 11am-1pm — Bridge City Comics, Portland, OR
This is actually the WORLD PREMIERE of SQUISH! It's Free Comic Book Day, which is always a good reason to go to a comics shop (should you need one), but it's also your chance to get a copy of SQUISH: SUPER AMOEBA three whole days before anyone else in the world! I'll be there to sign books (SQUISH or BABYMOUSE) and will even have some special prize giveaways! Be there!

May 10 & 11 — IRA, Orlando
Jenni and I will be visiting—and speaking at—the International Reading Association's annual convention. Hellloooooo, educators!

Saturday, May 14 at 2pm — Kepler’s , Menlo Park, CA

Sunday, May 15 at 11:30am — The Reading Bug, San Carlos, CA

Monday, May 16th at 7:00pm — Anderson’s, Naperville, IL

More dates (particularly in Seattle, WA) still to come! Stay tuned!

BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON reviewed by Good Comics for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:50:00 +0000

The folks over at School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids wrote a great review of BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON:

Not only does Babymouse’s story have a terrific sense of humor and a gentle lesson that doesn’t make the book seem preachy or, heaven-forbid, educational, the artwork is top notch. It walks a line between making Babymouse’s world seem realistic and bringing her vivid imagination to life. My favorite example is the image showing what a library means to her. Anyone who has ever loved books has felt the same way. That’s why the Babymouse books are so popular with kids–the Holms haven’t forgotten what it is like to be a kid or the joys and problems that all kids face.

There's also a closing note about some upcoming fun ...

A teaser at the end of the book sets readers up for excitement this summer. There will be not only a new Babymouse title (#14–Mad Scientist), but also a spin-off series that eschews the familiar pink mouse for a more boy-friendly green amoeba named Squish. I, for one, can’t wait.

Both SQUISH: SUPER AMOEBA and BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON will hit the shelves on May 18! So close!

SQUISH Interview at Graphic Novel Reporter!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:18:00 +0000

A great interview with Jenni and me about our new series, SQUISH, just went up at Graphic Novel Reporter!

Squish, a new early-reader graphic novel series starring a single-celled super amoeba and a few of his single-celled friends, is brought to us by a pretty familiar early-reader graphic novel dynamic duo. Jennifer and Matthew Holm are the successful brother-sister, writer-artist team behind the Babymouse series, and in this new follow-up series about a character named Squish, they seem to have two new goals in mind. First, they are out to introduce readers to a whole new set of characters, adventures, and epic single-celled battles between good and evil. Second, they are clearly cognizant that Squish, his friends, and their adventures provide an excellent opportunity for early-reader teachers of both language arts and science....

Graphic Novel resources for TINT attendees

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:52:00 +0000

If you attended my talk last night at TINT, you can find links to the resources I discussed here:

Teaching with Graphic Novels: Resources for Educators

Attracting new readers to comics

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:32:00 +0000

The indispensable Newsarama recently ran a piece called "2011's Hot Button Topics Part 1: REACHING NEW READERS." It's quite comprehensive, covering everything that's standing between comics and the untapped millions who don't yet read them—things like pricing, accessibility, jumping-on points, and more.

BABYMOUSE and other kids' Graphic Novels popped up in this section:

Alternate Audiences

While some readers of periodical comics look around comic shops and surmise that grown men are the only ones reading comics, the fact is that other audiences go elsewhere for their comics. Namely, to bookstores. And libraries. And schools.

"Wake up! I mean, kids are reading comics by the millions," said Jeff Smith, who speaks from experience because he has sold millions of copies of his book-sized versions of Bone through children's book publisher Scholastic. "Look at Bone. If you think kids aren't reading comics, you've got your head in the sand."

But can the comic industry as a whole tap into this market?

While the hugely successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid novels are only "part" comics, other popular titles like Babymouse and the books from Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly's Toon Books have opened the door for kids to read comics by just visiting their local book store.

Marvel has also seen some success with its Marvel Illustrated Classics stories that retell well-known novels like Pride and Prejudice and The Last of the Mohicans. Boom! Studios landed a Disney deal that has them publishing comics for licenses like Cars and The Muppet Show.

Last year also saw huge sales for the comic adaptation of Twilight, something that points toward female audiences being a possible target for comics at bookstores in the future.

The article also confronts the issue of formats:

Geoff Johns rattled off a sentence last month that may surprise some comic book fans, although his inside knowledge of the industry points toward its truth. When asked if DC would try to steer viewers of this year's Green Lantern movie toward comics, Johns said: "I suspect most new readers will be looking for trades rather than single copies of comics."

I think it all goes to illustrate the problem facing traditional comic book publishers: a myopia (or an inertia that makes it too difficult for them to change) about the reality that's facing them. Namely, that single-issue floppies are a dying format, and that direct-market comic book shops are, sadly, one of the last places most readers look for their comics nowadays.

For the former issue, I think the publishers just need to nod their heads and move on. Formats die out all the time. Only a small core of nerds still reads digests of short science fiction stories (Asimov's, Analog), even though that was once THE way to read Sci Fi. Nowadays, it's novels, period. Likewise the serial or subscription novel. No one will sit still for a Dickens-esque chapter-a-week story these days. (Heck, we can barely sit still for that sort of thing on Television anymore—many people choose to wait for the episodes to be collected on DVD, so they can watch them all at once.)

While they fret over the death of this short, overpriced format that only a devoted few still want to buy, traditional comic book publishers are meanwhile sitting on an enormous reservoir of intellectual property and hard-working talent. They should be spending their energies worrying about leveraging THAT in the best way possible, rather than worrying about how to keep the floppy format viable.

The problem is not that people don't want to read comics. They just don't want to read single-issue comics. Change your model. Become book publishers! If you must have a lower-cost test bed to float new stories, go digital. (They are, of course; I just think it's going to have to become THE format for this sort of thing.) The web (and iPad, etc.) is the new disposable format. You can see this in the way comics success stories have changed. In the 1990s, Eastman & Laird took TMNT from a DIY black-and-white comic to mainstream success. Jeff Smith did the same with Bone. In the 21st century, there are no more DIY print success stories like that. Instead, there are DIY webcomic success stories, like Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid series or Raina Telgemeier's Smile. Comic book publishers should use the Web as their proving ground, and Graphic Novels as their money maker.

The other problem the industry faces is the viability of comic book stores, and the continuing reluctance of comic book publishers to embrace the book publisher model, rather than the Direct Market model of business. The sad fact is that many, many more people get their comics from places that are NOT comic book stores than from the stores themselves. The publishers need to come to grips with that, and work on making themselves more friendly to booksellers and schools and libraries. (I have heard countless stories from librarians who are in disbelief over how little comic book publishers appear to understand—or even have any interest in trying to understand—how the library market works. And this is one of the strongest market segments for comics today! Why would you NOT throw everything you could into it?) To survive the transition that's underway, I think that comic book publishers will need to become more like book publishers, and comic book stores will need to become more like book stores. The best ones I have been to are already doing that; I fear the ones that don't will soon vanish, or else fall into the "used and rare books" niche, a place only frequented by collectors.

BABYMOUSE is the most-checked-out children's title at the NYPL!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:31:00 +0000

This was a fun bit of news to see last week from New York Public Library's NYPL Wire:

The Girl Who Got Checked Out A Lot

Stieg Larsson was the man in 2010.

The top three adult titles at NYPL in 2010 were all by Larsson: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo took the top spot, followed by The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest and The Girl Who Played With Fire.

The top young adult title in 2010 was Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, and the top children’s title was Babymouse Jennifer Holm.

BABYMOUSE managed to beat out several other juggernauts:

Top 5 Children’s Titles
1. Babymouse by Jennifer Holm
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
3. Junie B., First Grader by Barbara Park
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Simon Beecroft
5. Spectacular Spectacles by Jane O’Connor

Thank you New York! We love you! Though we've moved away, you'll still always be our home.

(Also, coverage of the story in Robot 6.)

LitLad reviews BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:22:00 +0000

The blog LitLad has put BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON under the careful scrutiny of 7-year-old reviewer, "Tintin:"

The latest installment in the Babymouse series, Cupcake Tycoon is, according to Tintin, the best one yet. Babymouse accidentally destroys the school library and participates in a cupcake fundraiser to help replace the damaged books. Unfortunately for Babymouse, it's a little rough going at first, what with her nemesis coming up with better plans and outselling her. Along the way, however, Babymouse uses her imagination to press on and even realizes that the grand prize maybe isn't the most important part of this whole fundraising thing. Once again, we loved Babymouse's daydreams, plus, cupcakes! And, at the very end of the book, we find out that coming in May are Babymouse #14: Mad Scientist and a new Holm graphic novel series about an amoeba named Squish. Tintin can't wait!

Babymouse Fan Art from the Interwebs

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:09:00 +0000

I get lots of BABYMOUSE fan art when I go to schools, but I always forget that average folks out there are using the Internet to produce content, not just to consume it. I stumbled across some awesome BABYMOUSE online fan art recently.

First, there's the blog, Bookie Woogie. I've mentioned this family of readers/artists before. They've drawn things like this in response to reading BABYMOUSE in the past:

Babymouse and Henry singing, by Gracie

Lily's idea for a new title, "Babymouse: Pony Love"

Isaac's idea for a new title, "Babymouse: Mission to Mars"

Recently, the father (Z-Dad) decided to reveal some of his own fan art that he creates with the Z-kids:

There's also a site out there called DeviantArt, which I had often heard of but never actually checked out before. It's full of fun fan art for all kinds of things, including BABYMOUSE:

(Note Babymouse in the cartoon crowd wishing her Happy Birthday)

(That's a manga-ized Babymouse-girl in the left corner!)

(How about some awesome Babymouse crochet work?)

(This artist has created an entire gallery of re-envisioned Babymouse characters!)

And, finally, here is a macabre Whodunit VIDEO, "Mystery of felicia's Death":

The creator notes:

AUGUST 2009: when babymouse heard the news of felicia she desided to find out the mysterie will babymouse find the person who killed felicia or will she be the next victom find out on the next episode

p.s I love the books
and no wilson is not the killer
sorry about the spelling
and also the drawing Im going to make the next video better wither better drwings and better music.

It's a cliffhanger! But sadly, I fear the creator may not be finishing the tale anytime soon:

MARCH 2010: well i think it will take long since i've been using my moms laptop everything in her profile has been earased but dont worry i am going to continue when i have spare time and also wilson is not the person who killed felicia well u have to find out its not wilson because wilsons babymouse bestfriend he would never turn on her well i will start the part2

BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON reviewed in UNSHELVED

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:47:00 +0000

The UNSHELVED Book Club is running a cute review of BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON. From Gigi, Age 8 (whose profile reads, "I'm eight. I like armadillos, comics, and video games. When I grow up I want to be a zoo keeper."):

Babymouse daydreams that Wilson is a butler about to serve her cupcakes. Then she wakes up and she finds herself in the cafeteria lunch line. Then she looks for a library book in her locker. She finally finds it and then a giant hand appears and takes the book from her hands. Then she walks into the library. Its her favorite place. Babymouse needs to get a book from a really high shelf. She grabs a pipe to stop from falling but then the pipe cracks and the whole library gets flooded. And then there is a fundraiser. Everyone sells cupcakes to fix the library and replace the books.

My favorite:

I'd give it to: My dad, who says the cupcakes at University Village are too expensive. (But they’re really good). I like Cupcake Royale, too.

O-hi-o!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:16:00 +0000

I spent last week in Upper Arlington, Ohio (a Columbus suburb). Buckeye country! The native Buckeyes were very kind to this Nittany Lion, though. I was welcomed to four different elementary schools in the district—Barrington, Windermere, Wickliffe, and Greensview. I was able to talk about Babymouse and Squish at each of the schools, and special treats awaited me at each one.

Barrington greeted me with a choral rendition of "This Is Babymouse." (I hope they post the video of the performance online; stay tuned.) At Windermere, I was accompanied in my presentations by ASL interpreters—who also had to, hilariously, help describe to me what some of the students wanted me to draw! Wickliffe Progressive kicked off the day with a whole-school assembly, replete with singing, "WELCOME" banners, and an opening speech by some of the kids.

And at Greensview, the principal kindly put his normal duties aside to escort me throughout the day (the librarian had an emergency and couldn't make it), including during a "meeting of the minds" luncheon with an essay-contest-winning student from each grade level.

The Upper Arlington News did a nice story on the visits:

Educators see many benefits to author-illustrator visits

Drawings hang in the Windermere Elementary School library with notes clinging off the edges that say things such as "I like Babymouse because she is funny," and "I like Babymouse because she day dreams and I do, too."

Students at Greensview and Wickliffe Progressive ask parents if they can have another copy of their favorite book so they can have it signed. They learn in class what kind of questions are appropriate to ask someone who, to them, is as famous as a movie star.

At Barrington students can barely sit still during math lesson because -- like Windermere, Greensview and Wickliffe -- they have a special guest coming to visit at any minute.

That special guest, and the reason for all the excitement, is Matt Holm, graphic artist for the popular children's book Babymouse....

Thanks, all, for the great visit!

BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON reviewed in Edmond Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:26:00 +0000

The Edmond, Okla., newspaper The Edmond Sun recently reviewed BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON:

Cupcakes and frosting and sprinkles! Oh my! The beloved Babymouse is back and she’s ready to hit the jackpot — BIG. In the latest installment of the graphic novel series by brother-and-sister team Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, everyone’s favorite mouse has returned for a new adventure that’s as hilarious as it is tasty....

Read the whole review at EdmondSun.com!

BABYMOUSE: THE MUSICAL ... As a Real Musical!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:06:00 +0000

Back in April, Jenni and I had the privilege of going to New York City to see a shake-down performance of a brand-new musical:

Yes, that's our very own BABYMOUSE on the left! Our book BABYMOUSE: THE MUSICAL is one of the mini-musicals included in Theatreworks USA's brand-new show, Duck for President/Fancy Nancy & Other Story Books (the show tours under both names). The production is now traveling the country, starting in the Northeast. Click on the links above to see when it's coming to a town near you!

You can also follow the company (the cast is different than the crew pictured above) on tour via Ethan Angelica's blog, Fancy Ducks. Ethan plays Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and this is his FIFTH tour with Theatreworks!

While I am admittedly biased, I think the show is hilarious. The basic premise is that a young boy doesn't want to read, and the books come to life in protest. The cast does about a zillion costume changes, as each member has to play a different character in each of the six mini-musicals: FANCY NANCY, DUCK FOR PRESIDENT, BABYMOUSE: THE MUSICAL, I HAVE TO GO!, LEONARDO, THE TERRIBLE MONSTER, and PIRATES DON'T CHANGE DIAPERS. Each one is loaded with laughs, and great fun for both kids and grown-ups. (In fact, my mother-in-law recently saw the show in Pittsburgh with one of her girlfriends--no kids in tow at all--and had a blast.)

Don't miss it!

BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON Reviewed by Parkersburg News and Sentinel

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:50:00 +0000

Amy Phelps of The Parkersburg (West Va.) News and Sentinel wrote a nice review of BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON:

Kids’ books focus on reading, mystery

The popular mouse is back in another black and white (and pink!) graphic novel, "Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon" by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm.

Babymouse lets her imagination run wild as she goes about her school day. There's Indiana Jones-like adventures in the library and dreams of a lordship and cupcakes in the cafeteria. When one of Babymouse's daydreams causes a school flood, Babymouse and the whole school must hold a fundraiser to replace the lost books. While previous fundraisers have been boring, this one is right up Babymouse's alley - cupcakes! And even better, there is a special prize for the person who sells the most cupcakes. But Babymouse finds it is hard to sell to neighbors when everyone else in the community is too. And her nemesis, Felicia, seems like she is going to be the winner. Will Babymouse come up with a winning idea or will Felicia sell the most?

A cute story that kids will relate to (it seems like there's always a school fundraiser somewhere) it's easy to see why Babymouse is so popular, with her sassy wit, great imagination and her relatability.

New comic strip collection out from BABYMOUSE author Matthew Holm

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:41:00 +0000

Some exciting news, folks. Thanks to the wonders of the modern e-book age, I have finally been able to collect and publish my comic strip series, MARTY GRAY, as an e-book!

It's already available for Kindle from Amazon, and hopefully the iTunes iBookstore will follow suit shortly (within the month, to judge by my last experience with them).

What is it? Well, in 1997, my creative partner Jon Follett and I were running an online humor magazine called Strange Voices. MARTY GRAY was the daily comic strip feature I drew. (I didn't even know there was a thing called "webcomics" back then. Perhaps there wasn't, yet.) It's the story of an alien chef who gets stranded on Earth, and has to find his way in the world.

A word of warning: It's not for kids. This is not Babymouse. It wasn't drawn with kids in mind as an audience, and there are some gags that, while they would fit in fine on prime time TV sitcoms, are out-of-bounds for daily newspaper comics pages.

Check it out! It's funny! It's cheap! ($1.99 on Kindle, $0.99 on iTunes, once they work it through their system. I would have made it $0.99 on Kindle, too, but $1.99 is Amazon's lowest price point.)

BABYMOUSE creator Matthew Holm at Vancouver, WA Barnes & Noble Oct. 12

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:29:00 +0000

Attention teachers and librarians:

Hi! And Thanks!

You can expect to hear a lot of things along those lines at Educator Appreciation Night at the Vancouver, Wash., Barnes & Noble on Tuesday, October 12:

Tuesday October 12, 2010
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Barnes & Noble
Vancouver Plaza
7700 NE 4th Plain Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98662
ph/ 360-253-9007

What's in store? Live cartooning, Q&A, signings of BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON, and more:

We celebrate all pre-K through fifth grade educators with goodie bags, treats, prizes, Babymouse author Matt Holm and graphic artist/publisher Darren Davis! Homeschoolers are also invited.

I hope to see you there! I'd appreciate it! (Okay. Bad jokes. Ignore that one.)

BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON reviewed at Comic Book Bin

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:29:00 +0000

A nice review of BABYMOUSE: CUPCAKE TYCOON over at the Comic Book Bin:

...THE LOWDOWN: Jennifer’s energetic, spry storytelling and Matthew’s cartoony comic book art make Babymouse one of the best children’s comic books being published today. It’s like an early elementary school version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Of the three I’ve read, Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon is the best in terms of problem solving and lesson learning. The narrator spars with Babymouse, who is constantly getting her comeuppance, and seeing the lead character getting her just desserts can be funny, as it certainly is here. This well-crafted kids’ graphic novel series keeps rolling, and this time it is as good as a cupcake.

Interview with BABYMOUSE creators Jenni and Matt Holm at SUVUDU.com!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:16:00 +0000

Jenni and I recently spoke with SUVUDU.com.

Listen in as we talk about working on BABYMOUSE and what fun things are coming up in the future! (HINT: It's slimy and green.)