The Three Cabritos
The Three Cabritos-three musical goats-want to go to a fiesta in Mexico. To get there they have to cross the bridge. Their mother doesn’t like that at all. Chupacabra, the Goat Sucker, lurks beneath that bridge. If Chupacabra catches them, he will suck them dry as a dead cactus.
However, The Three Cabritos prove more than a match for Chupacabra, who discovers that he must dance to their tune.
Three Samurai Cats
A savage rat has taken over the lord’s castle. He needs a samurai cat, a fierce champion, to throw the rat out. Is ancient, sleepy, toothless, Neko Roshi the cat for the job?
This old story from Japan fits in well with the Jackie Chan martial arts movies that Regina Griffin, Eric’s editor, loves. It is hard to say who had a better time creating the book: Eric, Regina, or the artist Mordicai Gerstein, who created a wonderfully decrepit Neko Roshi.
Website of the Cracked Cookies
This is the sequel to the hit, Website of the Warped Wizard. Cyberpals Jessica and Matthew find themselves trapped in another computer game and end up having to save the universe from the perils of junk food, junk music, and junk TV. There’s no junk in this book. Watch for Jess and Matt on the Larry Zinger show!
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock
Anansi the Spider finds a mysterious rock with magic powers. He knows just how to use them to fool his friends. But Little Bush Deer knows how to turn the trick around to give Anansi just what he deserves.
This is the first of the four Anansi stories that Eric and his friend, artist Janet Stevens, have done together. Janet’s website is worth a visit. Go to www.janetstevens.com.
Anansi may not be anyone’s role model, but he sure is fun!
Anansi and the Magic Stick
Eric and Janet worked on this story for nine years before they got it right. Lazy Anansi is still up to his tricks. This time he steals a magic stick that can do all his work for him…if he remembers the magic words!
This is the fourth book about Anansi the Spider that Eric and Janet have done together.
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
A Hanukkah classic, with superb illustrations by acclaimed artist Trina Schart Hyman. Is Hershel of Ostropol clever enough to fool the King of the Goblins and save Hanukkah?
Eric considers this book to be one of the best he’s ever written. "I never liked most Hanukkah stories when I was growing up," he says. "They were dull. I thought I’d try to write a really good holiday story, one like A Christmas Carol. My grandma told wonderfully spooky stories. I wanted to write a story as creepy as one she might have told. Who knows? Maybe she was nearby somehow, giving me ideas. It wouldn’t surprise me."
I Took My Frog to the Library
Bridgett enjoys bringing her animals to the school library. The trouble is, they won’t behave. What is she to do?
The idea for this story came in 1978 when Eric visited a school that had lots of pets in the library. He asked himself, "What if some zoo animals came to school?"
