Benny's Brigade, published by McSweeney's, Fall 2012. Written by Arthur Bradford and illustrated by me.
Hardcover, 48 pgs, with gold foil embossed cover and a dust jacket that folds out into a giant poster.
At recess one day, sisters Elsie and Theo spy a nut wiggling on the ground. Out pops Benny—the world’s smallest and most gentlemanly walrus. After the girls learn that Benny misses his home in the sea, they send him sailing in a milk-carton boat, along with a trusty band of adventure-seeking slugs. Together,Benny’s Brigade (as they call themselves) begin their voyage to a truck-sized island paradise, avoiding the salt water as much as they can. Slugs don’t like salt.
Selected Press and Quotes:
McSweeney's Q&A - Read an adorable interview with me and Arthur Bradford's kids (the inspiration for the little girls in this book)!
"Tiny walruses in nutshells, talking slugs — what’s not to like? If your kids like to giggle at really weird stories, Benny’s Brigade will be right up their alley."
—Johnathan H. Liu, Wired.com's GeekDad
"Exuberant...imaginative."—USA Today's Pop Candy blog
"No surprise here, [McSweeney's McMullens] books so far have been every bit as unusual — and beautifully produced — as those on McSweeney’s adult list. Take, for example, Benny’s Brigade, an oversized picture book about two little girls and a veritable menagerie of everyday insects, garden critters and rural animals that morph into a fantastical collection of colourful creatures apparently brought to life by a child’s powers of observation."
—The Montreal Gazette