Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sneak Peek: Episode 17 Goes Live Friday, May 7th

Latest Exquisite Corpse Adventure Episode Written by Susan Cooper

In our last episode of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure 16, by Kate DiCamillo, hunger had trumped caution as Joe and Genius Kelly, the pig, tore into the gingerbread house, stuffing their mouths with the so-so tasting exterior. Nancy screamed, "...haven't you ever heard of Hansel and Gretel?" Apparently not, for the two fell asleep from the drugged house, but not before Joe smelled meatballs and their enemy Boppo, the clown, appeared. Boppo proceeded to capture Roberta, the robot, and forced Nancy to listen to a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Toward the end, Boppo's narcolepsy kicked in. Nancy searched his pockets and, beside the usual clown paraphernalia, found Roberta's heart. Before they could celebrate, a shadow darkened the doorway of the house.

In Episode 17 by Susan Cooper, the shadow is revealed. Who is it? What do Nancy, Joe, and Roberta see in the crystal ball? What is the blaze of white light?

Read the Episode and see Chris Van Dusen's colorful illustrations at Read. gov!

Newbery winner, Susan Cooper knew she was fated to be a writer, "...when she found she was never going to be more than an OK pianist, and when she got over her crush on the physics teacher. Besides, she'd written her first book when she was 10." Fantasy lovers worldwide applaud Susan's decision to follow her destiny and write her stories.

Susan's novels and picture books can be found at your library or favorite book store. Be sure to look for Acting Out, a book of six one-act plays written by six Newbery Medalists.





To learn more about Susan Cooper, visit her website.

"Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey were my heroes," says author and illustrator, Chris Van Dusen. "I loved the rhythm of Dr. Seuss' words and I was fascinated by the meticulous details of Robert McCloskey's illustrations. I had no idea back then that I'd end up writing and illustrating children's books when I grew up."

Check the top right to see a crop of Chris' Episode 17 illustration You can find more examples of Chris' fun illustrations in Episode 1, Episode 5, Episode 9, and Episode 13.

Here are a few of Chris' works, including his latest, The Circus Ship.






Visit Chris' website for more informaton on his books and illustrations.

Enjoy the Episode!