Pirate & Penguin by Mike Allegra
ABOUT THE BOOK
What happens when a pirate, hoping for a parrot, stumbles upon
a bird of a duller plumage?
Pirate doesn’t know that Penguin is a penguin. But any bird
can sit on a shoulder and squawk “shiver me timbers”…right?
Laugh along with Pirate and Penguin in this high seas tale
of mistaken identity and find out whether they’ll find friendship before
somebody walks the plank.
Where did the idea
for Pirate & Penguin come from?
Pirate & Penguin came about because I had always wanted
to write an all-dialogue picture book and, well, pirate-speak is the funniest
kind of dialogue there is.
The big question I had for myself was who would my pirate
talk to? A pirate talking to another pirate seemed like too much of a good
thing. I’ve seen a bunch of books where pirates interacted with kids, so that
was out. And a pirate talking to a parrot seemed a bit too cliché.
I wanted my pairing to be weird and unexpected, so I started
playing around with parrot substitutes. I briefly contemplated a flamingo and a
dodo before settling on a penguin (which is pretty much the opposite of a parrot
and, therefore, perfect).
Once I finally figured out my dynamic duo, the jokes roared
in like a tidal wave. Seriously, I had too much comic material to work with. It
was a blast!
When did you decide
you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to tell stories for as long as I can remember,
but I think what made me really want to be a writer was when I was six; that
was the year I discovered my dad’s electric typewriter. And what a discovery it
was! Not only could I tell stories, but also, I could make a lot of noise while
doing so! (Six-year-old me liked making noise almost as much as I liked telling
stories.)
If you were not an
author, what job would you want?
Probably a bookseller. If I couldn’t write, at least I could
regularly read the writings of others.
What do you love most
about writing children’s books?
Writing for kids is wonderful, as it gives me an opportunity
to explore the silly side of my creative spirit. Would a publisher ever want an
adult novel featuring a guinea pig the size of a mastodon? Or a dragon who
likes to knit booties? Or a capybara who cuddles a caiman? Or a tooth fairy
with dentures made from piano keys?
Probably not.
But I wrote about all those things in my children’s
books—and it was so much fun! And, more importantly, my readers have fun, too!
Do you have any pets?
I do. I have two gerbils named Dusty and Oreo. I’ve had many
gerbils over the years. Gerbils are great pets. They’re adorable, playful,
curious, and whip smart.
That said, Dusty and Oreo are, without question, the dumbest
gerbils I’ve ever met. They have this daily habit of burying their food bowl
and forgetting that it exists. They just sit there, hungry, wondering if I’ll
ever feed them again. When I dig out their bowl, they are elated by the new
discovery and happily gorge themselves. Five minutes later, however, the bowl
is buried again. Five minutes after that, they forget the food bowl exists.
It's a bit maddening. But, oh, how I love them.
Do you receive emails
or letters from your readers? If so, what one was the most memorable?
I don’t get too many letters or emails from readers. Once,
however, I received a drawing from a young fan—a picture of a farting frog. It
was a peculiar gift, but not an unwelcome one.
What are some of your
favorite hobbies?
I love to masochistically labor over Friday’s New York Times
crossword puzzle. I also like Sudoku. I’ll doodle cartoons whenever a piece of
blank paper is put in front of me. I’m an avid reader and am obsessed with
movies.
More recently I’ve been getting into gardening, but that
might just be a phase.
What recommendations
do you have for aspiring authors?
The best advice I can give an aspiring author is: Don’t give
up!
Anybody who pursues a career in writing needs to cultivate a
very thick skin. Rejections are constant. Despite anyone’s best efforts, you
can’t avoid rejection; all you can do is develop a healthy way to deal with it.
I see a lot of aspiring writers take rejections personally,
but they shouldn’t. A rejection doesn’t mean your work sucks, it can often mean
that your work just wasn’t the right project for this particular reader at this
particular point in time.
Before I got my first book contract, I received 114
rejections. If I had given up at any point during that painful, years-long wave
of unbridled negativity, I wouldn’t have any books out today.
Next year I’ll publish my 18th book—but I still get rejections.
Lots of them!
So stick it out! Keep writing. Keep improving. Keep
submitting.
I’m rooting for you.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for the
chance to win a three-book prize pack, including Pirate & Penguin!
Pirate & Penguin Book Giveaway
One (1) grand prize
winner receives:
A hardcover copy of Pirate & Penguin
A hardcover copy of Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles
A hardcover copy of Hornswoggled
Two buttons
Four (4) winners receive:
A hardcover copy of Pirate & Penguin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Allegra sailed into uncharted writing waters to create
an all-dialogue story with an unexpected pirate character: a little dotty,
well-meaning, and unusually patient (anyone would snap if a penguin trashed
their ship and spit out their cracker). He’s written a number of other books
for children, including Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles (Page Street Kids) and
Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist (Sourcebooks). He also works as an editor and
a creative writing teacher.
Visit his website at www.mikeallegra.com and say, "Ahoy"
https://www.instagram.com/mikeallegrawriterfellow/
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Jenn Harney had a blast creating the art for this story
because who doesn’t love pirates and penguins? Together at last! She’s
illustrated many other children’s books, including Hornswoggled! (Page Street
Kids), and even authored a couple as well. She lives in Ohio with her family
and their corgi named Steve.
Visit her online at www.jkharney.blogspot.com.
https://www.instagram.com/jennharknee/
https://twitter.com/jennharknee
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