SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

January 19, 2016 by Travis Jonker

Cover Reveal: PIRASAURS! by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Michael Slack

January 19, 2016 by Travis Jonker   10 comments

If someone did a Best Read-Alouds of 2015 list (man, why didn’t I do that list?) Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast would have been on my list. That book was written by Josh Funk. Now Josh has a new book on the horizon (with illustrator Michael Slack) and I’m pleased to share a first look at the cover today. Take it away guys!

Josh: Nearly 3 years ago, in a pitch black room, in the middle of the night, I woke up and wrote the single most important text message of my life containing one silly word:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Pirasaurs.

I sent this text to myself because I was an inexperienced writer who hadn’t yet learned the importance of keeping a pen and paper on my bedside table. A few months, several drafts, and some magically fortunate circumstances later, this manuscript ended up on the desk of one of Scholastic’s most talented editors.

Michael: When Scholastic approached me to illustrate Pirasaurs!, they described the book as  “a rambunctious, laugh-out-loud story featuring dinosaurs that are also pirates,” it sounded like a perfect match. The manuscript brought so many fun visual ideas to mind, it was easy to say yes. While I was reading the manuscript the wild rumpus sequence from Where the Wild Things Are came to mind. The small main character interacting with huge, menacing creatures on the confined space of the page creates a wonderful visual tension. I wanted the illustrations of Pirasaurs! to have a similar tone.

Josh: For nearly every story I write, one of my intentions is that it will be something fun to see illustrated. And Michael’s illustrations have always been fun to the core. But he’s outdone himself with Pirasaurs! – it’s action packed with buccaneering beasts, treacherous treasure hunts, mutiny, and more – what I hope will make a great read aloud.

Michael: I did more sketches for Pirasaurs! than I usually do.  Mainly because it was so much fun to draw pages and pages of different types of dinosaurs in goofy hats, wielding swords. Ultimately I ended up with source material for three versions of the dummy.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Josh: Well, that material Michael came up with will blow you out of the water. He added an entire subplot that was never in the text – but frankly, I can’t imagine the book without it.

Michael: A challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable part of the process for the book was creating the visual sub-plot that carries through the story. There are many visual details that readers can discover over multiple readings.

Josh: Even just on the cover! Captain Rex has a Peg-Tail! And I seriously want a t-shirt with that dino-skull and cross bones. But never mind me, check it out for yourselves!

Pirasaurs! will be published by Scholastic August 30, 2016.

Pirasaurs!

From the Publisher:

They’re pirates. They’re dinosaurs? They’re Pirasaurs!

We’re Pirasaurs!
We’re Pirasaurs!
We rule the open seas!
We’ll cannon-blast you to the past!
We do just what we please!

Meet the Pirasaurs, a ragtag team of seasoned pirate dinosaurs looking for adventure and treasure! There’s fearsome Captain Rex, golden-toothed Velocimate, one-eyed Bronto Beard, and more fearsome, buccaneering beasts….as well as one new recruit who may be small, but who’s eager to prove he can learn the ropes and find his place on the team. But when a trap is set upon the Pirasaurs while looking for buried treasure, it’s up to the littlest recruit to show the team that there’s more to a Pirasaur than meets the eye patch!

Josh Funk is the author of Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, as well as the forthcoming picture books Dear Dragon (Viking/Penguin 2016) and more.

Michael Slack is the author/illustrator of Monkey Truck, Elecopter, WAZDOT? and the forthcoming picture books Bunny Built (Henry Holt 2017) and Shorty & Clem (Harper-Collins 2017).

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2023

Notes on January 2023

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

Your 2023 Caldecott Comment Card

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

Who's Published the Most Newbery Winners in the Last 25 Years?

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

2023 Caldecott Medal Predictions

by Travis Jonker

January 2023

The Ten Most Eye-Opening Caldecott Books of All Time

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Haley Newsome on Unfamiliar | Interview

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

15 Short & Sweet Love Stories for Tweens and Teens

4 Middle Grade & YA Nonfiction Titles to Help Heal the World

Looking for a Book to Read Aloud? These Classics Made the Hall of Fame.

Three Picture Books to Celebrate Black History

24 Audiobooks To Encourage Ongoing Activism and Social Justice

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emma Otheguy says

    January 19, 2016 at 7:52 am

    Josh, essential question: when will the book be out? Looking forward to seeing it on the shelves!

  2. Josh Funk says

    January 19, 2016 at 8:05 am

    Emma, official release date is August 30th, 2016. Rawrgh!!

  3. Joanne Sher says

    January 19, 2016 at 9:36 am

    This looks FABULOUS! Can’t wait (but I have to! POUT) to get it!

  4. Juliana Lee says

    January 19, 2016 at 9:55 am

    What did one Piarasaur say to the other?
    ARRawgh you ready for Aug 30th?

  5. Annette Rochelle Aben says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:03 am

    Delightful! Am looking forward to this book’s release. Well done.

  6. Katey Howes says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:09 am

    The peg-tail! Hilarious! Congrats on what looks to be another exceptionally enjoyable book!

  7. Leandra Wallace says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:30 am

    Love it! And more importantly, my kidlet would too. =) Looking forward to another Funk pb!

  8. Carrie Charley Brown says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:55 am

    Such talent all around! Congrats Josh and Michael!

  9. Leslie Bulion says

    January 19, 2016 at 11:01 am

    WOW! Everything about this book–the verse, the artwork, the ideas, a subplot=F.U.N.!!! Congratulations to both Josh and Michael for PIRASAURS!

  10. Kell Andrews says

    January 19, 2016 at 2:17 pm

    Yay Josh and MIchael! This looks fantastic — I expect big things for this book.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023