Jody Jensen Shaffer is an award-winning poet and the author of more than 80 books of fiction and nonfiction for children. Her forthcoming books include CREEP, LEAP, CRUNCH! A FOOD CHAIN STORY (Knopf 2023), SOMETIMES I AM HOT LAVA (Beaming Books 2024), PORCUPINE HAD A FUZZY SWEATER (Magination Press 2024), and THE LAST DAY JULIAN WAS MY BEST FRIEND (Two Lions 2024), as well as A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK (Paulsen), a 2021-22 Iowa Goldfinch Award nominee, PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW (Godwin), finalist for the 2019-2020 Missouri Show Me Award and 2017 pick for the National Book Festival from Missouri, IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, BUSY BUS! (Beach Lane), an Amazon best seller, Book Box pick, and AmazonKids+ choice, EMERGENCY KITTENS!, and more. Jody has been published in magazines like Highlights, Ladybug, and Clubhouse Jr. She lives in Missouri with her family. You can find Jody online at jodyjensenshaffer.com and on Twitter @jodywrites4kids.
Reviews for recent books:
EMERGENCY KITTENS:
BookPage, January 2020
Emergency Kittens!
By Jody Jensen Shaffer, Dave Mottram / Doubleday / $17.99/ ISBN 9781984830081
Published 01/07/2020 / Ages 3 to 7/ Children's / Children's Picture
When life’s got you down and you’re in a tough spot, who you gonna call—Ghostbusters? Maybe Batman? Or perhaps Wonder Woman? No way. Make your appeal, instead, to the Emergency Kittens! Mimi, Twee-Twee and Adorbs are three dainty, dauntless, daredevil cats with starry eyes, colorful capes and a superpower purr that is totally irresistible.
Author Jody Jensen Shaffer (Prudence the Part-Time Cow) and illustrator Dave Mottram (Wordy Birdy) have teamed up to create a winning, child-pleasing combo: superheroes and fuzzy kittens. In this Batman-meets-Fluffy tale of rescue, the Emergency Kittens bound off the page and come out victorious.
When Sheldon’s basketball gets away from him at the playground, a group of kids nabs it and starts a game of keep-away. Nearby human superheroes show up in a flash and try their best to make things right. They move bulldozers, leap in the air and tie themselves in knots, but their efforts to obtain Sheldon’s ball are fruitless. If a half-dozen superheroes can’t help him, Sheldon wonders, who can?
Help soon arrives. Mimi, Twee-Twee and Adorbs pounce to the playground, rocking their soft fur and sparkly capes. They attempt their usual antics before opening their big eyes wide and purring their superpowered purrs. Who could resist? The mean kids play with the kittens and never notice Sheldon’s ball rolling back to him.
So the next time you drop your ice-cream cone, get a bad haircut or get stuck up a tree—have no fear. The Emergency Kittens will save the day!
A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK:
Kirkus Reviews--“Being small doesn’t mean you can’t have big goals! A pebble who feels like a boulder sets out to prove that little ones can accomplish great things in this quirky, suspenseful, pun-filled tale. . . . Rocky landscapes and stony surfaces are depicted with just the right amount of detail. . . . Young readers will root for this less-than-pint-sized hero while he makes the most of his own personal talents. . . . They will learn a bit about rock types and formations (factual information is included in the final notes). Replete with wry, comic references and infused with a sense of adventure, this is a lighthearted tale that readers will certainly not ‘take for granite.’”
Publishers Weekly--“Miyares paints Rocky on heavily textured paper, adding depth and richness to his spreads; saturated reds and purples contribute drama. It’s tough to cast a rock as a main character, but Shaffer comes up with lots of ways a rock can travel and uses every geological pun she can think of. Rock hounds and teachers doing earth science units are a natural audience.”
Booklist--“Miyares’ vivid illustrations, painted in watercolor and acrylics, give this story momentum—paneled sequences depict stages of Rocky’s journey—and reflect the grandeur of many of America’s geologic marvels. An afterword on rock types and formations creates a natural segue for discussions on geology or geography, while the encouraging message of dreaming big grounds the playful story."
School Library Journal--“Word play is peppered throughout the text. . . . The illustrations . . . depict amusing scenes of Rocky’s perilous journey and some impressive spreads of the majestic rock formations. This title may be a jumping-off point for a group discussion of perseverance in the face of obstacles as well as an introduction to famous rock formations.”
Praise for PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW:
Booklist: "...the ultimate message of valuing differences is a great one. This merry, animated picture book will have storytime listeners rolling in the aisles."
Publisher's Weekly: "Shaffer...creates a sympathetic outsider in Prudence, whose dedication to self-betterment—and the sciences—should resonate with any reader who feels pigeonholed or underappreciated."
Jen Robinson's Book Page: "Libraries looking for pro-STEM books, especially pro-STEM books with female characters, will definitely want to give Prudence the Part-Time Cow a look. Recommended!"
The Little Crooked Cottage: "Snappy text + humorous details in the illustrations + a message of individuality (with some girl... er... cow-power thrown in) = a satisfying read."
Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books: "This is an original take on a non-conforming cow, incorporating elements of peer-pressure and bullying, expressing individuality, and adding a dose of STEM topics into the mix. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Prudence and her herd are cows you'll want to meet."
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