{"id":7027687,"date":"2026-08-05T00:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T00:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/uncategorized\/introducing-the-bigfoot-dodo-series\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T00:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T00:54:14","slug":"introducing-the-bigfoot-dodo-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=7027687","title":{"rendered":"INTRODUCING . . . the \u201cBigfoot & Dodo\u201d Series!"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Books take forever and the waiting is *not* the hardest part.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>Just for fun, Audrey Vernick and I started writing together about 10 years ago \u2014 we bonded over our love of James Marshall\u2019s \u201cGeorge and Martha\u201d books. We worked on and off and, though we finished more than a dozen stories, never succeeded in getting anything published. Sometimes we took breaks; sometimes we got newly energized, moving in unexpected directions. We laughed and learned as we went. About our craft and about each other. And after a long while, it became clear we\u2019d probably never get anything published together. Just wasn\u2019t in the cards. And it truly didn\u2019t matter. Because in the process, we became really good friends. I\u2019m crazy about Audrey & grateful she puts up with me.<\/strong><\/div>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
And then one day, out of the blue, we were offered a three-book contract in a new format for us, a marriage between an early reader and a graphic novel. The first book comes out in February, the day after my 66th birthday. It is hilariously illustrated by Jo\u00eblle Dreidemy<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, who is exactly the French punk-rock illustrator our project needed.<\/strong><\/div>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

As Basho wisely wrote, \u201cThe journey itself is home.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The journey has been more than enough. We never needed to \u201cget there.\u201d There will be no massive paychecks. But I\u2019m so glad we\u2019ll get a few books out of the trip!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

OFFICIAL INFO ABOUT THE TITLES from Simon & Schuster . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>>> Star Chapter Books are the perfect bridge for kids moving beyond beginning readers but not yet ready for longer chapter books. With short chapters, bold two-color illustrations, and fast-paced, funny stories, these confidence-building books make reading fun and rewarding.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Meet Bigfoot, a real-live bigfoot! Meet Dodo, a real-live dodo bird. That\u2019s right\u2014two creatures thought not to exist!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But these two kooky characters make for a daffy and delightful duo who discover the only way to feed their endless love of cupcakes is to find gainful employment, a.k.a. a job! Who will ever hire this hairbrained pair?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Each Star Chapter Book is 112 pages long, divided into six to eight short chapters with illustrated panels on every page to keep kids engaged from start to finish. This highly visual early chapter book format supports the transition from leveled readers to chapter books, making Star Chapter Books a perfect fit for independent reading, classroom libraries, or shared story time.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Discover more from James Preller’s Blog<\/h3>\n

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Books take forever and the waiting is *not* the hardest part. \u2013 Just for fun, Audrey Vernick and I started writing together about 10 years ago \u2014 we bonded over our love of James Marshall\u2019s \u201cGeorge and Martha\u201d books. We worked on and off and, though we finished more than a dozen stories, never succeeded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7027688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[191443,191478,191442,191444,191479,191446,191480,191481,98462,191482,191483],"tags":[2943,68851,13032,1297],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7027687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audrey-vernick","category-basho","category-bigfoot-dodo","category-bigfoot-and-dodo","category-james-preller-on-co-writing","category-joelle-dreidemy","category-star-chapter-books","category-the-journey-itself-is-home","category-the-writing-process","category-together-at-last","category-writing-with-a-partner","tag-bigfoot","tag-dodo","tag-introducing","tag-series"],"yoast_head":"\nINTRODUCING . . . the \u201cBigfoot & Dodo\u201d Series! - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=7027687\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"INTRODUCING . . . the \u201cBigfoot & Dodo\u201d Series! - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Books take forever and the waiting is *not* the hardest part. \u2013 Just for fun, Audrey Vernick and I started writing together about 10 years ago \u2014 we bonded over our love of James Marshall\u2019s \u201cGeorge and Martha\u201d books. 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