In another Back to the Basics (and Board Books) or BB(BB) episode, Mike and David dish on one of David's favorites, Each Peach Pear Plum. Mike's opinion? "It's one of David's favorites."

Why did David like it so much? Is it the nursery rhyme characters or lots of neat "I spy" details that David certainly noticed when he read it to his girls? Or is it, that it's illustrated in his favorite art medium/media: black ink with watercolors! You'll have to listen to find out.

The Dads also discuss what makes a classic? While this book is older than their daughters, it's younger than they are. Weigh in if you'd like.

If you liked this episode, you’ll love these!

The Giving Tree: Dads on Books Origin Story and becuase Mike and Kim are genereux
Warrior Cats: Into the Maps, the maps...
Mrs. McTats and Her House Full of Cats: a pastoral in pen and watercolor

Olivia Helps with Christmasbecause... see The Giving Tree above

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love?

Email us at dadsonbooks@gmail.com

zAnd now part two of our talk with Alan Katz, author, poet, father, and really awesome guy.

There's more jokes and what if we talked a poem called, "What If" and fun stories about about legal name changes and identity confusion with other writer. (Don't worry, no one got hurt)

Alan shares more of his writing rules inlcuding (but not limited to) "Everything you do, any job you pick, is going to involve wriitng." and "Keep creating. Keep being funny." And so much more!

Speaking of funny, Alan, Mike, and David all tell funny dad jokes as they are funny dads.

To buy some of Alan's books check out (see what we did there?):

Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs
S.O.S.: Society of Substitutes

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

Alan Katz part one

Pinkalicious!!! by Alan's dear dear friend Victoria Kann
Our first Dan Guest: Dan Gutman Part One and Part Two
And our second Dan Guest: Dan Yaccarino parte uno and parte due
Our third Dan—Chris guest: Chris Grabenstein Part One and Part Two

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

Thanks for indulging our April Fool's Day episode. Now back to the real stuff with the real Alan Katz, author of 1 or 2 or 52 books, and, to quote Alan, "twelve of them are good." We disagree. The other 40 R2.

There's lots of jokes, especially, "What does this doodad do, Dad?"—the ultimate dad joke!!—lots of laughing, but—SPOILER ALERT!!—some deep stuff too. Alan shares some of his writing rules the most important of which is: Rule #1.

Oh, you wanna know what it is? OK. "I will never make a joke at the expense of someone. Kindness come first." You’ll have to listen to get more!

We do actually talk about a lot of his silly, funny, and awesome books including the SOS series, his Lieographies, Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, The Day the Mustache Took Over.

So much fun this is only part one!!

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

Pinkalicious!!! by Alan's dear dear friend Victoria Kann
Our first Dan Guest: Dan Gutman Part One and Part Two
And our second Dan Guest: Dan Yaccarino parte uno and parte due
Our third Dan—Chris guest: Chris Grabenstein Part One and Part Two

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

WHOLEY COW, BATMAN! THIS COW SMELLS LIKE...

Fill in the blank for a chance to be live with Clean Slate Dave.... & Mike.

Ut oh... Spagetios???OMG]]

OMG.. is this for realsies????

We are fresh off a St. Patrick's Day Eve recording of The Day the Crayons Quit in our first episode where Mike and David are in the same continent in the same state in the same city in the same house in the same room in the same chair—Okay, wait. That's a little weird. There were two chairs and two Dads, but one room. And many, many, many...many crayons. (And some more crayons.) And definitely check out our video because if you like listening to Mike and David, you’ll love watching them!

It's one of our few mehpisodes, actually, the 'sode is good. Great, even. The book, it's well...go ahead and listen/watch and you'll find out.

But still a lot of fun: There are colors and craziness and crayons and ons and ons. There's even color commentary. David and/or Mike wax poetic. We even unwrap a mystery--or maybe a crayon? Or two? But there's no quitting. Are you quitting? There's no quitting. There's no quitting in baseball. There's no quitting in BASEBALL.

We start talking about the book early: only a minute and 30 seconds in! But don't worry, we get off to our normal hijinks, tangents, and other offshoots.

And the first color that we feature? Wait for it. It's a fun one! Beige. Beige? Beige.Yes. And beige is proud.

We talked about potential sponsors from Morningstar to Mars and to, of course, Crayola Crayons. We also talk about the past. Past Super Bowl—er The Big Game (Not one of our sponsors. Yet) parties. Girlfriends from way back and wives from way forward. We even get to the bottom of the Crayola crayon hyphen thing. Is Blue-green bluer or greener? Listen, and you'll find out.

Even better, watch YouTube link here.

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books
Talking Animals Books
River Forest Public Library
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

This episode has it all! Stripes: the two dads read about them, they talk about them, David even wears them. There are specialists, experts, the carnival outside Camilla's house replete with news, people, hotdog, vendors, and other shenanigans, chicanery, tomfoolery and silly high jinks.

Warning: there is some darkness, and a touch of "the scary," but the story is so much fun and the art is beautiful, and filled with so many details that you discover more each time you return to the book.

And speaking of returning to the book, Mike and David don't digress at all and stay completely focused. Laser, I tell you! Just kidding. Digressions, tangents, and stories abound!

Check it out.

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

For some darkness on the edge of town check out our first episode: The Giving Tree
Want to read a similar tale of color change? Read Pinkalicious
Mike whispers, "Hush!" so read Good Night Moon
A mention of one of our favorite stories from history: Ruby Bridges
And there are some references to out Stinky bookends with Stinky-themed books with our Chris Grabenstein episodes 1 and 2

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books
Talking Animals Books
River Forest Public Library
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

We had so much fun with Chris Grabenstein, we had to split it in to two parts! Chris regales us with tales from his book The Crossroads, and how he can tell a story in 35 words. He talks about his “yes and life“ and how he deals with the “mad magazine voice" in his head“ that led him to a career in radio where he got to be wacky and crazy and learned from his good friend Jim Patterson to "throw a pie in their face and once you have their attention, say something smart.”

Chris explains that “fiction is a tool for empathy because you become somebody else for 300 pages and say, ‘wow that’s what their life is like.’”

We continue our discussion of Chris’s most recent release Ms. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest, including that it’s one of the most surprise endings of any of his books. But don't worry: no spoiler alerts here. We took the Ms. Pennypickle Pledge that we solemnly swear to not tell ANYTHING about the ending.

Stay tuned for when Chris will back in the fall for the release of not one, not two, but three new books: Ms. Pennypickle's Remarkable Road Race, Mr. Lemoncello‘s Wondermous Christmas Gift, and Stinking Beauty by J.J. & Chris, art by Alex Patrick.

As an added bonus, Chris calls David and Mike his “improv buddies.” And they couldn’t be prouder, happier, or even funnier.

Buy Chris's books. Right now. What are you waiting for?
The Crossroads, Mrs. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest, Stinky Sories: Jack and the Beanstink

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

Our first Dan Guest: Dan Gutman Part One and Part Two
And our second Dan Guest: Dan Yaccarino parte uno and parte due

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books
Talking Animals Books
River Forest Public Library
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

DoB welcomes our third author and first non-daughter, non-Dan guest! None other than the perfectly paraphrasing prosaist of Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest multiple award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein.

We get to the bottom of the meaning and pronunciation of his name (nom de plume); how he writes; and how his writing was influenced by his experience in improv (back when he was Chris “The Banker” Grabenstein, chilling with Bruce “The Bartender” Willis and Robin "Yes, THAT one" Williams), radio, the ad game, and even banking (a guy's gotta eat).

Chris loves alliteration, imagination, and collaboration with authors like James Patterson, the G. T. Carber, and even his very own wife JJ. who is best first read and unofficial editor.

We talk about Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest, and many of his other books, including The Island of Dr. Libris, Shine, The Crossroads, Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, Murdle Jr.: Sleuths on the Loose, Stinky's Stories#2: Jack and the Beanstink, and The Smartest Kid in the Universe. Why so many books? Because Chris writes a lot, and we love his books a lot, and because we are Dads on Books. It's what we do.

And that’s just in this episode! Stay tuned for part two next week!

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

Our first Dan Guest: Dan Gutman Part One and Part Two
And our second Dan Guest: Dan Yaccarino parte uno and parte due

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

A House with Books
Talking Animals Books
River Forest Public Library
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library