Broom, Zoom!: Booklist review

I am very grateful to Randall Enos for this recent review of Broom, Zoom!
[...] The economical text, with an average of about two words per page, coupled with minimalist illustrations featuring only the appealing duo, a few props,and vast backgrounds filled with large swathes of color, makes this appropriate for the youngest of audiences. It's a beginning lesson in cooperation and sharing as well as an introduction to witches and monsters. [...]

Broom, Zoom!: Publishers Weekly review

A brief tussle between a girl witch and a green goblin over the use of a broom is neatly resolved in this short but absorbing story. The witch wears a too-long purple robe and a huge, pointy red hat; the goblin has ears that stick straight up and wears a diaper. Each page contains a line of monosyllabic dialogue that perfectly expresses their me-first desires. [...]

Cohen's (Everything Is Different at Nonna's House) text carries just the right degree of force, and Ruzzier (Hey, Rabbit!) uses line and color effectively in his drawings to convey the small world in which the witch and the goblin live. Readers will easily recognize themselves in this duo.

Broom, Zoom!: The Horn Book review

A little monster (the green, red-tailed kind) and a little witch (the pointy-hat kind) discover that sharing can be more satisfying than being selfish. [...]

Far from scary, the witch smiles sweetly and the monster wears a diaper. Words with recurring vowel sounds but different initial consonants (moon/broom, sky/fly) combine with sight vocabulary (I, want, need) to form increasingly sophisticated sentences that don't appear contrived. Bold shades of limited colors, including purple, gold, apple green, and red, also repeat, creating a gem for emergent readers in its self-contained simplicity. Betty Carter (The Horn Book, September-October 2010)

Broom, Zoom!: Kirkus review

 The first reviews are coming! Here's what Kirkus writes:

"Two friends briefly come into conflict and then resolve it in this sweet drama that is played out entirely in dialogue. Little Witch wants the broom; Little Monster needs the broom. “I want it and I need it!” insists Little Witch. “I need it now,” responds Little Monster, opening the door to reveal a spilled sack of flour. “Yikes!” says Little Witch, and, need established, she helps Little Monster sweep up. But the sky still beckons, and Little Witch still needs the broom—and off the two friends go into the night. Ruzzier frames this little play within simple compositions, allowing emotions plenty of room.

Little Witch wears a purple robe and giant, red pointy hat; Little Monster is a fetching, Martian green and, fittingly for this tale of peacemaking, wears a dhoti. Charming."

Broom, Zoom!

My new picture book Broom, Zoom! is now in bookstores. I wrote "my" because I did the illustrations for it, but the brilliant story was written by Caron Lee Cohen. It was published by Simon & Schuster and  designed by Laurent Linn.

Brooklyn Book Festival

Rabbit and I will be part of the fifth annual Brooklyn Book Festival, which will take place this fall, Sunday, September 12, 2010, in and around Borough Hall and Columbus Park.
It was very nice of them to invite us!

(By the way, we'll bring Amandina with us.)

Reading and signing at Greenlight

Greenlight is a new, great independent bookstore in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. This coming Saturday I'll be there reading and signing some of my books.

Here's what they write in their newsletter:

Story Time at Greenlight
Saturday, June 19, 10:30 AM
Sergio Ruzzier reads from Amandina and Hey Rabbit!
Award-winning Brooklyn author Sergio Ruzzier was born in Milan, Italy. In addition to working for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, he is an author and illustrator of wonderful children's books!

His most recent books are Amandina, about a shy little dog who becomes a star, and Hey, Rabbit!, about a rabbit, a suitcase, and the generosity of friends.  Join us as Sergio reads from his new books at Greenlight, and make the acquaintance of another great Brooklyn illustrator.