Thursday, October 09, 2008

Trick or Treat!!!

I love Halloween night in my neighborhood. I love watching the little ghosts and frogs and cheerleaders skittering down the road with their pumplins full of candy and treats. I love the goblins and the monsters. And this year, I've met the cutest little monster ever, named Trockle. Here he is:


Trockle is the creation of Holly Jahangiri (author) and Jordan M. Vinyard (illustrator), and can be purchased from 4RV Publishing. The little monster is in the middle of his Trick or Treat tour, and I am excited that he has agreed to stop by here today!! To help him feel at home, I'm providing him with some of his favorite foods:










Eat up, Trockle!

Hey, there are prizes at this party!!! See information on what you can win and how you can enter after my review of the book below.


Stephen is a little boy who, like every child I've known, occasionally has trouble at bedtime. In the dark and quiet of night, a child's imagination has much room to work, and Stephen is certain that there is a monster under his bed. Despite his mother's assurance that the monster repellent spray she used under his bed would rid his room of any creepy crawlies, he insists that the monster is there nonetheless.
We are then taken to that other world: the world beneath Stephen's bed. And lo and behold, we find that there is indeed a monster living there. This isn't the monster that children fear, however. We learn that Trockle is as afraid of Stephen as Stephen is of him. Trockle's mother comforts her little monster while lovingly convincing him that the little boy above his bed is nothing to be afraid of.

My children have always loved books. They are older now (9 and 12) and love science fiction and fantasy, and stories about dragons. When they were little, they loved all kinds of books, but would always have those select favorites that I would read to them at night - every night. Trockle would have been one of their favorites if it had been around back then. The illustrations are big and bright and fun. Trockle is fun - especially when he describes the things about Stephen that scare him. The story will be a comfort to children with active imaginations and who have their own monsters under their beds.

One of the things that I appreciate as an adult is the message of tolerance in this book. Here you have a human boy and a little monster who live in different worlds but must cope with the idea of something strange living so close to them. Isn't it almost always the case that our imagined fears are worse than reality? Once we have been thoroughly introduced to both Stephen and Trockle, we find out that despite the obvious differences (one eye versus two, clean and cozy sheets versus a smelly old gym sock, sticky dirty hands versus neatly trimmed green pointy fingernails), the two have more in common than either of them would guess. If we would all take the time to learn about those who are different than we are, I imagine we would be surprised at the number of connections that are there.



So let's celebrate with Trockle and Stephen! Join the party!
There are prizes! Here is information on the prizes and how you can enter the contest:



Grand Prize: A customized Halloween short story featuring your child (or grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend) with Trockle - written by Holly Jahangiri and illustrated by Jordan Vinyard.
(Note from me: I think this is SO COOL!!!!)

Second Prize: A $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

To enter, complete the following steps:
(1) Purchase a copy of Trockle directly from 4RV Publishing between 12:00 AM October 5 and 11:59 PM October 13, and

(2) Send an email to president@4rvpublishingllc.com with your answer to the question posted at Holly's blog.

You may enter as often as you like, but all completed entries must be received before midnight on October 13!

Winners will be announced at http://blog.jahangiri.us and at http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com.

The winners will be chosen randomly from all correctly completed entries (see "To enter" above) and winners will be notified by email.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Grand Prize winner will need to work directly with the author and illustrator to create a memorable gift for that special child. To include the child's likeness in the illustration, you will need to provide a digital photo upon notification that you have won. Every effort will be made to deliver the prize prior to Halloween, but circumstances beyond our control may prevent that and we do not guarantee that it will arrive by October 31.


Time to bring out the desserts. Trockle and Stephen, you should ask your moms if you can have some first. Everyone else enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!!!! Trockle will be here all day today. Leave any questions for him (or for Holly) in my comments...


19 comments:

Trockle said...

Auntie Jen!!! Brussels sprouts and broccoli!?! YIPEEEEEEE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!


Um, sorry, Mom, may I please? Pretty please? If I promise to lick Stephen's Choco-Taco wrapper clean when I'm done?

Stephen said...

I can't believe you LIKE Brussels sprouts, Trockle!

Thanks, Aunt Jen! It all looks yummy. Even the veggies - they're so fresh and crunchy!

Mom, may I have the candy corn and the Choco-Taco, if I promise to have a bite of broccoli first, brush afterwards, and leave some candy for Trockle?

Anonymous said...

Okay, you two - just don't eat so much or so fast you get a tummy ache. And Trockle Pie, don't blame me if your skin's yellow and smooth tomorrow!

Good morning, Jen. You've really outdone yourself. The boys are SO excited, they're just bouncing off the walls. (Well, don't mind Stephen cringing over there every time he passes the Brussels sprouts.) We've been having a wonderful time, this week - well, a hair-raising good time, I should say, what with battling Internet gremlins and such. Quite exciting.

Kanga Jen said...

Yes, I've been on the watchout for those gremlins, what with happened at Carmen's bog yesterday!

Enjoy!! (And pass the brussels sprouts. Stephen, you don't know what you're missing!)

Artistjv said...

Jen,
What wonderful comments and observations you made about Trockle and the idea of tolerance. Holly did such a great job of portraying that idea.

By the way--all of your pictures made me hungry, and unfortunately I think I would lean toward that choco-taco!!!

Holly Jahangiri said...

Good morning, Jordan! How's my favorite illustrator, artist, and mural painter this morning? Arms tired, yet?

I'll arm-wrestle ya for the Choco-Taco!

Anonymous said...

Just reading the comments about the book makes me want to get it for my kids...although they are older...13 & 11...I think they would still LOVE it.

I think I have to agree with Stephen about the brussel sprouts though...yuck. :-)

Joyce Anthony said...

What a wonderful post!!! My son is nearly 16, so he's past Trockle (no such luck with Mama--I love that little one!!) but it is just the kind of book he would have loved when younger. It fits right in with The Giving Tree and Guess How Much I Love You.

Stephen, have you heard of "no thank you" portions?? This is where you may not like something, but will put, say one brussel sprout on your plate and eat it to show your appreciation :-) You may discover you actually like something!! (I even do that with yucky beets--and I'll NEVER like them!)

elysabeth said...

Ms. Jen,

You have done a wonderful posting and review of Trockle. I'll take some candy corn, but have a new kind I like better. Have you tried the caramel apple candy corn? Smells just like a real caramel apple, and at first eating tastes like one too. After you eat them too much, they tend to be just like all other candy corn.

Stephen, don't feel bad, Ms. E doesn't like brussel sprouts either, so I'll just pass them all on to Trockle.

If you had some cheese to put over the broccoli, it wouldn't be too bad but by itself, not a big fan of it.

Can't wait until Trockle comes to my blog tomorrow. We have a special surprise for the readers and those who leave comments on the blog. See you all in the postings - E :)

Vivian Zabel said...

A very interesting and fun visit with Trockle and Stephen.

Good insight into the underlying theme of the book. Even if Holly didn't consciously insert the message of tolerance, it's there.

Rena Jones said...

Okay, posting the broccoli was cool. But posting the pic of the ChocoTaco was cruel! You're evil, you know! ;) Now I have to go get one. LOLOL!

Trockle is such a cute book. My boys & I read it last week. We do fun themed weeks at school during October and I might include something Trockle-related for a Monster Week soon. :)

Vivian Zabel said...

Refreshments are always nice, but virtual ones have no calories or, uh, much flavor. *laugh*

I sent a copy of Trockle and a Trockle t-shirt to one of my grandsons for his third birthday. He had my daughter call me so he could tell me, "Love Trockle book. Love Trockle book." Now every night someone has to read it to him before he'll go to sleep, and he wants to wear his t-shirt all the time.

Trockle is lovable and attracts children of all ages, even great-granny.

Kanga Jen said...

Hi all!! So glad you're enjoying the party. There's PLENTY of food so don't skimp. Rena, Vivian is right - these choco-tacos are totally guilt-free. :-)

One apology to Cameron. I called you Carmen. I KNEW your name was Cameron, and that's what I was reciting in my head as I was typing my message this morning, but "Carmen" came out. Can I blame it on the gremlins, too?

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

A super review for a super book. Thanks.

Beverly

Holly Jahangiri said...

Thanks SO much, Jen, for having us here today - a lot of people have mentioned to me how much they enjoyed it, and I am just stuffed to the gills on Choco-Tacos and candy corn. Poor little Trockle's skin is as smooth as a baby's behind (HUMAN teens, take note - veggies are good IF you want smooth skin! Not so good if you want bumpy, orange skin). We had a lovely time today.

Kanga Jen said...

Absolutely!!! It was so nice having you here. The guests were so nice - thank you all for coming!

I especially thank Stephen and Trockle for sharing their stories with us.

(Holly, you're the best!!!!)

Holly Jahangiri said...

::blush:: Mutual admiration society here...

We had fun! (You're the best, Jen!)

Holly Jahangiri said...

Trockle wants to know if Fretta can come out and play?

Kanga Jen said...

Sure thing, Trockle. Keep her busy for a while, ok? ;-)