Shorty & Clem

by Michael Slack, Michael Slack (Illustrator)

Overview

The creator of the award-winning app Scruffy Kitty, Michael Slack, brings young readers a fresh, dynamic duo: an energetic dinosaur and a cranky but loving bird who both pack lots of silly noises and fuzzy surprises in this vibrantly illustrated friendship story.

Meet Shorty & Clem! Shorty is a really short dinosaur. A shortysaurus, to be exact. Clem is a blue quail. A quail is some kind of bird.

While Clem is out, a package arrives at the door with his name on it. Shorty gets super excited and finds the box irresistible. What’s inside? A race car…trampoline…bongos…monkeys? He REALLY wants to open it but, he knows that it’s Clem’s. Should he open the box? Of course not! Instead, he jumps on it like a trampoline—THUMP!—and bangs on it like a drum—BOOM BADA BOOM!—until he finally opens it. That’s when Clem comes home. Shorty is sure he’s done something terrible, but Clem proves to him that best friends are the best surprises of all!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062421586
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michael Slack has written and illustrated Shorty & Clem, Monkey Truck, Wazdot?, and Elecopter. He is also the illustrator of the popular Nugget & Fang by Tammi Sauer. At home in the Bay Area, Michael enjoys making art, designing characters, and creating books. He has also produced board games, card games, 100-piece puzzles, and the award-winning app Scruffy Kitty. Find him at www.slackart.com.

Michael Slack has written and illustrated Shorty & Clem, Monkey Truck, Wazdot?, and Elecopter. He is also the illustrator of the popular Nugget & Fang by Tammi Sauer. At home in the Bay Area, Michael enjoys making art, designing characters, and creating books. He has also produced board games, card games, 100-piece puzzles, and the award-winning app Scruffy Kitty. Find him at www.slackart.com.

Editorial Reviews

Slack renders both roomies and the simple speech-balloon dialogue…with blocky minimalism, comically contrasting Clem’s steady, grave air with Shorty’s exaggerated gestures and broad emotions.” — Kirkus Reviews

“…a funny, sympathetic read.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Vibrant, blocky digital illustrations with cartoonish exaggerations and textural touches expressively depict calm Clem and excitable Shorty, while the animated text amusingly captures curiosity, anticipation, imaginative play, and impatience.” — Booklist

“Wrapped in humor and understanding, this enjoyably highlights the spirit and meaning of friendship.” — Booklist

“Fans of Mo Willems’s “Pigeon” books and the “Elephant and Piggie” series will appreciate this unlikely pair of friends...A great read-aloud or beginning read-alone and a fun addition to most collections.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Vibrant, blocky digital illustrations with cartoonish exaggerations and textural touches expressively depict calm Clem and excitable Shorty, while the animated text amusingly captures curiosity, anticipation, imaginative play, and impatience.

Booklist

Vibrant, blocky digital illustrations with cartoonish exaggerations and textural touches expressively depict calm Clem and excitable Shorty, while the animated text amusingly captures curiosity, anticipation, imaginative play, and impatience.

Booklist

04/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Fans of Mo Willems's "Pigeon" books and the "Elephant and Piggie" series will appreciate this unlikely pair of friends. Shorty is a shortysaurus (a very small dinosaur), and Clem is a quail. Clem goes out one day, and Shorty finds a package addressed to his friend. He knows he shouldn't open it but still tries to figure out what is inside. Finally, Shorty's curiosity is too much to bear, and he opens the package. Immediately struck with guilt, he hides inside the box as Clem returns. Shorty confesses, and Clem tells him the package was actually a birthday present for him, and the pair happily enjoy the gift. Featuring speech bubbles and digital images against a white background, this story shines because of the charming personalities of the characters. VERDICT A great read-aloud or beginning read-alone and a fun addition to most collections.—Emily E. Lazio, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

2016-12-21
Shorty suffers an overwhelming ethical dilemma when a mysterious package arrives for the temporarily absent Clem.The two make unusual companions, as Clem is an owlish bird and Shorty, a big, green dinosaur. Their personalities are equally divergent. No sooner has the bird stepped out with an "I'll be back!" than a box addressed to Clem appears. "I will not open Clem's package," says Shorty virtuously. But that doesn't mean that the box itself can't be ridden (maybe there's a race car inside!), jumped on (a trampoline?), and vigorously pounded (bongos, maybe?). Eventually the increasingly battered carton surrenders its contents—a pair of pink monkey slippers. "I opened Clem's package," Shorty wails. "He is going to be so mad." Instead, after a show of annoyance, Clem hoots, "Happy Birthday!" After a page turn, he continues, "I knew you would open the package. I know how much you love monkeys." Slack renders both roomies and the simple speech-balloon dialogue (the book's sole text aside from sound effects and the address on Clem's package) with blocky minimalism, comically contrasting Clem's steady, grave air with Shorty's exaggerated gestures and broad emotions. The grateful green one's "Not as much as I love you" brings this high-energy romp to a cozy close. Understandable, if not exactly model, behavior makes for a funny, sympathetic read. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews