The Woods Review on ItsFunToHaveFun

The Woods were included on this list of children's books on the blog Itsfuntohavefun. I'm in great company, and the very kind review says "…The Woods is a perfect read aloud book that has big, animated and well defined illustrations…" Many thanks!

THE WOODS accolades

Some nice news for THE WOODS, some of you might already have heard them on my facebook page.

First of all, the Texas Library Association has selected my book for the 2012 2x2 Reading List. Each year, the 2X2 Committee selects a list of 20 recommended books for children, age two to grade two. It's exciting that my book will be read by many children across Texas.

Furthermore, THE WOODS made it into the Scholastic Book Club. I'm thrilled and very much looking forward to seeing their version!

Two other new editions of THE WOODS are also in the works: Chinese rights have been aquired by Hsiao Lu Publishing. THE WOODS will be published both in simple and complex characters. Many thanks also to Chronicle for arranging this! Hsiao Lu have also published the Chinese edition of HAT.

And finally, here is a very nice review on the blog Creating A Reader– from New Zealand! It's exciting to hear about kids' reactions to the book, especially from the other side of the world!

The Woods Reviews Roundup Pt 2: Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal

Ah, this year has been busy, I realized I never posted the great reviews for The Woods that I received from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal. And that might just seem ungrateful! But nothing could be further from the truth. To have my book reviewed by them is already an accomplishment, let alone getting such kind words from them. So, without further ado, but with many thanks to these publications and reviewers, here they are:

Kirkus
The night light is on and the bedtime story firmly in the young narrator's grasp, but stuffed bunny is nowhere to be found! There's only one thing to do: He has to go into the woods, which are conveniently right next to his bedroom.

With a toy sword and a wastebasket serving as a helmet, he marches (in his pajamas) boldly ahead, right into the path of "a big, scary brown bear!" Luckily, the bear is scared of the dark too, so the boy shares his night light. The duo sets off into the deeper woods, where they meet two scary giants. These guys in green are just bored, so the boy shares his bedtime story with them. Off this quartet ventures, and comes upon a pink three-headed, fire-breathing dragon... And so on. The procession comes to a big scary dark cave and, holding hands, summon the courage to enter. Inside is a big, hairy, scary monster—holding a tiny red bunny! Mystery solved; the boy invites everyone back to his room, where a final illustration shows him smiling and clutching stuffed versions of all his banished fears. The refrain—"we weren't afraid at all. Until…"—sets a comfortable pattern, and the fuzzy watercolors on thick creamy stock enhance the coziness of the tale.
Hoppe's delightfully quirky monsters enhance this pleasant tonic for bedtime fears.

School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1–Pen and soft-hued watercolor illustrations admirably relate the tale of a young boy settling down to sleep. His evening routine is disrupted when he goes to hug his toy bunny but it is nowhere to be found. The child decides there is only one place it might be: the Woods. So, armed with a cape, a sword, a bucket on his head, his book, and a nightlight hung around his neck, the child ventures forth to find his stuffed animal. On his quest, he meets a bear, two pirates, a three-headed dragon, etc., but, though afraid at first, he soon discovers that the various characters aren’t really frightening; they just need something the boy can share to appease them.
The refrain “And we weren’t afraid at all. Until… we ran into…” is repeated several times throughout the adventure, making this an entertaining selection. Readers looking for bedtime stories or tales involving sharing, bravery, or overcoming fear of the dark will be pleased with this endearing tale.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Publisher's Weekly
"[L]ast night, I couldn't find my bunny anywhere!" a pajama-clad boy tells readers, looking out at them from under the covers. "There was only one place left to look." The page turns: "I had to go into the woods." Armed with his nightlight, a sword, and a helmet (his wastebasket), he meets a "BIG, SCARY BROWN BEAR" ("But the bear was just afraid of the dark. So I shared my night-light with him"), "TWO SCARY GIANTS" ("But the giants were just bored. So I shared my bedtime story with them"), and other intimidating creatures, which he befriends before getting his bunny back.

In Hoppe's (Hat) jewel-colored pen-and-watercolor spreads, the monsters leer, gawp, and taunt, giving the boy a scare (readers, too, probably), though he always recovers gracefully. The creatures are eventually revealed to be the boy's own stuffed animals, seen scattered on his bedroom floor. Between the lines, Hoppe delivers some wisdom about the vulnerability inside every bully, and his witty artwork (the bear wears a blingy necklace that says "Honey") underscores the welcome bedtime message that there's nothing to be afraid of. Ages 4–8.

Reviews Roundup Pt1: USAToday, NYT, TimeOut NY

I wanted to share some of the very kind reviews that THE WOODS have received. USA Today and the New York Times have featured it, and TimeOut NY even made it a summer reading pick! Thanks so much to all the reviewers! In my next post I'll share some more!


















TimeOut NY Kids
What does a Brooklynite know from the terrors and delights of the woods? Lots, it turns out. Judging by his latest children's book, The Woods (Chronicle Books, $17; ages 4 to 8), author-illustrator Paul Hoppe is not only versant in the vicissitudes of the dark side but also a sublime storyteller. Recounted in simple prose and ultra-expressive drawings with a cartoonish bent, the story follows a boy as he sets out into the night forest in search of his beloved, missing bunny […]

New York Times
[…] There’s a reason boys enjoy confronting big hairy monsters over and over again.

USA Today
[…] The brave narrator encounters bears, dragons and monsters, although none, it turns out, should scare even the youngest readers. Paul Hoppe's text and watercolors make for comforting bedtime reading.

(Please click on the links to read the full reviews).

Thank you also to everybody who came out to my readings and events at Powerhouse Arena, The Word and BookCourt! It means a lot to have such generous support. If you like to know more about my events, and see some photos, please check out my Facebook Page.

Nachts Im Wald Advance Copies!

I got my copies of "Nachts im Wald", the German edition of The Woods! It's coming out already in August. It's really exciting! Perhaps I can do some events on my next trip to Germany…


Speaking of events, I'm doing an event at THE WORD in Greenpoint this weekend, and at BOOK COURT on July 31st. Hope to see you there!

THE WOODS is out now!

Finally, you can get your hands on my new book! It's been sighted in NY stores such as The Word and Powerhouse Arena, and of course you can order it now on IndieBound and Amazon. I'll be doing some events this summer, so stay tuned if you'd like to get a signed copy. Whoo-hoo!

THE WOODS advance copies!

Hooray, this week I got my first two copies of my new book THE WOODS! They turned out beautiful, I'm very happy with the design and how the colors came out.
The book is coming out in May, you can pre-order it now on IndieBound and Amazon.

At this year's MoCCA festival I'll have a display copy, (maybe even some copies for sale) so come check it out! Some images are already on the Children's section of my website and my facebook page

I'm planning to do some events and will keep you posted!

THE WOODS in German and HAT in Spanish

I'm happy to announce that THE WOODS have their first foreign language licence under their belt, even before the US edition came out! German publisher Baumstamm, and imprint of major house Bastei, will publish it as Nachts im Wald.

And HAT keeps on trucking as well, the Spanish Edition was just sold to Flamboyant in Spain. That makes 6 foreign editons for HAT– what a thrill!

Meanwhile, THE WOODS had their first public appearance, at this year's ALA conference. Can't wait for the official release in April!

Thanks to Ty King of Writers House for the photo.

THE WOODS

This is a first sneak peek at my next children's book, THE WOODS. It's a story about a boy who goes into the woods, and has to face his fears. It has been a project that's been in the works for years and my second self-authored picture book after HAT. I can't wait for it to come out. It's scheduled for release early 2011 from Chronicle Books.