New Releases by John Rocco

After a devastating hurricane, a young boy asks for help rebuilding the neighborhood dock, his favorite place in the world, but finds that his neighbors need help first.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A ROBERT F. SIBERT HONOR BOOK This beautifully illustrated, oversized guide to the people and technology of the moon landing by award-winning author/illustrator John Rocco (illustrator of the Percy Jackson series) is a must-have for space fans, classrooms, and tech geeks. Everyone knows of Neil Armstrong''s famous first steps on the moon. But what did it really take to get us there? The Moon landing is one of the most ambitious, thrilling, and dangerous ventures in human history. This exquisitely researched and illustrated book tells the stories of the 400,000 unsung heroes--the engineers, mathematicians, seamstresses, welders, and factory workers--and their innovations and life-changing technological leaps forward that allowed NASA to achieve this unparalleled accomplishment. From the shocking launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik to the triumphant splashdown of Apollo 11, Caldecott Honor winner John Rocco answers every possible question about this world-altering mission. Each challenging step in the space race is revealed, examined, and displayed through stunning diagrams, experiments, moments of crisis, and unforgettable human stories. Explorers of all ages will want to pore over every page in this comprehensive chronicle detailing the grandest human adventure of all time!

When his dad goes missing in a fishing-boat accident, fourteen-year-old Jake refuses to think he may have lost his father forever. But suddenly, nothing seems certain in Jake''s future, and now his family''s diner may be repossessed by loan sharks. In Narragansett Bay, scrabbling out a living as a quahogger isn''t easy, but with the help of some local clammers, Jake is determined to work hard and earn enough money to ensure his family''s security and save the diner in time.

Whiskey Jankowitz was a private detective. HARDBOILED WHISKEY is the story of his life, loves, cases, and blackouts. It is also a Private Detective Poem Novel filled with hardboiled poems, hardboiled femme fatales, and hardboiled eggs. Whiskey for all!

Blizzard is based on John Rocco''s childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the book opens with a boy''s excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood''s immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. John uses an increasing amount of white space in his playful images, which include a gatefold spread of the boy''s expedition to the store. This book about the wonder of a winter storm is as delicious as a mug of hot cocoa by the fire on a snowy day. Praise for Super Hair-o and the Barber of Doom "With a light, humorous touch, Rocco reveals that sometimes the Kryptonite is all in your head." --Publishers Weekly "Bold, colorful pen-and-ink illustrations burst with power from each spread in comic-book style. This story will make a feel-good impression on budding comic book/superhero fans." --School Library Journal Praise for Blackout "The plot line, conveyed with just a few sentences, is simple enough, but the dramatic illustrations illuminate the story...Not all young readers will have experienced a blackout, but this engaging snapshot could easily have them wishing for one." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The colorful pictures work beautifully with the book''s design. Rocco uses comic-strip panels and a brief text to convey the atmosphere of a lively and almost magical urban landscape. Great bedtime reading for a soft summer night." --School Library Journal (starred review) 2012 Caldecott Honor BookNew York Times Notable BookWall Street Journal Best Book of the YearPublisher''s Weekly Best Book of the YearSchool Library Journal Best Book of the YearKirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year -- Praise for Fu Finds the Way "Rocco''s story flows smoothly and his illustrations are rich and appealing..." --Kirkus Reviews

AENEAS IS FROM QUEENS is about the classical epic tradition and quitting smoking and Queens and teaching literature and drinking and running and strip clubs and porn stars and calzones and loss and movies and ghosts and ecstasy and guilt and crime and trips to the land of the dead and secret knowledge and heroes one and all.

Every super hero gets his powers from somewhere. The young hero of this book, Rocco, thinks his abilities come from his shock of red hair, and the longer it gets, the stronger he becomes. He even has a posse of super friends with wild hair of their own. Our hero is unstoppable--until the day he''s dragged to the super evil villain''s lair and robbed of his powers. How will he face his friends? Will he ever regain his super hero-ness? A girl who has been watching all along offers the gang a chance to save the day and get their groove back. With bold images that burst with energy from white backgrounds and narration as earnest as Superman himself, SUPER HAIR-O AND THE BARBER OF DOOM is a feel-good and funny book for emergent comic book fans and parents who grew up on them.

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can''t work on her computer, and Dad can''t finish cooking dinner. What''s a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it''s like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again. Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

When the warrior Chang challenges young Fu to a duel, Fu panics. His only hope is that the Master will train him, just as he’s trained all the young warriors of the village. But instead of teaching Fu to fight, the Master teaches him…to pour tea. Fu learns purpose, flow and patience in the process, but will it be enough to defeat the mighty Chang? /DIVDIVWith his signature breathtaking art, John Rocco has created a modern parable full of adventure, heart, humor, and a gentle message about the importance of focus and finding joy in simple tasks.

This collection of writings features interviews, concert reviews, album reviews and critical essays of The Doors'' career.