New Releases by Michael Rex

* "In Rex''s big-hearted comic . . . Fred''s gentleness proves healing in this humorous volume about the power of kindness." —Publishers Weekly on Your Pal Fred Even a peacemaking robot has his limits! In this funny and exciting graphic novel by #1 New York Times bestselling creator Michael Rex, Fred travels all over the barren land to spread his message of compassion, but then a mysterious encounter makes him short-circuit and change his mind about being kind. Can his glitch of meanness be fixed, or is the world''s nicest robot gone forever? Everyone knows about Fred and his mission to make the world a kinder place. In fact, the feel-good robot has never met a person he couldn''t convince to play nice . . . until now. When Fred discovers the Tomorrow Sphere, a secret community that has survived the apocalypse in luxury—blankets! Medicine! Unlimited ice cream!—he''s delighted that people in need can soon be helped. But despite all his pleading, the Tomorrow Sphere leader absolutely, definitely, and totally refuses to share. This ultimate act of selfishness shocks Fred and causes him to glitch out and turn mean. If they won''t share, he''ll have to make them! With war looming and his friends in despair, it''s up to friend to fix his nasty glitch . . . or ruin all the goodness he''s created in the world.

Go on an underground adventure with the mysterious tunneler in this delightful Level 1 Ready-to-Read from bestselling author-illustrator Michael Rex! The tunneler tunnels in the tunnel. But why? And where is he going? Find out in this fun story with a surprise ending!

From the creator of Goodnight Goon, a laugh-out-loud friendship story that perfectly captures the high and low moments of a typical playdate! Pete couldn’t be more thrilled when a monster shows up in his bedroom. Now Pete has someone to play with! And the hungry monster couldn’t be more thrilled to be there, either. Now he can . . . EAT PETE! But Pete has other ideas. And they are all good fun and quite distracting—things like playing cars and pirates. But we all know the course of playing together nicely never did run smoothly. So how much longer will the monster have to wait before he can . . . EAT PETE?

Another hilariously spine-tingling parody of a childhood classic by the creator of the New York Times bestselling Goodnight Goon. Now in board! Mike Rex has created a delightful, monster-y romp that reinterprets the classic picture book about motherly love, The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. In this parody, the little mummy comments on his mother’s sometimes overly exuberant love, and the escalation of their outrageous ideas for leaving and (of course) finding each other will make modern day parents and kids laugh aloud. A fabulous Halloween treat for every little monster!

In this action-packed sequel by #1 New York Times bestselling creator Michael Rex, Fred shows us how all arguments, big and small, can be solved with kindness—even when it''s not always welcomed! Fred has made quite a name for himself as a peacemaker since his last adventure! Now everyone who loves to argue is coming to him for help resolving their disagreements, but there''s just one problem . . . Fred is low on power. Thanks to the clouds of pollution in the sky, Fred''s solar battery can''t recharge. With the help of his best friend, Wormy, he sets off for SunTop—a city with a sky-high place where the sun can be seen. But once there, he''s told that he can''t recharge unless he stops a clan of garbage-like creatures from attacking every night. It''s a race against time for Fred to solve the mystery of the Trash before he runs out of power forever!

WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO is a book that primarily focuses on when God''s response to our prayer request is simply no! It is written from the first-hand perspective of a grieving widower Mickey, working his way through his journey of grief both prior to and after the death of his wife Mary. He, along with his family and literally thousands of people prayed for Mary to be healed from duodenal cancer, but it was not to be! WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO is a book about hope when we experience those "when the rubber hits the road" moments or seasons in life. That we can and should be rejoicing and proclaiming God''s sovereignty in those moments or seasons as often or even more so than when on the mountaintop. Even in the moment of losing a loved one to death! Even though through Christ we are capable of rejoicing regardless of the circumstance; this does not remove the pain that we endure especially when we lose a loved one to death. It is okay to grieve! It is suggested that grieving is necessary for God to heal and restore you for the plans that He has prepared for you. It is the hope and prayer that whoever is inspired by the Holy Spirit to read this book will receive a fresh breath of life from our Creator! To fulfill the desires of your heart that he has planned for you. Remember, there is life after the death of a loved one and that more abundantly because of our victory in Jesus, even WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO!!!

In his witty companion to the popular Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Michael Rex shows us why what we want isn’t always the same as what we need. Do you know the difference between a want and a need? It can be a hard thing to understand, especially when you want something so much that you feel like you have to have it. But some things aren’t essential—like jellybean tacos and groovy boots. Other things are essential—like fuel and feet to put the boots on. The robots in this book are here to show you the difference as they make trades to get some things they really want (hooray!) but give away some things they need (oops!). This timely companion to the popular Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots makes tricky, but vital, concepts accessible. Kids will have fun following the action and discovering this is the kind of book they really, really want to read again and again.

* Best Graphic Novel for Kids selection by the American Library Association* *Texas Little Maverick Reading List selection* *101 Great Books for Kids selection by the Evanston Public Library* From Michael Rex, the bestselling author/illustrator of Fangbone! and Goodnight Goon, comes a zany and hilarious graphic novel that shines a light on the humanity inside all of us—even if you''re a robot. He''s a super-nice kid in an ultra-mean world. He believes even the worst people are good inside. He''ll always be there for you... even if you boot him out of your castle, pit him against a mechanical giant, put him on top of a pole in a lightning storm, and trap him in a booming dance party that lasts all night long. He''s Your Pal Fred. In a brutal world far in the future where only the savage survive, a life-size toy suddenly activates. Fred was built to be a best buddy, and his relentless kindness never fades, even when everyone else is rude. Determined to make the world a better place, he has the bright idea to talk the two most powerful and battle-hungry warlords, Lord Bonkers and Papa Mayhem, into being friends. It''s a mission doomed to fail, unless Fred can find a way to inspire everyone to play nice!

This hilarious companion to the New York Times #1 bestseller, Goodnight Goon, is a ghoulish parody of We''re Going on a Bear Hunt. We''re going on a goon hunt. We''re going to catch a green one. What a spooky night! We''re not scared. A goon hunt is no easy task. A twisted tangled pumpkin patch, murky bubbling swamp, and foggy crumbling graveyard are just a few of the obstacles these kids will have to go through, skulking monsters included. And when the Goon finally makes an appearance—under the covers they go! Except one brave child who finds monsters more fun than scary. The beloved classic We''re Going on a Bear Hunt gets an eerie twist in this goon-infused parody that perfectly plays with the rhythm and sound effects of the original. Mike Rex''s creepy settings and hilarious text will have kids demanding to giggle and shiver through the story again and again.

A hilarious, timely conversation about the differences between facts and opinions, by the creator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight Goon Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? It can be a hard thing to understand. Some things are facts--like the number of robots in this book. Other things are opinions--like which robot would make the best friend, or which robot dances best. And sometimes to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, you need to wait to get more information--that''s because facts can be proven true or false, and opinions are things you feel and believe--but that you can''t prove. Mike Rex introduces young readers to the very important distinction between facts and opinions, and he reminds us that it is nice to listen to one another''s opinions, and to stand up for the facts!

For fans of Captain Underpants and Lunch Lady, this chapter book series is half text, half illustration, and 100 percent humor. Uh-oh! Everyone’s favorite messy misfit, Icky Ricky, is in trouble again! Why? Well, you see . . . *Fish are swimming in his backpack. *He’s wearing a disguise made out of trash. *He plays soccer with a snake in his pocket. Will the referee ever be the same? Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and ick!

Uh-oh! Everyone''s favorite messy misfit, Icky Ricky, is in trouble again! Why? Well, you see... Fish are swimming in his backpack; He''s wearing a disguise made out of trash; He plays soccer with a snake in his pocket. Will the referee ever be the sam

For fans of Captain Underpants and Lunch Lady, this chapter book series is half text, half illustration, and 100 percent humor. The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky. And uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in a mess. Why? Well, you see . . . *He’s wearing a shirt made entirely of dirt. *He spilled a potful of hot dogs all over school. *He’s digging up a woolly mammoth trapped in a frozen pond. *He was supposed to be working on a book report and wound up covered with Gargantuan Glue, newspaper, and shoe polish. (Will Icky Ricky ever get his book report done?) Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and ick!

This is my end of year project. Archetypes In Flux is my journey/portfolio of my first year at London Metropolitan University.

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky.

This Captain Underpants–style Stepping Stones series is half text, half illustration, and 100 percent humor. The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky. And uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in a mess. Why? Well, you see . . . He’s digging a hole to China, in his backyard. He found a free toilet in someone’s garbage. (Score!) He fell into a pigpen . . . with a muddy mega-pig. Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and ick!

Icky Ricky has a lot of explaining to do--why he cleaned his house with a leaf blower, why he''s storing money in his armpit, and why he let a stuffed dead raccoon drive his go-cart.

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck that he could only be called Icky Ricky. Uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in a mess and has a lot of explaining to do. Why? Well, you see . . . A water demon took over the sink in the boys'' bathroom! Icky Ricky and his friends cleaned up the house—with a leaf blower. His sweaty armpit is a perfect robber-proof bank. The dead raccoon he bought at a garage sale is speeding downhill in a runaway go-cart. Can Icky Ricky stop it? Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and in ick!

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky. Uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in trouble and has a lot of explaining to do. Why? Well, you see . . . Someone spotted Bigfoot in Icky Ricky''s neighborhood! Icky Ricky and his friends had a teary funeral . . . for a pepperoni pizza. A crazy one-eyed squirrel stole his Palooka Pops. Icky Ricky''s trashbag hazmat suit might not be enough to protect him from mutants while he''s cleaning up trash around town. Is it the end of the world for Icky Ricky? Icky Ricky is up to his eyebrows in mayhem--and in ick! "Hits the gross-out sweet spot."--Kirkus "I thoroughly enjoyed these books, and I look forward to more icky adventures from young Ricky."--Nick Bruel, author of Bad Kitty

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky. Uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in trouble and has a lot of explaining to do. Why? Well, you see . . . He did his homework on cheese slices, but got hungry and ate them. He had his friends over for a sleepover . . . on the bedroom ceiling. Senor Pinata Dude, Icky Ricky''s hot dog with a mustache, just landed in his dad''s toolbox. The town bully, Mean Dean, is looking to pound whoever lost his remote-controlled car. Was is Icky Ricky? Icky Ricky is up to his eyebrows in mayhem--and in ick!

This #1 New York Times bestselling picture book parody is the perfect Halloween read! Goodnight tomb. Goodnight goon. Goodnight Martians taking over the moon. It''s bedtime in the cold gray tomb with a black lagoon, and two slimy claws, and a couple of jaws, and a skull and a shoe and a pot full of goo. But as a little werewolf settles down, in comes the Goon determined at all costs to run amok and not let any monster have his rest. A beloved classic gets a kind-hearted send up in this utterly monsterized parody; energetic art and clever text will have kids begging to read this again and again. The board book edition is the perfect size for little hands! And keep your eye out for other Mike Rex favorites: We''re Going on a Goon Hunt and The Runaway Mummy!

As seen on Disney XD, a hilarious graphic novel perfect for fans of Captain Underpants! Fangbone and his friends are full of ideas for Eastwood Elementary''s "Invention Convention." Unfortunately, Venomous Drool has ideas of his own--like sending a curse to crush Fangbone! But when the misdirected spell sends a terrifying monster to attack Bill at his birthday party instead, Fangbone must invent a way to save his best friend--and fast! The graphic novel series that boys go wild for!

As seen on Disney XD, a hilarious graphic novel perfect for fans of Captain Underpants! Eastwood Elementary has a new student, and he''s nothing like the other kids in 3G. Fangbone is a barbarian warrior from another world! And he''s been charged with the task of keeping a deadly weapon from Skullbania''s vilest villain, Venomous Drool. Can Fangbone''s new classmates team up to help him triumph over hound-snakes, lava-ferrets, and his first pop quiz?

As seen on Disney XD, a hilarious graphic novel perfect for fans of Captain Underpants! Class 3G gets a new class pet from Fangbone''s barbarian home world - an unhatched egg of the legendary White-titan Razor-dragon! But the evil Venomous Drool is also after the egg, and Fangbone must turn to his classmates to help protect it from dangerous enemy attacks. With Eastwood Elementary''s science-themed pageant fast approaching, can the third-graders come up with the perfect class project and take care of the egg until it hatches?

George is an ape—not a monkey—and he is perfectly happy living his simple life in the jungle, until one day the man in the funny hat kidnaps him and brings him to the big city. Poor George! Forced to live in a cage at the zoo, then work hard manual labor and be mocked on stage—George has every reason to be upset. In fact, after all the maltreatment, he’s downright furious! So it’s a good thing George is one clever ape. Perhaps getting mad is not the only answer. Readers will laugh out loud when George comes up with a way to outsmart the man in the funny hat.

Many animals are able to scale smooth surfaces using adhesive structures on their feet. These organs are either soft pads with a relatively smooth surface or dense arrays of microscopic adhesive hairs with both designs having independently evolved in diverse taxa of arthropods and vertebrates. Biological adhesive pads out-perform conventional adhesives in many respects, making them important models for biomimetics. Hairy pads have attracted particular attention, because it has become feasible to fabricate similar synthetic microstructures. Nevertheless, the detailed performance and functional properties have not been characterised for any natural fibrillar adhesive system, and many fundamental aspects are still not understood. The aim of this thesis was therefore to investigate the fibrillar adhesive system of leaf beetles as a model. To investigate the functional implications of hairy pad design, the attachment performance between hairy pads of the leaf beetle Gastrophysa viridula and smooth pads of stick insects (Carausius morosus) was compared. Adhesive and frictional stresses were found to be similar in smooth and hairy pads, inconsistent with contact splitting theory, which predicts higher adhesive stresses for fibrillar adhesives. Hairy pads showed a greater direction-dependence of friction forces than smooth pads, confirming the importance of the asymmetric design of individual setae for effortless detachment. Experiments with contaminating particles also showed that hairy pads removed contamination more rapidly and efficiently than smooth pads. Self-cleaning ability had not been previously documented for adhesive organs of insects. To investigate to what extent the hairy system is able to compensate for surface roughness, whole-body attachment forces were measured for varying roughness levels. Attachment was reduced for all length scales of surface roughness, but in particular for asperity sizes smaller than the diameter of individual seta tips. Leaf beetles possess adhesive pads on three tarsal segments, which vary in setal morphology. However, the functional implications of this variation are unknown. The mechanical and adhesive properties of individual pads were therefore tested and their use during climbing observed. Proximal pads were shown to be stiffer than distal pads, conferring stability during pushing. In contrast, the softer distal pads allowed better attachment to rough surfaces. Hence the morphological variation is explained by an effective division of labour between the pads. To investigate an extreme example of pushing in a hairy system, pad use was studied during jumping in flea beetles. The pushing forces needed during take-off were exclusively produced by the proximal pads, again confirming the division of labour. To characterise the effects of different hair morphologies and to understand how individual setae contribute to array and whole-animal performance, single hair forces were measured using a glass capillary cantilever. Male-specific discoidal hairs were shown to be both stiffer and more adhesive than pointed and spatula-tipped setae, likely affecting overall pad stability and attachment. This thesis has shown that hairy pads are similar to smooth pads in the magnitude of adhesive stress supported yet outperform them in detachability and self-cleaning. It was also demonstrated that there are considerable differences in design and performance even within setal arrays of the same insect, indicating the limitations of general models of fibrillar adhesion and underlining the importance of specialised adaptations.