New Releases by Bil Lepp

Funny tall-tales

Only the King of Little Things stands between King Normous and his goal of conquering the world. And little things can wield great power. In a world of vast kingdoms lives a king who is happy and content to reign over all things small. Not so King Normous. He wants to be Ruler of All the World. After having erased every empire and raided every realm, Normous is enraged to learn that the King of Little Things still rules over his tiny kingdom. He sends his army to defeat this upstart, but he finds he cannot outfight or outwit a king who holds sway over the small things of the world. After all, it is the small things that keep the big things going. Bil Lepp''s imaginative tale of the beauty and importance of all things small is perfectly paired with illustrator David T. Wenzel''s bright watercolor paintings.

Isn''t it time there was a fairy tale aimed at girls and women who wear hiking boots, don''t comb their hair, and love pick-up trucks? The prince in this story wants to marry a real mountain princess, so he searches all the mountain ranges in the world? looking in the Sierras for women in tiaras, and at Glass Mountain for ladies wearing just one shoe. He ends up going home alone, only to be found by a princess who knows what she wants and isn''t afraid to set out into the world on her own to find it. The Princess and the Pick-up Truck is a modern retelling of The Princess and the Pea, but with an Appalachian, or at least rural, slant.Bil''s inspiration:We all know what happens when a princess kisses a frog, but what happens when a prince kisses a fraud?I was driving a winding West Virginia road with my teenage daughter, and in front of us was a pickup truck with several mattresses heaped haphazardly in the bed. I said to my daughter, "Do you think you could sleep on that? "My daughter has mastered teen sarcasm, but she''s not nasty about it. She is one of the absolute funniest people I know. She twisted her bangs in her fingers, smacked her imaginary gum, and said saccharinely, "Of course I could, Daddy. I''m a princess!" And this story was born."The Princess and the Pickup Truck...is perfect for princesses who prefer hiking boots." -LA Parenting Magazine

En un mundo muy antiguo, de vastos reinos, vivía el Rey de las Pequeñas Cosas, quien reinaba sobre todas las cosas pequeñas. Tenía todo lo que necesitaba y no ansiaba nada más. No le sucedía lo mismo al Rey Enorme, que quería ser el Gobernador del Mundo. Después de reunir a todos sus ejércitos, había acabado con todos los imperios y asaltado todos los reinos. ¿O tal vez todos no?

Revisit West Virginia with Bil Lepp as he tells the story behind the greatest-and most dangerous-fishing rod ever and Buck, who simply "ain''t no ordinary dog."

"When I was asked to write this book it was not because I am an accredited child rearing expert. I have no degree, credentials or recognition as a child raising expert. I am a professional storyteller who occasionally tells stories about parenting. Here’s an important credential I do hold: I have won the West Virginia Liars’ Contest five times. The advice I offer, however, is honest. I have two kids who, at this writing, are eight and eleven years old. That gives me nineteen collective years in the parenting trenches. I cannot claim to be a successful parent. I’m not sure when any parent can deem their job a success. Your child’s whole life will be greatly determined by the portion they spend with you. I am offering what advice I can with the idea that I think my wife and I are doing pretty well. "I should admit that I have never before written an advice book, never read an advice book, and don’t have much intention of ever reading one. I’m not sure I’ve ever even read an instruction manual past the point where it says, ''Before attempting to operate this device you need to thoroughly read these instructions.'' I just muddle through." —from the Introduction While National storyteller Bil Lepp has been known to lie in public, in his book Muddling Through he gives us some truths he has learned from being a parent and from having parents. Each lesson has a story attached which makes it not only fun reading, but memorable learning as well.

A collection of tall tales by Paul and Bil Lepp, two repeat winners of the West Virginia State Liars Contest.