New Releases by Bob McMahon

This Halloween, best friends Cookie and Broccoli revel in funny tricks and sweet treats in this early graphic novel that’s all about the true meaning of bravery and not judging others before you get to know them. In the first story, Broccoli’s not a fan of his classmates’ scary Halloween pranks, so his best buddy Cookie loans Broccoli his superhero costume—because Super Broccoli isn''t afraid of anything! That is, until the ultimate fright has Broccoli fleeing for the big, scary woods behind their school, where he comes across someone in a Sasquatch costume. (It is just a costume . . . right?) Then, in the second story, Cookie and Broccoli’s classmates learn an important lesson about scaring others and making assumptions about newcomers (yes, even big, hairy Sasquatches). And in the final story, Cookie has to choose between his friends or his obsession with Halloween candy! Fans of early graphic novel series like Pizza and Taco and Narwhal and Jelly will adore this latest book in the Cookie & Broccoli series, which is chock-full of punny costumes (a garlic dressed like a vampire, anyone?), silly asides from the duo’s good friend Blueberry, and even a fun Halloween-themed activity for readers at the end of the book.

Best friends Cookie and Broccoli discover the joy of sharing secrets with friends in this sweet and funny early graphic novel. Shh...Cookie and Broccoli''s lips are sealed! That is, until the whole school happens upon Broccoli''s hiding spot and overhears his super-secret nickname—and are much more encouraging than he expected. Then, Talking Rock gives the duo a cryptic clue to solving Broccoli’s boredom—the solution is the opposite of boredom. Well, the opposite of boredom is the Funnest Thing Ever, right? Cookie and Broccoli try a silly screaming contest, a bubble-blowing party, and a real-life food pyramid, but the true Funnest Thing Ever might have been in front of them all along. And it’s even more enjoyable when it’s not a secret anymore!

Best friends Cookie and Broccoli take on popularity and overcoming obstacles together through kindness and laughter in this cheerful early graphic novel that''s perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly. Chatty Cookie and bashful Broccoli are best buddies, even if they''re as different as peanut butter and cheese! Elementary school can be tough, but as long as they have each other, there''s nothing they can''t handle. Uh-oh, but what happens when Cool Cucumber and his loyal followers put Cookie''s and Broccoli''s coolness to the test, and Cookie''s hokey pokey dance does NOT impress? And worse, when Broccoli''s cool math trick propels him to be the new leader of the Cool Crowd? Can their friendship withstand this popularity contest? Will Cookie and Broccoli be able to come together and define for themselves what''s truly cool? Join this adorable duo on their latest adventure and find out.

The first in an early graphic novel series about outgoing Cookie and shy Broccoli as they navigate the ups and downs of starting school--perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly! New best friends Cookie and Broccoli are as different as peanut butter and cheese, but that doesn''t stop them from helping each other through the first day of school! Together they find the classroom and concoct silly secret greetings. When Broccoli discovers that Cookie is also nervous to meet new classmates, the two of them come up with the perfect solution--inviting everyone to join their Shy Friends Club!

Who exactly — them or me — first came up with the idea, I''m not certain. No matter. The Institute for Southern Studies staff asked if I would take out six months to travel the South as a reporter for the Institute''s then-new syndicated weekly column, Facing South. Captive to Southern fondness for poking about the region and to that larger American myth about freedom deriving from travel, I claimed the job before any list of applicants could be gotten up. A new van was purchased and fitted out with a bed, typing stand, CB and regular AM-FM radio, specially cut mosquito netting, and a fan. The Institute''s charge dictated that I''d see the rural South, not too much of the Interstate/urbanized South. Places like Ville Platte, Louisiana; Ink, Arkansas; Ripley, Mississippi; Pickens, South Carolina; and Fincastle, Virginia. The blessings of this constraint came vividly to mind when my path intersected an Interstate cloverleaf in Georgia — typically crammed with service stations, motels and fast food franchises. Over the door of one eatery hung a banner proclaiming "Join the Fun — Eat and Run." All told, I logged nearly 28,000 miles between May and October, 7977. I kept an eye out for the little things. Graffiti, for example. In the rest room of a Charlottesville, Virginia, vegetarian restaurant I found: "Mother made me a homosexual." Below, in another''s writing, "Fantastic! If I bought her the yarn, would she make me one?" Or signs, like one on a New Orleans building: Straight Business College. And listened for larger themes, not at all certain I could hear them — but knowing that these, too, were a Southern tradition going back at least to the days of Fannie Kemble''s Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation in 1838-1839, the powerful attack on slavery, and William Byrd ''s History of the Dividing Line Betwixt Virginia and North Carolina, the travel log some assert first described "the good ol'' boy."