By Carol Hinz
Editorial Director, Millbrook Press
One of the fun things about books is that they take on a life of their own after they’re published. I used to work for a small publisher in New York City that produced lavishly illustrated coffee table books. I loved playing “I Spy” with furniture catalogs to see which of our books had been included.
One of Millbrook’s recent books turned up in the Pickles comic strip, written and illustrated by Brian Crane:
You might have to squint a little to see the cover of the book, so if you want to see the comic at a larger size, go here. Poor Opal Pickles didn’t make the best choice when she decided to read The Clock Struck One: A Time-Telling Tale to a group of high schoolers. But I suspect the book would have been a big hit with kids between the ages of 4 and 8.
Brian did a great job reproducing the cover on a small scale. For comparison, here’s a photo I snapped of the actual front and back cover of the book:
So be sure to keep an eye out for familiar books in unexpected places. You never know where a favorite title might turn up!