Gah! Scary.

Happy Month of Halloween! We here at Workman love a good costume just as much as we love our Papertoy Monsters, so we thought, “Hey, why not create a Papertoy Monster COSTUME?!” Genius, if we do say so ourselves. Simply click, select one of three monstrous masks, print, cut, and then go out and scare your fiends friends!

Want to win a free Papertoy Monster?* Head on over to the Papertoy Monsters tumblr and submit a picture of yourself, your kid, a friend, a pet, an arch-nemesis, or whoever wearing one of the spooky monster masks. Easy as papertoy monster-shaped pie. (And what monster doesn’t dream of having a mini-me monster of one’s own?)

* While supplies last!

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For more news (and monster pics), check out the book by Castleforte, visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr, and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.

Don’t look now, but there’s a Papertoy Monster behind you.

Scarleah likes your flowers.

I said not to look! And I meant the other direction.

Wolfman Joe can see you.

Wait — there’s another! Right under your desk . . .

Papertoy monsters do not like being thrown in the trash. Next time, try the recycling bin.

They’re everywhere! The Papertoy Monsters book is back in stock with its second printing, and the power-hungry creatures inside are preparing for a serious invasion. Remember the last time?! Better watch your back. Things could get a bit . . . fiendish . . . around here. Not all of these monsters like pop music and the so-awesome-I-want-to-try-it hobby of sled-singing.

Nom Nom wants to eat your town.

Scorpion Robot thinks your world is puny.

See what I mean?

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For more news (and monster pics), visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.

With Easter around the corner, who better to turn to for Easter basket ideas than the arbiter of good taste herself, Martha Stewart?

So, let’s turn to the expert. Says Martha, “Every Easter basket should have at least one book in it.”

We agree! While Martha’s book choices are excellent, indeed, may we also suggest the eggs-traordinary Good Egg by Barney Saltzberg?

It’s so much fun, you’ll crack up.

March is National Craft Month, and to celebrate, we here at Workman are featuring projects from some of our many fun crafting books. Today, we’re doing things a little differently and showing off a (Beautiful Oops) craft fail from Papertoy Monsters by Brian Castleforte.

Recently, I sat down with a friend and a copy of Papertoy Monsters. I hadn’t made a monster since the pre-publication folding party in our office a few months back, but needless to say, I have a couple hundred Papertoy Monsters under my belt and was feeling pretty confident. So I started with Scorpion Robot (labeled “advanced”).

And this is how he turned out:

Note the poor folding, wonky leg, and overall significant left lean.

As you can see, mine went slightly . . . awry. My friend, with no papertoy-making experience, had better luck with Wingy Wingy (labeled, it should be noted, “Intermediate”):

Thanks, friend, for showing me up.

But, I have decided to look at it this way: Scorpion Robot is much more fierce and intimidating with all of his quirks. Who’s ever thought to themselves, That monster is so perfect he’s scary!?

Scorpion Robot is now proudly displayed on my shelves next to a copy of the error-approving Beautiful Oops by Barney Salzberg. Because, okay, maybe he’s not beautiful, but he’s still pretty awesome, flaws and all.

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Check out the Papertoy Monsters blog to meet more of the monsters in the book, and Barney’s blog to see more of his gorgeous “oops art.”

Uh-uhm. La-la-la-la-la-laa-laaaa!

Excuse me. I was just warming up my vocal chords for Read Across America. Why the vocal warm-up? Well, this year I’ve decided to interpret the day literally and make my own book selection: All-American Car-i-oke. Yes, it’s karaoke for the car and it’s the perfect road trip idea for the musically inclined. Instead of playing the license plate game for the millionth time, or idly listening to the radio while staring into space, why not sing along to your favorite songs?

Here’s how it works: Pop in the CD, select your favorite jam, and sing your heart out! You’re probably wondering about the reading part. Well, not only does the book contain lyrics for each song, it’s packed with fun facts, trivia, activities, and games. You should also be prepared to rock out with car-appropriate dance moves, conveniently illustrated and easy to follow.

So, in celebration of this day of reading awareness, I just might gather up some karaoke-loving friends, hop in a car, and read (and sing!) while traveling (a little bit) across America.*

—Krestyna, a children’s book editor who loves a good theme, even if it means interpreting an event incorrectly creatively.

*Confession: I don’t actually have a car. A more likely scenario: I gather up some karaoke-loving friends, hop on my couch, and read (and sing!) while sitting in my apartment. It counts so long as one of us keeps asking if we’re there yet, right?

Oops! He did it again. Barney Saltzberg’s error-approving Beautiful Oops! has inspired another perfectionist to embrace her mistakes. Here’s the heartwarming story from the young girl’s mother.

“Nora is a kid who sets high standards for herself.  She is creative and artistic, but she tends to get frustrated and disheartened when her pieces don’t turn out the way she had envisioned. The ‘Beautiful Oops’ concept was quite a revelation for her. I could see the weight come off her shoulders as it dawned on her that ‘mistakes’ are just a normal part of the creative process. I think seeing your ‘mistakes’ published in a real book was very powerful for her.”

Want more aww-inspiring adorableness? Check out this video from the mother-daughter team, featuring their own book of beautiful mistakes.

Barney’s going on tour!  Head on over to the Beautiful Oops! Facebook page to see if he’ll be visiting a city near you.

Welcome to Inside the Author’s Studio, where we give you a peek into the minds of your favorite Workman authors.

Photo credit: Dustin Downing

To celebrate the recent publication of the fiendishly fun Papertoy Monsters, we asked the man behind the book, Castleforte himself, if he would answer a few questions, speed round-style. Luckily, he agreed.

Favorite bookstore
Borders
Recent book you loved/learned from
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
Bookmark, dog-ear, or virtuality?
iPad
Book you are most ashamed never to have read
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Most frequent form of writerly procrastination
My wife and my fur child, Soul
Favorite childhood book
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Alternate ambition
Blockbuster action hero, with my own action figures
Big dream
To see my characters all over the world, making people smile
What Papertoy Monster are you?
According to the quiz, Icy Huggy; definitely more huggy than icy

For the record, we wholeheartedly agree with his last statement.

The evening that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was released in movie theaters, an editor here at Workman, along with three friends, sat in a line for two and half hours before being allowed into the theater. Aside from stocking up on snacks and stimulating topics of conversation, the most forward-thinking of them brought along Bananagrams (quite possibly the best word game out there). And though, like these guys, they didn’t play the game entirely correctly, allowing slang and Harry Potter-themed words, it was the perfect way to pass the time. Next time a long wait is inevitable, this editor will make sure to bring along copies of the books.

There was clearly a lack of rule-abiding in this game.

* Children’s books editor Krestyna would like you to know that this post is totally not about her. She could never be so nerdy.

I admit it: growing up, I was a huge science nerd. So Sean Connolly’s The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science and The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science are high on my list of “Books that are Awesome.”

Our friends at Scholastic Book Clubs recently paid homage to some of the most dangerous scientific discoveries of all time with a demonstration of the Soda Bottle Rocket. If you like suspense, learning, and explosions, this video is for you.

Now if only I could convince the powers that be to let me spend a day channeling my inner mad scientist…

For me, New York Comic Con had been one of those semi-mythical events: though I knew it existed, I couldn’t imagine the stories and pictures were true since I’d never been to it myself. This year, I got my chance. Along with two other brave Workman employees, I volunteered to work the booth all day that Saturday.

The first thing I noticed, watching the crowd trickle in at 10am, were the amazing costumes. Some popular themes I spotted throughout the day from my stationary perch: Batman villains (7 Riddlers and 6 Jokers); Doctor Who bow-ties; variations on formal head wear (top hats, fedoras, and hat-shaped fascinators on the ladies); multiple Princess Leias; superhero t-shirts galore. Oh, and one of these guys.

Predator was nice enough to stop and pose for this photo.

What I’ve taken away from my first Comic Con is that the stories are true, the fans are awesome, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Though, I admit, it was exhausting. Enough for a fellow booth worker to take a little closed-eyes break — in a thematically-appropriate zombie mask, of course.

But, probably not exhausting enough to keep me away next year.