Books written and illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson

On Top Of Spaghetti

Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-439-74944-1 

A parody, sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey," tracing the meanderings of a meatball that was sneezed off a plate of spaghetti.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-439-37301-8 

"A twist on a traditional song, this book is sure to tickle the funny bones of young listeners and their adult friends." School Library Journal

Bearhide and Crow  

Holiday House

Price: $16.95
ISBN: 0-823-41470-1 

"A good-natured spin on the traditional tale of a simpleton tricked into a foolish trade...A great read-aloud or storytelling choice, sure to tickle children of many ages." School Library Journal

The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-05481-0 (hardcover)

Price: $5.99
ISBN: 0-439-40068-6 (paperback)

"Johnson's high-flying tale will have preschool listeners rolling off their sit-upons.... A virtuoso debut!" Starred review, School Library Journal

AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLER KIDS' PICK OF THE LISTS
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BOOK LINKS, BULLETIN

Farmer's Market  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30014-5 

"One summer Saturday in the life of Laura, a farmer's daughter who accompanies her parents and older brother to Lexington, Kentucky, where they sell their produce at an open-air market..... an appealing story of a hard-working family and a little girl who knows how to do her job and have fun at the same time." Kirkus Reviews

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE "NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN"

Fearless Jack  

McElderry/ Simon & Schuster

Price: $16.00
ISBN: 0-689-83296-6 

"Much like the Grimms's tailor who kills "seven at one blow" in any number of retellings, Fearless Jack kills "ten at a whack." Yellow jackets, that is....Johnson's retelling.. is entertaining in word and picture. The Appalachian mountain dialect, which begs to be read aloud, provides a lot of flavor....revel in the fun." School Library Journal

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S "100" LIST
WINNER, 2003 NORTH CAROLINA JUNIOR BOOK AWARD

The Goose Who Went Off in a Huff  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30317-9  

"One of the best things about this comical book is the way Johnson makes his heroine look huffy and haughty and put-upon. His acrylic illustrations are a hoot, filled with details to engage children… The story is as funny as the pictures." Booklist

Jack Outwits the Giants  

McElderry/Simon & Schuster

Price: $16.00
ISBN: 0-689-83902-2 (hardcover)   

"Down-home storytelling and comic pictures of silly giants enliven Johnson's newest tale of the Appalachian boy-hero Jack. Trapped by a two-headed giant who threatens to fry him for breakfast, Jack outwits the foolish behemoth and his wife with a series of tricks,...This snappy story delivers a giant-size good time." Publishers Weekly

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S "100" LIST
STORYTELLING WORLD HONOR BOOK AWARD 2003

Lost (Co-author: Celeste Lewis)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-09501-0   

"A family's camping trip in the desert goes sour when their beagle goes missing....The tension builds to a heart-breaking pitch." Starred review, School Library Journal

WINNER OF THE 1999/2000 CALIFORNIA YOUNG READERS MEDAL
A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Mr. Persnickety and Cat Lady  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30283-0   

"Cat Lady is the proud owner of 37 felines. Her next-door neighbor, Mr. Persnickety, tries everything to get rid of them… The brightly colored acrylic illustrations mirror the humorous text in perfect balance… Pair this hilarious picture book with Paul Brett Johnson's The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down for a rollicking story hour." School Library Journal

Old Dry Frye  

Scholastic

Price: $5.99
ISBN:0-439-16392-7   

"An Appalachian folktale is the basis of Johnson's story of a fried-chicken-loving preacher whose untimely demise sets into motion a tumultuous chain of events....Told in the melodious twang of mountain vernacular, Johnson's story rumbles along to its own beat, an outrageously ghoulish tale to make story-hour listeners shiver." Kirkus Reviews.

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S "100" LIST

A Perfect Pork Stew  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30070-6

"Johnson concocts his own silly story from the elements of Russian folk tales....Johnson's tale entertains, while his fuzzy pastel drawings keep the wart-nosed witch from being too scary and place the story in a Russia of onion-dome churches and countryside dachas." Kirkus Reviews

WINNER OF THE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARD

The Pig Who Ran a Red Light  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30136-2  

"Poor Miss Rosemary. Inspired by the example of Gertrude, (The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down), George the pig is trying to fly, play music, and drive.... The animals are as expressive as the people in Johnson's tidy, clean-lined, country scenes." Kirkus Reviews

AN IRA/CBC CHILDREN'S CHOICE

Books illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson

The Best Kind of Gift (Author: Kathi Appelt)   

Harpercollins

ISBN: 0688153925  

In this lively tale, loaded with country charm, Jory Timmons learns that the best gifts are given when he is simply being himself.

Kirkus Reviews
[A] sweetly old-fashioned tale that's a gift to it's readers.

Bedbugs (Author: Megan McDonald)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30193-1   

"Getting ready for bed is a challenge if there is an ostrich in the bathtub....Johnson is fearless in his depictions of the creatures, imaginary and real, residing in Susan's home, and the ongoing conversation between father and daughter is one children will recognize and relish." Kirkus Reviews

Insects Are My Life (Author: Megan McDonald)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $6.95
ISBN: 0-531-07093-X (paperback)  

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-06874-9 (hardcover)  

"Amanda loves bugs, a fact that no one else seems to appreciate....Full-page and vignette illustrations...are energetic, engaging, and entomologically correct. Insects Are My Life is an almost-perfect specimen" Starred review, School Library Journal

Saint Patrick and the Peddler (Retold by: Margaret Hodges)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $6.95
ISBN: 0-531-07089-1   

"Hodges has combined some variations on an old Irish folk tale and added her own touches to bring it to life....Johnson's acrylic paintings capture the beauty of the Irish countryside...." School Library Journal

Reptiles Are My Life (Author: Megan McDonald)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-439-29306-5 (hardcover)   

"Readers first met Amanda and Maggie in Insects Are My Life ....The story accurately portrays the roller-coaster ride that some friendships take, and the language is filled with delightful metaphors. Johnson's impressionist acrylics depict a multicultural cast of characters and a host of creatures." School Library Journal

Too Quiet for These Old Bones (Author: Tres Seymour)  

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30052-8   

"In this rambunctious rhyming tale, four children learn that their grandmother shares their love of mayhem."

A Traveling Cat (Author: George Ella Lyon)

Orchard/Scholastic

Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0-531-30102-8   

"Some cats are born to travel and such a one is Boulevard, who appears at a drive-in one evening, stays with the young narrator and her family for a year and then leaves as the spring floods arrive....It's rare to find such a distinctly drawn animal character....but Boulevard is through and through a cat among cats." Kirkus Reviews