A tribute to the bedtime-story rituals we had when our boys were small, we hope the Marshmallow Martians book series (for kids 5-8) will provide many squishy, snuggly, storytime giggles.
It is COVER REVEAL and TRAILER day for Marshmallow Martians “Show & Smell”, the first in a graphic chapter book series for young readers coming April 2023. This series idea came to us during the pandemic lockdown when we were feeling anxious and confused—and needed to remind ourselves of the everyday things that are quirky and delightful. The result was a moment at the kitchen table when Deanna stood up and said, “What if… MARSHMALLOW MARTIANS?!” Neil didn’t know what she meant but he laughed, too. (This odd type of “what if…” kitchen table convo happens at our kitchen table more often than you’d imagine.) The result? Wide-eyed, curious characters plopped into the weirdness of Earth. We hope this quirky marshmallow ensemble generates contagious giggles. Here’s the description:
Meet the Marshmallow Martians: sweet, squashy buddies who journey through their backyard portal in search of adventures on their favorite planet—Earth! A hilarious graphic chapter book for the youngest readers that will make kids look at life on Earth through fresh eyes!
In this adventure, the Martians—along with their space cat, space dog, and marshmallow robot assistant—learn about something called "show and smell." (Does that sound right? It sure doesn't smell right!) They go in search of Earth's smelliest smells to bring back to their home planet, Moop. Where will they find the best smells? An amusement park, of course!
This silly graphic chapter book, with its ensemble of lovable Martians, will have kids laughing out loud while gaining confidence in reading. Graphic chapter books serve as a great bridge to graphic novels and longer chapter books.
And the book trailer…
If we do say so, our nephew and nieces are pretty spectacular as Marshmallow Martians character voices in this video! We also had a couple of talented friends help us with the sound and the animation. Neil and I met David and Jenny when we were all working at The Walt Disney Company together. David Fairfield did the audio and SFX treatment for this trailer and Neil and Jenny Weightman worked on the character animation.
Please feel free to pre-order your bedtime story squishy giggles now! (Pre-ordering is helpful for creators).
We’ll be giving updates along the way as we create the Marshmallow Martians graphic novels for young readers. We hope that Snug, Squishy, Woof, Fuzz, and G.L.O.W. —on all their funny Earth adventures—make kids laugh.
@RHKidsGraphic and @RandomHouseKids #welovecomics