Books with author Dave Diamond

In this wordless picture book, Rosie wakes up in a monochrome world, with a dark cloud over her head. As she plods through her miserable, gray day, the cloud follows. Mishaps and mayhem thwart her every move, irritating noises assault her --- and the pouring rain makes everything worse. But then, on her way home from school, Rosie finds a pair of strange glasses. When she puts them on, her world transforms into vivid, joyful color. All of a sudden, she can see the beauty and fun in everything around her --- and her dark cloud has disappeared. Are the glasses magic? Or could it be that changing how we look at the world can change the way we experience it?Award-winning author and illustrator Dave Whamond is known for his energetic, humorous and colorful art. Here he uses three different color palettes to powerfully tell a story of how moods can affect what we see. The wordless format encourages visual literacy and deeper readings of the story based on individual interpretation. It also invites nonreaders to develop vocabulary and narrative skill by ?reading? the illustrations. This book offers a perfect lead-in to a discussion about good and bad moods. It also works for lessons on self-awareness and personal development, and as an excellent reminder to children (and adults!) that we can all exercise some control over how we see our world.

The Troubleshooter gets shot at, wounded, and ambushed as he takes on the crooked claim jumpers and outlaws in the beautiful but rugged Black Hills of Dakota Territory. Does he get paid to do this? You bet he does, but not nearly enough.It's the wild days of Deadwood--with streets full of lusty men and loose women, dandies, card sharps, drunks, and desperadoes.

From Blue Spruce Award–winning author-illustrator Dave Whamond comes the story of Oddrey, a young girl who is a little bit different from everybody else. Every aspect of Oddrey’s world is a study in playful curiosity. Her adventures and flights of fancy, however, are often a source of some teasing at the hands of her classmates. Her technicolor snow sculpture has the rest of the playground gaping in disbelief. Her drawing of blue apples is met with a stern look from her teacher. But Oddrey, never one to let anything get her down, faces all of these discouragements with optimism and offhanded grace.So when her class production of The Wizard of Oz is cast and Oddrey is given the rather spiritless role of a tree, she decides to make the best of the situation and vows to be the most unique tree ever. Sadly, her teacher has other ideas, and Oddrey dons an uninspired costume and sways in the back row. But when her classmates start forgetting their lines, knocking down props, and suffering from stage fright, Oddrey steps in to save the show — not by stealing it, but by helping her classmates rise to the occasion.

A special pair of glasses alters how a little girl sees the world.In this wordless picture book, Rosie wakes up in a monochrome world, with a dark cloud over her head. As she plods through her day, mishaps thwart her, noises assault her — and the rain makes everything worse. But then Rosie finds a pair of strange glasses. When she puts them on, her world is transformed into vivid color, and her dark cloud disappears. Are the glasses magic? Or could it be that changing how we look at the world can change the way we experience it?Who needs rose-colored glasses? Happiness is in the eye of the kid!

When Nick signed up to be a superhero, it seemed like a terrific idea. He was flattered to be chosen by Super Fantastic Guy --- picked for his intelligence, his investigative skills and his super-amazing hearing abilities. But as Super Fantastic Guy's assistant, Nick (who, by the way, hates being called a sidekick) didn't realize that he would have to do all of the work --- and get none of the credit. All Nick wants is an opportunity to prove himself. So, when he overhears a group of criminals planning an enormous bank heist, he knows his big chance to save the day has finally arrived. Or has it?With a fresh take on the ever-popular theme of superheroes, award-winning author and illustrator Dave Whamond's graphic novel is the perfect adventure for emerging readers. Whamond's wacky sense of humor and illustrative talent are on full display in this book's laugh-out-loud, comically irreverent tale, while the twists and intrigues of the plot keep the pages turning --- fast. Nick is a sympathetic character whose situation will resonate with any child who knows someone who likes to steal the limelight or take credit for the work of others. Nick's approach and coping style, along with the support of his best friend, Tess, speak to young children's budding self-awareness and social development. This book also works for character education lessons on initiative, empathy and perseverance.

From Blue Spruce Award–winning author-illustrator Dave Whamond comes the story of Oddrey, a young girl who is a little bit different from everybody else. Every aspect of Oddrey’s world is a study in playful curiosity. Her adventures and flights of fancy, however, are often a source of some teasing at the hands of her classmates. Her technicolor snow sculpture has the rest of the playground gaping in disbelief. Her drawing of blue apples is met with a stern look from her teacher. But Oddrey, never one to let anything get her down, faces all of these discouragements with optimism and offhanded grace. So when her class production of The Wizard of Oz is cast and Oddrey is given the rather spiritless role of a tree, she decides to make the best of the situation and vows to be the most unique tree ever. Sadly, her teacher has other ideas, and Oddrey dons an uninspired costume and sways in the back row. But when her classmates start forgetting their lines, knocking down props, and suffering from stage fright, Oddrey steps in to save the show ― not by stealing it, but by helping her classmates rise to the occasion, much to their relief and delight. Full of witty, energetic, and vivid illustrations sure to resonate with young readers, Oddrey is an endearing story with a timeless message of how the misfits in our midst can be the ones we most often misjudge.

Ever since she averted disaster in the class production of The Wizard of Oz, Oddrey has been making new friends at school. Her classmates have come to appreciate her irrepressible charm and Oddrey, in turn, encourages them to be their own unique selves. So when Oddrey's teacher introduces a new girl, Maybelline, to the class, Oddrey, ever the optimist, is sure that they'll become the best of friends. But Maybelline's elaborate storytelling habits and bossy playground personality soon force Oddrey to reconsider. Fed up with Maybelline's tall tales, and her classmates’ fascination with Maybelline’s stories, Oddrey challenges Maybelline during a class trip to the zoo. The adventure that ensues is Maybelline's ― and Oddrey's ― best adventure yet!

Nate's on a mission to Earth from the planet Vega. His goal: eat pizza! Luckily, soon after he crash-lands on Earth he meets Fazel, who helps him create a disguise, learn the ways of Earthlings and, most importantly, stuff himself with pizza! Nate quickly discovers there are lots of things to love about Earth and Earthlings besides pizza. He's having a blast! There's only one problem. Two Men in Beige (government agents) are desperate to capture him and bring him to their lab - and they're starting to close in. Will Fazel and Nate manage to elude the Men in Beige while they find fuel for Nate's spacecraft so he can head home? And will Nate have had his fill of pizza by then? Here's a sidesplittingly funny graphic novel from multiple-award-winning writer, illustrator and cartoonist Dave Whamond. With its irreverent humor and high energy, it's a perfect pick for emerging readers. Along with the fun, the lovable main character models an eagerness to learn new things and broaden his horizons and, together with Fazel, is able to look past surface differences to find friendship and a shared sense of adventure. There are terrific character education lessons here on adaptability, inclusiveness (even of "aliens") and teamwork.

It’s Jack’s sixth birthday, and he’s bored. Bored! Model airplanes, stuffed dinosaurs, not even a talking robot can free him of his festering funk. Then, a mysterious box arrives. Within is a think-a-ma-jink, a bizarre contraption that bends the very laws of time and space, with which no idea is too fantastic to be realized. A wild new universe of possibilities beckons. Cotton-candy-breathing dragons! Caramel rivers! Space-traveling hot-air balloons! But as he and his sister Marie engage in a boisterous, shape-shifting struggle, the future of the think-a-ma-jink hangs in the balance. Is Jack doomed to boredom . . . or is he on the verge of an amazing discovery?

An alien, government agents and … pizza? Nate’s on a mission to Earth from the planet Vega. His goal: eat pizza! Luckily, soon after crash-landing he meets Fazel, who helps him create a disguise, learn the ways of Earthlings and, most importantly, stuff himself with pizza! What a blast Earth is! There’s only one problem. Two Men in Beige (government agents) have been trying to capture him — and they’re starting to close in. Can Nate and Fazel repair Nate’s spacecraft before the agents find him? And will Nate have had his fill of pizza by then?Kids will laugh so hard, they’ll be primed for liftoff!

Since its publication in 2009, "My Think-a-ma-Jink" has found its way into the hearts -- and imaginations -- of thousands of children. Now, fresh off a win at the 2011 Blue Spruce Awards, "My Think-a-ma-Jink" is available in paperback! It's Jack's sixth birthday and he's not even excited. Model airplanes, stuffed dinosaurs...not even a talking robot can break him free of his bad mood. Enter a mysterious gift from Jack's equally mysterious Uncle Doug. Within an ordinary brown box glows the Think-a-ma-Jink, a bizarre contraption that claims to bend the laws of time and space. With this gadget, no idea is too fantastic to be realized, no world too distant to be visited, no personality too zany to be adopted. With his younger sister, Marie, at his side, Jack discovers a universe of infinite possibilities -- one of cotton-candy-breathing dragons, ancient forests, and space-traveling hot-air balloons. But, when the Think-a-ma-Jink is destroyed in a shape-shifting struggle, Jack must learn to

Watch out, bad guys, there’s a new superhero in town!Nick was flattered to be chosen as Super Fantastic Guy’s assistant — picked for his intelligence, his investigative skills and his super-amazing hearing abilities. But Nick (who, by the way, hates being called a sidekick) didn’t realize that he would end up doing all of the work — and getting none of the credit. So, one day, when he overhears a gang of criminals planning an enormous bank heist, Nick knows he’s finally going to get the chance to prove himself. Or is he? Readers will be rooting for Nick — the true superhero — even if nobody else is!