Books with author Michael Rios

For fans of Captain Underpants and Lunch Lady, this chapter book series is half text, half illustration, and 100 percent humor. Uh-oh! Everyone’s favorite messy misfit, Icky Ricky, is in trouble again! Why? Well, you see . . . *Fish are swimming in his backpack. *He’s wearing a disguise made out of trash. *He plays soccer with a snake in his pocket. Will the referee ever be the same? Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and ick!

This book provides techniques, directives, ideas, and explanations on working with an addicted person whether their drug of choice is alcohol, street drugs, or prescriptions. Mike Rice applies Choice Theory, the new Reality Therapy, to the problem of substance abuse which consciously includes the client in creating their own customized treatment plan. As is the case for any change in behavior, when the client is involved in recognizing what needs to change, there is a much greater chance that the commitments will stick. The major difference in the approach Mike uses is to focus on his client's unhappiness. Clients began self-medicating with alcohol/drugs because of unsatisfying relationships with the important people in their life. Their drugged behavior, that eventually leads to biochemical dependencies, are actually making their relationships worse while believing they are making them better. The majority of other treatment programs will avow that the person relies on drugs or alcohol because of things that happened to them in their past and that the clients all have "unresolved issues." Mike’s approach, based on Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory, is that all long term unhappiness is the result of unsatisfying relationships that are occurring right now . . . in the present. Clients evaluate their own progress and choose their own methods to meet their basic needs satisfaction. Because clients do not feel coerced or mandated to change their ways, clients will be less resistant and make more conscientious efforts to acquire happiness and resolve conflict with others.

For fans of Captain Underpants and Lunch Lady, this chapter book series is half text, half illustration, and 100 percent humor. The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky. And uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in a mess. Why? Well, you see . . . *He’s wearing a shirt made entirely of dirt. *He spilled a potful of hot dogs all over school. *He’s digging up a woolly mammoth trapped in a frozen pond. *He was supposed to be working on a book report and wound up covered with Gargantuan Glue, newspaper, and shoe polish. (Will Icky Ricky ever get his book report done?) Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and ick!

Just like adults, children find sudoku absolutely addicting. So they’ll love this super follow-up to the first Sudoku Puzzles for Kids collection, with more than 75 new puzzles for them to try. Instead of going from 1 to 9, most of these sudokus go only from 1 to 6: the smaller, simpler grids are perfect for youngsters building their skills. The introduction thoroughly explains all the rules, carefully working through a sample sudoku from start to finish. In addition to the smaller puzzles, 22 regular-sized sudokus present a little extra challenge to young solvers.

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck he could only be called Icky Ricky.Uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in trouble and has a lot of explaining to do. Why? Well, you see . . .He did his homework on cheese slices, but got hungry and ate them.He had his friends over for a sleepover . . . on the bedroom ceiling.Harry, Icky Ricky's favorite hot dog, just landed in his dad's toolbox.The town bully, Mean Dean, is looking to pound whoever lost his remote-controlled car. Was is Icky Ricky?Icky Ricky is up to his eyebrows in mayhem--and in ick!"Icky Ricky proves to be a satisfying new hero for readers who are ready for a more expansive view of the world than that offered by Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series. . . . Readers will easily conclude that Ricky is awesome!"--BooklistOnline"Hits the gross-out sweet spot."--Kirkus"I thoroughly enjoyed these books, and I look forward to more icky adventures from young Ricky."--Nick Bruel, author of Bad Kitty

The hotter-than-hot puzzles, now in a format just for kids! Youngsters who want to start solving can have fun with these smaller sudokus that are right on their level. Instead of the usual sudoku grid, which goes from 1 to 9, most of these puzzles go only from 1 to 6. It’s simpler, increases the chances for success, and minimizes frustration. At the same time, children are building their skills—and preparing themselves to work on the 22 regular-size versions that are found at the end of the book. An introduction teaches the basic sudoku rules and offers easy-to-follow hints on how to figure out which number goes where. “The new international craze!”—The New York Times “People are wild about it...”—Sherry Stern of the Los Angeles Times

A hilarious, timely conversation about the differences between facts and opinions, by the creator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight GoonDo you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? It can be a hard thing to understand. Some things are facts--like the number of robots in this book. Other things are opinions--like which robot would make the best friend, or which robot dances best. And sometimes to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, you need to wait to get more information--that's because facts can be proven true or false, and opinions are things you feel and believe--but that you can't prove. Mike Rex introduces young readers to the very important distinction between facts and opinions, and he reminds us that it is nice to listen to one another's opinions, and to stand up for the facts!

Just like adults, children find sudoku absolutely addicting. So they’ll love this super follow-up to the first Sudoku Puzzles for Kids collection, with more than 75 new puzzles for them to try. Instead of going from 1 to 9, most of these sudokus go only from 1 to 6: the smaller, simpler grids are perfect for youngsters building their skills. The introduction thoroughly explains all the rules, carefully working through a sample sudoku from start to finish. In addition to the smaller puzzles, 22 regular-sized sudokus present a little extra challenge to young solvers.

The creator of Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy pulls from his mad-scientist brain a kid so attracted to slime, muck, dirt, and yuck that he could only be called Icky Ricky.Uh-oh! Icky Ricky is in a mess and has a lot of explaining to do. Why? Well, you see . . . A water demon took over the sink in the boys' bathroom! Icky Ricky and his friends cleaned up the house—with a leaf blower. His sweaty armpit is a perfect robber-proof bank.The dead raccoon he bought at a garage sale is speeding downhill in a runaway go-cart. Can Icky Ricky stop it?Icky Ricky is up to his eyeballs in trouble—and in ick!

If your dad is willing to save you from pirates, gorilla pirates, robot gorilla pirates and even robot gorilla pirates from Mars, you know he’ll do anything for you. And if that makes your dad hungry and thirsty or if he gets cuts and bruises, you know just how to take care of him right back. An adventurous tale of the heroic lengths fathers and sons will go for each other that will elicit gasps, giggles and warm contented sighs.