Growing up, RICK CHRUSTOWSKI drew all the time. He drew on the floor of his room. He drew in front of the TV. He drew at the kitchen table. In second grade, his parent’s gave him a drawing table. He has drawn at it ever since. When Rick learned how to write stories in third grade, he realized that putting words and pictures together was his favorite art form. Rick likes to explore new art materials. He has illustrated books using colored pencils, cut-paper collage, and watercolor paints. When Rick is not making books, he visits elementary schools across the country teaching kids how to write and illustrate their own books.
Please visit Rick online at:
www.rickchrustowski.com
twitter.com/RickChrustowski
facebook.com/rick.chrustowski
Rick’s Bookshelf:
Dino-Zombies!
by Rick Chrustowski (PRH Workshop, 2021)
• Publisher’s Weekly Halloween Round-up
“Forget brains—dino-zombies need sugar to survive, and Halloween night is the perfect time to fuel up. Chrustowski’s boldly hued crew, crisply outlined in black, don their costumes and stomp through the streets amassing loads of candy. “Zombie-raptor!/… Zombie-saurus rex!/ Ding-dong, ROAR! Ding-dong, ROAR!/ They’re the candy-saurus wrecks!” The dino-zombies—whose bones protrude from their meaty bulk—hit pay dirt at the neighborhood costume party (“Candy bars and popcorn balls!/ Dino-zombies chomp them all!”) and even take home first prize for their impressive getups. And once “they’re crashing from the sugar rush,” the dino-zombies are soon quiet and comfy at home in their “fuzzy jammies.” The combination of spare text, chunky font, and playfully spooky critters with yellow glowing eyes make this a treat for early readers stimulated by the sugary holiday’s fun.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“On Halloween they come alive, / and they need sugar to survive,” and so the undead rise. There’s a zombie-dactyl, a bronto-zombie, and of course, a zombie-saurus rex, among others. They are all wearing costumes, their gaping abdominal cavities and open ribcages exposing a hoard of sweets. After trick-or-treating and hitting a festive party, they head home for their jammies and a movie. In Chrustowski’s hands, these are approachable, even cute dino-zombies, drawn in bright greens and purples, with yellow bug eyes and friendly grins, nothing too gory or scary. The rhyming text bounces along, matching the joyful spirit of the chomping dino-zombies. Readers will enjoy looking over the illustrations for fun details, like the zombie-raptor that pulls an entire pumpkinful of treats from the spino-zombie’s insides, later leaving the party with three pumpkins swinging from its tail. There’s even the all-black silhouette of a bat or two and buzzing flies to find on each layout. Kids will love how the dino-zombies consume their treats with abandon, and adults will secretly smile about their own tired trick-or-treating zombies that they tuck into bed on Halloween night. It’s all good, predictable fun. This story about the extinct undead really comes alive.”—Kirkus Reviews
My Little Fox
by Rick Chrustowski (Beach Lane, 2017)
Bee Dance
by Rick Chrustowski (Henry Holt, 2015)
• CCBC Choices 2016
• Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Honor Book
• Wisconsin Library Association Outstanding Books of 2016
Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks
written by Barbara Joosse, illus. by Rick Chrustowski (Greenwillow, 2010)
For complete list of Rick’s book titles, please visit: www.rickchrustowski.com/books/books.html
Bookmark Literary 