What Happened to the Naked Mole Rat?: A Graphic Novel

A new funny supernatural graphic novel series for early readers about an eight-year-old boy who solves mysteries with the ghost of his former class pet.

Mr. Pebbles is dead, and everyone thinks it’s Carter’s fault!

When Carter’s third-grade class accuses him of killing the class pet, a naked mole rat named Mr. Pebbles who shivers a lot and smells a little funny, can Carter clear his name . . . with the help of Mr. Pebbles's ghost?
Akeem S. Roberts is the illustrator of the J.D. the Kid Barber chapter book series, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of 2021, a Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor recipient, and a Texas Bluebonnet MasterList selection. He has worked as an illustrator for Hasbro (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and as a cartoonist for The New Yorker. The Class Pet Ghost Detective series is his author-illustrator debut. Visit Akeem at AkeemTeam.com to see more of his work. View titles by Akeem S. Roberts
Praise for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts:

★ "This is authentic storytelling, supported by Roberts’ vigorous cartoons—full of styles that are straight fire."
Kikus Reviews, starred review

"Akeem S. Roberts’ cartoon-style illustrations of J.D. and his friends are packed with personality and make this a great choice for readers transitioning into chapter books...feels like a winner.” 
BookPage

"I love that level of cartoon quality to his artwork that felt like the best compliment to J. Dillard’s writing."
—BlackNerdProblems.com

"I got really attached to his style in the book too. Mr. Roberts has an animation background, and you can tell. Animators, after all, have a tendency to distinguish themselves when they illustrate books."
—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Fuse 8 Blog

About

A new funny supernatural graphic novel series for early readers about an eight-year-old boy who solves mysteries with the ghost of his former class pet.

Mr. Pebbles is dead, and everyone thinks it’s Carter’s fault!

When Carter’s third-grade class accuses him of killing the class pet, a naked mole rat named Mr. Pebbles who shivers a lot and smells a little funny, can Carter clear his name . . . with the help of Mr. Pebbles's ghost?

Author

Akeem S. Roberts is the illustrator of the J.D. the Kid Barber chapter book series, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of 2021, a Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor recipient, and a Texas Bluebonnet MasterList selection. He has worked as an illustrator for Hasbro (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and as a cartoonist for The New Yorker. The Class Pet Ghost Detective series is his author-illustrator debut. Visit Akeem at AkeemTeam.com to see more of his work. View titles by Akeem S. Roberts

Praise

Praise for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts:

★ "This is authentic storytelling, supported by Roberts’ vigorous cartoons—full of styles that are straight fire."
Kikus Reviews, starred review

"Akeem S. Roberts’ cartoon-style illustrations of J.D. and his friends are packed with personality and make this a great choice for readers transitioning into chapter books...feels like a winner.” 
BookPage

"I love that level of cartoon quality to his artwork that felt like the best compliment to J. Dillard’s writing."
—BlackNerdProblems.com

"I got really attached to his style in the book too. Mr. Roberts has an animation background, and you can tell. Animators, after all, have a tendency to distinguish themselves when they illustrate books."
—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Fuse 8 Blog

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more