Scritch-Scratch a Perfect Match

Illustrated by Mike Lester
FLIT-FLIT flapped the flea in the scruffy dog's hair. "AAROOF!" howled the stray as he jumped in the air.

AWOOMPH was the sound as he dropped like a sack, landing THUD! "OH CRUD!" on an old man's back.

How can something so tiny cause so much havoc? When a flea jumps onto a stray dog, causing the dog to jump on a lonely man, the race is on to find flea powder fast! A little itch on a big dog makes for HUGE chaos, but their adventure also leads to a lasting friendship. And when the flea finally jumps from the dog to a stray cat, who jumps onto a lonely lady, the cycle begins anew. Playful language and sound effects and zany, action-packed illustrations make for a surefire story-time hit.
KIMBERLY MARCUS lives with her husband and two children near the beach in Massachusetts, not far from the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. She is a clinical social worker specializing in the treatment of childhood and adolescent trauma. Exposed is her first novel. You can visit her on the Web at KimberlyMarcus.com. View titles by Kimberly Marcus
Mike Lester is an illustrator and political cartoonist who often has cartoons in publications like Time magazine. The books he has illustrated for Random House include A Is for Salad, Cool Daddy Rat, and The Night Before the Night Before Christmas. He lives in Rome, Georgia. View titles by Mike Lester
 "[The] book explodes with sound on every page. . . . The galloping, emphatic pace makes the book fun to read aloud. Lester’s cartoons have a frowzy, kinetic appeal that’s particularly apt in a story featuring a scruffy dog." — School Library Journal

"Illustrated with a great deal of humor. . . In this particular story, which ends mostly happily, the bug has the last bite." — The New York Times Book Review

 "Told in crisply scanning anapestic verse and heavily punctuated with onomatopoeic exclamations, this is a madcap friendship story that begs to be read aloud with panache. . . . Abundant motion lines, copious scrawled hatch and crosshatch details, and heaps of sly character humor (the flea has a winning grin, the dog is scruffily endearing) all work together to support the playful text." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About

FLIT-FLIT flapped the flea in the scruffy dog's hair. "AAROOF!" howled the stray as he jumped in the air.

AWOOMPH was the sound as he dropped like a sack, landing THUD! "OH CRUD!" on an old man's back.

How can something so tiny cause so much havoc? When a flea jumps onto a stray dog, causing the dog to jump on a lonely man, the race is on to find flea powder fast! A little itch on a big dog makes for HUGE chaos, but their adventure also leads to a lasting friendship. And when the flea finally jumps from the dog to a stray cat, who jumps onto a lonely lady, the cycle begins anew. Playful language and sound effects and zany, action-packed illustrations make for a surefire story-time hit.

Author

KIMBERLY MARCUS lives with her husband and two children near the beach in Massachusetts, not far from the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. She is a clinical social worker specializing in the treatment of childhood and adolescent trauma. Exposed is her first novel. You can visit her on the Web at KimberlyMarcus.com. View titles by Kimberly Marcus
Mike Lester is an illustrator and political cartoonist who often has cartoons in publications like Time magazine. The books he has illustrated for Random House include A Is for Salad, Cool Daddy Rat, and The Night Before the Night Before Christmas. He lives in Rome, Georgia. View titles by Mike Lester

Praise

 "[The] book explodes with sound on every page. . . . The galloping, emphatic pace makes the book fun to read aloud. Lester’s cartoons have a frowzy, kinetic appeal that’s particularly apt in a story featuring a scruffy dog." — School Library Journal

"Illustrated with a great deal of humor. . . In this particular story, which ends mostly happily, the bug has the last bite." — The New York Times Book Review

 "Told in crisply scanning anapestic verse and heavily punctuated with onomatopoeic exclamations, this is a madcap friendship story that begs to be read aloud with panache. . . . Abundant motion lines, copious scrawled hatch and crosshatch details, and heaps of sly character humor (the flea has a winning grin, the dog is scruffily endearing) all work together to support the playful text." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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