Can you ROBOT ZOT?

Ambassador Scieszka and his Vice Ambassador Shannon presided over the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. From their resplendent Library of Congress headquarters, the Ambassador and the Vice wondered if any of the honored guests could do the Robot Zot.
They asked. They filmed.
And this is what they discovered:

Can you ROBOT ZOT? from Chrissy Noh on Vimeo.

TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL MUSCLE MEN

Two out of Four Guys still going strong.
Still going so strong that they seem to have grown incredible extra muscles.

The Texas Bluebonnet Award folks asked me and Mac to announce the 2010-2011 Master List of books at the TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL in Austin this weekend.

And since it was Halloween, Mac and I decided we should introduce the list with a little extra something.

The kids in the audience were absolutely dumbfounded.
The adults seemed mostly amused.
Mac and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Animal Act 2

More combination animals. Once again, these were drawn on tour on big pads of paper with Sharpies, based on animal suggestions taken from the audience. Then the kids usually named their creature, and I usually suggested it should be their new school mascot.
Reaction to this suggestion of mine was varied. Some kids embraced the idea (probably understanding that it was a joke and that in a day or two everyone would forget all about it), other kids folded their arms and essentially said, "No, we're satisfied being the Wildcats actually, thanks."

Animal Act

Adam here. I've jumped ship and am no longer on tour, but I thought I'd share some drawings I made throughout California and Arizona.

It's become a regular shtick of mine to ask audiences of kids for animal suggestions and then combine said animals into a hideous chimera for their amusement. Then I frequently invite the kids to name it. Here are a few. I'll show more later.

A girl named the fellow below "Chow Chow." It's on the tag.

No name for the last one, but notable for being the only time I've been asked to draw a bearded dragon. Mac had to pull up a little jpeg of one on his iPhone for reference.

INEXPLICABLE TOUR MOMENT #2

Mac here. Adam and I did a great signing at a Barnes & Noble in Tucson, but it started off a little weird. When we got to the table, a man in sweatpants was standing there, eating a cookie. He told us about the University of Arizona game: Apparently a football had bounced off a guy's foot. Then he nibbled his cookie and told us about the University of Arizona game again. This is when Adam left me and pretended to inspect the easel.

Then:

SWEATPANTS: Where are you going next?

MAC: New York.

SWEATPANTS: How's the weather been in New York?

MAC: I'm not sure. I'm actually not from New York--I live on the west coast. I'm heading there to keep touring.

SWEATPANTS: Where are you touring?

MAC: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York,

SWEATPANTS: How's the weather been in New York?

MAC: Oh, I don't know. I don't live there.

SWEATPANTS: Where are you from?

MAC: The west coast.

SWEATPANTS: Like Florida?

MAC: California.

SWEATPANTS: Me too!


He did not buy a book.

Tucson Appearances

Just a quick note to warn anyone who was planning to come to Adam and Mac's UofA appearance this morning that it's been cancelled. But Mac and Adam will still be at the Borders on Broadway at 2pm.

You Say It's Your Birthday

It's Mr. Shannon's birthday! Lots of people are nice to him. They sing happy birthday. They give him cakes.





We think he needs more. He needs a birthday surprise. And we are just the guys to give it to him. Because we have done about 342 presentations together, we have pretty much memorized what each guy says. So Mac and Adam and I decide to surprise Mr. Shannon by giving his entire presentation . . . without him.





Adam shows the kids how to draw David while Mac and I explain why David's left nostril is bigger than his right nostril ("he's left handed"), how Mr. Shannon broke his nose ("the sliding glass door was shut"), and what Mr. Shannon's dad used to call a buzz haircut ("a pig shave").


Mr. Shannon is definitely surprised. Mr. Shannon is even flabbergasted. But he gets to take the morning off. And the K-2 kids love both the presentation and the special Adam Rex birthday version of David.