Hey, Stinky Cecil fans! Book Three in the Stinky Cecil series, Mudslide Mayhem!, is on its way. The release date for the book is February 27 so mark your calendars! You can also pre-order it here.

Here’s a sneak-peek:

“It’s springtime at Cecil’s Pond and everything is coming alive: the flowers, grasses, insects, and butterflies. The marsh around the pond is all in bloom. Poor Nesbit (the chameleon) is overwhelmed by it all. He sees all the change as unsettling chaos!

Nesbit grew up in a pet store before moving to the pond. He has no idea what it’s like to live in the wild or where he fits in the chain of life. Cecil and his pond pals will have to help Nesbit along on his journey of self-discovery. Join Cecil and his friends as they celebrate all the diversity of life in the pond and the marsh that surrounds it. Sometimes, mayhem is good!”

I recently shared some of the newest installment of Cecil’s adventures with a group of aspiring cartoonists at my local library. It’s always fun to inspire kids with comics. Children have a surprisingly sophisticated sense of humor and it always cracks me up to hear them repeat jokes from the Stinky Cecil series.

Some early reviewers have offered good feedback for Book Four in the series. For example, Stinky Cecil expert, Phoenix, age 5, let me know in no uncertain terms that in the next book, Jeff should have a backhoe.

I have to agree with Phoenix that the story possibilities for the things Jeff could do with a radio-controlled backhoe are endless.

It’s rewarding to write a story for kids that’s fun and appealing, while at the same time teaching them a little bit about the science of the world around us. The residents of Cecil’s pond, despite their differences, come together for the common good of their shared ecosystem. In the end, they create an environment that works for everyone.

As we make our way through 2018, let’s remember how many creatures live downstream from us and how what we do in our daily lives affects the global ecosystem. My personal goals for 2018 are to be kind to others, to be kind to the environment… oh, and to draw lots more Stinky Cecil comics!