The Thingity-Jig

Description

A bear's curious discovery leads to crafty inventions in this story-time romp filled with whimsical wordplay and themes of friendship, imagination, and STEAM. Under the light of a silvery moon, an inquisitive bear ventures into People Town, where he makes quite the curious discovery. What is this? A springy thing-a bouncy thing-a sit-on-it, jump-on-it thing! This Thingity-Jig is way too heavy to bring back to the woods by himself, however, so Bear runs home to tell his friends. But nobody wants to get out of bed to help! So Bear invents a Rolly-Rumpity to wheel the Thingity-Jig home, and then it all gets stuck in the mud. How will Bear tackle this bump in the road? With a Lifty-Uppity, of course! Reading specialist and former educator Kathy Doherty blends upcycling and STEAM in this delightful story of trial and error that teems with delightful wordplay-a true winner for any story time! Illustrator Kristyna Litten depicts a charming world between forest and city with detailed imaginative art and characters. A CCBC Choice

Kathleen Doherty is a Reading Specialist and holds an Ed.S. Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She's written standardized test items for Pearson Inc. and her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities. A former teacher of elementary school for over 30 years, Kathy's work has appeared in numerous magazines. She lives in Indiana. Kristyna Litten studied Illustration at the Edinburg College of Art. Having been raised with illustrative and animated influences from Eastern Europe, Kristyna often references Josef Sasek and Marc Boutayant in her work. Exercising a sophisticated color palette, she prefers to draw quickly to give an energetic line to her work and his heavily reliant on a good old pencil and a great big cup of tea to keep her going. She lives in a beautiful village in England.

"Doherty's joyous, inventive, action-packed language begs to be shouted out loud. The moonlit night sparkles in town and city as Litten's fanciful illustrations fill in the details of the tale and showcase Bear's inventiveness. Little readers might want to create their own Thingity-Jigs. A delightful, rollicking, joyous romp." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Making the most of Bear's wacky, ingenious contraptions, the appealing artwork rewards curious viewers with visual details that reappear in different contexts as the story unfolds. The well-constructed text rolls along in a satisfying way, enhanced by the devices' inventive names, which are uniquely fitting and great fun to read aloud. A dynamic, enjoyable picture book." -Booklist