BOOKS & COMICS
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     “A series of graphic novels that has a Pixar-like ability to appeal to both adults and kids.”
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RAINING CATS AND DETECTIVES: Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye, Book 5 released October 2012. It’s a dark and stormy afternoon when Sasspants, leaves Mr. Venezi’s pet shop to live with a new owner. (Noooo!) BUT there’s a mystery afoot back at the shop: the cat from the bookstore next door has disappeared. All the pet shop animals are putting on their detective hats, but their fluffy-but-faraway guinea pig detective can’t help them follow the clues! Can Hamisher the hamster solve this cat-napping without Sasspants?
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REVIEWS & AWARDS
“Venable’s fifth Pet Shop Private Eye graphic adventure for the chapter-book crowd is as sly, sarcastic and silly as its predecessors. Yue’s expressive, dot-eyed creatures in bright hues and cinematic panels are still perfect at bringing the tales to life and adding an extra dimension of character and humor. ”—Kirkus Reviews |
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FISH YOU WERE HERE: Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye, Book 4 released September 2011. The animals in Mr. Venezi’s pet shop are used to how forgetful he is. Then he hires the perfect assistant, Viola. She does her job so well that Mr. V hardly needs to be there. In fact, one day, Mr. V doesn’t come back at all! Eep!
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REVIEWS & AWARDS
“Venable and Yue have concocted another winning entry in the cute Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye series.”—Booklist “Venable and Yue’s Pet Shop Private Eye graphic series continues to charm. Yue’s adorable pet-shop fur (and scale) people are just as expressive as their human counterparts, and Venable’s gentle mystery and delightful, dry humor will extend Sasspant’s fanbase…. Great graphic tales for young readers and animal lovers; long may Sasspants detect!”—Kirkus Reviews |
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THE FERRET’S A FOOT: Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye, Book 3 (March 2011). Mr. Venezi puts up a help wanted sign in the shop, but if he gets more help it means more animals will be sold! If that wasn’t bad enough, when crazy new ferrets move in and vandals start to change the signs on all the cages Sasspants and Hamisher have their fuzzy hands full…
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REVIEWS & AWARDS
*EISNER NOMINEE for BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS* “Yue’s adorable, expressive cartoon creatures ably extend Venable’s humor…. A winning graphic story all around”—Kirkus Reviews “The mystery, while uncomplicated and dotted with humorous moments, still allows for some basic deductive reasoning as readers search for the culprit…. Kids who have a thing for pets (which is a sizable group) and a hankering for humor will likely take to this title”—School Library Journal “The Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye series continues to entertain, with cute animals, witty dialogue, and a solid mystery.”—Booklist |
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AND THEN THERE WERE GNOMES, Book 2 in the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series illustrated by Stephanie Yue, comes out in Nov 2010. There’s a ghost in Mr. V’s shop and the mice are disappearing one by one. It’s up to reluctant Sasspants and all her crazy storemates to figure out what’s going on. This book includes what may possibly be the best line I’ll ever write in a book: “Please enjoy the rest of our shop, this aisle is currently Haunted” 
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REVIEWS & AWARDS
*A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF 2010* “A gem—please, tell us we’ll be seeing more of Sasspants!”—Kirkus Reviews “This charmingly goofy, slightly goose-pimply graphic novel is just right for a gently spooky laptime or independent read.”—Shelf Awareness “Everything about it could be described as cute, from the art to the characters’ personalities.”—Publisher’s Weekly “Let’s say you took Sam Spade and gave him whiskers and a tail. Or say you took Easy Rawlins, covered him in fur and set him up inside a pet store. Or say you took Hercule Poirot, lined his cage with grass and gave him wood chips to gnaw on so his teeth wouldn’t grow too long. It wouldn’t matter because you still wouldn’t wind up with a sleuth as awesome as Detective Sasspants. Venable and Yue have created an instantly classic mystery series for young ones to enjoy. The stories are witty and fun. The mysteries are valid. And the art is just plain wonderful. You can consider me a loyal and dedicated fan of Guinea P.I.”—Nick Bruel, creator of BAD KITTY |
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My first book, HAMSTER AND CHEESE: Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye, Book 1, came out in April 2010 from Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner! It’s a graphic novel for kids and the first in a series starring a unfriendly Guinea Pig who is forced to solve crimes by a hyperactive hamster when the “g” falls off her sign. The art is by the incredible Stephanie Yue, who is a black belt in making-things-super-cute.
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REVIEWS & AWARDS
*A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF 2010* “Middle graders will close this and ask right away for Detective Pants’s next caper.”—Kirkus Reviews “Unique characters, a creative setting, and sharp humor”—School Library Journal “A refreshingly cute blend of comedy, mystery, and adventure. Each little animal’s unique personality is captured perfectly by the absolutely adorable drawings and blended with the witty dialogue in a way that makes this comic a perfect read for all ages.”—Andy Runton, creator of OWLY |
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From 2004-2007 I made a super silly webcomic called FLUFF IN BROOKLYN. It starred a bunch of stuffed animals interacting with normal NYC residents in picture form. Over 60 friends appeared in the comic which I would never write beforehand but just take silly pictures and then when I couldn’t sleep at 3am thread them together with even sillier dialogue. It amused me to no end, though made little sense!
Somehow the comic was named an “Editor’s Choice” by BUST Magazine and it developed a very strange but loyal group of followers. I was invited to be part of the PLAYGROUND GHOSTS webcomic collective, the only female in the group that included: Chris Dlugosz, Steve Hogan, Bernie Hou, David Malki !, and Chris Yates. So many of my favorite people in the world come from the webcomic community with awesome D.I.Y. beliefs about creativity. ![Detail Comic 102- \](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/4838025257_78993aacb6_s.jpg "Detail Comic 102- \")
![Detail from 151- \](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4838638184_29fcbac403_s.jpg "Detail from 151- \")
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![Detail Comic 166- \](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/4838587032_98ba2cfcc1_s.jpg "Detail Comic 166- \")
![Detail Comic 127- \](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4837973799_b3439b9199_s.jpg "Detail Comic 127- \")
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