Margarash
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Become an affiliateMark Riddle is a Youth Services Librarian with a colossal beard. He was born in Australia, has lived in Taiwan and Turkey, and now resides in North Carolina with his wife, Kate; their cat, Warda Runciblespoon; and several fish and chickens. This is his first picture book.
Tim Miller is the author-illustrator who studied at the School of Visual Arts where he earned a Bachelor's in Cartooning and a Master's in Art Education.Tim Miller's picture book debut as an illustrator, SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR (DID NOT ASK TO BE IN THIS BOOK!) received four starred reviews from PW, Kirkus, Booklist, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; and was selected as an Amazon 2016 Best Children's Book of the Year, as well as, a Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards Best Picture Book. Tim's debut as author and illustrator, MOO MOO in a TUTU was a 2017 Junior Library Guild selection, and his second book WHAT'S COOKING, MOO MOO? was a 2018 Junior Library Guild selection. Tim is also the illustrator of SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR AND HIS BEST FRIEND FOREVER! (PROBABLY), HORSE MEETS DOG, MARGARASH, and the middle-grade series HAMSTERSAURUS REX. Tim lives and works in Jersey City, New Jersey with his wife and three cats.
"In goofy and dramatic pictures, Tim Miller captures the descent into this land of a young coin-fancier named Collin, his tussles with the toothy monster, and the odd fellowship that develops between them."--The Wall Street Journal
"The illustrations by Tim Miller are very unique, sparse in odd, muted tones befitting the insides of a sofa. This is a gem, not to be missed. ... A perfect book! It reads like a modern-day fairy tale though it has the feeling of age about it: children confronting and outsmarting monsters - and the best part - befriending monsters."--STARRED REVIEW, Katrina Yurenka, Youth Services Book Review
"My kids love this book. No. They do. They LOVE this book. ... The story involves a monster that lives beneath all the couch cushions in the world, taking and keeping the loose change he finds. There's even a catchy little chant, "The coins that fall are for Margarash / Margarash / Margarash / The coins that fall are for Margarash / Leave them where they lie." I have it memorized." --Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal
"A captivatingly grouchy couch monster and a curious kid who gets trapped in his underworld is really the stuff picture book magic is made of. ... A perfect book to add to a Halloween collection, although we definitely will be keeping this out year round."--The Reading Ninja
"It's a story with the feel of a modern-day fairy tale or urban legend, one that suggests that compassion and common ground can go a long way toward making friends out of would-be enemies." --Publisher's Weekly
"Riddle's prose provides a strong momentum overall, driving page turns and inspiring Miller's whimsical, childlike illustrations, which depict the titular monster as a gray, furred creature with a comically toothy underbite. A sweet tale of a mutual passion and an unlikely friendship."--Kirkus Reviews
- "Storytelling at its best...I'm not sure if I have enjoyed a picture book more than "Margarash"--I laughed. A lot. ...Mark Riddle's wonderfully offbeat story was matched perfectly with illustrations by Tim Miller. His art takes a gloomy palette and adds a whimsical, comical touch." --Words and Illustrations (@wordsandillustrations)
- "One of my favorite picture books of 2016, so gloriously bizarre and altogether unlike any other picture book released that year." --Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
"Miller's paintings are bold, comical, and have just enough darkness to highlight the text perfectly. Miller has proved himself to be an incredibly diverse artist, producing picture books in a multitude of styles, but the rudimentary look of the illustrations in Margarash are particularly spectacular." --Mel Schuit, Let's Talk Picture Books - "Deep down beneath the couch cushions, past the crumbs and pocket lint, lying in wait for loose change, lurks...Margarash! Mark Riddle's titular character is a boogieman turned buddy in this sweet, silly, and just scary-enough picture book that follows Collin, a young coin collector, into the couch crack netherworld where Margarash lives. [...] Margarash puts a clever, modern twist on a classic folktale storyline. Tim Miller's illustrations take the edge off of the more frightening parts of the book and bring subtle beauty and depth to Margarash's dark world, lit by beams and points of light that fall, like the coins he craves, through the cracks and tears of couches everywhere." --Marykate Smith Despres, Wink Books