Raymond and Graham Rule Kansas Schools

Raymond and Graham Rule the School has been selected for the Kansas State Reading Circle’s Recommended Reading List for 2009.

The Kansas National Education Association creates an annual recommended reading list for children in grades K-12. Selected titles are placed on one of five lists: Kansas Titles, Primary, Intermediate, Junior High/Middle School, and Senior High/Young Adult. The lists are distributed and promoted throughout the state of Kansas during the current year.

Stacks of Books

The author of the famed "Raymond and Graham" chapter book series, Marvelous Mike Knudson and I are teaming up over the next couple of days and taking our dog and pony show to the deserving children at Ellsworth Elementary School, Ranch View Elementary School and Naper Elementary School in Naperville, IL.

In the picture above are some of the books I've been signing for the past couple of days. Mike signs his name and I sign and doodle a little drawing in each book.

My usually drawing process consists of pencilling a drawing, then tracing over my pencil lines in ink and then erasing the pencil lines. But when I have to sign books, I don't have time for all that. The first time I did a LIVE booksigning I nearly pissed my pants. I just couldn't draw in someone's book without pencilling first! And even worse, I couldn't do it FAST enough to accomodate a line of kids waiting to get their book signed. Hundreds of thousands of books later, I dive right in. When I get "in the zone," I can do some pretty nifty drawings without worry.

Go buy:

Raymond and Graham Rule the School

Raymond and Graham Dancing Dudes

Pictures of the school visits coming later this week ... if I remember to bring my camera.

Wall of Fame

I got this photo the other day in my e-mail.

Mike Knudson, author of the Raymond and Graham series and myself made the "Wall of Fame" in Mrs. Thunem's 6th Grade Class at Sanborn Elementary School in Arizona.

Pretty neat honor!

"Dancing Dudes"

The second book in the Raymond and Graham series has hit bookstores.

It's called "Dancing Dudes" written by the awesome Mike Knudson, illustrated by myself and published by Viking (Penguin Group).

The book will be reviewed in the November 1st issue of School Library Journal!

About "Dancing Dudes" from Amazon.com:

"It’s time for the fourth grade’s annual hoedown, and best friends Raymond and Graham are ready to wow the whole school with their great dance moves. But Raymond faces a tough choice when it’s time to pick a dance partner: the most annoying girl in the class—or his teacher! What’s a fourth-grade man to do? The second book in the Raymond and Graham series is full of goofy illustrations and huge laughs from this hilarious duo!"

You can order the book from Amazon.com by clicking here.

School Visits!

Mike Knudson, the author of the Raymond and Graham series, and I teamed up for a couple of school visits to Kingsley Elementary School and River Woods Elementary School in Naperville, IL.

We had a blast!
The kids were absolutely terrific and it was uplifting to meet fans of the Raymond and Graham books face-to-face, entertain them and sign and draw in their books.

A special thanks to the fine folks at both these schools for allowing us to come visit your schools!
We appreciate your support!

Here are a few photos:

The awesome set up that the school folks made for us:


Answering questions...me (on the left) and Mike (on the right):


Mike's doing the talking and I'm drawing, which is projected up on that screen between the Raymond and Graham banners.
Technology sure has come a long way since overhead projectors and transparencies:


Looking at the drawings:


Two student volunteers help Mike make a point about the writing process:


Photos courtesy of Marcia Bean, Kingsley Elementary School

"Raymond and Graham Rule the School" SLJ review

Here's a review from The School Library Journal of "Raymond and Graham Rule the School," the first book of the Raymond and Graham series written by Mike Knudson and Steve Wilkinson and illustrated by me.

KNUDSON, Mike & Steve Wilkinson. Raymond and Graham Rule the School. illus. by Stacy Curtis. 136p. CIP. Viking. 2008. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01101-8. LC 2007033350.
Gr 2-4–A rollicking, laugh-out-loud look at fourth grade through the eyes of two lifelong pals. The boys figure that this year, since they are the oldest kids at East Millcreek Elementary, they’ll rule the school, but nothing seems to work out as planned. First, Raymond ends up having the creepiest teacher ever, then Graham accidentally shaves off his own eyebrow. After auditions for the school play, Raymond, who covets the role of Scrooge, gets a small part with a silly line about plum pudding. Faced with more ups and downs–and one hilarious situation after another–the boys begin to wonder if fourth grade will turn out to be a total disaster. Narrated by Raymond, this story is filled with nonstop action and kid-friendly humor. Done in an exaggerated cartoon style, Curtis’s occasional black-and-white illustrations perfectly suit the tone of the text. Fans of Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” series (Scholastic) or Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007) are in for big fun involving prunes, false teeth, misplaced first kisses, and two true-blue friends.–Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA

Review copyright The School Library Journal


The book also got a great review from Kirkus Review back in June.

"Raymond & Graham Rule the School"

The first book of the new Raymond and Graham series is out!

It's called "Raymond and Graham Rule the School" written by the hilarious Mike Knudson and Steve Wilkinson, illustrated by myself and published by Viking (Penguin Group).

About "Raymond and Graham Rule the School" (from Amazon.com):
A hilarious new series for middlegrade boys!

Best friends Raymond and Graham have waited their whole lives for fourth grade, when they’ll rule the school at East Millcreek Elementary. But things don’t go quite as planned when Raymond gets stuck with the most embarrassing line in the class play! Can he find a way out of it, or will he be humiliated in front of everyone? Filled with memorable characters, side-splitting moments, and goofy black-and-white illustrations, this series is sure to tickle kids’ funny bones!


Order the book by clicking here.

The second book in this series, "Raymond and Graham: Dancing Dudes" will be out in September.