"FROG BELLY . . . plants the idea that with some strategy, good communication and goodwill, you can grow wonderful things." PORTLAND PRESS HERALD "Frog Belly Rat Bone, one, two, three . . . the specks in the earth are protected by me. You must be patient and then you will see. . . ." Once upon a time, in a dull, gray endless place called Cementland, there lived a very special boy who wished to find a treasure. After much searching among piles of greasy toaster ovens and wet smelly socks, he spies a box filled with specks and a wrinkled note that says, "Put these wondrous riches in the earth and enjoy." Horrified to learn that thieves are after his treasure, the boy scrounges the junkyard and conjures a creature to stand guard - a scarecrowlike gardener with crooked bony arms, a giant belly, a jaunty crown, and preternatural wisdom: Frog Belly Rat Bone, king and protector of the specks. With subtle, delicate tones, fantastical figures, and bursts of glowing color, the surreal artwork and hand-lettered text of Tim Ering's picture book debut exude all the whimsy of an inspired imagination - and the wonders of a natural world that awaits discovery, even in Cementland. Included with each book: a whimsical full-color bookmark offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the artist, his technique - and his inspiration!

Timothy Basil Ering is the illustrator of the Newbery Medal-winning The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo and Finn Throws a Fit! by David Elliott. He is also the author-illustrator of Necks Out for Adventure! He lives in Massachusetts.