THE ADVENTURES OF BIRPUS & BULBUS
Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
Their adventures are only just beginning!
Birpus & Bulbus is a new picture book series chronicling the whimsical adventures of two Tree Wee Brothers living in The Forest of Fine Repute. In The Sour Milk Dragon, Birpus and Bulbus discover how a small act of kindness transforms fear into friendship. Follow Birpus and Bulbus and their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny, on a magical journey of acceptance, love and family.
The Authors
Wynn Everett Albanese
Wynn is a Georgia native and an Auburn University graduate.
She is an actor working in film and television.
Most of all, she loves being home with her family.
Michael Albanese
A native of New York City, Michael grew up in Marietta, GA.
He loves writing, coffee, basketball and all forms of art.
Wynn and Michael live and dream in Atlanta with their two daughters and two cats. This is their first children's book together.
The Illustrator
Indre Ta
Indre loves bringing imagination to life through various mediums of expression.
Whether it is drawing, sculpture, or illustration.
Illustrating books was one of her childhood dreams, and she is quite pleased to partially live her dream by bringing Birpus and Bulbus’s world to life.
Reviews
Whimsy, fun, and entertaining.
Authors Michael Albanese & Wynn Everett-Albanese’s warm story in their new picture book series is just about perfect for new readers who are forging new friendships. Birpus and Bulbus, the Tree Wee Brothers, call Nobby Lob-lolly home. It’s a mysterious place situated in The Forest of Fine Repute where they live with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny. Trips to the forest are always a favorite activity for the brothers, except when they run into the intimidating Sour Milk Dragon. What will happen when the dragon finally catches up with them? This cozy tale will be a hit among youngsters as they watch the Tree Wee Brothers’ escapades, which don’t always go off without a hitch. The authors have crafted short sentences and used words fit for young minds. Indre Ta’s illustrations feature fantastic details and evoke the magical forest along with capturing the range of emotions of the characters. The central messages of acceptance, understanding, compassion, family, and friendship are beautifully conveyed, and the cat-and-mouse chase between the brothers and Duncan the dragon is sure to have kids in stitches. A gem.
Sour Milk Dragon menacing sylvan critters turns out not to be that frightening in Everett-Albanese and Albanese’s picture book.
The fantastically named Birpus and Bulbus, forest creatures (“Tree-Wees”) who resemble something between beavers and corduroy teddy bears, have been repeatedly chased by the Sour Milk Dragon, but they’re too fast to be caught. Their days are occupied with searching for “worm waffles” and “marmalade moths.” The layered, digitally painted world they race through is full of vast, redwoodlike trees and mushroom cottages linked by ladder bridges and lit by filtered orange light. When they return home, their Grand-Wees are always happy to tell a story. The older forest-dwellers seem unconcerned about the dragon below. As it turns out, this is a reasonable attitude: When they find him again, Birpus and Bulbus learn the homely purple milk-leaking dragon, though stinky, poses no threat to anyone and just wants a friend. Children who enjoy eccentric fantasy characters and are too young for more complicated stories will enjoy this easy resolution. The narrative gives more weight to the cozy woodland vibes (one character, Mr. Yellow, is literally a blanket) than to character or plot. Ta’s creative, full-color illustrations add depth to the simple storybook world.
These goofy, friendly characters offer an uncomplicated story with visual interest and a measure of good fun.