Michael Anthony Steele

Released today is the first of my Chuggington books, The Chugger Championship. For those unfamiliar with Chuggington, the show airs on Playhouse Disney, all the train characters are called “chuggers,” and they live and work in a town called Chuggington. This 8X8 picture book tells about the exciting tale of their big race around town and through the countryside!

With only a few sentences per page and bright colorful images pulled directly from the show, I’d recommend this for anyone just learning to read and/or fans of the show.

As they say in Chuggington, it’s train-tastic!
 
 

Released today — The Penguins of Madagascar: Skipper’s Log!

Written completely from Skipper’s point of view, I had a fun time getting inside his head. Hopefully, I did a good job and you’ll hear his voice as you read. Who knows… you might even get a little swagger in your step when you’re done.

Enjoy!

I’m announcing the launch of the official Clown Commandos comic book apps! Created with my good friend, Scott McFadden, we’ve been working on this project for years and have finally found a cool medium on which to tell the CC saga!

The story is about a squad of heroes from an alternate universe where clowns evolved into elite soldiers. They become trapped in our world and must survive in a reality where no one takes them seriously.

There are many comic book apps out there but ours are some of the very few written specifically for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. We’ve also set ourselves apart by creating one of the first comics (if not THE first) to add interactive sound effects! You know those “BAMS!” you see in comics? Well, now you can hear the BAM with a tap of your finger!

You can find our apps in the iTunes store here.

To learn more about Clown Commandos, visit the official website: clowncommandos.com

Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or the official blog: clownblog.com

My first LEGO City book comes out this month–Build this City! My brother and I grew up playing with a tub full of LEGOs so writing these books was like visiting an old friend. Of course, the LEGOs today are vastly superior to the ones we had in our day. I’m a bit jealous, actually.

If your child is learning to read or is a LEGO fan or likes watching construction machinery or… all three, he or she should enjoy this book.
 
 
 

Even though spring is in the air and winter is but a fading memory (at least for us down hear in Texas), you can relive all the winter fun with the newly released: Chipper’s Chilly Chase.

I really enjoyed writing this book for the great folks at the American Public Works Association. And in doing so, I learned many cool things about the often invisible but vital jobs of public works employees.

If you’re interested in a copy, you can pick one up from the APWA’s website along with many other fun books and information about the very interesting world of public works.

Released today, my junior novelization of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. If you’re a fan of the first movie, I think you’ll really enjoy the sequel. It contains all the original characters along with many hilarious new ones. And if you can’t wait for the movie to see what’s in store for night guard, Larry Daley… why not buy the book?

Please enjoy this blatant cross-promotion for the upcoming movie, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. But seriously, since I wrote the junior novelization, and therefore had a chance to read the script, I can tell you that it’s going to be a fun picture, full of your favorite characters from the first and a bunch of new ones played by some of the funniest comedic actors of the day.

Here’s the trailer:
 

 
 
 

 
 
Released this month is a preschool book I wrote entitled: BOZ and You and Christmas Too. Illustrated by Mike Griswold, this book comes with three erasable markers, allowing kids to interact with BOZ on the wipe-off pages throughout the book.

Another one of my Boz books is out just in time for Halloween–BOZ’s Pumpkin Party. It’s a lift-the-flap book illustrated by Jay Johnson.

Both of these were great fun to write and should be enjoyed by any young fan of the green bear next door!

Scott McFadden, and I are busy finishing the first webisode of a brand new online series called Clown Commandos.

The show is about a squad of heroes from an alternate universe where clowns evolved into an elite fighting force. Yet when these same commandos become trapped in our universe, they find themselves fighting crime for a society that doesn’t take them seriously. The squad must come to grips with being known as eccentric vigilantes instead of garnering the respect of which they’re accustomed.

Click the banner to learn more about each of the characters and the unique turn of events that made clowns revered in their universe.

Doing everything from writing and animating to music and sound fx, Scott and I have come a long way and learned quite a bit. The release date for the first webisode is closing in, but we’ve posted a couple of stills as a sneak-peek. Click here to take a look!

Check back on both websites for more news and the official release of the upcoming Clown Commandos webisode series!

The brothers Warner have now released the first seven minutes of the brothers Wachowski’s new movie, Speed Racer. This clip expands the previously released three minute clip to the very beginning of the film.

Enjoy.