Huge thanks go to Esmond Harmsworth for his truly tireless support of this book; to Brian McMullen for his ideas, care, and skillful shepherding of it; and to Alyson Sinclair and all of the talented folks at McSweeney’s. Vendela Vida and Dave Eggers are owed a big thank you for their friendship and support. I am so grateful to Katherine Roy for her beautiful artwork and for the many ways in which she brought my characters and their world to life. I am grateful too for my inspiring students (past and present) and colleagues at the Center for Cartoon Studies, who always teach me something. Same goes for Joni Cole and all the writers at The Writers Center of White River Junction. Thank you to my insightful early readers, Noah Glenshaw, Jacob Glenshaw, Jamison Dunne, Griffin McAlinden, Lisa Christie, Rachel Gross, Tom Taylor, and Vicki Kuskowski. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Amanda Ann Palmer, for her unflappability, her most excellent kid-wrangling, and her friendship. And huge thanks to Sue and David Taylor, for many things, but especially for reading to us, taking us on adventures, and for being the most fabulous grandparents.
And so many, many thanks to Matt Dunne, for everything.