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Sam Ricks

Biography

Sam Ricks

Sam Ricks grew up creating stories about toxic fruitcakes and peanut butter-snatching aliens. He is the illustrator of several books for young readers, including The Data Set series. Sam earned his BA from Brigham Young University and his MA from the University of Baltimore. He is a founding member of Cotopaxi: Gear For Good. He, his wife, and their five children live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit Sam at SamRicks.com.

Sam Ricks

Books by Sam Ricks

Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Pizza of Peril
written by John Dougherty with illustrations by Sam Ricks - Adventure, Children's 8-12, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Magic

The rascally BADgers have escaped from jail and made an amazing discovery --- a pizza mine! They love eating it, of course, and selling it to make money to fund their villainous plots. But the Loose Pebbles library is tipping over without all that pizza to hold it up. And if it tips any farther, the entire island of Great Kerfuffle will flip over into the ocean! It's up to Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face to save the day. But even with a shopping cart disguised as a horse, secret agent sunglasses and an elephant who walks by at just the right moment, a surprise that's bigger and badder than ever throws them for a loop.

Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Quest for the Magic Porcupine
Written by John Dougherty with illustrations by Sam Ricks - Children's 8-12, Family, Family Life, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor
The villainous badgers have escaped from prison, and it's up to Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face to find them and put them back! Only someone who knows about stories can point them in the right direction, so they consult Miss Butterworth, the Ninja Librarian. After referring to a copy of STINKBOMB AND KETCHUP-FACE AND THE QUEST FOR THE MAGIC PORCUPINE, Miss Butterworth sends them on their quest. Along the way they encounter raccoons who are definitely NOT badgers in disguise, a really REALLY long traffic light, a rabbit in a prickly coat, and a banana-eating hammerhead shark, all leading to a showdown with the badgers.
Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers
Written by John Dougherty with illustrations by Sam Ricks. - Fantasy

Great Kerfuffle is really great. This particular kerfuffle started the day Stinkbomb's twenty dollar bill went missing. Stinkbomb and his little sister Ketchup-Face know exactly who took it: the badgers. They bring news of the badgers' treachery to King Toothbrush Weasel (don't get us started on the story behind his name…), who sends them on a quest to rid the land of badgers. 

The Saddest Toilet in the Wolrd
by Sam Apple and Sam Ricks - Children's 3-7, Family Life, Picture
In a cheeky and hilarious picture book, author Sam Apple and illustrator Sam Ricks share a silly story about the potty-training experience...from the toilet’s point of view! Danny would sit anywhere and everywhere: a comfy couch, a bean bag chair, his mom’s lap, a playground swing. The one place Danny wouldn’t sit? The toilet. When the pain of rejection becomes too much, the toilet does what any self-respecting toilet would do: He leaves home. In Sam Apple’s rollicking children’s book debut, with illustrations by Sam Ricks, it’s boy vs. bowl in a hilarious contest of wills.