You may wonder what Hausmann has been doing for the past few months.

Writing a fiction book, that’s what.

It’s called STANLEY SCUKA BOUNCES A BEAN. It’s the sequel to THE MAN WHO’D BOUNCE THE WORLD, published 31 years ago.  The watermelon-shaped man’s epic journey continues in Brazil.  l wrote the story and read it aloud to my daughter’s class. They liked it so much they created illustrations.   A team of teachers, writers, editors, and friends from Switzerland to California collaborated on the project.   Put it all together, and voilá —  a 177 page book, with 26 charming illustrations.  The limited edition is coming out in Switzerland on June 10, 2010.  

The unlimited edition is in the works.

Hausmann comes out of hiding to show off the book he wrote at the cafe in the background. 

Here’s the shameless promotional copy from the dust jacket.

Stanley Scuka is back in this amazing sequel to

THE MAN WHO’D BOUNCE THE WORLD.

When the watermelon-shaped café owner hears a cry for help from poverty-stricken coffee pickers in Brazil, he asks, “What can I do?” Thus begins his epic journey from the Big Apple to a Brazilian coffee plantation devastated by frost.  Along the way, he meets a cranky parrot, an evil plantation owner, and a family descended from African-American slaves.

“You don’t know nothing about Brazil,” a reporter warns. 

But Stanley brushes him aside to help the family from being thrown off the land. The mustachioed planter and his goons stand in their way.  A mystery hidden in a Confederate Colonel’s treasure box may hold the key.

Can Stanley and his band of Scukanistas free the ‘slaves?’  Or will they cause greater harm to the people they’re trying to help?  Death by frost, or death by fire? 

“Anyone who loves comedy and fun with a bit of unexpected happenings will not be able to put this book down until the end!” – Audrey

“A light-hearted, humorous blend of the real, the fantastic and the funny… A story of ordinary people who set out on an extraordinary adventure, to change a world haunted by prejudice, greed and hatred.”  — Saki

“I recommend this book to anyone.  I love it. BREATHTAKING!             — Harry

“Full of adventures, it has loads of superb, amazing parts where people are challenged” — Lena.

***

“As a young reporter, I covered a devastating frost in Brazil. While coffee prices soared, the poor pickers lost their jobs.  Their faces still haunt me.  Later, I wrote a book about a man who tried to bounce the world.  It bounced him. One day, sitting in a café in Switzerland, I remembered the snow falling in Brazil.  Stanley Scuka grabbed my collar and cried, ‘Write the sequel.’  How could I refuse?” My daughter’s classmates liked the story so much they illustrated this limited edition.  And they taught me kids want to change the world.”

                                -Jonathan Freedman

 Jonathan Freedman won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, and is the author of several books.  A Californian at heart, he enjoys cycling, skiing, and exploring the world with his wife and children from their base in Switzerland. He loves collaborating with kids & teachers to create books that delight and challenge readers of all ages to ‘bounce the world.’  He’s busy writing the next adventures of Birdbrain.