The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires, illustrated by Holly Berry.

Out in the Wild Wild West, a rancher’s wife makes him a cowboy from gingerbread.  But when the rancher peeks into the oven, you can guess what happens.  Out jumps the Gingerbread Cowboy and off he runs, “as fast as his boots could carry him.”  As he runs, he dashes past all sorts of wild west critters like a roadrunner, horned lizard, and long-horned cattle.  But, as with most gingerbread boys, this one finds himself a coyote willing to take him across the river.  The book ends in the traditional snappy way.  The book is easy to read aloud and just calls for a variety of voices from the reader.  Great fun!  The illustrations will project well when used with a group, from the double spread of the Gingerbread Cowboy before he is baked to the yellow-oranges of the desert that he runs through. 

I enjoyed the western theme of the book combined with a real tribute to the original tale.  Share this one in a couple of different themes and units.  You can include it in twists on favorite tales as well as for those cowboy themes.  This is one to capture with your lariat and hold onto tight.

Cooking Up a Storm by Sam Stern.

This cookbook written by a British teen is getting a lot of media attention in the U.S. right now.  The book is full of easy recipes that will pull teens in but also has some more complicated recipes for teens to stretch their culinary skills.  All of the ideas are appealing as are the photographs of the food.  Adding to the appeal are the photographs of Sam with his family doing perfectly normal things like munching while playing video games.  This is a successful, teen-friendly cookbook that is low-key and not intimidating at all. 

Get this one while it is hot!  Stern has a new book coming out in the next few months as well.  Oh, and adults as well will enjoy the recipes.  I am hoping to make the delectable-looking Lemon Souffle Cream Pudding for my family this weekend.  Yum!