Fast Food by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers is another clever book from this duo.  They take vegetables and turn them into hilarious little creatures.  This time, they have focused on vehicles, from trucks made from squash to fire engines from red bell peppers to pear helicopters.  The result is a quirky, endearing book filled with all sorts of oohs and aahs. 

This duo is one of my favorites, and this book is one of the most readable books they have done.  This is a picture book that reads well and will allow you to share their silly humor with a group.  Really, if you haven’t seen their books, run out and get them while their fresh. 

A big thanks to A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy for posting about blog clouds, and for making me desperately want a t-shirt too! 

Here is my blog cloud:

Hurrah!  The Jim Henson Company is doing a sequel to The Dark Crystal, one of my all-time favorite Henson films. 

“Set hundreds of years after the first film, the sequel follows a
mysterious girl made of fire who steals a shard of the crystal in hopes
of reigniting the dying sun.“

The 2006 Orbis Picture Books Winners have been announced.  The award is given to excellence in writing nonfiction for children. 

The winners is Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman. 

The honor books are:

ER Vets: Life in an Animals Emergency Room by Donna Jackson. 
Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students by Suzanne Jurmain.
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein by Marfe Ferguson Delano.
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy.

There is also a length of recommended titles on the website. 

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon is a wonderful book for dog lovers of all ages.  Shannon takes the familiar format of his wonderful David books and creates a vivid, funny picture of life with Fergus, his West Highland terrier.  The combination of Shannon’s art and the text creates a real winner here.  Use this in a doggie storytime, share it with children who love dogs, or give it as a gift to a dog owner. 

Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park is a great story for sharing with children, because it takes the familiar preparation of a meal with a mother and child and then turns it into a multicultural experience for children.  Of course, for children of Korean heritage the entire book will be warm and familiar.  The text is rhythmic and fun, reading it aloud to children will have them all joining in with the chorus of Bee-Bim Bop!  This was a lot of fun, though by the end adults will have their mouths watering from the delicious descriptions of Bee-Bim Bop. 

A huge THANK YOU!  to ALA for broadcasting the award ceremony on the web!  It made me feel like I was a part of the it.  Wonderfully done, it worked flawlessly.

Honors:

Whittington by Alan Armstrong.
Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Winner:

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.  (Now moved to the top of my must-read pile!)

Here come the big ones!

Honor Books:

Rosa by Bryan Collier, written by Nikki Giovanni
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth
Hot Air by Marjorie Priceman
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Becki Prange written by Joyce Sidman.

Winner:

Hello, Goodbye Window by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster.

Great choices!!