December 21, 2007

O Picture Book Nerdom, O Picture Book Nerdom...

...we love our picture book nerds...

And today's coolest picture book nerd has POP UP BOOKS. Robert Sabuda is interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Via The Book Blog.

I have to admit that the idea that pop-up books are assembled overseas... tarnishes my joy more than slightly. I know, it's not a Christmassy thought, but I really hope those people who work with pop-up books are getting decently paid and have good working conditions... Actually, that IS a Christmastime thought. Good will towards ALL, y'know?


A Phillip Pullman podcast with The Guardian Bookclub -- it's so much fun to hear English people chatting. There are kids and adults in this book club, and the kids have some great questions. Be prepared -- it's 47 minutes long.

This morning, the temperature is -2°C -- twenty eight degrees Fahrenheit. I shall swathe myself in scarves and go forth to the market. Sadly, I have to: I'm out of sugar, and I just gave away the last of five dozen parsnip cookies.

Cookies, you say? Why yes: and they're PARSNIP cookies, too. I was mildly challenged by the idea of a Cookie Baking Day, a non-denominational holiday where we could all bake and then rescue ourselves from gluttony by sharing. The ladies at the chemist's, who were so kind to a blundering American trying to figure out how to fill a prescription, the vegetable guy, the neighbors -- all of them have saved me from eating these by myself. And I have to laugh at the reaction I get when I say "parsnip."

"Are these... American cookies?"
Why, yes. Yes they are. An American made them; I think that's really the only prerequisite.


Speaking of American, Laura Salas has found a fun quiz on American accents. And sorry, sweetie: 'gull' and 'pull' -- will not ever rhyme.

3 comments:

David T. Macknet said...

Two things about the cookies: you can find their recipe here, and the quartered spiral is supposed to invoke something of the idea of the cycle of the year or something like that. :)

divatobe said...

Shriek--go and read Jon Carroll, just finished his column on his spider and so I saw webs on the cookies!

tanita✿davis said...

Yeah, I looked at them and said, "Oh, solstice spiders!" But they DID go perfectly with the Carroll, didn't they?