soup of the day: me want pet! by tammi sauer and bob shea

March 9, 2012September 18, 2017 ~ jama ~ 27 Comments

*Bears want chocolate rocks and pretzel sticks.*

You want rocks? You want sticks? You want cute Cave Boy and pets?

More important, you want PREHISTORIC PARTY??!!

Ooga, baby, you’ve come to the right place! We’re capping off the official Me Want Pet! Blog Tour with a peek inside this brand new picture book, officially released this week, by two of the funniest, most popular creators in the field today: quacky, monster-loving Tammi Sauer and the primitive but potty-trained Bob Shea. Tammi and Bob will also talk about their pets in a bit, and of course we have lots of grub for everyone, so please stick around. ☺

First, l’accoutrements. Can’t have a proper Cave Boy celebration without clubs! Grab this, but mind how you use it. Twirl it, cuddle it, tap dance with it, but no violence, please.

Next, your official Woolly Mammoth hat. This is especially good if you’re having a bad hair day.

We also have furry caveman feet. Put them on to channel your inner troglodyte. Stomp and romp to your heart’s content!

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soup of the day: c.r. mudgeon by leslie muir and julian hector

March 6, 2012September 18, 2017 ~ jama ~ 57 Comments

*Alphabet Soup Curmudgeons give this book a 3 pins up!*

It’s Tuesday, it’s Tuesday!

For eminently sensible hedgehog C.R. Mudgeon, Tuesday is the day to pick a fresh fig for dessert.

For all of us here in the Alphabet Soup kitchen, this particular Tuesday is the day we get to shake shake shake our maracas, cause we’re celebrating the official release of C.R. Mudgeon, a brand new picture book by Leslie Muir and Julian Hector!

*cues in mariachi band music*

Before I tell you about some of the things I love most about this charming book, a couple of party favors. First, put on these hedgehog slippers if you’re like C.R. Mudgeon himself — a creature of habit who likes things just so and gets grumpy when faced with change:

If you’re a little firecracker who makes friends easily and likes to spice things up, put on these sassy red polka dot pumps, cause you’re just like C.R. Mudgeon’s new bushy-tailed neighbor, Paprika:

Yes, we have party hats! Team Celery for all you hideaway hedgehogs, Team Chili Pepper for you squirrely squirrels.

Now, I know you’ve been wondering about the maracas. Plenty to go around. Paprika wants you to choose your favorite design, but DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT shake them until instructed to do so.

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soup of the day: at the boardwalk by kelly ramsdell fineman and mónica armiño

March 1, 2012September 18, 2017 ~ jama ~ 78 Comments

Breathe in that fresh salty air and come along for some summertime fun!

I’m positively giddy that Kelly Ramsdell Fineman’s very first picture book, At the Boardwalk (illustrated by Mónica Armiño and published by Tiger Tales), is officially out today. WooHoo!!

*cartwheels, backflips, crazy dazy somersaults*

The reason I’m so happy is that Kelly was one of the first LiveJournal friends I met online when I started blogging about five years ago. I was impressed by her brilliant, witty, insightful reviews and interviews, candid musings about writing and life in general, enlightening explications of classic poems, and month-long Shakespeare and Jane Austen love fests, for which she is known far and wide.

Only Kelly could wax poetic about Wordsworth one moment, then talk about garden gnomes gone wild the next. I’d taken to calling her,”abnormal,” since I didn’t know anyone else who could read as fast, retain so many details, and then instantly offer stunning, eloquent commentary while brandishing an épée and singing along to her brainradio precisely on key. She once remarked how she looked forward to the day when it would finally be her name spelled out in alphabet pasta in her very own celebration soup.

Well, Kelly, that day is finally here!!

*trumpet fanfare*

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soup of the day: dumpling days by grace lin!

January 5, 2012September 18, 2017 ~ jama ~ 29 Comments

“There was no day that dumplings couldn’t make better.” ~ Pacy Lin

Pass the dipping sauce, I’m in dumpling heaven. ☺

I’m thrilled to be serving up Newbery Honor Author Grace Lin’s brand new middle grade novel, Dumpling Days (Little, Brown, 2012), as our very first Soup of the Day for the new year!

Before I tell you a little about it and tempt you with some of its dishes, please put on BOTH of these bibs. You’ll definitely need double protection for this fabulous feast of a book, which is absolutely brimming with gustatory goodness.

Oh, and don’t forget your passport:

In this third novel featuring beloved heroine Pacy Lin, she and her family spend an entire month in Taiwan visiting relatives and preparing for Grandma’s 60th birthday party. Instead of traveling to her parents’ faraway homeland, Pacy would much rather spend her summer going to a fun place like Hawai’i or California where she could see her best friend Melody. But her parents want Pacy and her sisters to “know their roots,” to experience the “island of treasure.”

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soup of the day: bookspeak by laura purdie salas and josée bisaillon

October 25, 2011September 18, 2017 ~ jama ~ 55 Comments

Speaking of books, BookSpeak!, a brand new poetry collection written by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Josée Bisaillon, is officially out today!! WooHoo!

You’re gonna love all the quirky, illuminating poems (a veritable cacophony of wonderful voices) and the exuberant pictures that go with them. Talky talky talky!

But before we proceed any further, some party favors. First, a bookplate in honor of Laura (this one is not to be confused with the bookplate in Poem #12, who reminds us: “I don’t need your napkin./I’m not your soup bowl’s mate.”)