September 5 – National Cheese Pizza Day

About the Holiday

Pizza is one of those foods that just puts a smile on your face. It’s associated with parties, good times with friends, and relaxing weekends. It’s also one of the few foods that is so varied that you can have it made your way with your own favorite ingredients. Of course, today we celebrate that favorite of kids, the star of many a birthday party, and the perfect base to any pizza—the cheese pizza. Even this “basic” pizza can have pizzazz, though, if you fancy it up with multiple types of cheese and some delectable herbs and spices! So celebrate today by calling up your fav pizza place or making a pie of your own.

Secret Pizza Party

Written by Adam Rubin | Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Raccoon, plastered against the Pizza Shop window, drools over cheesy slices others are eating inside. He so wants a piece and would even be happy with the leftovers in the back alley trash. But when he tries to paw one out of the can, he gets swept away with a broom. Maybe if he knew how to ask politely things would be different.

Raccoon loves pizza so much that he thinks it should hang in art museums and that people should eat it in the bathtub. “Of course the best part about pizza is the gooey cheesiness, salty pepperoni-ness, sweet tomato-ness, and crispity, crunchity crust. Yum!” Maybe a pizza party will cheer Raccoon up—a secret pizza party. Why should it be secret? Because secret is special— like an intricate secret handshake only you and one other person know, or a secret stair case that leads…who knows where, but somewhere amazing!

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Image copyright Daniel Salmieri, text copyright Adam Rubin, courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Besides, you know what a regular raccoon pizza party would be like—there would be brooms and horrified faces and panicked shouts of “Get that raccoon off the table!!!” But here’s how a secret pizza party would sound: “Get that raccoon another slice of pizza, he’s the guest of honor.”

So the first order of business for this secret pizza party is…ordering! Before the call is placed, though, you’ve got to think: if you call and order the pizza, you’ll have to give your address. And if you give your address, the pizza guy will know where you live. And if the pizza guy knows where you live he “might recognize you from the posters and chase you off with a broom.” So what are you to do? A disguise will do the trick. “Okay now, play it cool. You’re just an honest pizza-buying citizen who left his wallet in the car,” and as soon as the pizza is in your hands you make a run for it back to your tree.

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Image copyright Daniel Salmieri, text copyright Adam Rubin, courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Ok, phew, great job! Now you can enjoy…but not too loud or with too much light. You don’t want anyone to see. Wait a minute! What’s that right outside your home? Another secret pizza party where everyone is wearing masks?

Perfect! Ok, you’ve infiltrated the party…you’re reaching for a slice of pizza…and no one suspects a thing. NO! NO! NO! You’re rolling in the pizza on top of the table!! You blew your cover. Grab as many pieces as you can and run because here they come with the brooms…!

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Image copyright Daniel Salmieri, text copyright Adam Rubin, courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Adam Rubin’s madcap read-a-loud about a pizza-obsessed raccoon and his quest for a broom-free night of pizza indulging will have kids laughing from Raccoon’s first wistful look to his final triumphant dash. Rubin’s conspiratorial tone makes readers active participants in Raccoon’s covert operation to secure a pizza without a sweeping disaster, ramping up their level of involvement and enjoyment. The text—from the secret handshakes to the broom-bots to words such as “bonk,” “booyah,” “crispity crunchity,” and “happy screams”—is silly, kid-friendliness at its best and is as enticing as the aroma of hot-out-of-the-oven pizza.

Daniel Salmieri’s noodle-armed, broom-wielding humans and animated, fanatical raccoon amplify the humor that infuses every scene in Rubin’s tale. A slice of pizza hanging between two masterpieces in a museum or being devoured in a bubble bath, an intertwining handshake, a ridiculous disguise, and two types of raccoon-sniffing broom-bots are just a few of the images that make Secret Pizza Party a kid’s dream come true. In addition there are plenty of sly details, such as a pizza-shaped lampshade, projectile brooms, and Raccoon’s fairy-tale imagination. My favorite laugh-out-loud moment shows Raccoon blending into the secret pizza party outside his tree house by simply holding up a twig as a handle to his natural “mask.”

Full of pizza, playfulness, and a persevering raccoon, Secret Pizza Party is a book that kids will want to hear again and again. It would make a delicious addition to home and classroom bookshelves.

Ages 3 – 9

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2013 | ISBN 978-0803739475

Find out more about books by Adam Rubin on his website!

Daniel Salmieri has a gallery of his work and books on his website for you to see!

National Cheese Pizza Day Activity

CPB - Pizza Day Toppings

Create Your Pizza Game

Play this fun game to build your pizza ingredient by ingredient before the others! For 2 – 8 players.

Supplies

Printable Pizza Crust Game Board template
Printable Pizza Toppings Card 1 template
Printable Pizza Toppings Card 2 template
Cardboard or Poster Board if wanted
Scissors
1 Playing die

Directions

Object of the Game: to fill a pizza slice with 5 delicious ingredients

Print a Pizza Crust Game Board and Ingredients Cards
Each player picks a slice on the board to fill
Roll the dice to choose who goes first. Play
The first player rolls the dice and places an ingredient on their slice according to the numbers below
Play passes to the right
The player who fills their slice with all 5 ingredients first, wins

Alternative for older kids: Print a game board for each player. The first player to complete the whole pizza is the winner

Each number on the playing die corresponds to one ingredient or other instruction, as noted below:

1: add sauce (red x)

2: add cheese

3: add green peppers (green squares)

4: add garlic (white half moons)

5: add pepperoni

6: remove one ingredient and pass the playing die to the next player

**You can find Secret Pizza Party at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

August 26 – National Cherry Popsicle Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

On a hot, steamy day, there’s nothing like a popsicle to refresh you! While today’s holiday celebrates the cherry-flavored pop, there are lots of other flavors and combos of flavors to enjoy as well. Like many food innovations, the popsicle has an interesting backstory. It seems that in 1905 when Frank Epperson of San Francisco was 11 years old, he was mixing up a batch of soda on his porch. He left the stirring stick in it overnight. That night the temperatures dropped to freezing, and when Frank came out in the morning, he discovered a new taste sensation. He went on to experiment with fruit flavors. He introduced the first popsicle in 1922 at a fireman’s ball. The treat was a huge success. In 1924, Frank applied for a patent for his “Epsicle.” He later renamed it the popsicle. Today, enjoy your favorite flavor popsicle—nature’s version is coming soon enough!

Food Hide and Sneak

By Bastien Contraire

With only one line, Bastien Contraire sends young readers off on a scavenger hunt to find the interloper among the images. “One of these things is almost like the others…,” he prompts, while a page containing three fruits—a red pear with a green stem, a green apple with a red stem, and a lime with a little red end—share space with a red-and-green beach ball. Pretty tricky!

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Turning the page, the hunt gets a little more difficult as there are six candies to search through—or is it five? Hmmm…. The next spread is trickier still with red-and-green vegetables, plus one brown eggplant vying for attention. Wait? Is that red-and-green frilly thing really a veggie? All these decisions can make a reader hungry! Fortunately, you can eat up the next puzzle that’s a delicious lineup of popsicles and ice-cream treats and one… do you see it?

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The next few pages offer fruit, bottles, mushrooms, and an array of sandwiches that are all sheltering one misfit in their midst. Kids will say yum at the variety of desserts they encounter later in the book while quacking up at the odd one out who does a good job of hiding among the pastry. It may take a bit of looking to find the imposter in the deli, and by the end of the book, little ones will surely be able to signal which object doesn’t belong among the cans and jars.

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Bastien Contraire’s series of Hide and Sneak board books are great fun for little readers who love to use their powers of deduction and categorization to solve the puzzles. In his stylized, stenciled images, Contraire cleverly uses red, green, and brown tones as well as the positioning of the items to disguise the outlier just enough to make the hunt challenging. Contraire also adds sly humor to the quest as the nonconformist often has some kind of connection to the other items—a similarity or association that’s fun for readers to discuss.

Enjoyably challenging for young readers, Food Hide and Sneak is an entertaining addition to home, preschool, and kindergarten libraries.

Ages 2 – 5

Phaidon Press, 2018 | ISBN 978-0714877235

Discover more about Bastien Contraire, his books, and his art on his website.

National Cherry Popsicle Day Activity

Patterned Popsicle Sticks

Here’s an easy-to-make game for little ones that will challenge their powers of observation while they’re having fun!

Supplies

4 popsicle sticks per set
Markers

Directions

For each set of popsicle sticks:

On three popsicle sticks draw the same pattern
On the last popsicle stick change the pattern in some way
Lay the set of popsicle sticks out for a child to choose the stick that is different
Make multiple sets, playing with patterns, colors, and designs

**You can find Food Hide and Sneak at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

August 9 – It’s National Sandwich Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Did you know there are regulations to determine just what is and is not a sandwich? I didn’t either! It seems that the US Department of Agriculture has determined that for a… thing… to be considered a sandwich, it must contain at least 35% cooked meat and no more than 50% bread. So what about peanut butter? Or grilled cheese? Have we been playing fast and loose with the word “sandwich?” Oh well…. This month is dedicated to those delicious meals between bread that kids and adults take to school and the office, to picnics, and for quick noshes any time. To celebrate, there’s only one thing to do: build yourself the perfect sandwich—just like the little girl in today’s book!

Sleeping Bear Press sent me a copy of Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich to check out. All opinions are my own. I’m also excited to be partnering with Sleeping Bear Press in a giveaway of one copy of the book. See details below.

Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich

Written by Linda Vander Heyden | Illustrated by Kayla Harren

“When Hannah was hungry and wanted to munch, / She’d stop at McDougal’s to order some lunch. / Now Hannah was tiny (in fact, quite petite), / But don’t let that fool you. Oh boy—could she eat!” When McDougal saw Hannah come through the door and order an “A to Z sandwich,” he wondered. And then, as Hannah recited the ingredients for her sandwich, he started to chop, mince, peel, and grate.

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Image copyright Kalya Harren, 2018, text copyright Linda Vander Heyden, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

The first six ingredients were prepared and laid on the bread, then Hannah inspected it closely. “‘Green peppers,’ said Hannah. ‘Sliced thin, if you please. / And drizzle on lots of sweet honey from bees. / “‘Add ice cream and jelly—then ketchup (two plops), / A freshly squeezed lemon—just ten tiny drops.’” The sandwich grew taller and wider as Hannah looked around McDougal’s for more ingredients. She wanted a dollop of this, and “lots of nuts, too,” but she wasn’t too hungry, so she told him “one olive will do.”

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Image copyright Kalya Harren, 2018, text copyright Linda Vander Heyden, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

She directed more layers be added on top that included “‘a ride red tomato picked fresh off the vine. / And ugli fruit chopped up especially fine.’” Poor McDougal was working up such a sweat that he ended up with food in his hair. Was it done? the chef wondered, but Hannah wanted more. Just three little more additions for X, Y, and Z. Could McDougal do it? Could he finish that treat and give Hannah a sandwich she’d love to sit down and eat? You’ll see!

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Image copyright Kalya Harren, 2018, text copyright Linda Vander Heyden, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Linda Vander Heyden’s hilarious tribute to the sandwich—and the alphabet—will delight kids who love to experiment with food, kids who will eat anything, and even kids who are a little more discriminating in their diet choices. Heyden’s bouncy rhyme is a joy to read aloud, and kids will giggle and laugh out loud as each of the 26 ingredients are added to the towering sandwich. The combination of ingredients will produce plenty of fun “ewwws” as well as cheers as favorite foods are mentioned. A few foods that fill out the alphabetic order and are perhaps unfamiliar to readers will have kids doing a little research. The surprise ending will have kids and adults laughing, and you can bet that post-reading activities will include building a unique sandwich of their own.

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Kayla Harren’s red-haired, freckled Hannah is a mischievous cutie who knows exactly what she likes. As Hannah points out ingredients on the chef’s well-stocked shelves or “helps out” in the kitchen, McDougal’s skills are put to the test as he chops, minces, and grates with intensity surrounded by flying ingredients. As he adds just the perfect dollops of condiments to his masterpiece or gingerly places one olive on the slippery slope the sandwich has become, his eyes grow wide. Taking center stage, of course, is Hannah’s sandwich—an abstract work of art of various colors and textures. Watching this most unusual order come together is a full house of diverse customers, including a girl in a wheelchair. Various perspectives, the use of motion, and the exaggerated-but-spot-on facial expressions add to the exuberant fun.

Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich will be happily devoured by young readers. The book makes a terrific addition to home and classroom bookshelves and would be a rib-tickling back-to-school gift for kids or teachers.

Ages 5 – 8

Sleeping Bear Press, 2018 | ISBN 978-1585363827

Discover more about Linda Vander Heyden and her books on her website.

To learn more about Kayla Harren, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National Sandwich Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-sandwich-scramble-puzzle

Scrumptious Sandwiches Word Scramble

Sandwiches are fun to build and delicious to eat! The only hard part is trying to figure out which kind to have. Maybe this list will help! Print this Scrumptious Sandwiches Puzzle and unscramble the names to pick your favorite. Here’s the Solution!

**You can find Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

July 31 – National Avocado Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

A fresh delight during the summer and quickly becoming a staple of diets and skin care, the avocado is something of a super fruit. Used by the Aztecs as facial masks to beautify their skin, the avocado was rediscovered in the early 1900s by the cosmetics industry, who began using its oils in creams, lotions, and facial cleansers and continue to do so today. The avocado provides essential Omega-3 fatty acids—which researchers are using in the fight against Alzheimer’s—as well as vitamins E, C, and K that prevent damage to cells and help restore those that are damaged. Of course, avocados are also delicious—by themselves, as guacamole, or in recipes for dishes from breakfast to dessert. To celebrate today, enjoy avocados your favorite way—or try a new recipe!

Avocado Baby

By John Burningham

“Mr. and Mrs. Hargraves and their two children were not very strong.” They were about to add another child to the family, and they all hoped the baby would be not be a weakling too. But when the baby was born, he didn’t like any of the food he was fed, and Mrs. Hargraves cried at how scrawny he looked. Her older children suggested she try giving him the avocado in the fruit bowl. Even though Mrs. Hargraves didn’t know how the avocado had gotten there—they never even bought avocados—she cut it open, mashed it up, and fed it to the baby. He ate it all up!

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“From that day on an amazing thing happened. The baby became very strong.” Every day, Mrs. Hargrave fed the baby avocado. Soon, the baby could get free from the highchair, pull a cart full of children, and rip off the side of the crib. One night when a burglar entered the house, the baby heard him and jumped out of his crib. The baby chased the burglar with a broom. “The burglar was so frightened at being chased by a baby that he dropped his bag and ran out of the house.”

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The next morning Mr. Hargraves put a “Beware of the Baby” sign on the front gate to keep other burglars away. The baby was helpful in other ways too. He carried full bags of groceries, helped move the piano and other furniture, and even pushed the car when it broke down. One day when two bullies began bothering his brother and sister at the park, the baby jumped out of his stroller, “picked up the bullies, and threw them into the pond.”

You will be glad to know that the baby is still getting stronger every day, and, of course, he’s still eating plenty of avocados.

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With his wry humor John Burningham is a master at making children laugh. Avocado Baby is a delightfully silly quick read with plenty of kid appeal in the story’s pint-sized superbaby. The gentle nudge to eat healthy makes the book a fun way to introduce new foods to picky eaters. Burningham’s well-known line drawings of the woe-begone Mrs. Hargrave and the baby pushing the car, chasing the burglar, and especially tossing two bullies into the pond at once will have young readers giggling and cheering.

Ages 3 – 7

Red Fox, 2000 | ISBN 978-0099200611

Discover more about John Burningham and his books on his website.

National Avocado Day Activity

Avocado Bagel

A creamy avocado makes a delicious spread for bagels or toast to have with breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The mild flavor will please little ones while the essential vitamins and oils will please health-conscious parents.

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Directions

Cut the avocado open, remove pit, and scoop out the meat
In a bowl mash the avocado until it is smooth
Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper
Mix well
Spread on a toasted bagel or bread

Check out this classic story at your local library or find it on Amazon

Picture Book Review

July 30 – It’s National Culinary Arts Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

As Culinary Arts Month winds down, it’s a good time to think about traditions. Not only traditional dishes but about those times of cooking and eating together that bring families and friends closer. Weekly dinners with extended family, holiday baking, and summer barbecues are just some of the events that can get people talking and laughing and sharing good times. To celebrate today, have fun with one of your culinary traditions—or create a new one!

The Bagel King

Written by Andrew Larsen | Illustrated by Sandy Nichols

“Every Sunday morning Zaida went to Merv’s Bakery for bagels.” Sometimes his young grandson, Eli, went with him. When he did, Mrs. Rose always gave him a pickle from the big jar behind the counter. When he didn’t, “Zaida delivered his bagels right to his door.” Zaida went to Merv’s every Sunday no matter what the weather. The “warm, chewy, salty bagels were the best thing about Sunday.”

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Image copyright Sandy Nichols, 2018, text copyright Andrew Larsen, 2018. Courtesy of Kids Can Press.

One Sunday, though, the familiar knock on the door never came. Later, Zaida called Eli and told him he had “slipped on some schmutz at Merv’s” and had gone to the doctor. Zaida had hurt his tuches and was ordered to relax at home for two weeks. Eli ran right over. As they sat together, both Eli’s and Zaida’s stomach rumbled with missing the usual bagels.

Pretty soon there was a knock on the door and three of Zaida’s elderly neighbors came in. All three were just as hungry as Eli and Zaida. It turned out that Zaida had been hosting a bagel feast for the four of them for years. When Zaida told them about his tuches, they said “‘Oy! Are you all right?’” But they were all disappointed about the bagels.

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Image copyright Sandy Nichols, 2018, text copyright Andrew Larsen, 2018. Courtesy of Kids Can Press.

As the week went on, Eli visited his grandfather every day. He brought chicken soup one day, another day he brought chicken soup and a book, and on yet another day, he brought chicken soup and a canine friend for company. On Saturday night, though, it wasn’t chicken soup Eli was thinking about, but bagels. “Even the moon looked like a bagel all smothered with cream cheese.”

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Image copyright Sandy Nichols, 2018, text copyright Andrew Larsen, 2018. Courtesy of Kids Can Press.

The next morning, Eli woke up early and walked down to Merv’s with a list in his hand. When he reached the counter, he handed Mrs. Rose the list. As she read it, she said, “‘This looks very familiar. Except for the last item.” Eli told her that it was a surprise. With the big bag hugged close, Eli left Merv’s and went to Zaida’s. When Zaida saw the big bag of bagel, he was surprised! His friends were delighted. “‘The boy’s a prince,’” said Mr. Goldstck, but “Zaida proudly declared, ‘He’s the Bagel King!’”

Then Eli reached in and brought out his surprise—a jar of Merv’s pickles. As Eli ate his “warm, chewy, salty” bagels, he knew “bagles were the best thing about Sunday. The best thing, that is, except for Zaida.”

A glossary of the Yiddish words used in the story and a bit about bagels and chicken soup precede the text.

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Image copyright Sandy Nichols, 2018, text copyright Andrew Larsen, 2018. Courtesy of Kids Can Press.

With a sprinkling of Yiddish words and an old neighborhood atmosphere, Andrew Larsen depicts a close relationship between a grandfather and grandson who bond over bagels, pickles, and a deep love for one another. While Zaida is the one who begins the Sunday bagel tradition, this is Eli’s story as he takes it upon himself to help his grandfather recuperate and makes sure that he, Zaida, and Zaida’s friends don’t miss their favorite day for a second time. Young readers will find in Eli a peer role model for showing care and concern for family members and friends. Larsen’s straightforward storytelling peppered with realistic and humorous dialogue is as warm and cozy as sitting down to a Sunday family breakfast.

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Sandy Nichols’ fresh, retro illustrations stylishly bridge the generations while also reveling in the friendly city neighborhood feeling that provides a backdrop and context for Eli’s emotional growth within the story. Images of Eli hanging over the arm of his grandfather’s sofa in boredom and disappointment, wistfully dreaming of bagels on Saturday night, and proudly making his list, buying the bagels, and delivering them—complete with a surprise—to Zaida and his friends will delight readers.

The Bagel King is an uplifting, joyful for all kids coming into their own and desiring to make a difference. The book would make a sweet gift for grandparents or grandkids, a snug family story to add to home libraries, and a terrific choice for classroom or library storytimes.

Ages 4 – 8

Kids Can Press, 2018 | ISBN 978-1771385749

Discover more about Andrew Larsen and his books on his website.

National Culinary Arts Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cd-doughnut-craft

CD (Compact Doughnuts) Decoration

Do you have an old CD that could use an upgrade? With this easy craft, you can turn it into a cute doughnut (or bagel) hanging.

Supplies

Unused CDs
Craft paint in tan, black, pink, yellow, white (or any colors you want for the doughnut and the icing)
Ribbon, any color and length you want
Fine-tip markers in bright colors
Glue
Glue dots (optional)
Paint brush

Directions

Paint a wavy edge around the CD, let dry
Paint the center of the CD, leaving the clear circle unpainted
When the icing paint is dry, draw sprinkles on the icing with the markers
With the ribbon make a loop hanger and attach it to the back of the CD with glue or glue dots
Hang your decoration

**You can find The Bagel King at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

July 18 – National Hot Dog Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Although not all celebrated on the same date, Hot Dog Days are worldwide events. The United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia are just a few of the areas where the hot dog reigns supreme on at least one day a year. A favorite of kids and adults alike, hot dogs can be enjoyed plain or loaded with everything from mustard to chili. To celebrate today’s holiday, some venues are offering free hot dogs or special deals. Check them out or throw a hot dog picnic for your friends and family—just like the one in today’s book (well, almost!).

Hot Dog! Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic

Written by Leslie Kimmelman | Illustrated by Victor Juhasz

Before Eleanor Roosevelt became the first lady of the United States, she loved to grill up hot dog roasts for her family and friends. You see, Eleanor loved hot dogs! But after her husband Franklin became President, Eleanor had important duties. “Things were tough in the United States in the 1930s,” and since Franklin “couldn’t walk or move about easily, he counted on Eleanor to travel around the country for him” talking to people to see how the government could make things better. “Soon Eleanor was as popular as the president.”