Deep dark 30 (thirty minutes past midnight): Cornelius fast asleep.
When reveille sounds at first light, Little Green Army Men report for duty.
Their mission: Rescue two bloggers from Celadon Crater.
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6 happy things on a monday
Happy November!
As crisp autumn leaves dance and swirl outside, these things are making me smile:
1. alphabet soup was named one of the 100 Best Book Blogs for Kids, Tweens, and Teens by Online Universities. We are very honored to be listed in the Picture Books and Younger Readers category!
2. Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown, 2009) has been selected for Al Roker’s Book Club for Kids! You may remember how much I raved about this book when it was released in June. I am thrilled for Grace and can’t wait to see her NBC television appearance on December 4th, when the Book Club Kids will ask her a few questions. School Library Journal recently published a really lovely article about Grace’s life and work,"A Touch of Grace," which is a must read for its thoroughness, depth and sheer inspiration.
3. Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner’s Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth (Scholastic, 2009) was just awarded an Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award! Hooray for those kooky canines! My review/short interview with Diane is here.
4. Big growls of approval for Old Bear by Kevin Henkes, which just received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor citation in the Picture Book category. The alphabet soup kitchen helpers were especially elated with this news, because Mr. Henkes’s bear artistry is sublime in every way. My review of Old Bear is here.
5. Every month I can hardly wait for Maira Kalman’s next Pursuit of Happiness picture essay. She always makes me so happy, and this time there’s a turkey dinner, floors shined to the point of ecstasy, bipartisan bathrooms, and spiffy elevator operators. Read E Pluribus Unum here.
6. Have you seen YA Author Holly Cupala’s Book Cook Series? She’s posted a raft of delectable author recipes, including Chris Eboch’s Graveyard Cookies, Janet Fox’s Nesselrode Pudding, and Megan Frazer’s Goat Cheese Pizza!
photo by master fighter.
Hope you had a great Halloween weekend, and that the week ahead is fun and productive with a nice surprise or two tucked in. Good luck to those of you participating in NaNoWriMo! ♥
Copyright © 2009 Jama Rattigan of jama rattigan’s alphabet soup. All rights reserved.
friday feast: let’s celebrate autumn!
My great-nephew, Logan (8), and great-niece, Marin (6).
AUTUMN SONG
by Katherine Mansfield
Now’s the time when children’s noses
All become as red as roses
And the colour of their faces
Makes me think of orchard places
Where the juicy apples grow,
And tomatoes in a row.
And to-day the hardened sinner
Never could be late for dinner,
But will jump up to the table
Just as soon as he is able,
Ask for three times hot roast mutton —
Oh! the shocking little glutton.
Come then, find your ball and racket,
Pop into your winter jacket,
With the lovely bear-skin lining.
While the sun is brightly shining,
Let us run and play together
And just love the autumn weather.
We’re serving up a big platter of happy autumn wishes today. I just love Logan’s and Marin’s faces — do they know how to pose or what? They look like they’re ready for some good, old fashioned fun!
Today, I wanted to share this wonderful day at the Cox Farms Pumpkin Festival in Centreville, Virginia. After two rainy weekends, the sun finally came out. Drink in all the shapes and colors of this beautiful season (and watch for my monster feet). Enjoy the slideshow!
No doubt you’re a little hungry after perusing all those orange orbs.
How about a Pumpkin Burger?
photo by Mr. Miyagi.
For smaller appetites, we’re offering a little Finger Food:
photo by Jennifer Bailey.
Mmmwwwwaaaahhahahahaha!!
Happy Halloween and Happy Autumn!
Marin as Half-Pint, Logan as Indy.
Toodle-oo, and ooo and oooooooo!
Today’s Poetry Frightday Roundup is being hosted by Jennie at Biblio File. Don’t miss all the cool poems being shared around the blogosphere!
Copyright © 2009 Jama Rattigan of jama rattigan’s alphabet soup. All rights reserved.
little green army men on the move: win a signed copy of operation yes!
Cornelius loves loves loves Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes!
He likes Bo and Gari and their way cool teacher Miss Loupe, but most of all, he loves all the little green army men! They came spilling out of the story and have invaded the alphabet soup kitchen.
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soup of the day: the espressologist by kristina springer!
photo by Zerberus.
Good morning!
Time to wake up and smell the coffee! I’ve poured a steamy cup just for you. Mmmmmm. Breathe in that rich, divine aroma of freshly brewed Arabica beans. Would you like it black, or with a little sugar and milk?
photo by lepiaf.geo.
Sip, sip, sip and join me in a jazzy java jive, because today, Kristina Springer’s very first YA novel, The Espressologist (FSG, 2009), is officially out! Yay!!
Whether or not you worship at the altar of caffeine, The Espressologist is sure to tickle your fancy and lift your spirits. I’ve always believed the old adage, "you are what you eat." In this fun, breezy story, which School Library Journal has called "compulsively readable," the main character, Jane Turner (a 17-year-old barista), believes people are what they drink — at least when it comes to a cup of Joe.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 