humor

annette simon on robot zombie frankenstein (and a giveaway)!

~ jama ~ 19 Comments

◄ RECIPE FOR FUN ►

You will need:

1 spritely, insanely creative author/illustrator named Annette Simon (pictured above)

1 shortish purple-y robot with three blue chest buttons
1 taller green robot with orange necktie and blue chest lines

cool endpapers!

a full smorgasbord of colorful, eye-popping geometric shapes
a generous measure of high voltage suspense
a predilection for monsters, the walking dead, pirates, superheroes, space aliens, comic disguises, chefs, and

– – –
*wait for it*

– – –

PIE!!

*thunderous applause*

Directions:

Combine ingredients to create a hilarious bout of one-upmanship between the two robots with a rollicking assemblage of booty body parts and costume changes perfect for developing building and amalgamation skills using shapes, sizes, colors, layers, and proportions.

Reboot as needed and read the book all over again. And again.

Eat BIG pieces of pie with lots of friends. Laugh, spread glee, re-assemble split sides with magic forks.

 

* * *

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julia’s cherry clafouti and a side of ham

~ jama ~ 25 Comments

“It’s fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day. That’s what human life is all about — enjoying things.” ~ Julia Child

Something magical happens whenever I make a Julia Child recipe that doesn’t happen with Martha, Mario, Giada or anyone else.

I hear Joooolia’s voice — cheery, chirpy, hooting and emphatic, reading aloud all the ingredients, explaining what I should do every step of the way, reminding me, “Above all, have a good time!”

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”

Making french bread on “The French Chef,” Episode 222, 1971, photo by Paul Child (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University)

Phew! I’m glad she said that, because I wasn’t planning to tackle her 15-page French Bread recipe any time soon. It’s summer, the living is easy, and Julia has just the thing for those of us clamoring for an easy sweet fix. Oui oui, clafoutis!

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friday feast: fishing for cookies

~ jama ~ 49 Comments
Newton and me at Grandma’s house.

 

OH PLEASE TAKE ME FISHING!
by Jack Prelutsky

“Oh please take me fishing, oh please, pretty please,”
insisted my sister the pest.
She drives me bananas when she’s at her worst,
she bugs me when she’s at her best.

She wouldn’t give up, so I’ve got her along,
but I’ve not decided her fate.
Maybe I’ll patiently teach her to fish —
maybe I’ll use her for bait!

~ from A Pizza the Size of the Sun (Greenwillow Books, 1996).

* * *

Unlike the sister in Prelutsky’s poem, I was never a pest (*cough*), but the narrator sounds very familiar.

While my brother and Dad went fishing, I stayed home and played with my Ruthy doll and read Madeline’s Rescue. When it was time to take a picture of the day’s catch, I was only too happy to oblige. Even though I didn’t go fishing, this is still my favorite childhood picture. It hangs in our den and makes me very happy.

Newton and I spent a lot of time together growing up because we were latchkey kids. During the summer we rode our bicycles all over, bought fuzzy chicks at the carnival, tried to sell the macadamia nuts from my grandma’s tree, played marbles and ate hamburgers at Dairy Queen.

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friday feast: riffing on brown

~ jama ~ 59 Comments

*This post is dedicated to Frances Park and Ginger Park, passionate purveyors of the ultimate edible browns.

***

My name is Jama and I am a serial brownogamist.

I just can’t help myself. Something about those little brown shorts and matching socks. The rum hum of that engine, the pounding of running shoes on the front walk, the telltale whump as a parcel is tossed onto the porch.

Thing is, he has no idea what I look like. I just hope it’s as good for him as it always is for me.

WHY I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU, UPS MAN
by Alice N. Persons

you bring me all the things I order
are never in a bad mood
always have a jaunty wave as you drive away
look good in your brown shorts
we have an ideal uncomplicated relationship
you’re like a cute boyfriend with great legs
who always brings the perfect present
(why, it’s just what I’ve always wanted!)
and then is considerate enough to go away
oh, UPS Man, let’s hop in your clean brown truck and elope !
ditch your job, I’ll ditch mine
let’s hit the road for Brownsville
and tempt each other
with all the luscious brown foods —
roast beef, dark chocolate,
brownies, Guinness, homemade pumpernickel, molasses cookies
I’ll make you my mama’s bourbon pecan pie
we’ll give all the packages to kind looking strangers
live in a cozy wood cabin
with a brown dog or two
and a black and brown tabby
I’m serious, UPS Man. Let’s do it.
Where do I sign?

~ from Don’t Be a Stranger (Sheltering Pines Press, 2007)

***

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chatting with shelley rotner about homer

~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Hot Dog! Throw me a bone!

Award-winning children’s author, photo-illustrator and photo journalist Shelley Rotner is here to tell us all about her latest picture book, Homer (Orchard/Scholastic, 2012)!

Once again, Shelley has collaborated with author/illustrator Diane deGroat to create another awesome, adorable, hilarious dog book that’s got tails wagging and readers rolling over with glee all over the country.

Diane and Shelley

You may remember when Diane stopped by in 2009 to tell us about their first book together, Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth!, which won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Book Award and was named one of Time’s Top Ten Children’s Books for 2009.

For Homer, Shelley and Diane again combined photographs with digital art to create a series of tickle-your-funny-bone illustrations, and this time they’ve upped the ante with a charming story that pairs dogs with baseball.

Doggers locker room

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