My annual tradition is to take my grands on a birthday date. We enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This year I decided I wanted to take my adult children out on a birthday date as well. Because. Well, they are pretty important to me and we never get the chance to just visit. Plus. Heh-heh. I get them all to myself!
We kicked off our date with a delicious breakfast at the White House Cafe in Yakima. I’m telling you, the special touches were so adorable! The whole house is currently decked out with hearts. And all things white. So many sights to see and enjoy.
Even the water glasses were delightful. Look at those little heart-shaped cranberry ice cubes with a wedge of cucumber. Mmm.
Of course we went for breakfast. Because of their tasty hashbrowns (among other treats). We had to have the special, which had so much food, we were glad we followed the advice of our server and split the meal. Some of everything. Plus half of a ginormous cinnamon roll! Which we could not finish. Scrumptious.
Don’t worry. I didn’t just take food pictures. I was there. Enjoying the company and ambiance.
Just look at those old windows and lights! They were everywhere. Perfectly my style.
I’d love to show you pictures from the rest of the day, but we were too busy treasure hunting through many thrift stores, a fabric/craft store, and even an estate of sorts. We wore ourselves out. But you will be happy to know that several treasures were rescued to go home with us.
I’m leaving you with a strawberry heart and 1/2 of a huge, yummy cinnamon roll. FYI, they make these every Saturday and Sunday.
I have something in common with this lovely picture book by Molly Ruttan. Stage fright!
Thank you, Molly Ruttan, for sending me a copy of your delightful picture book. And thank you, Kathy Temean, for introducing me to Molly and her work. What a great picture book!
Something Wild is the story of a young violin player who loves playing her violin. But she is nervous about her upcoming recital. She desperately wishes for something wild to happen so she won’t have to go. But it doesn’t. She hopes again, but nope, nothing wild. Again. Nothing. When it’s finally her turn to play on the big stage, something does happen! But you’ll have to read the book to find out. Beautiful!
What I Love About This Book:
~ beautiful, emotion-filled illustrations
~ imagination
~ the theme of stage fright
~ the love of playing a musical instrument
~ the common challenge many young performers face when they prepare to share what they’ve learned at a recital
~ overall wonderful book
Thank you, Molly! Best wishes on your future projects!
It’s time for new book news! Author Illustrator Amalia Hoffman kicked off 2024 with a new picture book! Amalia is joining us today to talk about her newest project. Welcome, Amalia!
Tell us about your brand-new picture book, Afikotective. What is it about?
A family of bears is getting ready for the Passover seder, preparing all the items for the seder plate. When the time comes in the seder for hiding the afikomen, Grandma breaks the middle matzah into two pieces. She hides the bigger piece, the afikomen, that the kids will eagerly search for later in the seder. It’s a good thing one little bear has turned his toy elephant into an Afiko-Sniffer! The invention sniffs out apples in a bowl, eggs in the fridge, and horseradish in the pantry, but can it help find the afikomen?
Amalia, this story sounds super adorable! I love learning about Passover in such a fun way.
Where did you get the idea for Afikotective?
When I grew up in Jerusalem, we used to attend the seder over at a family’s relative. The hosts used to hide the afikomen (the piece of matzah that is hidden during the Passover seder) in the most obscure places. One year, they hid it in a cactus planter that stood on the balcony. Another year, it was hidden wrapped in a towel by the bathtub. It was really challenging to find. But I was determined because finding the afikomen was rewarded with a small amount of money. At one seder, I stood up and announced: “I’m the afikomen detective!” I guess that this is what gave me the idea for the story.
So this picture book springs right from your own childhood! That’s pretty cool.
How did you decide to write and illustrate this book?
I wanted to create a book about Passover but to write a story that is fun and funny and will resonate with little kids’ sense of humor. So I came up with the idea that Afikotective and his “helper,” the Afiko Sniffer, look for the afikomen in all the wrong places, until Afikotective decides to fix his afiko-sniffer and finds the afikomen in the toolbox, that could be something that will put a smile on the face of a 3–7-year-old. I was always in love with anything pop-up, like pop-up books and cards. But producing a pop-up book is very expensive so I decided to illustrate the book by cutting elements so they look like they pop up off the page. I started by cutting elements out of paper and positioning them on boards. Later, I added color to my figuring and the background. I started using lighting to see how the shadow will play a role in the final photograph. Then, I incorporated other elements such as string, yarn, etc. For the cover, I painted a faux matzah.
Your illustrating style is unique, intricate, and captivating! I imagine it takes quite a long time to get all the illustrations just right. Well done!
How have you been celebrating the January 2024 release of Afikotective?
I decided to plan book launch not in January but closer to Passover. But on the day of January 2nd, when the book launched, I held it close to my heart and sniffed it. I love the smell of a freshly printed book. I also sniffed the flowers I got from my family.
Awwww, you are absolutely right! That new book smell is so enticing! Congratulations on your new book!
What’s next for you, Amalia?
I am working on a picture book about peace. I have a board book about the Jewish holiday of Shavuot launching in May. I am working on a picture book about peace and another picture book. I am also experimenting in different illustration style, using paper tissue collage.
Wow, you are busy! We look forward to hearing more about your upcoming book projects!
Thank you, Amalia, for visiting and sharing your new book with us.
You can see Amalia and her puppet helper Elfie in this sample of the presentation she does for Afikotective. Very cute!
See below for more information about Amalia and her new book. Afikotective is available now (the press release says Spring).
Oh, sweet delight! Adorableness and humor! Spreckle’s Snack Surprise by Sandra Salsbury is a funny, engaging picture book. I love it!
Thank you, Sandra, for sending a copy of Spreckle’s to me, along with a sheet of cute stickers and a beautiful postcard! I learned about Sandra and her new book from Jena Benton on her blog. Thank you, Jena, for featuring Sandra!
Spreckle’s Snack Surprise is delightful. The front cover alone had me giggling and predicting that perhaps Spreckle would love to have some nice poppy little chicks for snack. But that would be horrible, right? The front and back cover read like a food container, filled with grocery-style information and ad copy. FUNNY and very clever!
But besides that, the story of Spreckle is adorable. Hatched on a farm, raised with chicky siblings, Spreckle needs a snack. Much to the reader’s dismay, obvious snacks peck around at his feet. But hold on, all will be well. We hope!
Why I Love This Book:
~humor
~clever wordplay
~assumptions
~food!
~dragon, chicks, chickens
~perfect illustrations
Thanks again, Sandra and Jena, for introducing me to Spreckle!
inspiration: Monet, destroyer of couch and assorted other household locations
I woke up one morning composing this haiku in my head. I was literally playing with words and counting out lines while I was in that between fully asleep and fully awake stage. That’s never happened before. I grabbed for my phone to take notes before my eyes were even fully open. LOL. My honey thought something was wrong, I grabbed the phone so fast.
Have you ever sleep-dreamed a poem or story idea?
Monet would like to know. And wonders if you have a couch she can destroy, or at the least, rearrange.
Love, Laughter, and Life 