MUD BOOK: How to Make Pies and Cakes by John Cage & Lois Long

-

MUD BOOK: How to Make Pies and Cakes by composer John Cage and textile designer Lois Long is a completely enchanting little book, even more so when you learn the history of it. With a 5x5 trim size, gorgeously thick, creamy pages and a sturdy cloth binding, this beautifully crafted book is definitely for book lovers. But, it really, truly is a book for kids with a step-by-step, detailed recipe for making a mud, pebble and dandelion decorated birthday cake.






This version of MUD BOOK: How to Make Pies and Cakes, magnificently rendered by Princeton Architectural Press, is the second printing. In the mid-1950s, Cage and Long, "created the original Mud Book on a kitchen table with mud, newspaper and dandelion blossoms." Then, they put it aside, rediscovering it in the 1980s. In 1983, Long and Cage printed a limited edition of 500 copies. The handmade feel of the book comes through in this newest edition. The pages are hand lettered in pencil and inked over, their are mud spatters on the pages and erased pencil can be seen underneath ink and paint, making it all the more charming. Cage and Long end MUD BOOK: How to Make Pies and Cakes with these words of wisdom and humor, "Mud pies are to make and to look at and enjoy. Not to eat."





Source: Review Copy





Popular posts from this blog

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

-
Image
Fox + Chick : The Sleepover and Other Stories  by Sergio Ruzzier Review Copy from Chronicle Books Friends. Opposites. Inhabitants of a pastel-hued, water color world that is vaguely surreal, Fox and Chick are back for a third installment of their inviting, if curious, easy-to-read stories. In "The Sleepover," "The Hammer," and "The Surprise," Chick's odd logic is once again upending Fox's life. Happily, Fox responds with patience and even wisdom at times. To these unforgettable characters and luminous illustrations, Ruzzier brings a sublime simplicity that makes this series perfect for emerging readers, adding books with character and intelligence to the often dull world of beginning reader books. If you aren't familiar with this delightful duo, definitely check out my reviews of the first two books (links below) where I put the greatness of Ruzzier's work into historical ( Frog & Toad ) context. Then check out ALL of Ruzzier's p
Read more

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

-
Image
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala Review Copy from Abrams Kids I picture-walked Be a Tree! three times before I actually read the words. Felicita Sala's illustrations for Maria Gianferrari's poetic text are mesmerizingly immersive and richly colorful within a palette of earth tones. Throughout the text, Gianferrari, who shares her inspiration for this book in the author's note ( Peter Wohleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ), gently maintains the human connection to trees and the connections (and communications) trees share with each other.  Be a Tree!  begins exuberantly, inviting the reader to "Be a tree! Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Let your roots curl, coil in the soil to ground you." From your spine/trunk to your skin/bark and your heart/pith, the words carry you inward and then zoom outward and up to the canopy and ultimately, the forest. "You are one of many trees," and our roots "twine with fung
Read more

Reading Levels: A Quick Guide to Determining if a Book Is Right for Your Reader

-
Image
While I wrote an article titled Reading Levels: How I Assign Reading Levels to Books, How the Publishers Do It and How You Can Help Your Reader Find the Right Book at the Right Time that discusses how reading levels are determined by professionals and amateurs like myself, there is more on this subject to discuss. Determining the reading level of a book from the children's section is never easy, mostly because there are several different standardized methods of determining reading levels. Add to this the fact that knowing their children's reading level is most often the only tool a parent is armed with when exploring the bookstore, library, website, etc, and the job becomes even more difficult. While I think that knowing a child's reading level is a very valuable tool if your child is reading below grade level, I think that it is a secondary consideration when finding books for children reading above, especially well above, grade level because, in most cases, content app
Read more