The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

I have always been intrigued by the the fairy tale "Hansel & Gretel". So recently I started collecting various versions of the story (primarily in picture book format)...please note that it is a very small collection, so feel free to send books my way.

About a week ago I was sent The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan. So off course I was very excited to receive this modern version of the tale to read and add to my collection. Here were some of my initial thoughts: great looking cover, creative title, & fantastic potential. I was anxious to get started.

However, it took me a little while to get into the book. Of course I understand that McGowan needed to set the stage for this story, but it just wasn't working for me. Although the book is only 176 page, it actually took me several days to finish it. I'm sure it is because it was not what I was expecting. The book did have some creative and interesting parts, but overall I found it very average. I am glad that I read it, but I do not think I will do much with it.

Keep Reading,

Dr. Quinn

Emily Gravett

I just returned from NCTE's Annual Convention were I had the opportunity to meet several children's authors and illustrators. One of those talented individuals was Emily Gravett. Emily shared about her writing and drawing experiences at the Children's Literaure Assembly's session titled Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts.

I am a huge fan of Emily's work. I love the way she thinks out of the box and creates radical change picturebooks. I was first introduced to Emily's work a little over a year ago via Wolves. Since then I have loved all of her other books.

During the CLA session at NCTE, Emily shared two books that will be coming to the US in the future: An Odd Egg (a very fun book about a duck that finds a beautiful egg) and Dogs ( a book of opposites). She also read her newest published book, Spells....I think I may have a new favorite!

Visit her site: http://www.emilygravett.com/

In the very near future I will post about my new friend Jerry Pallotta (thanks Deb!).

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn