I have to admit I was very lucky growing up to have a little sister who was pretty bearable (at least most of the time). However I definitely could have used a personal assistant.

I wish that THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK: JUNIOR EDITION had been around when I was a teen! 

Check out this fabulous You Tube Video and you too will know why.

What teenage woe do you wish would be included in the next THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK: JUNIOR EDITION?

Ben Watts, the photographer behind LICKSHOT: A PHOTO SCRAPBOOK (one of the hidden hipster gems of the fall 2009 season in my opinion!), interviewed by the New York Times fashion blog The Moment:

Before we were celebrities—or before we are anything—we are people. We have character or we develop character—we are a character. Each and everyone of us is and I like to think that comes off in photographs regardless of whether that person is a celebrity or not. Everybody’s on equal footing in this journal. To me, I put them in my book because I found the image striking. And it’s because of their personality and who they are rather than sort of what they’ve achieved as far as their celebrity pecking order.

And if you like the sound of LICKSHOT, you might also want to check out Ben’s previous (equally awesome) book BIG UP.

OK, so I’ve closed our classic typeface poll and we have ties for the first place typefaces: Caslon and Garamond are your top choices for serif typefaces; Gill Sans and Helvetica are your top choices for san serifs.

Thanks to everyone who voted - good choices!

The bumper TYPEFACE: CLASSIC TYPOGRAPHY FOR CONTEMPORARY DESIGN by Tamye Riggs (published by PAPress) which provided the lists of typefaces for the polls is available now.


We also have some other really interesting new typography and graphic design books:

LETTERING AND TYPE: CREATING LETTERS AND DESIGNING TYPEFACES by Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals is a useful how-to book full of relevant theory, history, explanatory diagrams, and exercises.

1000 FONTS: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO FINDING THE RIGHT TYPEFACE by Graham Davis, Robin Dodd and Keith Martin is a handy little book displaying the entire alphabet and numerals for 1000 unique typefaces, making it easy to find the perfect one for your project.









GRAPHIC DESIGN A USER’S MANUAL by Adrian Shaughnessy (with a foreword by Michael Bierut, author of the awesome 79 SHORT ESSAYS ON DESIGN) is an insider’s guide to the complexities of current graphic design practice and thinking.

And if you’re not a graphic designer, but you need to do some design, this might just be the book for you:

GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR NONDESIGNERS by Tony Seddon and Jane Waterhouse, illustrated by Rick Landers, has 20 step-by-step projects for designing everything from websites to business cards to T-shirts, each accompanied by a clear and concise explanation of the basic principles of graphic design—including the effective use of space, color, and type.

After begging their parents for ballet lessons, Ivy and Bean finally get what they want ... well, not exactly.

Much to their surprise, it turns out ballet doesn’t include karate chops and roundhouse kicks! The girls have no interest in learning how to dance gracefully, but they promised their parents they would finish the entire ballet course! So when it comes time for Ivy and Bean to participate in the ocean-themed class recital, the girls must figure out a way to get out of it without breaking their promises…

And it’s not just us that loves Ivy + Bean: Teachers and students do to!

Also Available:

IVY AND BEAN BOUND TO BAD (new in paperback)

IVY AND BEAN TAKE CARE OF THE BABY SITTER

THE IVY AND BEAN TREASURE BOX

Click here for Chronicle Books’ Ivy + Bean mini-site

Chronicle Books have posted a free craft project on their blog, excerpted from ARTFUL JEWELRY by Jo Packham.

The book offers 11 jewelry projects inspired by famous works of art: earrings that capture the soft Spring colors of Botticelli’s La Primavera, a necklace celebrating the swirly sky of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and teardrop pearl earrings straight out of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. The kit even includes materials - beads, embroidery floss, earring posts, and more - to make 6 of the projects straight away.

Visit the Chronicle Books blog to download instructions and print-ready templates to make Bewitching Beaded Necklace, was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine, which he painted around 1490 when “long, ropy strands of pearls, stones, or beads were very much in vogue.”

John’s mother, wife, sister and a close family friend all had breast cancer. Unable to find a good source for men on how to help the women in his life battle this horrible disease, John decided to write the book himself.

A few of his tips he discussed in the interview are:

-Follow don’t lead: Men like to take charge of things in their lives. This is her journey. You need to follow her lead.

-Show your love: During this difficult battle more than ever she needs to feel and see your devotion.

-Set up a good support system:  Not just for her but also for yourself. You will need people that you can talk to about your fears.

-Take a cancer leave: Cancer overtakes people’s lives. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and have a minute, an hour or even a day that is cancer free.

Here is the full interview:

Here’s one of the many yummy recipes found in her book. This one is for Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Try it out. You won’t be disappointed!

Cake
Softened butter for greasing cake pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
1 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1/3 cup dried currants

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch sides. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle the pans with flour, tap the pans to evenly distribute the flour, and then shake off the excess flour. Set aside.

To make the cake, in a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, coconut, crushed pineapple, and currants.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add the pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely before frosting the cakes.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin purée and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or platter. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the frosting over the top of the first cake layer. Spread the frosting right to the edge of the top without frosting the sides of the cake. Carefully place the second cake on top, lining up the edges. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake without frosting the sides. Swirl the frosting to decorate the top. Refrigerate the cake to set the frosting. Remove from the refrigerator 30 to 40 minutes before serving.

Serves 12

                Looks yummy doesn’t it?!?! Try it yourself.

Strollerderby (The Mother Of All Parenting Blogs) recently named BIRD by Andrew Zuckerman as their Book Of The Week.

She said:

First I should point out that this ain’t no board book. For that matter, you shouldn’t let your kids grimy hands anywhere near it.  But they can look with just their eyes, just make sure not to let them get their marks on the pristine white pages of this magnificent tome to birds in the aptly named book Bird.

I loved how she described her daughter’s reaction to the book:

My 3 ¾ (FYI - that ¾ is very important) and I looked at each and every page and she was completely entranced by the images of her new feathered friends. She blurted out comments about the birds such as “He’s fancy!”, “His beak looks like a spoon”, “She’s doing ballet class”, and “He’s conducting”. Interesting observations from a child’s perspective. Then she proceeded to act out what the birds were doing in each photo, complete with sound effects. Her Southern Ground Hornbill impression was impassioned and just a little scary.

For the full review please visit the Strollerderby Blog. Strollerderby’s review made me reconsider the materials that I will share with my daughter in the future and I thank her for that. There is a whole world of books that we can share with our children in addition to what is in the children’s department.

One series that my daughter loves (that would go very nicely with BIRD) are the BIRD SONG BOOKS. My daughter loves to push the buttons on the BIRD SONGS WALL CALENDARS and hear the calls that each bird makes. The 2010 BIRD SONG WALL CALENDAR would make a great addition to any toddler’s (or grownup’s) wall.

What grownup books do your little ones love?

Lastly, in case you missed it here are the videos of the making of BIRD.

The campaign is well-timed, with Thanksgiving coming up this weekend. Just this morning, in fact, I was thinking about what Thanksgiving books I might blog about this week—and the first one that came to mind (yes, even before the mouthwatering Thanksgiving cookbooks!) was Chronicle Books’ Gratitude Journal. It’s a place to keep a daily record of life’s little blessings; the small things that are so easy to take for granted—but really are so very important and meaningful. Here’s an explanation on eHow.com about how to keep a gratitude journal. It seems like a great way to take the time to really appreciate what you have—and also to reflect on what others may not.

In that spirit, please visit the Gratitude Week website to learn more or to get involved.