Treasures from Kiwi topped the week recently: two that were enjoyed over and over again by all family members. Not only do they tie together nicely, but there is a nice connection to other books from my posts, too!

Brian Jacques, The Redwall Cookbook, illustrated by Christopher Denise is full of recipes that sound really good! Divided into seasons, the instructions all indicate whether a young reader can make them on their on own or need adult supervision. Lots of butter! (And lots of veg, too). There are Redwall tales for each season, too.

A read that goes well with that was The Great Redwall Feast, by Brian Jacques and illustrated by Christopher Denise. A special meal is being planned for the abbot, but he awakes from his nap, how do you keep the surprise a surprise? Part adventure, part surprise, and a puzzle, too! Delightful! (And I've not even read the other Redwall books)!

At first I wasn't sure if I should use Bookshelves and Cabinets from Sunset because while I loved the pictures and got some good ideas, to be honest I really didn't read all the instructions on how to make them. Then, when I was reading Bookshelf, by Alex Johnson I realized these two books made for a wonderful contrast! The shelving units in the Sunset book are beautiful and functional (and I'm told the instructions are good, too). The designs in the other book seem to me to be just that ... designs. They are unique, and creative, and fun to look at, but I cannot imagine them actually holding books. Both were interesting, take a look!

Reading Hermit With Dog