I had mixed feelings about Larry Gets Lost in New York City, illustrated by John Skewes and written by Michael Mullin and John Skewes. While I enjoyed the dogs eye view of the famous landmarks (and the extra bits of information provided), as someone with a canine companion, I wondered why his humans weren't more concerned their dog was lost!

Be sure to read There's a Cow in the Road!, by Reeve Lindbergh and pictures by Tracey Campbell Pearson out loud! It's a hoot! I love the repetition of "Then the cow looks at me and the cow says, 'Moo!'" :-) Just how many other animals join this cow in the road?

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Kate Andersen Brower has written another captivating book about the White House, this time about people who have lived there. First Women: the Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies tells what it's like to be married to the president. The role has changed over the years (one First Lady was told to sit next to her husband and keep her mouth shut) and each has customized the job to her liking (as much as it's possible to do). Some liked it, others hated it, they didn't always all get along, either, but, all of them supported their husbands. Quite a read.

Floral Diplomacy at the White House, by Laura Dowling, is part biography, part recent history. When Ms. Dowling applied for the job as White House florist, she never really intended to get the job, but she did, and was there during the Obama administration. See what she designed for various functions from state dinners, to July 4 celebrations, the private rooms, and more. Impressive!

The Canadian sesquicentennial is coming up soon. Expect to see more books about our neighbors to the north (well, mostly) in upcoming posts. For a great look at Canadian artists there is Embracing Canada: Landscapes from Krieghoff to the Group of Seven from the Vancouver Artgallery and black dog publishing. So much wonderful art here, and it can be enjoyed from your favorite chair! I am partial to artists who included horses. ;-)

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Baths are good! Baths are bad! They are a social affair. They are a private affair. They should be hot. Cold. Tepid. What a controversy! The Dirt on Clean: an Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg is a nice, often humorous history on bathing. It was interesting to learn who kept clean and why (or didn't, and why). At some point scents, deodorants and so forth were introduced because, after all, no one wanted to smell like, well, a human! And then, in what must have been one of the greatest advertising campaigns ever, sprays or powders or pastes to take care of smells you didn't even know you had (but that others might notice)!

Reading about food can be fun, as was proven with Save Room for Pie: Food Songs and Chewy Ruminations by Roy Blount, Jr. Full of short essays and poems and (fake) news stories, this book kept me amused for some time! Yes, I did skip or skim every so often, but a word of warning here ... the humor can sneak up on you so it's best not to be drinking a cold beverage until you've finished an entry! ;-)

It all started with the discovery of one Federal Art Project poster for Grand Teton National Park. Next was a search for any other posters that had survived (not many) then it became a project to recreate the lost posters, and on to designing new posters in the old design! National Parks: History of the WPA Poster Art by Deborah T. Zindell and Jeanne-Marie P. Hudson was the result and it is amazing! I was so captivated by this book that when I finished it, I started it all over again.

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Ever wonder where we got the phrase 'the real McCoy' ? Find out in All Aboard! Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine, by Moncia Kulling and illustrated by Bill Slavin! Elijah's first job on the railroad was hard, dirty, and dangerous and his first invention was something that easily, cleanly, and safely replaced the young men hired for this job (who were often injured or killed). He would come up with many more inventions in his life.

In Madam President, by Lane Smith, a young girl dreams of being president. She understands all the duties (good and bad), sings her own words to "Hail to the Chief", selects her own cabinet (a few of her own creation), and so forth. Personally, I think a Secretary of Naps is an excellent idea!

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I was in the cooking section at Village Books because that's where Canadian Reader was ... and I found a couple of books that looked interesting ... which was something of a surprise to me. Driving Hungry: a Delicious Journey, from Buenos Aires to New York to Berlin, by Layne Mosler is about something that is far, far out of my comfort zone. Ms. Mosler is able to pick up and move, taking just one suitcase, renting rooms online from strangers, and going to countries where she knows little, if any, of the language. At one point she starts asking the taxi drivers where they like to eat and her blog, Taxi Gourmet, was born. Just an amazing read!

Seems Canadian Reader jumped into the middle of this series because Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante, by Susan Elia Macneal is not the first of her Maggie Hope Mystery books. It is mid-December, 1941 and Prime Minister Churchill is in Washington, D.C. to meet with President Roosevelt. There is a letter that would bring things to a screeching halt should it be made public, an execution that many want stopped (and just as many want to proceed), spies, rockets ... just a lot going on! Well written, nice historical touches, I think we'll both be reading more of this series in the months to come.

I've been on a train trail recently, it seems, and here's the most recent entry there: All Aboard: the Wonderful World of Disney Trains, by Dana Amendola. Walt Disney, and many of his animators loved trains. Most of them had toy trains, model trains, rode trains on their vacations so naturally many show up in the parks and films (live and animated). While the stories and pictures here were wonderful, by favorite part came at the end and a glossary of common words and phrases that are so familiar ... and all started in the railway industry! Don't miss it! (It includes "going on line")! :-)

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I read this book, I know I did, but it was before I started my blog, so I read it again so I could include it! Northwest Ferry Tales: Stories, Poems & Anecdotes Collected by Joyce Delbridge is (no surprise) all about the ferry system here in the pacific northwest. From routine crossings, to bad weather, dogs and more, this is a wonderful read (and re-read)! :-)

This area has a wonderful history involving trains. Great Northern Railway in the Pacific Northwest, by Jeff Wilson is filled with wonderful old photos of that industry. A little history, a lot of pictures! Good with a cup of tea. :-)

Here's another book from Canadian Reader, and, it's the first in a new series! (Well, new to us). ;-) Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch. Disappointed when his first assignment with the London Metropolitan Police is the office that manages all the paperwork, things change quickly when he is privy to information involving an odd case, and that the information can to him from a ghost. A nice touch of the real and the magical.

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The year is 1884, the place, Australia. A carload of dogs was been shipped from Adelaide to the outback to serve as rabbit hunters. One pup catches the eye of a train employee and rest, as the saying goes, is history. Bob, the Railway Dog: the True Story of an Adventurous Dog, by Connie Fenton, illustrated by Andrew McLeann is a nicely rendered version of this story.

There may have been lots of books back in the 1700's, but none were specifically for children. There were books of fables (designed to teach right and wrong) and books on etiquette (to teach proper behavior) but none that were just plain fun. Until John Newbery came along and that's when everything changed for the better! Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books, by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter explains how he came to print books just for kids.

Turn on the Night, by Geraldo Valerio is a lovely, wordless story about a book, a little girl, and a dream. Charming!

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