Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

Waaahhh, what is this adorableness? Are there Chicken, Pig, Cow stuffed toys? Because I want them! I want to hug them and squish them and snuggle in bed with them. The Chicken, Pig, Cow characters are THAT cute. Annick Press has an entire Chicken, Pig, Cow picture book series by author/illustrator Ruth Ohi , but I have only read the latest in the series, Chicken, Pig, Cow's First Fight (January, 2012). Chicken, Pig, and Cow are the very best of friends, but one day they squabble. It all began when Girl built a city out of toy blocks and Chicken makes the city perfect by adding a chicken statue. Pig accidentally destroys the statue - and the entire city! Read the book to see Cow's reaction, whether Pig is sorry or not, and if Chicken forgives Pig. The watercolor illustrations in Chicken, Pig, Cow's First Fight are bright, yet soft; work with a lot of white space; and upon first look are deceptively simple, but then reveal themselves to be surprisingly expressive (Love ...

Cake and balloons and confetti for A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (Viking Juvenile), out today. =D "For Tetsu, baseball is so much more than just a game. On December 6, 1941, Tetsu is a twelve-year-old California boy who loves baseball. On December 7, 1941, everything changes. The bombing of Pearl Harbor means Tetsu's Japanese American family will be relocated to an internment camp. Gila River camp isn't technically a prison, but with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no time frame for leaving, it might as well be. So when someone has the idea of building a baseball diamond and starting a team, Tetsu is overjoyed. But then his sister gets dangerously sick, forcing him to choose between his family and his love of the game." Watch out for my review, interview, and giveaway!!!