Julia Rothman – illustratör

A whimsical read-aloud of delicious answers to ridiculous questions about what can — and cannot — be done in the kitchen!Food critic and author Joshua David Stein tackles the world of cookery with his signature quirk and charm. From the practical ("Can I fry a scoop of gelato?") to the playful ("Do frozen peas grow on frozen trees?"), each vignette features an engaging question and a satisfying reveal, all revolving around the preparation of food. The simple yet sophisticated hand-drawings by Julia Rothman provide authenticity and a balance of seriousness to the silliness at hand. Incorporating humor, word play, logic and illogic, foreign foods, and even some cookbook vocabulary, this read-aloud book offers children facts to share and maybe even the impetus to get involved in the kitchen!Ages 3-5

The classic nursery rhymes we know and love – upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds – as only Jon Scieszka could stage them.Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism’s rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright’s The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of classic nursery rhymes and stitches them back together (or not quite together) in every clever way possible. One by one, cherished nursery rhymes – from “Humpty Dumpty” to “Hickory Dickory Dock,” “Jack Be Nimble” to “Mother Hubbard” – fall prey to sly subversion as master of fracture Jon Scieszka and acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman refashion them into comic strips, errant book reports, anagrams, and manic mash-ups. Playfully reconstructed, the thirty-six old-new rhymes invite further nonsense, bringing kids in on the joke and inviting them to revel in reimagining. Featuring robust back matter, this irreverent take on the rhymes of childhood is a great gift for child readers, a rich classroom resource, and a love song to a living language.