Books to Munch On.

I had to take Winston to his dentist appointment on Tuesday.  Ever since his very first visit, when we found out he needed fillings done, my husband has always taken him.  But, it was time for his cleaning and The Mr. is teaching summer school so Wednesday and I went with him.

The last time he was there he was great about them using the scraping tools on his teeth, but the round, electric toothbrush freaked him right the hell out.  So I was going to try my hardest to prepare him for the sensations better this time.  I didn't want him to be scared of something that isn't painful, and I didn't want Wednesday to be frightened on his first visit to a dentists' office.

So without further ado, I'd like to dedicate our completely successful and smile-filled visit to Just Going to the Dentist, by Mercer Mayer.  Little Critter seriously saved the day, my friends, and I would recommend this little book to anyone preparing a young child for the dentist.  All of the different feelings were discussed and illustrated:  apprehension, awe at the equipment, the tickling and sound of the toothbrush, ever what getting a filling feels like.  Thank goodness for Little Critter!

The Sunday before, we took the boys to Barnes and Noble after dinner.  Our last library visit as a family was quite a fiasco, and we had a gift card so it seemed like a good idea.  The Mr. reads so very quickly, he goes through 2 books a day sometimes!  He was in serious need of a new story, so after he found something readable, he took the boys to the children's section.  I wasn't planning on getting anything for myself, but after the boys finished with the choo-choos, I thought I'd just browse the cookbooks.  I've read the reviews of so many really great books on bread and canning and general homey-cooking and I wanted to see what B&N had to offer.  On a table in the cookbooks I saw something that caught my eye.  If I'm being really honest I haven't read an actual books since long before I got pregnant again.  I've read lots of cooking, crafting, and children's books, but nothing with a plot of any sort.  

Too Many Cooks, by Emily Franklin caught me completely by surprise.  Suddenly, I'd found the book that would get me reading again and I was giddy with knowing all the yummy words that were coming to me.  What really won me over was this:  "...this is a narrative family eating."  "Mainly, I don't have a platform.  I'm not here to lecture about local or organic or beef or sweets."  "Too Many Cooks is an 'eating book'".  Isn't that brilliant?  And the relaxing tone of the stories has made this book such a joy and an ever present inspiration in the kitchen.

So far we've conquered rhubarb, real popcorn from the stove, and eggplant.  Next up are tofu, fresh artichokes, and plantains, among other things.  I also picked up A Homemade Life, which along with Dooce's newest book, Split by Suzanne Finnamore, and Cynthia Kaplan's most recent memoir have me longing for the days and nights when I can just devour words for hours on end.

Happy munching...