One of the books that Eliot recieved for Christmas this year was Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis, a great-looking book which even has a cover made out of box. The art is somewhat Pigeonesque, but more slight. The story is just a little quickie about a small rabbit and his ideas for what his "not-a-box" can be while he plays. Cute.

Another book she loved is First Book of Sushi, by Amy Wilson Sanger. We already had Hola, Jalapeno! and Yum Yum Dim Sum, books that Eliot flat out adores (If she's in a bad mood in the car, it doesn't take more than two lines about tamales to get her to start smiling). The artwork here isn't anything that excites me, just what looks like paper cut up to look like the subject matter (a technique already mastered to such a degree I don't even see why people bother) but the content is ace. It teaches kids about food with a very nice humor.

Reykjavik 64°08N 21°54W looks very cool. Photographer Ami Sioux put up ads and talked to people in the street and cafes in Reykjavik and got fifty people to draw up maps of places there that were important to them. She then followed the maps and photographed them, a sort of Mundane Journeys with beautiful photographs of what you'll find. Berlin, Paris, London, and New York are next. Five bucks she never does Minneapolis. You can't buy it in the US, but you can online.

Not A Box [Amazon]
First Book of Sushi [Amazon]