Mr. Pig Live . . . with Toby! + a TOBY Literary Lunch!

Happy Friday, folks! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a heartwarming, feel good episode.

And that's just what we have for you today.

Please welcome today's friendly, four-legged and furry guest…

TOBY!

<<applause>>

Toby is the real life pooch who inspired Hazel Mitchell's picture book of the same name.  

First, let's watch this very charming clip. . .

Ahh, what a sweet story. Okay, Toby, hop up on the couch so we can have a chat. Good boy, Toby.

(Note, the transcript for this interview has been translated from woofs to human, by our trusty canine translators.)

What is your full name?
Toby.

What one word best describes you?
Loveable.

What is the best thing about being you?
Living with my excellent people.

TOBY. Copyright © 2016 by Hazel Mitchell.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

What is the worst thing about being you?

I get scared of a lot of things. That makes it hard for me to enjoy things, sometimes.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?
Pepperoni.

Glad you didn't say bacon. What is your idea of the perfect day?
Wake up. Run around the garden. Get a cuddle. Nap. Wake up. Run around the garden. Get a snack (pepperoni). Nap. Have supper. Run around the garden. Get a cuddle. Bedtime.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Find homes for all the animals without people of their own.

What are you reading right now?
Because of Winn Dixie.

What is your favorite word?
Cuddletime!

TOBY. Copyright © 2016 by Hazel Mitchell.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

What is you least favorite word?
Goodbye.

What is your favorite sound?
Daddy’s car drawing up.

What is your least favorite sound?
Fireworks.

Share one thing that most of our readers don’t know about you.
I was lost for eight days in wildest Maine.

If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?
Snoopy, Lassie, Winn Dixie.

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now?
Pepperoni.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
The time when I was running fast, fast, fast and ran into a lawn chair and the cat was watching.

What is your pet peeve?
When my sister, Lucy, steals my hidden snacks. It’s so rude.

Quite. What was it like working with Hazel Mitchell?
She is pretty good. She draws me just right. I gave her a bit of help on the layout of my book, but otherwise it was ok. She always has pepperoni to share. Making books makes you hungry!

Speaking of hungry, we have a very special TREAT for you, Toby. Nina, from Mamabelly, has made you your very own Literary Lunch! While we roll the credits, follow me to the kitchen.  

TOBY by Hazel Mitchell
Publisher - Candlewick Press
(September 2016)
ISBN: 978-0763680930

"Inspired by her own dog’s adoption story, illustrator Mitchell’s ... first book as author centers on a boy who has moved into a new neighborhood with his (presumably single) father...The highlight of this getting-to-know-you tale is Mitchell’s visual channeling of her characters’ emotions, both human and canine."
— Publishers Weekly

"Toby is a pleasing pup."
— Kirkus

"The book’s warmth and appeal come from the artwork. Pencil drawings are tinted with a soft palate of watercolor washes and digitally added colors. And while the soft browns, blues, greens, and grays create a subdued, rather melancholy tone throughout the book, both the boy and his lovable dog are smiling by the final scene."
— Booklist

Hazel Mitchell has illustrated numerous books for children. Toby is her author-illustrator debut. Originally from Yorkshire, England, she now lives in Maine with her husband and a brave rescue poodle named Toby, whose eight-day disappearance drew national attention when the story was shared across social media


[TOBY. Copyright © 2016 by Hazel Mitchell. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.]

***************************

A TOBY LITERARY LUNCH!

Meet TOBY, the star of Hazel Mitchell's new heartwarming book about a boy, a rescue dog and the challenges to grow into a family. The book is based on the author's own experience of rescuing her dog Toby.

Nina from Mamabelly.com made a lovable lunch to match:

• grapes with Toby's name (although never feed your dog grapes!)
• ham with a (dog) friend
• cucumber and carrot hearts representing the love between Toby and the boy
• animal crackers for the other shelter dogs waiting to be adopted
• and a Toby cream cheese sandwich

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Literary Lunch: Salad Pie

Our talented caterer, Nina at Lunches with Love, has prepared a gorgeous SALAD PIE for you!

Make the lunch, read the book. . . . There is nothing better than finding the playground empty and having it all to yourself. Maggie is overjoyed. Everything is perfect for making Salad Pie. That is until Herbert arrives. Herbert wants to help make Salad Pie. But can Maggie make room for him in her game?

Nina from Mamabelly.com made her own Salad Pie featuring:

• about 19 spinach leaves
• 6 snow peas
• 2 "crab apple" radishes
• 2 radish halves
• 11 blueberries
• 9 roasted chick peas and
• 3 cracker "sticks"

Literary Lunch . . . with Penny & Jelly!

Have you met Penny and Jelly from the new book Penny & Jelly: The School Show by Maria Gianferrari and Thyra Heder?

Having a best friend to help you pick a talent for the school show is the best feeling in the world. But what talent will they pick?

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love has packed a lunch to-go -- perfect for snacking on during a school show:

• a Penny Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich (pun intended)
• Peanut Butter and Jelly bars (because friends stick together)
• apple and cheese & chicken and cheese skewers (because stripes complement each other)
• and of course Jelly, sitting on a heart-shaped cup of sweet dried banana chips (because friendship is sweet)

Literary Lunch . . . STORMY NIGHT by Salina Yoon

Meet Bear and Floopy from Salina Yoon's new book STORMY NIGHT. When Bear can't sleep on a stormy night, Floppy, his toy bunny; Bear's family; and a few tricks help Bear feel less frightened.

Even though Bear is scared of the storm at first, the storm is over before he knows it, thanks to a familiar song, kiss, and tickle.

This is a great book to read to kids during a thunderstorm. Nina's kids loved the beautiful illustrations and all the ways Bear's family tries to make him feel better.

And don't worry, Bear's frown eventually turns back into a big smile. . . .

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a comforting lunch for any stormy night:

• popcorn to snack on while waiting out the storm
• a big fruit leather curtain to hide under 
• and a Bear and Floppy sandwich with chocolate decorations

Literary Lunch. . . The Day The Crayons Quit

To celebrate the Crayon's interview (or non-interview as the case may be), Nina from Mamabelly prepared these delicious edible crayon treats! 

Nina made a fun snack to nibble while reading the hilarious and colorful book from Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers. It includes:

• a cream cheese and American cheese YELLOW CRAYON sandwich which needs to be eaten first
• a cream cheese and strawberry RED CRAYON sandwich which needs to be eaten while humming
• a cream cheese and blueberry BLUE CRAYON sandwich which hopes to make you happy and
• a cream cheese and kiwi GREEN CRAYON sandwich who will finish your lunch.

Literary Lunch . . . Skippyjon Jones

SKIPPYJON JONES, SNOW WHAT by Judy Schachner is the exciting new adventure of the dog of our dreams, Skippyjon Jones. This time he heads into a magical snowy forest of make-believe. Can the seven Chimichangos convince him to wake up Nieve Que, the frozen princess, by kissing her?

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a lunch perfect for any closet adventure:

• cucumber trees
• a lettuce and carrot forest
• and of course, a Skippyjon Jones sandwich

Literary Lunch . . . The Templeton Twins

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a puzzle lunch for brilliant kids:

• The Narrator's Guacamole which is mostly coleslaw (recipe in the book) decorated with a few tools one needs to build clever inventions.
• An apple to stay healthy and smart with a Cryptic Crossword* and Cassie, the Ridiculous Dog.
• A very filling ham-and-salad sandwich topped with the Templeton Twins made from bread, cheese, and German edible paper -- I know, I know, you expected beef tacos.** But ham sandwiches are much easier to eat on the go!

 

* Abigail loves solving Cryptic Crossword puzzles and this clearly stands for The Templeton Twins!
** If you read the book, you would know why. Go read the book!

Literary Lunch . . . A LIBRARY BOOK FOR BEAR

Can you ever have enough books? Not in our opinion! But Bear from A LIBRARY BOOK FOR BEAR is not so sure. This sweet book, written by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, tells the story of Bear's first trip to the library. Bear is quite sure he needs only the seven books he already owns, while his best friend, Mouse, tries to show him all the library has to offer. 

Will Bear check out a book? Find out in A LIBRARY BOOK FOR BEAR!

Nina from Mamabelly packed a lunch that is perfect for a walk to the library:

• a chocolate spread Bear sandwich
• an apple slice with the word READ
• a small basket with snacks for Bear and Mouse: pretzel FISH and CHEESE
• and some library books made out of a cereal bar and fruit leather

Literary Lunch . . . Leroy Ninker

Meet Leroy, the dreamer who wants to be a cowboy, from LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP, written by two-time Newbery medal-winning author Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a lunch perfect for rescuing the horse of your dreams:

• carrots for Maybelline, the horse
• popcorn from the Bijou Drive-in Theatre concession stand, where Leroy work
• and a Leroy Ninker Salami Sandwich

Literary Lunch: Baking Day at Grandma's

Baking Day at Grandma's, written by Anika Denise and illustrated by Christopher Denise, is a beautifully illustrated children's book about three happy bear cubs spending time at Grandma's house on Baking Day. The illustrations and story capture their coziness and love--you can almost smell the cake baking. But this cake is not for eating alone! The little cubs cut the cake into neat squares, load up the sled, and spread cheer by delivering baked treats on this winter afternoon!

And yes, the recipe for the mouth-watering chocolate cake that the cubs help Grandma bake is in the back of the book. A must-try whether you are intending to share it or not.

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love packed a delicious Baking Day lunch:

• a piece of Grandma's chocolate cake (recipe from the book!)
• apple slices
• one little bear chocolate spread sandwich with a spinach leaf apron and a peanut butter-filled spoon

Literary Lunch . . . Number One Sam!

Sam is the best race car driver in history. Until he loses a race. Will he be number one again? Greg Pizzoli's delicious new book NUMBER ONE SAM teaches the important lesson that winning isn't everything.

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love made a winning fun lunch for Sam--a simple cream cheese and jelly sandwich with colored cream cheese, sprinkles, and melted chocolate decorations.

Literary Lunch

What happens when an Otter and his Teddy open a Toast Restaurant? Of course, all the toys line up to get seated and try their fantastic toast menu! Sit down, grab a plate and meet Otter from the new book I AM OTTER written by Sam Garton!

Nina from Mamabelly's Lunches with Love made a lunch for toast fans of all ages:

• a checkered table cloth apple
• organic strawberry yogurt dessert with Teddy and edible food color decorations
• and of course TOAST: white, swirled and pumpernickel toast filled with ham & cheese, peanut butter & jelly and lettuce & bacon
• a few broccoli florets (hopefully not just for decoration) 

DELICIOUS! Thanks, Nina! For step-by-step instructions on how to create this and other fabulous  bento box lunch creations, visit her website at www.mamabelly.com. 

Literary Lunch

Bon appetit!

We are minding our very best table manners today for this most scrumptious spaghetti bento-box lunch created by Nina at Mamabelly Lunches with Love!

Nina's Slurp-free, burp-free bento includes:

--Evie, Simon, and Dog grapes (someone, after all, has to make sure Father minds his manners!)

--Spaghetti in a fancy dish with garlic bread utensils and of course, a white tablecloth

--a sweet chocolate biscuit reminder: No Slurping, No Burping!

Nom-nom-nom...Thanks Nina....Whoops! No talking with our mouths full! (We should know better after reading No, Slurping, No Burping, A Tale of Table Manners by manners maven Kara LaReau!)

For step-by-step instructions on how to make this and other fabulous bento-box lunches, visit Nina's Website: Mamabelly Lunches with Love!

Literary Lunch

Hi! So glad you could stick around for lunch! 

Nina from Mamabelly Lunches With Love has made Warren a delicious Literary Lunch this morning in honor of his new book!

EXTRAORDINARY WARREN: A SUPER CHICKEN written by Sarah Dillard is the extraordinary story of the ordinary chicken, Warren, the run-of-the-mill rat, Millard, and Egg, an everyday egg waiting to hatch. When Warren, Millard, and Egg meet, their ordinary, run-of-the-mill, everyday lives become EXTRAORDINARY!

Nina's extraordinary Literary Lunch includes:

--A Millard the Rat chocolate spread sandwich with melted chocolate details
--Fresh strawberries wrapped in newspaper for Millard to find in the trash
--Extraordinary Warren Mac 'n' Cheese with carrot and apple details
--Egg (his friend) filled with a little treat
--An apple and carrot salad with the hatched Egg - his new sidekick

See the full instructions for making this lunch and view MORE of Nina's creative, healthy and delicious lunches on her website: Mamabelly Lunches With Love!

Mr. Pig Live. . . with Buddy!

Friends, you are in for a treat this morning. My special guest is none other than the star of Bob Shea's latest picture book, Don't Play With Your Food! a story about a monster who is hungry for some bunnies. 

But the bunnies have cupcakes in the oven.

The next day it is too hot to be eaten.

Then the club votes against eating Bunnies in favor of a trip to the carnival.

Before long, Buddy starts to think these Bunnies aren't food at all. He suspects some kind of trick. Actually, I don't really understand this story, but it's a Bob Shea book, so it must be very funny.

Now, without further ado, please give a warm Little Crooked Cottage welcome to...

BUDDY!

Let's begin. What is your full name?

Buddy.

What three words best describe you?

Big, hairy, big.

Personal question. . . do you have a belly button?

Yes. It is not full of belly. It is full of acorns and squirrels.

Besides the acorns and squirrels, what is the best thing about being you?

I have lots of friends, swimming, my orange stripes, nighttime, I saw a deer once, I can almost jump across the stream, sleeping is fun.

Er, ok. What is the worst thing about being you?

I am covered in ticks.

Hypothetical. . . if you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring?

The woods, the big tall mountains, a couple of lakes, a really lot of trees, all the bunnies. Oh and a boat. That way I could get back to the big tall mountains, lakes, trees and bunnies at home.

When do you feel the happiest?

When I am with my friends the bunnies. Oh, and when I am yelling.

Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?

Invisible. Then I could sneak up on trees an be all like, “RAHHHHH!” I’d like to see the looks on their faces when they jump!

Illustration from Don't Play With Your Food! (Disney-Hyperion). Copyright © 2014 Bob Shea

Do you identify more with Goldilocks or the three bears?

I’m like a cousin to the bears. A bigger hungrier cousin. A bigger, hungrier, more handsome cousin who is really smart. Maybe I am not in the story because I am on the island from before. Maybe I am on my boat with my trees and lakes. Maybe I am solving a mystery. All I know is the bears are really proud of me and talk about me all the time and always invite me over for barbecues but I am busy solving mysteries. I am welcome there anytime though. If I am passing through town maybe I stop by and bring them some exotic fruit from the from before island. Or a sea turtle. Don’t worry, it’s the kind of sea turtle that likes to live in the woods. So what was I saying? Goldilocks, I am like Goldilocks.

What is your special talent?

I can yell at almost anything.

If you could dine with three characters from other books, who would they be?

Nilson from NO FITS NILSON, because he has ice cream and is big, some penguins from BABY PENGUINS LOVE THEIR MAMA because they look tasty, I mean friendly and Bear from BEAR AND BEE. That guy knows where the honey is.

If a genie gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

To have cool orange stripes! Oh, I guess I met a genie already. 

If you have a pocket, what is in it right now?
I don’t but I have a lot of cool things in my fur. Dirt, a family of crows, night crawlers, the ticks from before, some mushrooms, mud dawber wasps and some assorted camping equipment.

Do you have any siblings?
I have some older brothers. They are bigger and yellier than me.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
I like to imagine I am the three bears cousin and have all these adventures. I hope no one finds out.

It'll be our secret. What is your pet peeve?
I don’t have any pets so I will say hamster.

What was it like working with Bob Shea?
He’s okay. Kinda full of himself. Gets up before noon to prove a point. Thinks he’s too good to eat spaghetti with his hands. One time it was hot and he held the hose while I jumped through it. That was pretty nice. I guess he’s okay. Ugly though. No fur, just weird hair. Gross.

Don’t tell him I said that.

I won't. I promise to only say flattering things about him. Like this. . .

Bob Shea has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books including the popular Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, and the cult favorite Big Plans illustrated by Lane Smith.

Little Brown, Hyperion, HarperCollins, Random House, Simon and Schuster and Dial have all published his work. They are all still in business.

Bob got his start at Comedy Central where he make up stuff and they went along with it. It was great.

His characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney and PBS Kids.

Bob spends his days writing, drawing and having “conversations” with NPR.

He’s lucky. Check out more of his books here!

Now, Buddy. . . I hope you brought your monster appetite, because Nina from Mamabelly Lunches with Love has cooked us up a delicious (mostly bunny-free) lunch. Scroll down and take a peek!