<HR class=bucketDivider noShade SIZE=1>
<B class=h1>Author Dan Yaccarino Talks About His Inspiration for Every Friday</B>
I guess the Friday breakfasts came about because like most dads, I sometimes didn't feel like I saw my son enough. Some weeks, our Friday breakfasts were the only time he and I had to talk or just share some time together.
I look back on when we started what became our little tradition. He was in preschool and had to start sharing his mom and dad with a new little sister. I wanted him to have some time when he didn't have to put up with a crying baby who yanked his ears, which he patiently tolerated. He and I soon looked forward to Fridays and the diner's owner, Nick, as well as a variety of regulars, warmly greeting us. To their continued astonishment, he consumed an entire adult-size order of pancakes and a side of bacon, of which I was very proud. I have fond memories of us watching people trudging through the snow and rain as he and I were cozily nestled in a booth, a little oasis from the outside world. As much as we loved Nick's Diner, I think we both preferred the small journey we took each week to get there. It may have been a mere four blocks, but it was full of adventure: greeting familiar faces, window shopping and monitoring the progress of a building on the corner going up story by story.
Nick's Diner has since closed, so our breakfasts have been relocated to another and like that building, my son is now tall and strong. I look back on his wonder of the world and fascination of even the smallest things. Even though it was only a few years ago, life seemed a bit less complicated. My hope for Every Friday is for dads, and moms, to set aside some time to be with their children. It doesn't have to be breakfast on Friday, but it should be some time that they can count on to be with just you. And perhaps many years from now, they will carry on the tradition with their own children.
<HR class=bucketDivider noShade SIZE=1>
<B class=h1>Join Father and Son On Their Weekly Walk to the Diner
<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="25%">
<td width="25%">
<td width="25%">
<td width="25%">
<table width="75%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="right" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="100%">
<td width="100%">
<HR class=bucketDivider noShade SIZE=1 ="/"> <P clear=all><B class=h1>More to Explore <TABLE cellPadding=4 width="100%"> <TBODY> <TR align=middle> <TD width="33%">
The Birthday Fish
Oswald <TD width="33%">
Good Night, Mr. Night <HR class=bucketDivider noShade SIZE=1 ="/"> ]]>
From the first moment he got a glimpse of what lived under the ocean’s waves, Cousteau was hooked. And so he set sail aboard the Calypso to see the sea. He and his team of scientists invented diving equipment and waterproof cameras. They made films and televisions shows and wrote books so they could share what they learned. The oceans were a vast unexplored world, and Cousteau became our guide. And when he saw that pollution was taking its toll on the seas, Cousteau became our guide in how to protect the oceans as well.]]>
What state hosts the International Rotten Sneaker Contest?
Which state is it illegal to enter with a chicken on your head?
To find the answers to these questions and hundreds more, just hitch a ride with the fabulous Farley family--Mom, Dad, Freddie, Fran, and Fido--as they travel state to state and discover far-out festivals, kooky contests, ludicrous laws, peculiar people, and oodles of oddities across America. So fasten your seat belt and get ready to go, go through fifty states of fun!
Snappy, often humorous facts fill each page along with Yaccarino’s bold, colorful, quirky illustrations. Also included are maps and cleverly designed backmatter with information every kid needs: state mottos, state flowers, state birds, state trees, state nicknames, etc. This is a rollicking road trip to be visited again and again by readers of all ages on the go, go.
About the author:
Dan's inspiration for this book came from the road trips he took with his own fabulous family as a kid. He says, "I spent a lot of time in the back seat of the family station wagon with my brother and sister as our family traveled the East coast on many road trips. I have amazing memories of touring Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, eating frogs' legs in Georgia, and watching gator wrestling in Florida."
These days, Dan travels with his wife and two children to many of the very same destinations. He's even caught himself shouting, "Don't make me pull this car over!"]]>
Dan Yaccarino is the illustrator of M.C. Helldorfer's Carnival and the author/illustrator of If I Had a Robot of which Kirkus said, "Vibrant colors in geometric shapes spill across the pages...Yaccarino keeps the visual suspense going." Mr. Yaccarino's work has appeared in a variety of galleries and publications, as well as on book jackets and children's toys.]]>
This hilariously dry tale of comeuppance and redemption will become an immediate favorite with readers from jungle to city and everywhere in between. Dan Yaccarino's cool retro-style gouache paintings also enliven the pages of Circle Dogs, An Octopus Followed Me Home, and If I Had a Robot. (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter
]]>The original story of Oswald and Weenie's introduction to Big City is retold in this paperback format. When they arrive at their new apartment, Oswald and Weenie realize they need help moving Oswald's piano. But who can they turn to? One by one, Oswald's neighbors lend a hand -- and soon the newcomers have made lots of new friends!
]]>