• Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton – What could be better than a great big hug in book form? It’s the perfect love letter from parent to child.

• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg – A sweet book with a powerful message: When you make a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful!

• Gallop by Rufus Butler Seder – Every turn of the page brings a new animal to life: a horse in full gallop, a turtle swimming, an eagle soaring. It’s impossible not to flip the pages again and again!

• Indestructibles - Beautifully illustrated books that babies can really sink their teeth into! They’re waterproof, tear-proof–baby-proof!–and truly impossible to destroy. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)

• What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff – Why not get something for the new mama, too? This book has absolutely everything parents needs to know about their baby’s first year from one of the most trusted names in pregnancy.

(Click the flyer below or right here for a larger version.)

Sophie Blackall is an illustrator and author who lives in Brooklyn. Her latest book is Missed Connections, in which she illustrated the most intriguing “missed connections” listings that she found on Craigslist.

P.S. Hey commuters: Have you seen Sophie’s beautiful art in the subways yet?

Whaaa…

I miss my winter scarf which disappeared earlier this week. It’s the color of the cover of Design*Sponge at Home. Have you seen it??

It began slowly. James, later that evening:

I think I saw it In The Sweet Kitchen.

Andrea gets it:

Really? I thought I saw it Beyond The Great Wall. But maybe I was Under Pressure.

Ann replied the following morning:

So you’re saying I have to Man Up! about this? Even though it was The Right Color?

Then gates seemed to open. Randy:

Whoever took it should be thinking What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? because when Ann finds out, you’ll just have minutes to live.

(sorry, couldn’t help myself)

Danielle, a minute later:

No Randall, it’s more like whoever stole it… your a$$ is ON THE LINE; 9781579653699 (James, I know how much you hate it when people send title emails w/out ISBN’s) ….

Shani, a moment after that:

Then they’ll wind up in The Obits…

Insiders will note that up until this reply, all references were to Artisan titles. Then James, the consummate insider, doubles-down with a cheeky reference to a Workman book Ann wrote that’s no longer in print:

If someone stole it, they should be more concerned with going to jail. They might wind up dropping The Soap: Making it, Enjoying it.

Elisabeth, with her imprint ignored so far, piles on from left field with Algonquin references:

My umbrella, I figured, by now is somewhere West of Here, Mudbound, or maybe being enjoyed by the Last Child in the Woods.

Mmm, ok. A second after that Jean returned us to relevant Artisan territory:

Along with the box of cereal that some Mad Hungry person took from my desk.

Rachel sagely added:

That’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting too much from people.

Natalya summed it up succinctly:

Well, ladies and gentlemen Sh*t Happens.  All we have to do is Work Hard, Be Nice.

But wait! There’s more! An hour or so later Greg got in the act:

You know, things like this just shouldn’t happen On American Soil, but I guess they do once in a Blue Moo……

So many things lost around here, maybe it’s not just, Arlo Needs Glasses?

Or should we stop focusing on The Wine Bible and try Drinks Without Alcohol…. Again.

Eileen, steered us back with a consoling reference to an OP Boynton title:

Sorry Ann, Hope you find it – Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down.

Nope, one last word, from Rachel:

Now just Hold Your Horses, Eileen!

Which no longer has anything to do with Ann, scarves, Artisan….but no matter. It’s good advice.

Thanks everyone!

While it doesn’t matter what you bring—beer, wings, Chinese food…all will suffice—there is one satisfying staple that will prevent you being “that guest”: 7-layer bean dip. But before you dig up that old recipe you learned in college, check out this new one below, courtesy of Workman’s newest cookbook Bean by Bean by Crescent Dragonwagon.  Go ahead! It’s what the courteous Super Bowl party guest would do.

7-Layer Tex-Mex Mountain

• 3 to 4 soft-ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 bunches of scallions, derooted, whites and about 3 inches of  green chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, well rinsed, stemmed, and finely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapenos, minced
• 2 to 2 ½ cups refried beans, either homemade or canned
• 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded sharp cheese, preferably a combination of Monterey Jack and Cheddar
• 3 large tomatoes, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups sour cream or thick, full-fat unsweetened plain yogurt (Greek-style is ideal here)
• 1 cup sliced California black olives, drained
• A few large red-leaf lettuce leaves (optional)
• Red, yellow, and/or blue tortilla chips, for serving

1. Place the avocados, lemon juice, and salt in a medium size bowl and coarsely mash together with a fork. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the scallions, cilantro, and minced jalapeno. Set aside.
3. Spread the refried beans on the bottom of a glass pie pan. Spread the avocado mixture on top, then the scallion mixture, then the cheese and then the tomatoes. Cap the mountain with the sour cream or yogurt, and lastly, sprinkle with the circle of black olives. If you like, poke a few lettuce leaves around the mountain’s base to frame it decoratively.
4. Place the tortilla chips in a bowl (or separate bowls, by color) alongside.

Serves 8 to 10 as an appetizer.

Zach was selected as a winner of the 2012 365 Cats Page-a-Day Calendar, but by the time his owners were notified last fall, he had gone missing from their yard. Happily, after seeing a picture of Zach in an article celebrating his appearance in the calendar, a neighbor realized that the cat she’d been feeding for months was a certified cat celebrity! She reached out to the owners, and the happy family has since been reunited. Hopefully now Zach is back for good.

Zach's photo appears on Nov. 9 of the 2012 "365 Cats" calendar.

Why are you so mad right now?

I’m sure you’ve asked yourself that question a million times.

Now take a cleansing breath.

Better?

We’ve all felt angry before. Anger knows no boundaries and touches every person in every corner of the world. Anger is universal and luckily Workman has THE book to combat this feeling.

The Cow in the Parking Lot: A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger has been stretching its helpful pages across the globe; and now that Cow is printed in 11 different countries worldwide, we really are taking the bull by the horns (pun intended) to beat anger.

Below are some of the best foreign edition covers so far, and we hope to see many, many more in the future! Which one is your favorite?

Brazil, Published by: Objetiva

Portugal, Published by: Sinais De Fogo

Italy, Published by: De Agostini

Germany, Published by: Goldman Verlag

Netherlands, Published by: Lannoo

I have to say, I’m partial to the Italian cover. That is one relaxed cartoon cow!

Cow in the Parking Lot is now printed in Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Complex Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Turkish.

–June, International Department

Pharaoh Thoth Amon selects a giant cake as his unsuspecting party snack....er, date.

Scorpion Robot prefers to party in a too-large, seasonally-inappropriate hat.

And Wingy Wingy takes a joy ride on a private jet with her new fiend.

............

……What? Why the intense stares, little monsters? Oh! Presents? Fine.

How about two Valentine’s Day Papertoy Monsters: “Be Mine” Cupid and Monster Mutant Cupid?

Or the Super Bowl Papertoy Monsters, the SuperBowl Ghouls?

Maybe a creepy little bloodsucker, Li’l Vamp?

Or one of three Papertoy Monsters masks?

Want to join in on the Papertoy Monsters conversation? Check us out on twitter (@PapertoyMonster) or Facebook.

Until next year, my fiendish friends, keep on partying like true party monsters.

And now, the very first Pitchapalooza winners have been featured in the New York Times. Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi’s book, Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of Muslim American Women, is a collection of true stories about American Muslim women’s experiences with dating, love, and sex. An inspired idea and pitch that has become an inspirational anthology, this is a book that Arielle and David are proud to have helped launch.

For further reading and viewing, check out the links below.

New York Times article on Love, InshAllah

New York Times article on Pitchapalooza

Pitchapalooza trailer

Pitchapalooza on NBC

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more charming stories of unusual animal pairings, pick up a copy of Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland.

photo by Flickr user HerryLawford

Patricia Schultz, author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die, continues her whirlwind tour with another guest post:

I love big cities, so I knew good-lookin’ Sydney would win me over. Established in 1788 as a British outpost, today it’s a beautiful and vibrant modern city that is the NYC and London of Australia. An international center for commerce, art, fashion, culture and tourism, it is understandably rated one of the most liveable cities in the world–in great part due to the 4 million spirited and fun-loving Sydneysiders who call it home. The iconic Opera House always has a world-class performance going on, or you can follow in Oprah’s footsteps and sign up for the Bridge Climb up and over the “coathanger” (it celebrated its 75th birthday in 2007) for breathtaking views of the stunning harbor, the city’s playground. Jump on one of the countless ferries that ply its waters and head out to Manly for a beachfront stroll to watch the surfers; make sure to stop for a bite at Hugo’s at the wharf before heading back.

Tips:

• The Bridge Climb is especially magical at twilight.
• The Bridge Climb is expensive, but you can get a glimpse of the excitement merely by walking across the pedestrian walkway for free!
• With great views of the Opera House and harbor, the nearby newly renovated Park Hyatt is the city’s #1 hotel; it’s also a fun spot to linger for a cappuccino or a late afternoon cocktail.

For more recommendations from Patricia Schultz, check out 1000 Places to See Before You Die and 1000places.com!