Double-Up Day!

Written by Kari-Lynn Winters

Illustrated by Dave Whamond

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-361-2

32 pp.

Ages 3–7

May 2026 

 

What's Double-Up Day? It's a new tradition that Brandon's big brother wants to start when he realizes all the good things Brandon gets on his birthday. If they double up the goodies and the play, there's more for everyone, with a math lesson on addition to add to the fun.

From Double-Up Day!, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Dave Whamond

When he sees his little brother getting a large birthday gift, Brandon's older brother wonders why there's one for Brandon "...and none for me?" (pg. 5). So, he suggests Double-Up Day, a day on which they double up everything. Thus, one cake becomes 1+1 cakes which makes, "Two berry-licious, yummy-in-my-tummy, birthday cakes to decorate!" (pg. 9) (Note that all numerical terms are bolded in red to emphasize the math going on.)

From Double-Up Day!, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Dave Whamond

After the cakes, there is a doubling-up of party hats, tails on the pin-the-donkey game, popsicles, balloons, balls, running of laps, swinging in the playground, bounces on a trampoline, and finally naptime stories. (Naps seem a requirement for a very young Brandon and a very tired Grandpa.) With each new activity, young readers will learn how to double up numbers one through ten and enjoy some rhyming onomatopoeia as things are wiggly-jiggly, bouncy-wouncy, uppy-puppy, and more.

From Double-Up Day!, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Dave Whamond

The day may end with only one book and a special aunt but the learning that happened through the sharing of Brandon's special day will not be forgotten by readers.
 

Kari-Lynn Winters has used her picture books to bring joy and play to learning, whether it's about the arts (Hungry for the Arts: Poems to Chomp On, 2022), engineering (Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On, 2024) or science (Hungry for Science: Poems to Crunch On, 2015), all written with Lori Sherritt-Fleming and illustrated by Peggy Collins or Dave Whamond. Or Kari-Lynn Winters just wants us to have fun, and she gives us stories that make us smile and laugh and still consider what's happening in the story. (For example, What If I'm Not a Cat?, illustrated by Kelly Collier, from 2023, comes to mind.) Or she tells stories that are sensitive in their messaging and perceptive in their subjects like French Toast (illustrated by François Thisdale from 2016). Whatever Kari-Lynn Winters decides to write becomes a story that will matter. Double-Up Day! matters because of its teaching and the learning that will happen, but it's its delivery that matters. The story is festive and upbeat, and, though I was annoyed with Brandon's nameless big brother who selfishly decides to make himself part of a birthday not his own—I'm personally triggered by narcissists who want all attention on them no matter the event—Kari-Lynn Winters ensures that he redeems himself by helping Brandon have more fun than he would have had by himself.

 

Kari-Lynn Winters may give the fun in her playful words, but Dave Whamond gives us it in the silliness of his illustrations. Dave Whamond has written and illustrated his own books (e. g., Oddrey, 2012; Rosie's Glasses, 2018; Hugo's Haunted Handbook, 2024) as well as for those of others, most notably Robert Munsch (e. g., School Rules!, 2020; Think Big!, 2021). But he always brings the silliness of children at play and the frivolity of life. Whether it's a trampolining dog, dripping popsicles, watchful-eyed squirrels, bunny slippers, or kids finding fun in familiar activities, Dave Whamond lets us know that everyone is having a jolly good time.

From Double-Up Day!, written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Dave Whamond

If I was still teaching and I knew little ones would miss celebrating their summer birthdays with their school friends, Double-Up Day! would be a great story to read to celebrate double (or even triple) birthdays before the end of the school year. Kids could enjoy a great book, learn about doubling and addition, and having a birthday celebration all in one go. Sounds like a win + win = double win for everyone!

Malaika's Surprise

Written by Nadia L. Hohn

Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-264-8

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2021

 

Though Malaika is eager to invite a new little girl to play with her and her stepsister Adèle, she's not too sure about another new little one who is going to be born to her mother and Papa Frédéric around the time of Malaika's birthday. But, as the saying goes, the only thing about life is its unpredictability.

From Malaika's Surprise by Nadia L. Hohn, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

At school, she meets the new little girl, Malayka M., whose sadness is put aside by Malaika's friendship and kindness.

From Malaika's Surprise by Nadia L. Hohn, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

When the day of Malaika's birthday comes, it's filled with much celebration, but most special is the arrival of her Grandma who brings Malaika's peacock carnival costume (introduced in Malaika's Costume, 2016) from Trinidad. Malaika is excited to wear it to school for her party to which she is bringing doubles (I had to find the recipe for this) and cake but she is  disappointed when she learns that her Mummy, Grandma and Papa Frédéric now will not be able to attend as they rush to the hospital for the birth.

From Malaika's Surprise by Nadia L. Hohn, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

But, just because things don't go as planned doesn't mean that the day won't be special and full of surprises, both expected and unexpected.

Nadia L. Hohn who has given us three stories of Malaika, first dealing with her separation from her mother who had immigrated to Canada (Malaika's Costume, 2016) and then when she joins her mother and new stepfather and stepsister in Canada (Malaika's Winter Carnival, 2017) before Malaika's Surprise which brings new familial changes for the little girl. Regardless of the tenuous nature of Malaika's circumstances–missing her mother, living with her Grandma, adapting to a new country and new family–Nadia L. Hohn always embeds a permanence of caring family to scaffold Malaika's new realities. Even as the text changes from one rich in the island dialect, spoken so lovingly by her Grandma, to one melding English with the French of Papa Frédéric and Adèle, Malaika has adapted, showing resilience and openness to her new circumstances. Her empathy, so evident with Malayka M., helps her to appreciate that her new baby brother may bring change but it is change she can live with and even rejoice in.

Artist Irene Luxbacher, who has illustrated all three Malaika books, uses a blend of gouache, soft pastels and found papers to create wonderfully exuberant artwork that is as joyous as a Carnival, resplendent in colours and textures of celebration. In Malaika's Surprise, there is much to celebrate: a birthday or two, a new friend, a visit from a cherished grandmother, and a growing family. Like a Carnival setting, you won't know where to look first: at the costumes, the children's artwork, the expressive faces, the clothing, or the rooms' decors. It all invites the reader in to observe Malaika's life and learn how to be kind and adaptable.

From Malaika's Surprise by Nadia L. Hohn, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

Much of our lives, like Malaika's, involves change and a newness of circumstances. But what  Malaika's Surprise demonstrates is that, though newness and change can be stressful because of the anticipation of the unknown, the reality is often not as bad as expected, especially with the knowledge that others care.

Going Up!

Written by Sherry J. Lee

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0113-1

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2020

In a jubilant story of inclusivity, diversity, and friendship.  Going Up! ticks all the buttons for a joyous read about making friends in an apartment building and accepting everyone as neighbours.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Sophie and her dad are invited to Olive's birthday on the 10th floor of their apartment building. They bake cookies and take the elevator onward to the party. But getting to the party seems to be half the fun, because the elevator stops at every floor, taking on residents also invited to the party. There's the Santucci brothers–who look tough but are bedecked with cat and knitting trim–and Vicky and her partner Babs and dog Norman; Mr. and Mrs. Habib and grandchildren Yasmin and Jamal; Mr. Kwan; the Flores family; Vi Tweedle and her Chihuahua Minx; musicians Grace and Arnie; and finally Nori.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

As they take on new guests at almost every floor, the fit on the elevator gets a little more crowded but somehow there is always room to include everyone on the party elevator.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

When they finally arrive, the guests tumble out of the elevator in a glorious double-spread fold-out of colour and shape and spirit to wish poodle Olive, with her human mom, a happy birthday.

Going Up! will easily lift the moods of anyone who feels a little low. Whether on floors nearer the ground or the higher ones in this apartment building, there is much to elevate hearts and attitude. In fact, I suspect many people are currently relying on the same activities demonstrated as the apartments' residents–baking, gardening, knitting, pets, music, costumes and food–to help. We may not be able to all get together right now and celebrate birthdays in person, but Sherry J. Lee gives us the opportunity to see how we can revel in life with simple gifts of self. This is Toronto author Sherry J. Lee's debut picture book and its upbeat nature and depiction of inclusivity of all neighbours in an apartment building is a rousing kickoff.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Charlene Chua, whose artwork I have enjoyed and reviewed numerous times (e.g., The Pencil, 2019; Akilak's Adventure, 2016; and Fishing with Grandma, 2016), brings that festivity to each one of her illustrations, which are rendered in watercolour, watercolour ink and coloured pencils before digitally completed with Photoshop.  She doesn't miss a detail, keeping Sophie and her dad's baking low-key and comforting in golds and greys, and amping up the colours and animation as the elevator travels up from floor to floor. Even the art that Charlene Chua uses on the copyright page reveals a little something of each apartment's inhabitants while the ubiquitous orange tabby cat enjoys some fish garbage.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Going Up! cheers and rejuvenates, helping us all remember the joys of celebration with everyone, excluding no one, but also reminds us that there are ways to celebrate in which we might all partake alone. In tone and art, Going Up! raises all our spirits.

I Got You a Present!

Written by Mike Erskine-Kellie and Susan McLennan

Illustrated by Cale Atkinson

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0009-7

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2020

I Got You a Present! is the perfect book to review for April Fool's Day as it is a bit of a joke. It's reminiscent of those irreverent birthday cards in which the giver plans to give the best of gifts but it ends up only being the card. Fortunately, for the recipient of Duck's intentions, the present is more personal than any gag card or gift could be. 

Throughout the book, Duck explains all the great gifts he planned for the birthday celebrant. He has the best ideas. First he is determined to knit some socks. Unfortunately, that doesn't work out.

Have you ever tried knitting birthday socks? It's really hard.

From I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie and Susan McLennan, illus. by Cale Atkinson

Then he chooses a ten-scoop ice-cream cone with the delicious flavours of Hooty Fruity, Huckleberry Honeycomb and Blueberry Brain Freeze. Of course, something goes awry there too.

From I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie and Susan McLennan, illus. by Cale Atkinson

There's a birthday music jam, the disappearing magic kit, an apple-juice-fueled jet pack, and more. And each time, there's an "except" or a "but" that tells the reader that that birthday gift also didn't happen.

From I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie and Susan McLennan, illus. by Cale Atkinson

Poor Duck! He was so intent on getting something special for his birthday friend. Fortunately, he realizes that all these anecdotes make for a fabulous story and a very personalized book that would make it the ultimate birthday present.

I Got You a Present! may be partners and collaborative duo Mike Erskine-Kellie and Susan McLennan's debut picture book but they are well-versed in the field of children's entertainment, having written for a variety of television shows. They make sure that each flop of Duck's gift attempts is snappy, funny and relatable. From a craft project that Duck can't quite complete, to misplacing something, or dropping a ice-cream, all situations are those to which children can relate and certainly appreciate.  Even Duck's earnestness at getting a great birthday gift for his friend is palpable. 

Cale Atkinson, whose digital art was apparently "rendered in cake icing, gorilla vanilla ice cream and Photoshop," communicates Duck's fervent attempts in his bold and enthusiastic illustrations (except where Duck is saddened to think he may have failed to get a present), blending them with the brightest of colours, the most voluminous of shape and the most spirited of line. 

If you have a child's birthday coming up, do pick up I Got You a Present! It's both birthday card message and gift with a surprise but thoughtful resolution.

...it's a story about you and me. So anytime you want, you can read it again and remember what great friends we are!

🎂🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎂

Birthdays Around the World

Written by Margriet Ruurs

Illustrated by Ashley Barron

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-624-1

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2017

Global perspectives are difficult concepts for very young children to grasp.  They are typically just learning about their own place, here and now, and understanding that there is much beyond that is challenging.  By focusing on a familiar and shared concept such as birthdays, Margriet Ruurs has found a way for young children to connect with those around the world.

From Birthdays Around the World

by Margriet Ruurs

 illus. by Ashley Barron

Birthdays around the world, boldly illustrated by cut-paper collage artist Ashley Barron, looks at children in 14 different countries around the world and tells about their family, birthday greetings, celebratory activities and food.  The children and countries depicted in each double-spread include:

• Arvaarluk from Canada (Nunavut, specifically)
• Alana and Kainoa  from the United States (Hawaii)
• Opal and Delroy in Jamaica
• Mercedes in Peru
• Ieva in Latvia
• Dmitry in Russia (on the border of Europe and Asia)
• Bram in Belgium
• Maame in Ghana
• Nthabeleng in Lesotho
• Ninoshka in India (Kashmir region)
• Shinobu in Japan
• Athom and Arunny in Cambodia
• Phúc Khang in Vietnam
• Thea on Norfolk Island, Australia

From Birthdays Around the World 

by Margriet Ruurs 

illus. by Ashley Barron

A mixture of boys and girls of different ages and living in different types of communities (big cities, islands, remote towns, rural areas) will ensure that young readers might see something of themselves in these children.  Some of their stories are presented by a sibling e.g. Athom speaks for baby sister Arunny.  Some are atypical celebrations that are held country-wide rather than commemorating the birth day of an individual. And, even though many of their celebrations will be foreign to young readers e.g. the dumping of flour on Delroy's head, there is much that they can envision, different as they may be.  Special foods and treats, good wishes and blessings, family and friends.  Whether they dress in a silk kimono, a palaka aloha shirt or a favourite outfit, these children know how special this day is for them and others to celebrate with them.

Margriet Ruurs does a stellar job of bringing the world in a little closer to home.  She always does (e.g., Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey, illus. by Nizar Ali Badr, Orca, 2015). In Birthdays Around the World, Margriet Ruurs has endeavoured to include all continents (except Antarctica) and cover the full range of birthdays, from simple days of food and family to elaborate days of military parades and more. Both secular and religious observances are included, as is appropriate, and Margriet Ruurs even helps direct discussions of the reader's birthday celebrations in an addendum called "Your Birthday" and provides activities for parents and teachers relating to the book's contents and more.  And everything is so much better for the unique art of Ashley Barron, whose cut-paper graced earlier works Up! How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones (Susan Hughes, Owlkids, 2017) and Kyle Goes Alone (Jan Thornhill, Owlkids, 2015).  The cut-paper artwork adds astounding depth and clarity to the text, guaranteeing that Birthdays Around the World is a relatable and visually expressive children's book on the global perspective of birthdays.

From Birthdays Around the World 

by Margriet Ruurs 

illus. by Ashley Barron

Happy Birthday, Alice Babette

by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Groundwood Books
978-1-55498-8204
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
April 2016

Happy birthday to Happy Birthday, Alice Babette, the new picture book from Monica Kulling and Qin Leng and their first collaboration.  While a fictionalized account of an April birthday of Alice B. Toklas which her friend and life partner Gertrude Stein seems to have forgotten, Happy Birthday, Alice Babette provides a enchanting glimpse into the Parisian life of the two women and their fondness for eachother and life in general.

While Alice spends the day walking the streets of Paris, enjoying a carousel ride, a puppet show and thwarting a would-be jewel thief, Gertrude secretly prepares a meal and a birthday poem for her dear friend.  But Gertrude is not familiar with cooking or the stove and oven, and she is distracted by her writing of the birthday poem.

Gertrude worked on Alice’s poem.  She wanted it to be as beautiful as a rose. Meanwhile, the pots on the stove bubbled and boiled.  Smoke rose from the oven. (pg. 26)

From Happy Birthday, Alice Babette

by Monica Kulling, illus. by Qin Leng

When Alice returns home after “a day of marvels”, she resumes her role of cleaning and cooking and supporting her writer friend, unaware that the real surprise for her birthday is still to come. 

Monica Kulling persuasively portrays the companionable, caring, and supportive relationship between these two iconic women of the early twentieth-century as they wrote and nurtured writing by creating a scenario in which their personalities are perfectly complementary.  Gertrude may fail at cooking and baking, unlike Alice Toklas who ultimately wrote a cookbook, but her genius at writing is clear.  And the two women together make for any extraordinary couple.  

From Happy Birthday, Alice Babette

by Monica Kulling, illus. by Qin Leng

I have used the term “lightness” for Qin Leng’s illustrations and in Happy Birthday, Alice Babette, the artist displays that same subtlely with every line and shape and colour.  Her depictions of the two women are remarkable, but it’s the elegance of her illustrations that bring forth the beauty and refinement of the time and place and characters.  

Help Gertrude celebrate Alice’s birthday (139 years ago on April 30, 1877) with Happy Birthday, Alice Babette and get a snapshot into what life must have been like for these two memorable literary figures of the early 20th century.

The Biggest Poutine in the World

by Andrée Poulin

Translated by Brigitte Waisberg

Annick Press

978-1-55451-825-8

160 pp.

Ages 9-12

March, 2016

Reviewed from advance reading copy 

Using food to fill the void of loneliness and to quench the anguish of abandonment would not be unusual but using a 650-kilogram poutine to smother the emptiness of a cold, distant father and an absentee mother is definitely unique.  But that’s what twelve-year-old Thomas Gagné of Sainte-Alphonsine believes might offer his pathetic life some hope.

A glimmer of hope lights up in my mind.  A tiny, fragile, trembling glimmer.  I try not to pay too much attention to it. I’ve tasted disappointment before, and it doesn’t taste good. (pg. 11)

Though it has been seven long years since he’s seen his mother–and yet he does receive  very brief notes with cash from her at his birthday–Thomas has fond memories of her making poutine for him: peeling whole bags of potatoes, buying cheese curds together, making the gravy and cooking the fries.  Taking a cue from his favourite website, the Guinness World Records, Thomas concocts the idea of making a giant poutine and feeding hundreds of people so that he might earn a world record and become worthy of the attention of his parents.  So begins the Phenomenal Poutine Project, PPP, for which Thomas enlists the help of his best friend, Sam Bernier; Sam’s godfather and French fry truck owner Fat Frank; and Irene Ladouceur, who runs the local cheese shop and insists Thomas include her daughter Elie in the project.  But things run amok when the mayor, Thérèse Tartatcheff, refuses to rent the arena to Thomas for the event.

Thomas is not deterred, however, and cooks up a plan to kidnap the mayor’s Senegal parrot and then recover the bird, all to sway Tartatcheff into relenting to his PPP.  But, as with so many good plans, things go awry.  His friendships with Sam and Elie, his missing mother, his aloof father, an allergic reaction, a wayward parrot, and a candy-pink note all get heaped on top of each other and smothered in emotions.  Fortunately, all culminates in a satisfying fusion of humour and coming-of-age drama, with a side order of dysfunctional family.

The Biggest Poutine in the World is the English translation, by Annick Press’s Brigitte Waisberg, of Andrée Poulin’s La plus grosse poutine du monde (Bayard Canada, 2013) which won the 2014 Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse and the 2015 Le Prix Tamarac of the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading.  The story is a visually-appealing mixture of graphics, including fun text messages between Thomas and Sam, drawings of emails between Thomas and Elie, an album of types of poutine (who knew there were so many!), and black-and-white sketches, with text set in large font and broken into small chapters with massive titles.  Young readers will undoubtedly appreciate the organizational format of the book but it’s the story line with which they will empathize.  Thomas is a boy with much resentment, anger and jealousy and yet he can still see the potential for hopefulness.  He even has a willingness and positivity to accept a challenge to captivate that hope although obstacles and self-doubt test him.

With The Biggest Poutine in the World, Andrée Poulin demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of a child’s mind when faced with familial conflict.  Being an accomplished author of over 30 French-language picture books and children’s novels, Andrée Poulin effortlessly translates that strife with compassion and humour into an uplifting tale of friendship and determination and emotional growth.  It does pull a bit at the heart, but no more than the occasional high-cholesterol poutine might.

(A version of this review was originally written for and published in Quill & Quire, as noted in the citation below.)

Kubiw, H. (2016, January/February). [Review of the book The Biggest Poutine in the World, by Andrée Poulin]. Quill & Quire, 82 (1): 44.

Today is the Day

Written by Eric Walters

Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-648-4

32 pp.

Ages 6-9

October, 2015 

That's Mutanu on the cover of Today is the Day, and she is bursting with joy because today really is the day.  It's the day that has been designated as her birthday and those of other orphans since their arrival at the orphanage in Kikima.  Like many children in rural Kenya, Mutanu's birthday was never noted or written down or celebrated.  But everything in her life has changed since she came to live at the orphanage, a real institution created by the Creation of Hope project.  Now that she has been there almost a year, she will be able to partake in the glorious celebration of their births.

Eric Walters and illustrator Eugenie Fernandes take the reader through Mutanu's regular day of chores–sweeping the yard, feeding the orphanage dog Rafiki, a new mother–and acknowledging the birth days of the new puppies and the new baby calf.  New lives at the orphanage–puppies, calves, kittens, kids, and lambs–are joyfully acknowledged by the girl whose new life began when her own grandmother had grown too old and frail to care for her after the child's parents died. But today, her grandmother and the numerous relatives of the children who live at the orphanage come to help the 150 children celebrate.  There are bags with gifts for each child, and party hats, and, most importantly for Mutanu, there is cake, many cakes, and the singing of the birthday song to themselves.  Mutanu's joy is boundless.

From Today is the Day, written by Eric Walters, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Just like the celebration in which all revel, Today is the Day is a celebration itself.  It celebrates the children who deserve to be recognized with a birthday and a birth certificate. It celebrates the Creation of Hope project for the good work it does.  And it celebrates the hope and joy that Eric Walters and Eugenie Fernandes bring forth in their writing and artistic talents respectively.  Today is the Day is to be celebrated in so many ways.

Today is the Day: Fundraising Book Launch (Cambridge, ON)

Join 

author Eric Walters and illustrator Eugenie Fernandes 

at their fundraising launch

 for 

Today is the Day

Written by Eric Walters

Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Tundra Books

978-1-77049-648-4

32 pp.

Ages 6-9

October 2015

Here is the blurb about the book from the publisher's website:

Mutanu is excited. As she goes about her chores, she thinks about the day to come and what surprises it might bring. For today is no ordinary day at the orphanage she lives in. Every year, the orphanage honors its newest arrivals by creating a birthday day especially for them. From that moment forward, the orphans have a day that they know is theirs--a day to celebrate, a day to enjoy, a day to remember. And today is the day!  

Based on real children in an orphanage in Kenya, this lovely story shows how something as simple as a birthday, something most of us take for granted, can mean so much in another part of the world.

(Retrieved from http://www.tundrabooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781770496484 on November 4, 2015.)

The book launch and fundraiser will take place at

the Idea Exchange (Library)

Queen’s Square, Cambridge, ON

 on Friday, November 20, 2015

 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm

But this is more than your ordinary book launch.  It is also a fundraiser in support of Creation of Hope, a project currently supporting over 400 orphans and impoverished children throughout the area of Kikima, Kenya.

In addition to the book being available for purchase (and autographed by author and illustrator), there will be other related items for sale, including illustrations from the book! 

Eugenie Fernandes has donated all of her amazing illustrations from Today is the Day and their earlier book, Hope Springs (Tundra, 2014).

All proceeds will be going to the orphans.

Refreshments will be served 

and 

Juno award winning artist Donné Roberts will perform.

Ticket information
There is a modest admission fee of $11.59 for tickets (limited availability) which can be purchased and reserved at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/today-is-the-day-a-book-launch-celebration-tickets-18520895497 or you can call 1-866-839-5437

I'll be there supporting this wonderful book and cause.  Will you?