Congratulations to author Lisa Alcalay Klug, recipient of an honor in the "Jewish Pulitzers." Her book, Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, published by Andrews McMeel in September 2008, has been named a 2008 National Jewish Book Awards finalist.

Cool Jew is a loving and irreverent celebration of Jewish culture. In addition to its fervent call for positive Jewish identity and affiliation, and embrace of Jewish multiculturalism, language, and more, the 250-page humor book also chronicles contemporary Jewish arts and culture with approximately 400 images. These include original line drawings, vintage Israeli and Jewish posters, t-shirt designs, kabbalistic paintings from Israel, album covers, kitsch and more. Cool Jew also features extensive back-of-the-book resource guides on ways to enjoy Jewish community called "Da Tribe Online" and contemporary Jewish music called "Da Heebster Jewkebox."

Cool Jew placed in the category of "Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice." It is the only humor book among the 2008 National Jewish Book Award honorees.

Each year, the National Jewish Book Awards honor some of the best and most exciting authors in the field of Jewish literature. After more than fifty years of presenting these awards, hundreds of books have received the prestigious National Jewish Book Award, including titles by the top authors on the American Jewish literary scene. For the full list of winners and finalists, click here.

The 58th Annual National Jewish Book Awards Ceremony will be held at 7:30 pm, March 5th at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

This is the second honor for author Lisa Alcalay Klug since the September release of her first book. She was previously named Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month by the University of Dayton.

Publisher’s Weekly’s Children’s Picture Book Bestsellers
(1/19/09) features Bee & Me at #7

The New York Times Book Review Children’s Best Seller List (2/1/09) features Bee & Me at #9

The subject of honeybees' mysterious dwindling population throughout the world has been a growing concern in the news in recent years. Bee & Me brings the critical importance of bees to light for young children through the innovative, full color process of ANIMOTION™ in an engaging story of friendship and understanding. Bee & Me will charm readers while providing valuable information about how important bees are to sustainable agriculture. Bee & Me is sure to fascinate, entertain and engage readers of all ages.

Features:

• Unique animated windows on almost every spread enhancing the action of the story.

  The first time ever that such a technique has been applied in full color through the ANIMOTION™ process.

• Enchanting full color illustrations.
• Special appendix full of fun and important bee facts.

Publisher’s Weekly’s Children’s Picture Book Bestsellers (2/16/09) features Bee & Me at #8

When a young boy discovers a bee trapped in his bedroom he hides for fear of being stung. But when the amiable bee frantically explains all that bees do, the boy comes to understand how good things come in different packages: "Bees make honey. That much we know. Bees also spread pollen, which makes all things grow."

The subject of honeybees' mysterious dwindling population throughout the world has been a growing concern in the news in recent years. Bee & Me brings the critical importance of bees to light for young children through the innovative, full color process of ANIMOTION™ in an engaging story of friendship and understanding. Bee & Me will charm readers while providing valuable information about how important bees are to sustainable agriculture. Bee & Me is sure to fascinate, entertain and engage readers of all ages.

Coming soon: Baby Turtle's Tale

Two Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008 cookbooks have been named finalists in the 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards:

The Art and Soul of Baking
By Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
Baking Category

Things Cooks Love: Ingredients. Implements. Recipes.
By Sur La Table with Marie Simmons
General Category

The winners in each of the thirteen categories, as well as the Cookbook of the Year,
will be announced April 4 at IACP’s annual international conference in Denver.

People Are Talking About columnist Danielle Nussbaum on Teen Vogue called Jurassic Towel Origami "The best thing we got in the mail this week."

http://www.teenvogue.com/industry/blogs/entertainment/2009/03/best-thing-we-got-in-the-mail-this-week.html

The Art & Soul of Baking has been named a nominee in the James Beard Foundation Awards 2009 in the Books: Baking Category

The James Beard Foundation Awards shine a spotlight on the best and brightest talent in the food and beverage industry.

The winners will be announced May 4th at a Black Tie Ceremony in New York

The Art and Soul of Baking guides readers through the world of baking, where alluring aromas of chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon fill the air and tempt the palate. Culinary authority Sur La Table teams with professional pastry chef and baking instructor Cindy Mushet to create the ultimate book for bakers. The Art and Soul of Baking demystifies the friendly science of baking through delicious recipes and photography sequences that illustrate proper techniques for carmelizing sugar, or working with croissant dough.

Tom Flynn Reads from Bikeman

Journalist Tom Flynn decided to respond to the events of September 11, 2001, by writing an epic poem in which he recalled how, on that fateful day, he had hopped on his bicycle, braved the chaos, and headed down to the World Trade Center to cover the attacks for CBS News. When the second tower was hit, Flynn found himself in the middle of the unraveling horror. In his book, Bikeman: An Epic Poem (Andrews McMeel), Flynn's poetic dispatches reflect on the sorrow, fear, and humanity shared by the nation on that “forever September morning.”

In celebration of National Poetry month, VF.com presents an exclusive audio excerpt.

The Art and Soul of Baking is a 2009 IACP Cookbook Awards Winner

Winners were announced at the 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference (IACP) International in Denver on April 4.

Art and Soul of Baking won in the cookbook/baking category!

Sur La Table teamed with pastry chef and baking teacher Cindy Mushet to bring you the ultimate guide to baking. Beautiful photographs and more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes lead you into a world of alluring aromas and light, flaky pastries. Illustrated asides take you step by step through important techniques, from carmelizing sugar to working with croissant dough. Plus, you'll find invaluable information on over 100 ingredients and 50 baker's tools. A true pleasure for anyone who loves to bake.

The cookbook is also nominated for a 2009 James Beard Foundation Award.

Sudhamma, a forest guide at Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, is an authority on birds in the region and provides valuable information to visitors

Faecal sludge treatment plants proposed in a radius of 15 km on cluster basis in urban and rural local bodies

The inaugural ceremony featured a march past with student athletes from 14 districts and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) parading from Durbar Hall Ground to the college ground