C D B! (Windmill paperbacks) - Softcover

William Steig--The New Yorker cartoonist and revered creator of the Caldecott Medalist Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and dozens of other magnificent books--first wrote and illustrated the original, black-and-white edition of CDB! more than 30 years ago. Adding splashes of watercolor on larger, broader pages (and an answer key in the back!), Steig brings new life to his well-loved favorite. For the uninitiated, "C D B!" translates to "See the bee!" Other letter codes are more challenging, such as the boy leaning on a tree saying "I F-N N-E N-R-G" or a droopy decrepit man slouching in a chair labeled "O-L H." Once you get used to this abbreviated Steig-speak, all (or at least most) will become clear--"X" sometimes means "eggs," "D" is sometimes "the," and "S" can be "is" or "has," for example. Or, you can just read the letters out loud over and over until the proper phrase emerges plain as day. (The pictures help, too, of course!) Those who crave more wordplay will want to explore CDC? This book is nothing less than X-L-N, and no home where words are celebrated should be without it. (Ages 5 to 105) --Karin Snelson

William Steig (1907–2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator, and author of award-winning books for children. Most notably Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, for which he received the Caldecott Medal; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award Finalist; and Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor books. Steig is also the creator of Shrek! which inspired the Dreamworks films. Steig also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, the America Book Award, and Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also the US nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards as an illustrator in 1982, and then as an author in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Steig, and four children.