In honor of Sandra Denneler’s publishing of Oh, What a Treat! today, we are so pleased to dedicate this week’s Inspired By to the five books that have inspired her writing most.

973 World Book Encyclopedia’s Childcraft Volume 11, Make and Do.

Quite simply, this was the go-to book my entire childhood. It was filled with ideas to keep a creative child busy when her parents and six siblings didn’t know what to do with her. I made, built, created, and played every activity in that book 100+ times. I can still smell the scent of the pages – mostly because they were covered in glue and glitter.

 

 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

 

I wonder if my hometown library has a record of how many times I checked this book out? It would be safe to say that I had it memorized. Mostly, because I was obsessed with the movie too – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. What child of the 70’s hasn’t dreamt of living in an edible world of dessert. Heck, I still do.

 

 

Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers

I bought this book for my son before he was born and we read it every night for five years. And then my daughter was born and we read it again, every night, for five more years. I’ve always been intrigued by the playful food faces and animals that Freymann and Elffers create in their world of fruits and veggies. They never cease to amaze and amuse me. We owned many of their other books too, but this was my favorite – simply because my kids loved it so much.

 

 

Cake Pops by Bakerella

When Bakerella’s Cake Pops book first published, I was instantly enamored with it. Not just because the cake pops are adorable and downright clever, but everything about this book spoke to me. Probably, because it was created by a graphic designer who had a hobby and love for dessert. Sound familiar? You can see all the wonderful details that she poured into it – the fonts, the fun colors, the textures, beautiful photography elements – some of the most lovely page design I’ve ever seen. I dream about sharing ice cream cone with Bakerella someday and letting her know how much I adore her work.

 

 

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Maybe it was just the timing, but Amy Poehler’s Yes, Please feels like it was written specifically for me. I read it last year – at the same time I was trying to create, write, and publish my own book. Multiple times throughout her book, Amy says “do you know how HARD it is to write a book?” I just wanted to scream, “Yes, Yes! I totally understand!” It’s like she was speaking directly to me, encouraging me to finish. Amy and I are the same age. We both have two kids and we both grew up doing the same stupid shit in the 70’s and 80’s. The only difference is, she’s a bajillion times more famous than me. Other than that, I’m pretty sure she totally wrote this book for me. So, thank you Amy!