Florentine and Pig by Eva Katzler, illustrated by Jess Mikhail, recipes and crafts by Laura and Jess Tilli Ages 3+ 32 pages Bloomsbury USA June 2012 Hardcover     Pig and Florentine decide to have a picnic under the “warm and toasty” sun. Before they can enjoy their favorite treat under a tree, though, they need to do some ingredient collecting and muffin baking. Katzler and Mikhail’s characters show how easy it is to create memories by inserting a little imagination into life. Florentine helps Pig gather apples by preparing him for his “crunchy apple mission,” and Pig helps Florentine make Apple and Carrot Muffins with Sunshine Lemon Icing by combing laughter and dancing with kitchen work. The vocabulary in Florentine and Pig excites the senses, and the colorful designs and cheerful patterns add a whimsical feel to the story. Children and parents can recreate Pig and Florentine’s picnic scene by preparing the six recipes and one craft activity included at the end of this book.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2012 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)