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If we bought all the books we read or wanted to read, we’d have to buy another house just to store them in. So I rarely buy and borrow instead. One of the books I’m glad I did purchase this year is John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith.

Recommended for children in grades K-3 - younger children will like it as well - the humor in John, Paul, George & Ben will appeal to both adults and kids. Yes, the Beatles references go over most children’s heads, but that’s just a big wink from the author to the grown ups in the room. Instead, the whole family can enjoy a light but accurate look at U.S. history, and learn more about John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Ben Franklin while laughing at big underwear jokes. Yes, history can be fun!

The illustrations are Poor Richard’s Almanac meets Captain Underpants - colorful woodblock type prints, colonial era typefaces, and crackle-glaze textures joined with wacked out cartoons of showing early American children and life in the Colonies.

We thought John, Paul, George & Ben was so funny, we read it from cover to cover twice the first time we picked up the book. We loved the Taking Liberties section, "Wherein we set the record straight with ye olde True or False section," which dispelled the myth that George chopped down his dad’s cherry tree.

Speaking of cherries, how about trying a recipe for Cherry Loaf from Usborne’s 30 Easy Things to Cook and Eat?

Cherry Loaf
From Usborne’s 30 Easy Things to Cook and Eat cooking card set

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. maraschino cherries this time of year use fresh, ripe Bing cherries
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 oz. ground or finely chopped almonds (o.k. to omit if you’re allergic to nuts - just add a few more cherries)
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. Cut cherries into quarters using a knife or clean kitchen scissors. If you’re using fresh cherries, don’t forget to remove the pits first!
2. Rinse cherries in a sieve under warm running water. Then blot dry them with paper towels.
3. Put the 8 x 5 x 3 1/2 inch loaf pan onto a sheet of baking parchment. Use a pencil to draw around the botton, then cut out the shape.
4. Using some margarine or butter on a paper towel, grease the inside of the pan. (You can use your fingers or a non-stick spray instead.) Put the paper shape into the pan.
5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Sift the flour into a bowl, then add the sugar, butter, and almonds.
7. Break the eggs in a separate cup (so you can remove any shell that gets into it) then pour them into the large mixing bowl, too.
8. Stir the mixture hard with a wooden spoon until it is light and fluffy. Gently stir in the cherries with a metal spoon. (If an adult is helping, you may want to do this in a mixer instead.)
9. Spoon the mixture out of the bowl into the pan. Then smooth the top with the back of the spoon to make it level.
10. Bake the loaf for 1 1/4 hours until it has risen. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes or when cool enough to be handled without oven mitts.
11. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.
12. When the loaf is cold, put it onto a cutting board and slice with a serrated bread knife.
13. Serve with butter, jam, cream cheese or plain. Great for picnics or afternoon tea.

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