A Good Read

Tonight the Marmots introduced me to a book I've never seen before, namely The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash. It's the story of a little girl named Belinda and her pets, Ink, Blink, Mustard, and Custard. Ink, Blink, and Mustard are all small animals but they're very brave. Custard is a dragon but he's a coward, at least until a pirate breaks into Belinda's house and everyone except Custard flees. Custard sticks around. And eats the pirate. And then, after Custard eats the pirate, there is this fantastic stanza (the book's written in verse):

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

I think any children's book that rhymes gyrate and pirate is a keeper.

(Tuey and I also spent some quality time reading a Barefoot Contessa cookbook together tonight. Tuey was especially fond of the kabob recipes.)