University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Growing up, I loved to read books containing extraneous details about life—especially the description of noteworthy food and memorable meals. Daniel Pinkwater, author of many books for children and young adults, always masterfully incorporates food imagery into his works. Even today, I still think about his literary description of the hot dogs (rubbery, with fluorescent green pickle relish) served at Ed & Fred's Red Hots, and the napoleon pastries (creamy, and best enjoyed with cups of rich coffee) ordered by patrons at Bignose's Cafeteria (both featured in The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death). It was these small yet realistic and vivid details that nourished my voracious love of children's and young adult literature, and eventually fed my ambition to become a librarian.