If you have never witnessed the glory of a water balloon battle, feast your eyes on this!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzx4WjUGllQ

Kong made a special connection with a young woman named Ann Darrow, and, after a romantic rampage through the island of Manhattan, he took her on a sightseeing trip atop the Empire State Building, where he sadly met his doom.

There have been several cinematic versions of Kong’s teary tale, and my current fave is the homemade film made by a bunch of kids in Hyannisport, Maine and Riverside, Connecticut in 1978. Warning! Kong’s rampage is GRUESOME.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTUFVsZtFNI

When my family moved to Washington State, my brother and sister and I were amazed to find fog in short supply there. And the sun stayed out until after 9 pm! It was heaven to run barefoot through the lawn AFTER dinner. My brother and I shared a bedroom, and it was still so bright outside when we were sent to bed that my mom put tin foil over the windows on the sunny side of the room. We fell asleep in the golden glow of the setting sun.

Did we miss Mill Valley? Yes. Even with the fog, it had a magic all its own. And the year we moved to Washington State, some Mill Valley school kids recorded a hit song about it. My brother and sister and I listened to it all summer long in the everlasting Washington sun, and we were glad to think we had TWO home towns.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHF4TTCXeRU

I could have my pick of chairs to read in here! Image found Out There.

This is the S.S. America, the ship that contained that sweet reading space.

Full steam ahead! The library's open. Image found at cruiselinehistory.com

Now, what book would I choose to read in such a salty situation? How about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Even this tee shirt loves its dad!

Daughters love their dads.

Actress Rashida Jones gives some love to papa, musician Quincy Jones. Image found at urbandaily.com

Sons love their dads.

Musician Mike Ka'awa hangs with dad Ike Ka'awa. Image found at aroundhawaii.com

And princes of the forest honor the Great Prince!

Not actually Bambi's father, but close! Image found at en.wikipedia.org

Thanks, Dad, for everything. Love you!

Twelve feet high and nine feet in diameter, this oval “bird’s nest” treehouse was created by Japanese designer Takashi Kobayashi. It’s reached with a circular staircase.

Nesty! Image found at freshome.com

German design cooperative Baumraum created this treetop dwelling with the help of a sturdy oak tree.

Modern design, traditional oak. Image found at freshome.com

Baumraum doesn’t always need the help of a tree to get its houses off the ground. Here they incorporate the “idea” of one, in a house that soars on stilts.

This might be a mobile home in a strong wind! Image found at imagesme.net

This is the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant in Aukland, New Zealand, designed and constructed by Pacific Environments Architects, Ltd. Pine and poplar beams are attached to a redwood tree to resemble the construction of a moth’s nest. The restaurant seats eighteen diners. I hope they serve bird’s nest soup!

With a view like this, who needs a menu? Image found at mtidry.com

Finally, here is what builder Horace Burgess claims is the biggest treehouse in the world! Located in Tennessee, it’s 97-feet tall and built around an 80-foot white oak tree. It has eleven floors and features a miniature indoor basketball court! But if the ball bounces out the window, you’re out of luck.

This treehouse is colossal! Image found at freshpics.com

You can't really "blend in" to the forest with this baby! Image found at freshpics.com

If you’re Thatcher Hill, you stop dusting the fake mermaids and other assorted grotesqueries at your uncle’s seaside Museum of Curiosities, join forces with a princess from the fabled lost city of Atlantis, and kick some monster-squid butt.

Greg van Eekhout’s new middle-grade novel Kid Vs. Squid has it all—thrills, spills, and chills, and it’s a laugh a minute, to boot. Spend the summer with Thatcher and see how much fun a rundown boardwalk can be!

Slimy squid, hero kid. Kid Vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout is published by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

It’s always so fun to say that.

What is awesome? I thought about that and went looking for clues. Here’s what I found.

This is true under any circumstances. Image found Out There.

"Awesome" is a compliment to be proud of. Image found Out There.

Sometimes awesome can't be put into words. Image found Out There.

Don't let this stop you from trying. Image found Out There.

"Awesome" itself is awesome! Image found Out There.

This post has received the Seal of Awesomeness!

She’s thought a lot about “alot,” and drew a picture of the image that came into her mind.

Allie's imagined Alot. Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

She’s incorporated her feelings for Alot in another drawing.

Does Allie care for ALL Alots, or just this one? Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

What kinds of Alots are in Allie’s imagination? All kinds! Like this:

This Alot is hot! Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

When it comes to Alots, Allie reaches out with love and understanding.

Allie listens, Alot. Found at http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

But there’s one thing Allie would like to get straight. When Alots (or anyone else) are spelling “a lot,” they had better make it TWO words, not ONE.

I am 6′ 7″, and it’s been a blessing and a curse.

I’ve found some comfort lately in a book called The Tall Book, by Arianne Cohen, who is 6′ 3″.

The Tall Book by Arianne Cohen is a celebration of life from on high. Published by Bloomsbury USA.

This book is written for adults, but tall people of all ages can be glad it’s on the library shelf waiting for them when they need help in unlocking the mysteries at the center of talldom. It’s helped a lot of people already.

“As a twelve-year-old told to act my age and not my shoe size, I could honestly say, ‘They’re the same.’ This is a book for everyone, like me, who grew up (and up) to be proud of their height,” says 6′ 4″ Olympic gold medal basketball player Rebecca Lobo. I’m glad I found it!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKdagXulcTM

The Easter B brings a smile. Photo found at sketchybunnies.com

How can he not turn a frown upside down? After all, he visits the Rainbow Bird every year and shares that miraculous creature’s colorful eggs with the world.

Unfortunately, just like with everything else, there’s another side to the story. Witness the trauma endured by 16-year-old Matt Bunny. The Easter Bunny is his dad, and living with Mr. Hoppity hasn’t exactly been a basket of delight. Let’s hope Matt can get over it and learn to live in peace and joy with Daddy Big Ears. After all, Easter comes just once a year!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=57vuDpNns3M

Stanford University’s mascot, The Tree.

A big smile from The Tree. Photo found at SF Weekly

Xavier University’s mascot, The Blue Blob.

The Blue Blob: blobby! Photo found at Comcast.net

Scottsdale Community College’s mascot, Artie the Fighting Artichoke.

Artie the Fighting Artichoke. Eat your vegetables! Photo found at TopTenz.net

And University of California at Santa Cruz’s mascot, Sammy the Banana Slug.

Sammy the Banana Slug. Don't call him slimy! Photo found at TeamExpress

Brenton Silbert-Ford portrays Wilbur Wildcat, the mascot of the University of Arizona.

Brenton Silber-Ford takes a break from mascot-dom. Photo (c) Ernie Somoza/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Brenton has come out from behind the fur to reveal that he is a veteran mascot performer. He was a high school student in San Diego, CA when he put on his first mascot suit at Sea World. His character? A fun-loving otter.

As Wilbur Wildcat, he is famous for his good dancing. Despite the hundreds of rabid fans who cheer him on at every Wildcat game, he says mascots aren’t in it for the glory. “You do it for the kids and the fans,” he says. “Not for anyone else.”

And that is how this:

Monarch caterpillar. Picture found at bbc.co.uk.

becomes this:

Monarch chrysalis. Picture found at ohiohistorycentral.org.

and then this:

Monarch butterfly. Picture found at wildwisconsinweb.com

Miraculous! I bow my head in awe.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood is everything a book should be. The terrific cover is by Jon Klassen. Published by Balzer+Bray.

My verdict? It is worth its weight in gold. Fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley faces endless obstacles in her mission to tutor Alexander, Cassiopeia, and Beowulf, three wild children whose bark is (perhaps) worse than their bite. And mysteries abound at creepy Ashton Place. Hilarious and scary. Pick up a copy and see!

Read an excerpt here.

French artist and composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has also turned to her avian friends for inspiration. She has a new installation at the Barbican Centre in London that features zebra finches playing electric guitars.

Photo of birds playing guitar by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. Courtesy Galerie Xippas. Found at http://www.greenmuze.com

Ms. Boursier-Mougenot furnished an aviary of zebra finches with electric guitars and other instruments. The birds create music as they go about their daily routines. Watch a video of the result here.

Many hot new toys for 2010 were unveiled. Here are some of the ones that caught my eye.

The Perplexus 3-D maze, with three mind-bending levels to solve, will keep you busy turning, rotating, angling, and balancing to get its metal ball down the correct track.

The Perplexus 3-D maze is tricksy, my precious! Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

Bioloid Robot Kits from Robotis are the first educational robot kits based around “smart serially controlled servos” which are not only capable of switching between positioning and full continuous rotation, but also provides you with access to sensory feedback such as position, speed, temperature, current draw and voltage of each servo. Bioloid kits are designed in a way that allow the user to construct multiple types of robots. Warning: these kits are super expensive! Good for wish lists, for sure.

Bioloid Robot Kits are responsible for these cool bots. Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

Simpler and less expensive fun can be had with a Motorized Bubble Light. I’ve got a weakness for the magical beauty of iridescent bubbles. To see them lit up in all their glory would make for wonderful nighttime fun.

The Motorized Bubble Light features glow-in-the-dark wand and dip tray. Mesmerizing! Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

Celebs are hopping on the toy wagon too. Check out one of the WWE’s most successful superstars of all time, Triple H, and his personalized action figure.

I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of this guy. Even his action figure looks like it could hurt me. Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

In case you haven’t heard, skateboards are old news. Today’s street-riding thrills come courtesy of the RipStik. Just twist and go!

It's as easy as it looks to ride a RipStik, once you figure it out! Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

And now it is time to introduce the Toy of the Year for 2010. It is fun, it is inexpensive, it is A MECHANICAL HAMSTER!

Meet Zhu Zhu.

Zhu Zhu is honored to be named the Toy of the Year. He wasn't expecting it! Photo found at huffington.post

What do Zhu Zhus do? They zoom around! What could be funner? Here’s another look at this playtime wonder.

Zoom, zoom, zoom! Photo found at huffingtonpost.com

Zhu Zhus also make toilet-flushing or teeth-brushing sounds when they enter the bathroom of their special habitat and sleeping noises and alarm-clock sounds when they go into their bedroom. That’s enough for a Toy of the Year these days. All hail Zhu Zhu!

Dear T,

We finished Griffin’s Gold, our story about the legendary Griffin, and we printed copies. Here’s one for you. You can share this excerpt. It’s from the part where Griffin and Dragon fight to the death for Griffin’s gold, only Griffin lets Dragon live to see another day. That’s good because later on they have to join forces to battle an evil Giant. What do you think?

Griffin's Gold book cover by Sam and Andy

From Griffin’s Gold by Sam and Andy:

Griffin and Dragon were face to face with each other. Warily they circled each other. Griffin twitched his wings in eager anticipation of the battle to come, while Dragon snorted plumes of smoke into the chilly air.

Despite the cozy fire he had built, Griffin’s lair was almost as cold as the frozen mountaintop. Dragon lifted his mighty tail and slammed it down hard, pounding the rocky ground. The metallic scales of his impenetrable body armor glistened in the fire’s glow.

“Give me your treasure,” he told Griffin, “and you can avoid a good beating.”

Griffin’s razor-sharp claws drew sparks from where they scraped the rock. “It’s you who are going to get beaten, Dragon,” he replied. “I’ll give you ten seconds to skedaddle on out of here. Otherwise, you’re in for it big time.”

“I ain’t leaving here without that gold,” said Dragon.

“Suit yourself,” said Griffin and lunged at Dragon’s vulnerable throat with his fearsome eagle’s beak. The battle for Griffin’s gold had begun.

T replies:

Wow, Sam and Andy! I am thoroughly impressed. The adventure was gripping, the suspense was unbearable, and I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I can say that Griffin and Dragon are a force to be reckoned with. Great job!

Grass hat? Check. Grass suit and tie? Check. Grass car? Check. Grass underwear? Um ... he's not telling! Image found at imageisunrelated.com

You can’t wear a grass suit and tie all the time. Sometimes you want to play it a little more casual. That’s when you reach for your grass flip flops.

Comfy! Image found at monster-munch.com

And where are you when you’re at home? In your grass house, of course!

Homey! Image found at travelblog.org

Or maybe you’d rather live in a hobbit hole. You probably would, you grass fanatic!

A hobbit lives here. Image found at thepalantir.org