Hello, all.  My new book's publication date is nearing - 8/3/15.  You can order it here.
Here's another review; this time from Publisher's Weekly.  Thanks to the team over there for a wonderful synopsis and review!

"Drawing from the semi-apocryphal origins of the pretzel, which trace the baked good to a monk in medieval Europe, Smucker (Golden Delicious) introduces Brother Giovanni, "the best baker his monastery had ever had." With the bishop scheduled to visit the monastery, the children the monks teach must learn to recite their prayers before his arrival. Giovanni tries singing, making "mean" faces, and dancing with the children, but while these attempts bring him closer to the children....they don't help them learn their prayers. Taking inspiration from the medieval setting, Hall (The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau) ornaments her bright, playful paintings with filigrees and other decorative elements. When Brother Giovanni has his eureka moment—using the shape of two arms crossed in prayer to create a snack for the ages (and a delicious reward for the children)—he is flanked by two trumpet-playing angels, and a pretzel rests above his head like the flame of the Holy Spirit. It's a winning blend of the holy and the holey. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)"

Click here for the original review.

My newest book, Brother Giovanni's Little Reward: How the Pretzel was Born will be officially released in about a month!  

Here's a review from Kirkus that I was thrilled to see:
"A fanciful and inventive version of how those yummy big soft pretzels came to be. Brother Giovanni is a monk of inveterate cheerfulness and a most excellent baker. But the bishop is coming, and the children don't know their prayers: what to do? The abbot hopes that Brother Giovanni's youth and smile will coax the children into learning. Brother Giovanni sings to them and allows them to dance at lessons, but that doesn't work. He even tries Brother Jerome's advice to put on a stern face (the montage of Giovanni's attempts at stern faces is very funny). But after a night of sleeplessness and prayer, when he makes far too large a batch of dough, he folds and twists ropes of dough into the position of his arms at prayer and then offers the pretiolas as a reward....."(Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus 2015 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.  

Click here to preorder the book.