The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord

The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway was a book that was sitting in my dentist's office when I was a wee lad.  I looked forward to the book so much, that I would want to go to the dentist on a mission.  I toyed with stealing the book.  Honestly.  Conscience got the best of me, that an a silver haired lady that must have seen the struggle on my face.  But I had the book tucked into my shirt and ready to go.  But I felt bad.  I felt very bad.  I put it back and sighed, wistfully knowing I would not see it again.  And I didn't.

The love affair didn't start out that way.  I think I read it the first time on a whim, waiting for my mom when it was her time in the chair.  It was a little dentist office on Lincoln near Brookhurst in Anaheim.  It was weird when they tore it down a decade ago or so, just to build a whole new building and a new dentist office that sits there today.  Bravo redundancy!

Over subsequent reads, I became fascinated with its art.  It is so highly detailed and expressive - all wrapped around an epic story of a small town trying to take care of its wasp problem by building a gi-normous jam and butter sandwich.  No spoiler - but the town soon learns what the hell can you do with a wasp covered, jam and butter open faced sandwich?  Luckily, the author figured that little nugget out in an imaginative way.

The beauty of the story is the ludicrous problem, the ludicrous solution, and the ingenious way the town works together (what a thought) to carry it through, i.e. big bread, lots of jam, lots of butter, etc.  It is where I learned to eat butter and jam, whereas before it was always pure PB&J.  I passed the torch on to my kids and they now know the joy of butter and jams.  Now to see if I can get a copy to read to them...

Jack in the Box, Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, 1974