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We spent our Sunday in Montreal enjoying three of my favorite things...food, the performing arts, and a great book.

First, we went for dim sum at La Maison Kam Fung (yes, that's the right name...stop laughing. That's what happens when you have a Chinatown in the middle of a French city).  Our table was littered with empty bamboo steamers after we consumed huge amounts of shaomai (steamed pork dumplings) and har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings). 



After brunch, it was off to Place des Arts to see...



...Swan Lake on Ice, performed by the Imperial Ice Stars.  We bought the tickets as a Christmas gift for the kids and weren't quite sure what to expect.  We were absolutely floored.  This show was an incredible marriage of theater, ballet, and figure skating.  It was truly stunning, from start to finish.   I checked the tour schedule, and it looks like there's just one more stop in North America -- in Toronto.  If you live anywhere near there, it's definitely worth checking out.

On the ride home, we finished a read-aloud of Andrew Clements' No Talking, a lively, funny book that can be enjoyed equally by a six-year-old, an eleven-year-old, and a couple parents.  We spent the rest of the evening trying to talk only in three-word sentences (if you've read the book, you understand).  Thanks, Andrew - your characters were fabulous company in the car, and the game they inspired ended our weekend perfectly -- with terrific fits of laughter.

This exhibition “celebrates the fine art of children’s book illustration.” This juried show is in its 27th year and will present the exciting market of children’s literature. Over 150 original works selected from the books themselves will be on display. This is the only retrospective of the original art for this field. Gold and silver awards winners will be featured along with the Founder’s Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.more information...