Chompo bars are the delicious candy of choice in the badgery world of Frances, her sister Gloria and--I assume--the entire children's book world.

For those of you who DIDN'T grow up with Russell Hoban's Frances books I urge you to run out and get them in both book and audio tape/CD form.

My favorite bedtime story was a recording of Glynis Johns (the mother in Mary Poppins and the female lead in The Court Jester) reading the Frances stories. It lulled me to sleep almost every night and I have a terrible feeling if I had a younger sister all that Frances behavior pumping subliminally into my ears (read the stories!) would have had me eating my sweet baby sister's birthday presents and kicking her under the table.

Those recordings also saturated my young brain with silly singsong ditties... My adult ditties are no more sensical and surely haunt my poor boyfriend and neighbors. If you, too, would like to make up tunes for your everyday activities please learn from the master: you can't beat Glynis as Frances and her rendition of the jam songs.

Below is a semi-panorama of chompo headquarters minus chompo mascot Bebop, who must be sleeping on a heater somewhere.