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''CDB!'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by
William Steig William Steig (November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books, best known for the picture book ''Shrek!'', which inspired the film series of the same name, as well as others that i ...
, who would later win the
Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
in 1970 for ''
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble ''Sylvester and the Magic Pebble'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, and published in 1969. The book received the Caldecott Medal in 1970. Plot Sylvester Duncan, a young donkey from the fictional community ...
''. The book, published in 1968 by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, is a collection of pictures with captions written in
code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
, with letters in the caption standing for words the letter's names sound like ( gramograms). The illustrations that accompany the codes show scenes that help the reader decode the caption. The cover illustration shows a child pointing out a bee to another child. The title, ''CDB!'', thus translates as "See (CEE) the (DEE) bee (BEE)!" The book was updated by Steig over thirty years after its original publication with the addition of color to the illustrations, as well as an answer key at the end. Steig followed this book with a sequel, ''
CDC? ''CDC?'' is a children's puzzle book written and illustrated by author and cartoonist William Steig. Originally published in 1984, it is a sequel to his 1968 picture book '' CDB!'' and is of the same concept: letters and numbers that suggest t ...
''


Reception

Richard F. Abrahamson, writing in ''The Reading Teacher'', commented, "For the child who is playing with language and sounds, this book is hilarious." Lilian H. Heil, in ''Children's Book and Media Review'', wrote that ''CDB!'' "is as entertaining to adults as it is to children." Steven Heller cites ''CDB!'' as having predicted the rise of SMS language (textspeak), writing, "For over forty years this book has both perplexed and excited its young and old readers, offering challenges and frustrations with a satisfying punchline. In the original Windmill paperback edition, a summary of the book reads as follows: 'Letters and words are used to create the sounds of words and simple sentences 4 u 2 figure out with the aid of illustrations.' This is a fairly accurate description of SMS-speak."


Legacy

Other artists have specifically taken Steig's ''CDB!'' as the inspiration for their books of cartoons captioned with gramograms, including Joana Avillez and Molly Young, whose ''D C-T!'' features cartoons about New York ("D C-T" translates as "the city"); and Amy Sohn, whose ''CBD!'' features cartoons about
cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. , clinical research on CBD incl ...
. Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld's ''Wumbers'' was dedicated to Steig and cited ''CDB!'' as its inspiration; ''Wumbers'' combined regular words with numbers to substitute for their sounds, such as "Would you like some honey 2 swee10 your tea?" The book's title inspired the name of a chain of
pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then take ...
s in the
Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Count ...
area, CDB Pizza, which operated from 1975 to 2019. The pizzeria kept copies of the book on tables for customers to read. Many copies were taken, resulting in the restaurateurs buying 15,000 copies of the book over the years.


References

1968 children's books Books by William Steig American picture books Puzzle books {{child-picture-book-stub