The Complete Illustrated Sesame Street 1967-2006

It will be several days before I finish another book so here is a review of a book that does not exist but should.

The long awaited Complete Illustrated Sesame Street 1967-2006 is here. This boxed two-volume work tells the story of the founding of the Children's Television Workshop and how muppeteers, animators, and actors create a delightful program for children that is also enjoyed by many adults. It is the definitive work on Sesame Street.

The authors put much into these volumes. Of course, there are profiles of and photos for every recurring muppet and human on the show, as well as synopses of the every episode. One section in the second volume lists all the guest stars, identifying episodes and original broadcast dates. In sidebars, several of these celebrities tell about there Sesame Street experiences. Titles, credits, and images from every animated short are also included.

A quotation dictionary in volume one includes all the best lines from Big Bird, Oscar, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Telly, Elmo, and Aloysius Snuffleupagus. Volume two has a bibliography of all the Sesame Street books and pictures of all the licensed toys.

The Complete Illustrated Sesame Street is more than just a great reference work. It includes instructions on how to make your own muppets, illustrations of all the sets, and scripts for the most famous episodes. There are recipes for Cookie Monster's favorite cookies, Luis and Maria explain how to fix many small appliances, and photos of Savion Glover show basic tap steps.

If this is not enough, look in the back cover. There are several DVDs, including "The Complete Bert and Ernie," "The Best of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem," and the remastered director's-cut "Sesame Street Christmas."

Every library should have The Complete Illustrated Sesame Street.

If only it existed.