ODE TO A TREE: A Poem in Celebration.

ONE TREE  

by Darlene Beck-Jacobson

Spring

Sprouting, twirling, leaves unfurling.

Nesting, winging, songbirds singing.

Racing, thumping, rabbits bumping.

Eating, dancing, folks romancing.

 Summer

Bursting, flowing, blossoms blowing.

Chirping, scratching, fledglings hatching.

Building, peeling, grey squirrels stealing.  

Climbing, swaying, children playing.

Autumn

Shedding, floating, oak leaves coating.  

Crawling, bunching, insects munching.

Searching, stocking, downies knocking.

Raking, dumping, leaf pile jumping.

Winter

 Whipping, flapping, branches snapping.

 Swooping, howling, horned owls prowling.

 Puffing, cracking, blue jays snacking.

Freezing, dripping, ice spears gripping.

 

Sleeping, waiting, tree creating.

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SCOOP Prize Package Winner…

The winner of a signed copy of the PB SCOOP THE ICE CREAM TRUCK by Patricia Keeler + the pin and magnet to go with it is…Sheri Dillard.  Congratulations! and thanks to all who participated in the give-away.

YA Author Joshua David Bellin’s New Book: ECOSYSTEM Blog Tour.

Today it gives me great pleasure to be a part of popular YA author JOSHUA DAVID BELLIN’S blog tour for his new futuristic thriller: ECOSYSTEM. I read the book and couldn’t put it down.  Here’s my review:

“ECOSYSTEM by Joshua David Bellin is a YA “cautionary tale” for our times.  Welcome to the Ecosystem. A future where the natural world of plants and animals are in charge. The Ecosystem has turned against humanity. Humans are confined to the rocks and dead places where no life blooms.  To survive, the Sensors – those chosen and trained to see, feel, hear, and know what the wild world is up to- venture into this hostile world, risking their lives to hunt for food and water to feed the village. Sixteen year old Sarah is raised and trained to become a Sensor. She journeys into a world where a false move or misstep will kill you. When Sarah’s own apprentice Sensor-in-training disappears into the Ecosystem, she ventures into it to rescue her.  The further Sarah goes into the forest, the more she realizes that it may take more than skill and knowledge to get out alive. This page turner will give you a new respect for the forces of the natural world. I’ll never look at plants or animals the same way again. A five star tour-de-force.  Can’t wait for a sequel.”

Details on how to enter the drawing for a copy of ECOSYSTEM are at the end of the post.

ECOSYSTEM: A New YA from author Joshua David Bellin

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Sarah is a Sensor, gifted with the ability to survive within the sentient Ecosystem that swept away human civilization centuries ago. While the remnants of humankind huddle in small villages of stone, Sarah uses her psychic connection to the Ecosystem to travel freely in the wild in search of food, water, and fuel. Sarah doesn’t fear the Ecosystem—but she hates it for killing her mother when Sarah was a child. When she hunts, she hunts not only for her people’s sustenance but for revenge.

Then Miriam, an apprentice Sensor, is lost in the Ecosystem, and Sarah sets out to rescue her. Joining Sarah is Miriam’s beloved, Isaac, a boy who claims to possess knowledge of the Ecosystem that will help their people survive. The harrowing journey to find the missing apprentice takes Sarah and Isaac into the Ecosystem’s deadliest places. And it takes Sarah into the unexplored territory of her own heart, where she discovers feelings that threaten to tear her—and her society—apart.

A thrilling fantasy adventure from the author of Freefall and the Survival Colony series, Ecosystem is the first book in a YA trilogy that includes The Devouring Land (2019) and House of Earth, House of Stone (2020).

Joshua David Bellin has been writing novels since he was eight years old (though the first few were admittedly very short). A college teacher by day, he is the author of three science fiction novels for teens and adults: the two-part Survival Colony series (Survival Colony 9 and Scavenger of Souls) and the deep-space adventure Freefall. His new book, the YA fantasy Ecosystem, releases on April 22, 2018 (Earth Day). Josh loves to read, watch movies, and spend time in Nature with his kids. Oh, yeah, and he likes monsters. Really scary monsters.

Links:

Website: http://www.joshuadavidbellin.com

Blog: http://theyaguy.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheYAGuy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joshuadavidbellin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7393959.Joshua_David_Bellin

Ecosystem on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39663460-ecosystem

Ecosystem buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Ecosystem-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07C2HDF9G

Ecosystem blog tour link:  http://theyaguy.blogspot.com/2018/04/ya-guy-announces-ecosystem-blog-tour.html

Rafflecopter code: Enter to win a copy of ECOSYSTEM:

<a class=”rcptr” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6d6990c330/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”6d6990c330″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_vfuvngkf”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

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VIVIAN KIRKFIELD PRESENTS:#50 Precious Words For Kids Contest

A Children’s Book Week Activity:  #50PreciousWordsforKids

Celebrating Diversity in Imagination

A writing contest for kids from all over the world.  Writing a story in 50 words or fewer.  Contest runs from April 30 through May 6, 2018.

 GUIDELINES:

• Each child, grade K-6, writes a story of 50 words or less.
• Title not included in word count.
• Story must have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Happy or sad, silly or serious, true or make-believe.
• Teachers/students choose one story to submit per class.
• Homeschooling parents submit one story per child.
• Please email story to: viviankirkfield@gmail.com by May 7 at 11:59pm EST. This challenge is INTERNATIONAL.
• Stories post on my blog: viviankirkfield.com on May 11.
• Teacher receives a certificate to copy and present to each child who wrote a story
• Giveaway of seven mini-Skype author classroom visits.

Here’s the link from last year’s contest: https://viviankirkfield.com/2017/05/11/50preciouswordsforkids-international-writing-challenge-stories-are-here/

Questions? Contact Vivian Kirkfield at:  Viviankirkfield@gmail.com

Spring Flavors Feature Earthy Delights by Marilyn Ostermiller

Spring awakens fruits and vegetables from their slumber, providing us with local produce that’s crisp, colorful and bursting with flavor. Locally grown asparagus, sweet peas, scallions and rhubarb are the seasonal treats I most anticipate when visiting farmers markets or pick-your-own farms.  

 If you’re looking forward to spring produce, check with your state Department of Agriculture for an approximate arrival date. The list New Jersey posts is an example. http://www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov/find/availability.html

 Fresh radishes, strawberries or spinach is a treat, but it’s also fun to incorporate them in your cooking. I especially like to prepare a quiche for spring brunch or lunch that incorporates asparagus, green onions and mushrooms. Recipes for spring quiche abound. Basically, you prepare a pie crust, or — my personal favorite — buy it frozen. Then find a basic recipe online that incorporates a mild grated cheese, eggs and milk or cream. Chop a cup or more of spring vegetables and saute for about five minutes. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of a mild shredded cheese on the bottom crust of a 9-inch pie shell, add the vegetables, pour the egg mixture over it and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until the mixture sets. Let it rest for five minutes, slice and enjoy warm. A simple salad and crostini or soup fill out your meal. 

 About the time rhubarb is ripe, I start thinking about a pudding my great aunt from Denmark fed me when I was a child. This recipe comes close to the flavor and texture I remember. The Danish name for it is Rabarbergrod.

                Clean and cut 1 pound of rhubarb into small pieces and cook together with 2 1/2 cups of water 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Add 2/3 cup granulated sugar when almost done cooking.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed first with a little cold water. Heat and stir until thickened and clear. Stir a few times while cooling. Makes 4 cups. Add a few drops of red food color for a brighter color. Serve chilled.

 Despite their bright colors, it isn’t always easy to convince children to try fresh vegetables. A book that some parents found helpful is Little Bento: 32 Irresistible Bento Box Lunches for Kids by Michelle Olivier. It’s a collection of recipes that offers bite-sized combinations of fruit and vegetables by season to prepare for school lunches. Published by Sonoma Press, it is available at Amazon.com

 Please consider leaving a comment about your favorite spring fruit or vegetable and how you prepare it.

 Marilyn Ostermiller is a long-time business journalist who now writes for children. You can follow her on Twitter @Marilyn_Suzanne.

Laurie Wallmark Presents: STEM books with Curriculum Guides for Teachers.

Looking for great STEM books to use in the classroom?  Check out these gems from Award-winning author Laurie Wallmark.

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code and Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine are picture book biographies of computer science pioneers. These book and the associated teacher guide activities are appropriate for grades K-5.

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Sterling, 2017) by Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu

 

 

http://www.lauriewallmark.com/resources/Grace%20Hopper%20guide.pdf

 

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark and April Chu

http://www.lauriewallmark.com/resources/Ada%20Lovelace%20guide.pdf

 

www.lauriewallmark.com

Award-winning author Laurie Wallmark’s debut picture book, Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books, 2015), received four starred trade reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and School Library Journal) and many national awards including Outstanding Science Trade Book and Cook Prize Honor Book. Her latest picture book biography, Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Sterling Children’s Books, 2017), earned a Kirkus star and is on several public library’s best of lists. Laurie has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from VCFA. When not writing, she teaches computer science at Raritan Valley Community College.  

 

Book Giveaway: Quincy by Barbara DiLorenzo

Couldn’t resist sharing Barbara Dilorenzo’s latest PB.

Writing and Illustrating

Author/illustrator Barbara DiLorenzo has a new picture book, QUINCY. Barbara has offered to do a book giveaway. Quincy hits bookshelves last week on April 3. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Quincy the chameleon just can’t seem to blend in. Will he ever find a way to embrace his uniqueness?

Quincy wants to love chameleon school, but he’s not very good at blending in. No matter how hard he tries to stop it from happening, all of this thoughts keep popping up on his skin! In camouflage class, the leaves he’s…

View original post 1,609 more words

Tasty Colors in SCOOP THE ICE CREAM TRUCK by Patricia Keeler + Give-Away.

SCOOP is about a retro ice cream truck. For lots of summers, children came running to buy his small vanilla cones. But now, Scoop is having a hard time competing with the new ice cream trucks that sell fancy flavors like rum-raisin and bubblegum. They even have new types of ice cream like dots and flash frozen.

For the art in SCOOP, I wanted to highlight the original flavors of ice cream—to give the art a taste of the retro colors in ice cream flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Spunky’s red ball suggests a cherry.

Here is the mint-flavored page!

I think of this spread as being minty-fresh. This is the moment when Scoop meets Spunky and his life is soon to be refreshed.

Here is the creamsicle page— orange on the outside, and vanilla inside. Getting to play with a joyful little girl after all his years of working is like a dream come true for Scoop.

 

There is chocolate fudge sauce running down, when Scoop’s world comes apart. Scoop is in a sticky situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point Scoop transforms himself into a ‘cool’ truck with neon cones that zoom around. First, I created a watercolor explosion of ice cream flavors — lemon, cherry and raspberry.

Then I used Photoshop to apply this watercolor explosion to the big new cones on Scoop’s roof.

On the final page spread, when Scoop and Spunky get to the mountains, I dropped this same watercolor explosion into the trees. The fall trees become brilliant with ice cream colors. Then I placed the cherry on top!

Here is a SCOOP seek-and-find for you! One of my favorite pages is the coffee-flavored page. There is a pattern on the coffee page that gives it away! Can you find it?

Enter to win the fabulous prize package above: A copy of SCOOP, a Scoop framed sketch and pin. Leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered in the random drawing.  Share on FB or Twitter or reblog the post and you’ll get another chance to win.  One winner will be announced here on WEDNESDAY, 4-25-18.

Here is Darlene’s review of SCOOP:

“Scoop, the old and reliable ice cream truck has been around the city blocks many summers selling his vanilla ice cream cones.  Things are changing though.  Newer, fancier, flashier ice cream trucks are moving in.  How can Scoop compete with waffle cones, jumbo sundaes and twenty-seven flavors?  Is it time for Scoop to put away his cones and head for the mountains?  Young readers will enjoy the lively and colorful illustrations that enhance the story’s message: We all have a place and being yourself is an awesome thing.”

Patricia Keeler is the author-illustrator of SCOOP THE ICE CREAM TRUCK and LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL, both published by Sky Pony Press. She is the Christopher Award winner for her illustrations in WOULD YOU STILL LOVE ME IF and first place winner of New York Book Festival.

SCOOP THE ICE CREAM TRUCK   Coming April 3

patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

Facebook – PatriciaKeelerBooks

Instagram – @patriciakeeler

Twitter       – @patriciakeelerbooks

 

Music in the Schools Month: Make your own Clarinet…With a Carrot!?

What better way to celebrate MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS MONTH than to help the kiddos make some musical instruments.  One of my favorite tutorials on making a clarinet involves using a carrot. You will be amazed watching Linsey Pollak create that mellow clarinet sound from an ordinary carrot.

To make your own carrot clarinet:
Watch the amazing demonstration by Lindsey Pollack at TedxSydney2014.  When you get ready to make your own clarinet, adult supervision is needed.  Use caution with the drill bits.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/07/02/he-starts-out-with-only-a-drill-carrot-and-mouthpiece-but-its-the-final-product-thats-leaving-people-in-disbelief/

Who knew carrots were not only delicious but also quite lovely to listen to.

For other interesting sites that have easy-to-make instruments, check out:

http://www.spoonful.com/crafts/music-instruments

and: http://www.freekidscrafts.com

PB Winner:A Copy of Grandmother Thorn by Katey Howes

The winner of a copy of the beautifully written and illustrated picture book GRANDMOTHER THORN by Katey Howes is…Donna Taylor.  Congratulations!