New here? Then you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Today is Blog Action Day where bloggers are uniting to post about the environment. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future. So what better way to get kids interested in the environment than with a book about turtles?

Turtle Feet, Surfer’s Beat by Marina Kuperman is a the story of an American teenager, Penelope, whose family moves to Costa Rica due to her father’s job. He’s been assigned to take pictures of endangered leatherback turtles.

Upon their arrival Penelope’s mother informs her that she’s been registered to do a two-week volunteer session at the Leatherback Turtle Biological Center. She’s not thrilled at the prospect, and can’t stand the bugs or the accomodations.

However, that’s soon forgotten when she has her first encounter with the turtles. Soon, Penelope promises to do all she can to help save the species from being wiped out. But the turtles aren’t her only interest - there’s Kendall, a gorgeous surf champ. He too is passionate about the environment and shares his goal to preserve South American marine life with Penelope.

Fall in love, learn to surf, save leatherback turtles, and defeat black market poachers - sounds like an adventure that will appeal to Young Adult readers worldwide.

Click here to order. (You can order the e-book now or wait until November 15 to get the paperback). 10% of all the proceeds go directly to saving the Leatherback Turtle and other marine animals.

More About the Turtle Feet, Surfer Beat Website

I’ve been in touch with Marina, the author, who told me why the book’s website is directed more at building community rather than focusing directly on the book. (Check out her blog, Backstage Pass to Turtle Feet, Surfer’s Beat, too.)

I figure, a good read helps to get us all hyped-up to take action and make a difference, especially if it’s for a good cause. And that’s exactly what my book intends to do. Since, we are all in the know about the conditions of our oceans, and really wanna do something to start making a difference.

Plus, we also know that everything is so much more fun to do when you’re having a blast at it with friends. So, that’s exactly what www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com is all about. It’s not your typical site of more information thrown at you, but rather a way to get involved and join forces with your favorite surfers, musicians, artists, conservationists, and other cool people already taking action.

Marina was also kind enough to share recipes for two Costa Rican dishes, Arroz Con Leche and Gallo Pinto.

Continue Reading »

One of the best stories about magical beasts is Beauty and the Beast of course! Your kids have probably seen the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast, which I adore. However, Lucie is scared of the beast and the ending, so we don’t watch it much even though the music and animation is wonderful.

This is a shame because Belle is my idea of a good feminist storybook heroine. She’s smart and loves to read. She also loves her father and friends and is very loyal to them. Also, for once in a Disney flick, Belle doesn’t fall in love with the good looking guy, Gaston. Instead, Belle goes for the ugly Beast because of his character and heart. Belle’s a decent roll model for girls, which is why I love the story so much.

Usborne Books has a beautifully illustrated version of Beauty and the Beast. For children seven years and up, their version is based on the original version by Gabrielle de Villeneuve written in 1740 and a retelling by another French writer, Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, which was written in 1756. The story revolves about Beauty’s father stealing a red rose from the Beast’s garden.

And you’ll be a beast for these pumpkin muffins (with Weight Watchers POINTS info for all us moms trying to stay trim and healthy).

Continue Reading »

Halloween is a time when children (and some adults - you know who you are!) let their imaginations run wild. A book that reminds me of this is What Eddie Can Do by Wilfried Gebhard. Eddie is so busy exploring rain forests, traveling through space, and flying with birds that he doesn’t have time to tie his shoes.

Actually, he’s avoiding learning how to tie his sneakers, but finally conquers the “double-tailed monster” with the help of his mom.

In What Eddie Can Do, kids ages four to eight will appreciate Eddie’s vivid imagination. Parents will relate to all the ways Eddie will avoid something hard and slightly scary. All will like the step-by-step “how to tie your shoes” illustrations. (This title is available in Spanish as Lo Que Eduardo Sabe Hacer from Kane/Miller Book Publishers.)

Now how about a Jack-O-Lantern Smoothie courtesy of Horizon Organic?

Continue Reading »

Well meerkats aren’t exactly magical, but there are certainly fun to watch either at the zoo or on Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor. Sometimes I think Meerkat Manor is a little too PG-13 for younger kids - too much death, sex and violence. So if you’re looking for something “meerkat-ish” for children three to six, check out Meet the Meerkat by Darrin Lunde from Charlesbridge Publishing.

Meet the Meerkat uses a question and answer format that should appeal to little children:

Hello, little animal. What is your name?

My name is Little Meerkat. I am a kind of a mongoose.

This would be a great book to read before a trip to the zoo. You’ll follow Little Meerkat into the Kalahari desert and learn about his life and habitat. Patricia J. Wynee provides scientifically accurate - and charming - illustrations. (Click here to download a coloring page PDF.)

Also by Darrin Lunde and perfect for Halloween is Hello, Bumblebee Bat (for children three to six). Again using the question and answer format, children are introduced into the life and habitat of the exotic and endangered Bumblebee Bat.

Speaking of bats, why not try baking up a batch of Martha Stewart’s Dulce De Leche Bat Cookies? These would be perfect to bring to the zoo for a meerkat or bat watching trip - or a Halloween party!

Continue Reading »

In your area it may be too early for winter coats, hats, scarves and mittens. (It’s gotten cool enough here for sweatshirts in the morning.) With the start of school, we need to remind our kids not to lose their stuff, and A Mountain of Mittens by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Mitch Vane is a great way to do this.

Honestly, if Nathan loses his gloves every week this year, I’m going to leave him in the lost and found box. Understandably, it was Lucie who really loved A Mountain of Mittens, especially the picture of Molly’s parents who look a lot like my husband and me. Here’s a story description:

Every morning Molly’s parents remind her to come home after school with her mittens, and every day Molly forgets. Nothing works — not Velcro, not crochet chains, not even duct tape! But, Molly is not alone. All the kids at school forget, and soon there is a mountain of mittens in lost-and-found that has grown out of control.

The Charlesbridge website has a great activity for collecting lost mittens, hats, coats and scarves to help kids in need. Your school or scouts probably already has an annual coat drive. A great way to announce and promote the drive would be a short storytime reading A Mountain of Mittens. The cost of admission would be a gently used warm winter clothing item.

Afterwards, take a picture of all the items you collected, and send it to trademarketing@charlesbridge.com. They may post it on their website!

Continue Reading »

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat is her story of surviving the Six-Day War and growing up during the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

War as told through the eyes of a child is very powerful. You are amazed that while they are terrified, they find something good in all the suffering - animal friends, playing with siblings, stealing pastries, and going to a U.N. run school.

In a time when Islam has such a bad name, it’s wonderful that a book like Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood comes out to show people that kids are alike all over the world, no matter their religion or what language they speak. They want to feel safe, have their parents’ love…and not eat lentils.

(Click here for more YA novel reviews.)

In the book, Ibtisam mentions a dish her mother used to make with semolina flour, yogurt, sugar, slivered almonds, and sweet syrup. She called it basbooseh but I after doing an Internet search, the more common spelling seems to be basboosa. It’s also common in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.

The easiest recipe I found comes from Lubna at Allrecipes.com. She says she got it from her sister-in-law. Pay attention to the reviews as everyone had variations and tips on how they cooked up the recipe. Be forewarned though - it’s sweet!

Basboosa
Prep Time: 20 Minutes - Cook Time: 30 Minutes - Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups semolina flour (semolina is the same as Cream of Wheat - don’t use the instant kind, however)
2. 1/2 cup white sugar
3. 1 cup plain yogurt
4. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
5. 3 tablespoons flaked coconut
6. 1 tablespoon baking powder
7. 6 whole almonds, split in half

Syrup:

1. 1 1/2 cups water
2. 1 3/4 cups white sugar
3. 2 tablespoons rose water (you can substitute orange water as well - if you don’t have either, just make the sugar syrup and maybe add a little almond, orange or lemon extract)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the semolina flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, yogurt, oil, coconut, and baking powder. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the water, 1 3/4 cups sugar, and rosewater. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the semolina batter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Slice into squares or diamonds, and place on almond half onto each piece.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Switch the oven setting to broil, and broil until the top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, and pour the syrup over the squares. Serve warm.

Picture courtesy of Tunisianswife, an Allrecipes.com reviewer.

Other Basboosa Recipes

• From Recipezaar.com
• Egyptian basboosa recipe
• Middle Eastern basboosa recipe from RecipeCottage.com
• Basboosa recipe from Lifespan of Chennette

Did you know that the seasons change in the oceans as they do on land? Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi and illustrated by Kirsten Carlson, explores seasonal changes in the Pacific Ocean. Like on land, spring brings new plants and baby animals. Plankton lights up the ocean in the summer. Autumn winds blow across the sea, and humpback whales swim to warmer waters in winter.

The “Creative Minds” section - a feature of all Sylvan Dell Publishing books - explores the ocean’s food web and its plants and animals. Creative Minds and the Sylvan Dell website are great resources for teachers and homeschoolers. The website features an Ocean Seasons teaching activities PDF that further explores the book, vocubulary, animal classification, and humpback whale migrations. The website also has a page of learning links about kelp, sea creatures from the book, the ocean food web, and whale migration.

So what food to pair with Ocean Seasons? Let’s try an update on the tuna fish sandwich from the U.S. Tuna Foundation. They recommend this back-to-school recipe as a healthy alternative to mayo rich tuna salad sandwiches on white bread. Plus, it’s a easy way to get fish and some Omega 3s into your kid’s diet.

Scoop-It-Up Tuna Salad
Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

1. One 6-ounce can solid white or light tuna in water, drained and flaked
2. 1 small carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
3. 3 tbsp. light canola mayonnaise
4. Salt and pepper
5. Scoopers: Baked tortilla chips, cucumber wheels, mini whole wheat pitas, celery sticks, and whole grain crackers

Directions:

1. Combine the tuna, carrot, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. To pack for a school lunch, place the tuna salad in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep it in an insulated lunch bag with a ice pack.
3. Pack “scoopers” in separate containers or baggies.