Well….first of all…I talk to (young people) about reading and the importance of reading great literature. That they (should) watch a little less TV and movies and read. And the reason very specifically for that is that when you watch a movie or you watch TV, you are watching the fulfillment of someone else’s imagination.

When you read a book, you are casting the parts. You are making the costumes. You are designing the sets. You are acting. You are doing that all in your head because the pictures that you are seeing are the ones that the writer is creating with you. And so I think number one, actors have to be good readers. And the best actors I know have always loved literature.

Taking Mary’s advice, how about getting your children to read Shakespeare? The adult versions of the full plays are hard to read, even for some adults. Luckily there are Shakespeare for kids books on the market. The Shakespeare Can Be Fun! series for children in grades one to four (ages six to nine and above) are a good start.

Usborne has several wonderful children’s books based on Shakespeare’s plays. I just like paging through them for the beautiful illustrations. Any child interested in acting should have these books:

• Midsummer Night’s Dream for ages seven and up
• Stories from Shakespeare for ages 10 and up
• World of Shakespeare – about the man and his plays for ages 11 and up

All would make wonderful holiday or birthday presents and may inspire you and your family to take in a Shakespearean theater production, too.

This month they’re featuring an incredible Usborne Summer Reading Set for ages five and up. It’s only $26.99 – that’s a savings of over $25. If I didn’t own these books already – I love Usborne and used to sell them -I’d be first in line to order this set from Apple Children’s Books.

The Summer Reading Set includes:

• Vacation Things to Make and Do – This fantastic book will banish boredom during school breaks forever. Easy step-by-step instructions show you how to make a pirate cutlass, fairy wings, bouncing bats and more! The book comes with over 800 stickers to use with the projects in this book.
• Summer Activities – This book contains over 50 stickers to use with the projects and on homemade cards and gift activities.
• Great City Search – A bustling train station, a crowded shopping street and a busy hospital are just a few of the places you will visit. The Great City Search is packed with fascinating facts about cities and the people who live and work in them, and will provide countless hours of puzzle-solving fun.
• Puzzle Journey Under Sea – Imagine reading about a sunken wreck and then going on the expedition to find it. That’s just what happens when Jon, Dirk and Ally become the crew on an amazing futuristic submarine.
• 50 Travel Games and Activities – This fantastic pack of cards is full of fun games and things to do while traveling. Just choose a card, then follow the simple instructions on the back. These are great to bring on roadtrips and vacations.
• Little Book Vacation Activities – You’ll find ideas for a new activity every day: drawing, painting, making things, cooking, gardening and even dressing up. With easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations, this handy little book is guaranteed to keep boredom at bay the entire summer.

It’s an incredible deal for some awesome Usborne Books. Plus, it’s a small investment to keep your kids busy and reading this summer. Click here to order from Apple Children’s Books.

While you may be thinking, “Oh I can get these books at Barnes & Nobles or Amazon,” you can’t buy the set at $25 off. Also, Apple Children’s Books has an incredible Lifetime Replacement Policy. If your child drops their book in the pool or spills breakfast all over it, they’ll replace it at half the retail value plus shipping and handling. Try getting another book vendor to do that.

So what are you waiting for? Order the Usborne Summer Reading Set from Apple Children’s Books today.

The Denver Post ran a wonderful healthy pancake recipe created by their food editor Kristen Browning-Blas. What I like about it is that you can prepare the dry ingredients ahead of time to keep in the freezer so you always have them on hand – all you need to do is add buttermilk and an egg.

If you’re allergic to eggs like my daughter Lucie, then you can use a blend of milk, sour cream, and yogurt instead. To make it even healthier you could try no-fat milk and plain no-fat yogurt (which is kind of sour like buttermilk). Also, instead of vegetable oil, try some grapeseed or flax oil for extra Omega-3 fatty acids.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups raw quick or old-fashioned oats
2. 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
3. 2 cups whole wheat flour
4. 1/4 cup each: flax meal, wheat germ
5. 6 tablespoons brown sugar
6. 2 tablespoons baking powder
7. 1 tablespoon baking soda
8. 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients. Store in a resealable bag in the freezer.

To make about 12 medium pancakes:

1. Blend 1 cup dry mix with 1 egg and 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or a blend of milk, sour cream, yogurt) and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Stir to remove lumps but do not over beat. Let sit at least 10 minutes to soften oats.
2. Pour by half-cups onto hot buttered griddle.
3. Serve with butter, syrup or honey, jelly, whipped cream and/or powdered sugar.

Pancake Inspired Books

We all know If You Give a Pig a Pancake, but there are lots of other wonderful children’s books with a pancake theme:

• Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
• Pancakes for Breakfastby Tomie dePaola
• Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya by Mary Chamberlin, Rich Cahmberlin, and Julia Cairns
• Curious George Makes Pancakes by H.A. and Margret Rey
• Marsupial Sue Presents “The Runaway Pancake” (Book and CD) by John Lithgow and Jack E. Davis
• The Runaway Pancake by Mairi Mackinnon, Lesley Sims, and Silvia Provantini from Usborne Books
• Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes by by Jan Fearnley
• Round Is a Pancake by Joan Sullivan Baranski and Yu-Mei Han
• Hey, Pancakes!by Tamson Weston and Stephen Gammell
• Pancakes For Supper by Anne Isaacs  

Do you have a favorite pancake book or recipe? Share below!

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).

Pumpkin Muffins (with Weight Watchers POINTS info)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1.  1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
2. 2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
5. 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
6. 2/3 cup sugar
7. 1 large egg
8. 2 tablespoons canned milk
9. 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
2. Cream together shortening and sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Combine pumpkin and milk in small bowl.
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture to creamed mixture, stirring well after each addition.
6. Spoon batter into paper-lined 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups, filling 2/3rds full.
7. Bake in 350F oven 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional information per serving:
416 calories, 15.3g fat, 1.8g fiber
Weight Watchers POINTS: 9

Photo credit: * Pamela *
Recipe courtesy of Anna at Weight Watchers Recipes

Click Communications sent me a preview copy of the six DVD set. The first episode was so good that I’m tempted to watch the whole thing right now while Lucie’s at preschool this week. (Plus the premier of Heroes is on tonight, so I’ll miss part of the second episode anyway.)

Released on PBS Home Video, The War – A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick will be available for purchase October 10, just after the series finishes up on TV. Good thing too, because you should watch The War after the kids go to bed. Within the first 30 seconds, you’re shown footage of dead soldiers, soon followed by footage of dead civilians (including children) and a horrifying shot of a Jewish infant who starved to death in the Polish ghettos.

If you’re kids are high schoolers, plan to watch The War with them. PBS’s website has a section just for educators that parents can use, too. There are 14 lesson plans with classroom activities appropriate for students in grades 9-12. You may want to go through them to find topics for you and your teenager to discuss.

If your child is younger and curious about WW II, here are some age appropriate Usborne Books:

• Second World War: For ages 10 years and up. From 1939 to 1945, an estimated 50 million people died. This book tells you why the Second World War exacted such a bloody toll. Find out about huge battles and mighty weapons, the bombing of cities and the treatment of occupied nations, the Holocaust and D-Day. Discover how Adolf Hitler led his once-unbeatable armies to annihilation, and why Pearl Harbor was the greatest mistake of the war.
• War Stories: For ages 10 and up, about the first and second World Wars. From zeppelin raids, trench warfare, spies and secret plots, to epic encounters between colossal warships and duels between lone snipers facing almost certain death, this book contains a collection of dramatic and unforgettable tales from both of these terrible wars.
• Animals at War: For ages eight years and up. From horses and elephants carrying armies, to dogs parachuting from planes and dolphins detecting mines, animals have played a part in some of the bloodiest battles in history. Their stories are as compelling and tragic as those of the soldiers they served.
• Adolf Hitler: For ages seven years and up. How did an unremarkable boy from rural Austria become the dictator who led Germany into a bloody world war? Follow Hitler’s rise to power, through failure as a student to success as a speaker, and discover how his bitter determination led ultimately to destruction.
• True Stories of The Second World War: For ages nine years and up. Epic naval encounters between titanic warships, monumental battles involving hundreds of thousands of men, and duels between lone snipers facing almost certain death, these are just some of the dramatic tales in this collection of stories from the Second World War. For those who survived, it would remain the most intense and vivid experience of their lives.