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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 12/1/2012
By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/4/2012
"And the Crowd Goes Wild, A Global Gathering of Sports Poems!" is now available! I am so excited to have a poem in this great anthology. Check out an interview with several of the poets featured in the anthology, including myself, at http://cheriecolyer.blogspot.com/2012/09/spotlight-and-crowd-goes-wild.html
The book is available both in print and electronically at www.friesenpress.com/bookstore
By: Michelle Schaub,
on 4/17/2012
Great News! My poem "Monoskiier" is going to be published in the upcoming poetry anthology AND THE CROWD GOES WILD: A GLOBAL GATHERING OF SPORTS POEMS, edited boy Carol-Ann Hoyte and Heidi Bee Roemer. The anthology will be released in paper back and e-book form this summer. Stay tuned for more information!
For more information, check out this website:
http://www.crowdgoeswildpoems.com
By: Michelle Schaub,
on 4/19/2011
 | Seeds of Change: Wanari’s Gift to the World: by Jen Cullerton Johnson. This picture book biography brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women’s rights | ||||||||||||||
 | We Planted a Tree: by Diane Muldrow. A family in Brooklyn plants a tree in their small yard. Half way around the world, a family in Kenya does the same. The book follows those trees through the seasons and years, showcases the many benefits trees provide. With simple poetry this book celebrates the beautiful connection between trees and people. | ||||||||||||||
 | This Tree Counts: by Alison Formento. The kids in Mr. Tate’s class decide that the lone oak behind their school needs some friends. Before planting new saplings, the students must first listen to the story the old tree has to share. A counting book with an environmental message: every tree matters. Winner of the 2010 Green Book Festival Award | ||||||||||||||
 | Circles of Hope: by Karen Lynn Williams. Facile, a young Haitian boy, wants to give his new baby sister a unique gift. He decides to plant a mango tree, but struggles to provide a place where the tree can grow successfully. Through Facile's determination, the tree thrives, and so does his family. | ||||||||||||||
 | The Busy Tree: by Jennifer Ward. Come and see the busy tree! From its winding roots to the tip of its leafy branches, this old oak hosts a flurry of amazing activities. Rhyming text and spectacular illustrations introduce young readers to the many important functions of trees. | ||||||||||||||
 | The Tree: by Dana Lyons. “For eight hundred years I have lived here, through the wind, the fire and the snow,” states a mighty Douglas Fir as it shares the story of its life in the Pacific Rain Forest, revealing the interconnectedness of all things | ||||||||||||||
 | Giants in the Land: by Diane Appelbaum. Towering white pine trees one grew in thick New England forests. But in 1760 King George III claims the trees to build masts for England’s naval ships. What follows is a chronicle of the over-forestin and eventual elimination of these giants from the land. | ||||||||||||||
 | While a Tree Was Growing: by Jane Bosvled. This picture book traces the life of a giant sequoia in the Sierra Nevada Mountains from seedling (about 1500 b.c.) through the present. The book shows different visitors to the tree (Native Americans, settlers, wildlife) at various times in the trees life. Across the bottom of each p
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 4/19/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
In honor of Earth Day and Poetry Month, check out these anthologies of green-minded poems:
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 4/8/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Green Poems for Poetry Month! Not only is April Earth Month, it's also National Poetry Month. to celebrate, here are a few of my favorite green-minded poems: The first is painted on my daughter's wall and is our family mantra: Hurt No Living Thing Hurt no living thing: Ladybird, nor butterfly, Nor moth with dusty wind, Nor cricket chirping cheerily, Nor grasshopper so light of leap, Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat, Nor harmless worms that creep. -Christina Rossetti The second perfectly sums up my feelings about plastic, especially plastic toys! A Prayer for a Carpenter About most subjects I am quite elastic, But I cannot stand A world of plastic. Plastic flowers, plastic tables, Plastic window, plastic door, Plastic, plastic, I abhor. When I die, And if I'm good, I pray that heaven be built of wood. -Louis Phillips The third is typical, brilliantly witty Ogden Nash: Song Of the Open Road I think that I shall never see, A billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all. -Odgen Nash Do you have a favorite poem that celebrates the earth? Leave a comment and tell me about it!
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 4/1/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Earth Month Challenge! In my estimation, April is the greenest month. She's joking, you think, as you look out at the bare trees and brown grass. It may be April 1st, but I'm not fooling. With John Muir's birthday (April 21st), Earth Day (April 22nd), and Arbor Day (April 29th), what other month has so many opportunities to celebrate environmental stewardship? This year, instead of waiting until Earth Day to think green, my family is designating the entire month of April as Earth Month. Each day, we're going to make conscious decisions to lighten our footprint on the planet. Whether its walking to school, spending an evening without television, or waiting to run an errand until we have several reasons to head in that direction, we're going to try to think of each action we take in terms of how it affects the earth. My hope is that, with practice, some of our deliberate choices will become natural habits. You can join the Earth Month Challenge too! It's easy. Just commit yourself to making at least one green decision everyday. Better yet, share your earth-friendly ideas by leaving a comment on this blog. It's April... Think Green! 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 3/25/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 One Pelican at a Time Book Giveaway Winner!Thank you to everyone for the insightful comments on my interview with author Nancy Stewart. Thank you, Nancy, for your generous donation of a signed copy of your debut picture book, One Pelican at a Time . And congratulations to Katie, the randomly chosen recipient of that book. Katie had this to say in her comment: I love reading author interviews. Thanks to both of you for share. I am so glad someone wrote a children's book about the oil spill and I am excited to hear this is a series. THANKS! katie mills giorgio Enjoy your new book, Katie! More author interviews and book giveaways to come! 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 3/10/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Book Giveaway and Green Guest of the Month: Nancy Stewart, Author of One Pelican at a TimeThis month I had the honor to interview St. Louis-area author Nancy Stewart. Nancy’s recently released picture book, On Pelican at a Time, is the first title in a new eco-conscious series about Bella and Britt, two friends who love living by the beach. In One Pelican at a Time, the two heroines embark on an adventure to save an old pelican after the Horizon Deepwater Spill of 2010. ***Book Giveaway: Leave a comment at the end of this interview for a chance to win a signed copy of One Pelican at a Time.  What inspired you to write One Pelican at a Time?My husband and I bought a condo on the water in Clearwater Beach, Florida, three years ago. Although I didn’t know it would, that decision had a profound effect on me. I watched the marine life on our daily walks and quickly grew to love it all, particularly the brown pelicans. And then the spill occurred. I had already written two other books in the Bella and Britt series, Sea Turtle Summer and Bella Saves the Beach. My publisher, Lynda Burch at Guardian Angel Publishing, and I thought a book on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill demanded to be written. And so I wrote it. Can you share some of the highlights on your path to publication? I was one of those kids who wrote a lot, loved English Literature and composition classes and had an ongoing love affair with words. I didn’t begin writing with a view to publication, though, until about five years ago. I was teaching Children’s and Young Adult Literature to university students and remembered how much I enjoyed picture books. My first books were just that, first books. I began querying way too early and wondered why my books weren’t snatched up. Now when I look back, it’s abundantly clear to me why they weren’t! I joined SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and became involved, both locally and nationally. I knew I needed more of a platform to be taken seriously, so I not only did a web site but started blogging. That has made such a difference to me professionally. Blogging, particularly, has forced me to write daily for adults and not just for kids. No one is more surprised than I that people from many countries, including Russia, Indonesia and South Korea, are now following. What do you hope One Pelican at a Time will impart to your readers? My hope is that children will read this book and want to know mor
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 3/1/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Good Green BiographiesIf you enjoyed learning about the life of environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maathai Wangari in Jen Cullerton Johnson’s Seeds of Change, You may also like these recent picture book biographies:  Wangari's Trees of Peace, A True Story from Africa, by Jeanette Winter  Mama Miti, by Donna Jo Napoli  For a more in-depth look at Wangari Maathai’s journey from poor child in rural Kenya to international activist, check out Matthai’s beautifully-written memoir, Unbowed. Want to learn about other heroes of the environment? Check out these titles:
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 2/24/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Seeds of Change Book Giveaway Winner! Thank you to everyone for the insightful comments on my interview with author Jen Cullerton Johnson. Thank you, Jen, for your generous donation of a signed copy of your award-winning picture book, Seeds of Change. And congratulations to Michelle, the randomly chosen recipient of that book. Michelle had this to say in her comment: "What a wonderful interview. Seeds of Change sounds like a fabulous book on many levels. "Green reads" are new to me and I love the concept. It is one thing to talk to my daughters about the environment, inspiring people, and great ideas, but having resources such as a book like Seeds of Change can make those messages so much more powerful. Thanks for bringing such beautiful art into the world!"
Now Michelle will have the inspiring story of Wanagari Maathai right at her fingertips to share with her daughters! More author interviews and book giveaways to come! 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 2/7/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Book Giveaway and Green Guest of the Month: Jen Cullerton Johnson, Planting the Seeds of Change Recently, I had the honor to interview Chicago-area author, educator, and environmentalist, Jen Cullerton Johnson. Jen’s debut picture book biography, Seeds Of Change: Planting the Path to Peace, brings to life the story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. **At the end of this interview read how to enter to win a signed copy of Jen's new book. **  What inspired you to write “Seeds of Change?”The life of Wangari Maathai inspires me. It still blows me away. I admire how she took to very important issues-- women's rights and the environment-- and found a solution through the Green Belts, a movement of women environmentalist who planted 30 millions trees in Kenya. Today there are so many challenges to issues that sometimes we become overwhelmed and we give up. With Wangari, she really looked toward her community of young mothers to join in and help her. Wangari's story tells that although one person may have an idea, it is an community that bring the idea to fruition. “Seeds of Change” recently won the 2011Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for the illustrations by Sonia Lynn Sadler. How you feel about this honor? Sonia Lynn Sadler is a wonderful illustrator. Her work is bold and dramatic, engaging and hopeful. Every time I have a school visit or do a book reading, I always stop on the second to last page. Sonia Lynn Sanders placed important figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Barrack Obama coming out of Wangari's hand. This April, I will see some of Sonia's art up close when I attend the Newton Marasco Foundation that recently gave Seeds of Change an Honor. You weave wonderful tree imagery into your story of Wangari Maathai- “Her mind was like a tree woven in rich soil, ready to grow.” “Like a sturdy tree against a mighty wind, her faith kept her strong.” I sense you have a strong connection to trees yourself. Do you have a favorite tree? What role do trees play in your life? I think this is the loveliest question ever asked of me. Yes, I do have a favorite tree. I grew up in a very small town called Dune Acres. It is on the shores of Lake Michigan. The name of my street is Linden Lane. Linden trees are wonderful trees. They blossom with fruits and flowers which attract bees and chimpmoks, mice, squirrels. Rabbits and voles eat the bark. I also like them for their leaves and sturdy trunk. I love them as I love all the trees around Lake Michigan like the Oak, Pine, Birch, and the Ma
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 1/19/2011
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Green Guest of the Month: Suzanne Slade, Making a Difference with Environmentally-Conscious Children’s Books Chicago-area author Suzanne Slade has written over 80 books for children, many with nature and environmental themes. Her recent picture book, What’s the Difference? An Endangered Animal Subtraction Story, combines environmental awareness with math practice. I recently had the privilege of talking with Suzanne about What’s the Difference? and some of her upcoming nature-themed books.  Suzanne, What was your inspiration for creating “What’s the Difference?”
I've always been a big animal lover, and have been concerned about endangered animals for years, but after I finished an earlier book, What Can We Do About Endangered Animals, I was inspired to write What's the Difference? This 2010 picture book (published by Sylvan Dell, illustrated by Joan Waites) shows twelve gorgeous endangered animals in their natural habitats, and shares important information about how people are making a big difference by helping them. This book contains a wealth of information about endangered animals. What was the research process like? What challenges did you encounter? One of the biggest challenges I faced with this book was obtaining current information about the status of each animal, and how people can best help them. To make sure my facts were up-to-date and correct, I contacted several experts on various animals at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The illustrator's sketches were also reviewed by wildlife experts. What do you hope What’s the Difference? will impart to its readers? My goal is that children will gain a fuller understanding of how animals become threatened and endangered, and also realize that they can make a difference. For example, this book shares how one beautiful endangered butterfly, the Karner blue, was helped by children who planted wild lupine (a lovely purple flowering plant that Karner blues need to survive). What can your readers look forward to next? Any new nature books in the works? I'm very excited about my next book coming out with Sylvan Dell in fall, 2011 titled Multiply on the Fly. This multiplication book features all kinds of cool insects (did I mention I like bugs?) It is currently being illustrated by Erin Hunter, an amazing California artist who specializes in entomological and botanical illustrations (in other words, she draws great creatures and plants!) Thanks, Suzanne for providing such wonderf
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 12/10/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Furoshiki: The Gift Wrap that Keeps on Giving Every fall my children’s school sells wrapping paper as a fundraiser. In past years I’d buy yards and yards of dancing reindeer, glittery snowflakes, and other festive patterns, complete with matching ribbons, bows, and name tags. When the holidays arrived, I loved placing perfectly coordinated and accessorized packages beneath my tree. My conscious always nagged me a bit Christmas morning, after the flurry of opening, when I collected the remains of my gift-wrapping handiwork. I hated adding mounds of cardboard, crumpled paper, and curly ribbon to my garbage can and recycling bins. Still, creating beautiful Christmas packages was a holiday tradition. It was only once a year, I told myself. To make myself feel a bit greener, I started buying gift wrap made from recycled paper. But the post-Christmas paper carnage still tugged at my environmental sensibilities. Then last Christmas, my sister-in-law gave me a gift wrapped in a beautiful silk scarf tied in a clever knot. “It’s furoshiki,” she explained, “a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth.” In Japan, people use furoshiki to package and transport everything from lunches to birthday presents. Similar to origami, the cloths can be folded several different ways to produce a variety of looks. No throwing out shredded scrapes once the party is over. Furoshiki can be used over and over. Simple. Elegant. Environmental. My present-wrapping problems were solved. This year, I did not buy a single inch of wrapping paper. (I’ll find another way to support my children’s school.) Instead, I’ve purchased some festive fabrics and I’m practicing my knots. When my family unwraps their gifts Christmas morning, no need for that extra garbage bin. In fact, if every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. (Sierra Club) Try using furoshiki yourself this holdiay season; it's the gift wrap that keeps on giving. To learn more about furoshiki, visit: http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/attach/060403-5.html http://www.infomapjapan.com/hstore/200709-infospecial.phtml 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 11/18/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Green Guest of the Month: Tim Magner, Growing Green Minds at Green Sugar Press. Last week I caught up with Tim Magner, creator of Green Sugar Press, a Chicago-based publisher of eco-conscious children’s books. This week Tim shares some ideas on how schools and parents can help children “grow green minds.” 1.) In addition to offering engaging eco-themed books, how else does Green Sugar Press spread its environmental message to the community? At the same time, environmental education, or as I call it “inspiring kids to understand where they live, who lives with them and how the world works”, is still at the fringe. If you’re not in a well-to-do school, teachers are squeezed for time, focusing on test prep. And in the affluent communities, with enrichment activities galore, kids face mounting pressures to do “well.” This means tests and extra-curricular activities so they can get into the “best schools.” Too often, rote memorization is rewarded at the expense of digging deep and learning critical thinking. 2.) So how should schools approach environmental education? A lot of schools do a little recycling or have a school garden, but, too often, even early teens at these schools can’t explain why they recycle or what impact it makes. I’m not against celebrating Earth Day, but why not consider the whole child? We know kids benefit from immersion in nature nearby. We know kids learn better with hands-on learning that’s relevant to their world. So, why not weave in reading, writing, math, science, history, PE and the arts using the surrounding environment? This means no more cookie-cutter Amazon rainforest lessons to 2nd graders. This does mean teaching creatively, leaving the confines of the four walls of the classroom. This means connecting with the community you’re in. Invite local community members to visit your class. Bring in the town engineer. Yes, students have to learn state standards, but there are no laws w
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 11/9/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Green Guest of the Month: Tim Magner, Growing Green Minds at Green Sugar Press Environmental educator and writer Tim Magner knows everything in nature is connected. To help kids discover these amazing connections, Tim created Green Sugar Press, an independent, Chicago-based publishing company committed to producing quality, eco-conscious children’s books. I recently chatted with Tim to learn more about this green company and its mission to hooks kids on nature. What inspired you to start Green Sugar Press? If, after a few years of doing something, I stop learning, it’s time to move on. About ten years ago, I was stuck in the rat race, working to make money. Luckily, I was in a position to be able to transition towards something that made more sense- to follow a passion and fill a need. That, and I like being with kids. They are more fun than adults, and are great learners. I’ve never met a six-year-olds that isn’t curious. The trick is to keep them that way ‘til they’re sixteen and twenty-six and help develop their creativity. What are some of the challenges Green Sugar Press has faced as a small start-up publishing company? Too often, we describe work as the opposite of play, but if you can model work like play, it’s fun and it breeds success. By that I mean, watch toddlers play. As they try to climb onto things and move things, they are exploring and being creative. Through trial and error, and failing along the way, they are also solving problems. As long as we keep some of that type of work in our work, it’s never becomes work as we normally associate it. Does that make sense? Apply that to publishing: we’re in a perfect storm. The existing structure works poorly and the business is changing. Why should a children’s picture book sell for $16-$20 with the author taking home 5%? And, yet, more often than not, the publisher puts up a great deal of capital and still loses money? Distribution and marketing look different today than they did ten years ago, and, in five years, they’ll be vastly different than today. Fewer hard cover picture books are being sold, and the e-book, in all its forms, is adding to the landscape. Hard covers aren’t going away, but there’s a chance a decade from now more kids will be reading more than today. The publisher’s challenge is how to better engage the reader and add to the experience. The slogan of Green Sugar Press is “growing green minds.” What does it mean?
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 10/25/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Eat Green...Tomatoes, That IsIf you planted a garden this year, then, like me, you’re probably left with an overabundance of green tomatoes now that the weather has cooled. In the past, the only benefit I saw to these late bloomers was their potential to become compost surprise. (You know, those random veggies tossed in your compost bin that sprout mysteriously in the spring.) The idea of actually consuming under-ripe tomatoes left me feeling a bit, well... green. This fall I’ve had a change of heart. For one, I’ve redoubled my efforts to eat locally. With over 200 green tomatoes clinging to my withering vines, it seemed a shame to throw away such a bountiful and local source of produce. (As my son once said, “The only way it could be more local is if we grew it inside our house!”) For another, I’ve learned that the Whistlestop Café did not corner the market on green tomatoes recipes. The other day my mother-in-law brought over a delicious Halloween cake called “Boogers and Slugs.” Raisins served as the slugs, and the slimy boogers? You guessed it: green tomatoes. Nose pickings your mom actually wants you to eat? My kids gobbled them up. Here are some other dishes that cleverly disguise green tomatoes in tasty ways: Boogers and Slugs Halloween Cake: http://baking.food.com/recipe/boogers-and-slugs-halloween-cake-101711 Paula Deen's Green Tomato Pie: Mario Batali's Green Tomato Spaghetti: Not only do green tomatoes taste good in recipes, they're also good for you. Although they don't have the lycopene benefits of their red-blooded relatives, green tomatoes are high in Vitamins A and C and potassium. So go ahead, gather up those lonely tomatoes left on your vines. While you're at it, pick up a copy of Fannie Flag's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe and enjoy a "green" read along with your green feast. 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 10/18/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Ripe and Ready Apple Picking Picture Books… After you’ve visited that orchard and picked a peck or two, sink your teeth into these fresh titles celebrating the apple harvest…  Applesauce Season, by Eden Ross Lipson. “My grandmother says there’s no reason to start eating apples when peaches are perfect. Applesauce season starts just about the time school opens.” Take a step by step journey through the joys of making applesauce. You’ll almost taste the simmering, cinnamon-kissed, applesauce and feel the warmth of family in this book that celebrates seasonal eating, farmer’s markets, and family traditions.
 One Red Apple, by Harriet Ziefert. With folk-art style paintings and simple, but lyrical text, this book follows an apple on its journey from tree to market to mouth, exploring the amazing way that nature produces food. 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 10/5/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Wednesday, October 6th is International Walk Your Kids to School Day! Wake up a few minutes early tomorrow morning, grab your sneakers, and take a nice stroll with your kids in the fresh autumn air. You'll be joining millions of parents, students and community members around the world who are trying to promote more walkable communities. The concept of an official "Walk to School Day" was started in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. By 2002 over 3 million participants from all 50 states joined in the effort. Today, parents, kids, and communities members from over 40 countries stretch their walking legs on this special day. When you walk to school, good things happen: 1.) Air quality improves. A four-mile trip by car adds 15 pounds of pollution to the air. That same trip by sneaker: no fumes. 2.) Hearts start pumping. Walking helps promote a healthy lifestyle, especially important with the growing concerns over childhood obesity. 3.) Conversations spark. The walk to or from school can be a great time to catch up with your kids. 4.) Awareness increases. Your actions may inspire others to dig out their sneakers and walk as well. Reading this after October 6th? Don't worry. The entire month of October has been designated as International Walk to School Month. You have plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs, join the effort, and reap the benefits of walking to school. For more information, or to get your school involved in an official walk, visit: 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/30/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Don't Judge an Apple by Its Worm Hole...On one special day each fall, my family packs into the car and drives west to go apple picking. After miles and miles of cornfields, we finally reach the big red barn and tidy rows of trees marking the entrance to Honey Hill Orchard. This year, we decided to go early to beat the rush. Instead, we nearly missed apple-picking season all together. “Where are all the apples?” my middle son wondered as we pulled up to the barn. The trees seemed empty. “Orchard clean-up day,” a farmer explained. “Anything you can find-half price.” It turns out an overabundance of rain and hail early in the season did a number on this year’s apple crop. Still, we hadn’t driven nearly an hour to turn back empty-handed. We marched over to the first row of trees, determined to fill our reusable Trader Joes bags with those last, perfect Jonagolds, Goldens, and Cortlands clinging to hidden branches. As a bonus, we had the orchard nearly to ourselves. “Got one!” my youngest son yelled, holding up a Red Delicious riddled with black spots. “Hmm,” I said. “Let’s keep looking.” After searching a few more rows, we realized that every apple left on the trees was damaged in some way. A bruise here. A bug bite there. I quickly lost my picky air. If the skin wasn’t too badly pierced and the texture still firm, the apple passed inspection. Before long, our bags were filled. This year, the apples we brought home weren’t perfect-looking, but once we peeled the skins, cut off a few brown spots, and cooked them with a little cinnamon, they sure made some perfect apple sauce- for half the usual price. Orchard clean-up day may be our new family tradition! If you live in the Chicago area, check out Honey Hill Orchard: Otherwise, to find an orchard near you, visit: Coming soon: A review of some perfect apple-picking picture books! 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/24/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 Farmer's Market Treasure: The PawpawSome people rummage for treasures at antique stores. Others comb beaches with metal detectors. My family's favorite treasure-hunting haunt? The local farmer's market. Each week during the summer and fall, we visit different local markets, searching for new and unusual produce. Our favorite markets are green markets, like the Geneva Greenmarket on Thursday mornings in Geneva, Illinois, and the Green City Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in downtown Chicago, across from Lincoln Park Zoo. Green markets require vendors to be local (usually within 100-200 miles) and use sustainable growing practices. At green markets, your more likely to find heirloom and little-known varieties of fruits and vegetables, most of them grown organically. A basket of golden raspberries, a bunch of cosmic carrots with purple skin, orange pulp and yellow core, a sticky slab of honeycomb- you never know what booty you'll plunder at the market. Recently, on a trip to the Green City Market, my kids and I discovered a rare jewel. We nearly marched past the elderly lady waiting behind her simple card table. Her stand was wedged between a fruit grower and heirloom tomato farmer, both with impressive spreads. All the lady had were a few paper plates holding what looked like elongated, misshapen, and badly bruised pears. "Try this pawpaw," she said, cutting one of the "pears" and offering us a slippery slice. Intrigued, I tasted the fruit. Immediately, I felt transported to someplace tropical- the creamy flavor of banana, mango and vanilla filling my mouth. I'd never tasted something so exotic produced in the Midwest. We bought half the lady's supply, feeling giddy with our new find. Back home, I did a little research on pawpaw. It turns out the pawpaw is hardly "new." It's the largest fruit native to North America and is a distant cousin to the cherimoya, a fruit you’d encounter while exploring a farmer’s market in Hawaii, or maybe Ecuador. Pawpaw was cultivated by Native Americans and enjoyed by early settlers. Chilled pawpaw fruit was even a favorite dessert of George Washington. But you won’t find pawpaw in the produce aisle of your favorite grocery store. Its splotchy appearance and extremely short shelf life have shunned pawpaw from commercial favor. Don’t be fooled by pawpaw’s deceptive looks. This fruit is a prize worth finding. But you better hurry; this gem is only in season for a short period between mid August and October. Happy hunting! For more information on a greenmarkets, visit: http://www.localharvest.org/ http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/ To learn more about pawpaw fruit, visit: http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/pawpaw-sweet-soft-and-largely-ignored 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/17/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
School Bells and Butterfly Wings, Part II: Good Reads Check out the following books to learn more about butterflies and starting a butterfly garden:  The Butterfly Book: a kid's guide to attracting, raising, and keeping butterflies, by Kersten Hamilton. Packed with facts about butterflies! Learn about butterfly life stages, body structures, and habits, as well as the best plants to add to a garden to attract these winged jewels. As a bonus, the book includes a field guide for 20 common North American butterflies.  A Place for Butterflies, by Melissa Stewart. From the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail to the Oregon Silverspot, this picture book highlights twelve North American butterflies and their habitats. With an emphasis on conservation, the author suggest specific actions people can take to help these insects “live and grow.” Richly detailed paintings show close-up portraits of each butterfly against their specific habitats. A great book to introduce children to the concept of habitat protection. Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly, by Alan Madison. With two “practically perfect” older sisters, Velma can’t help but feel a bit overshadowed. When she starts first grade, Velma struggles to find a way to become as memorable as her sisters. At first she misbehaves, but then she becomes fascinated with butterflies in science class. Velma pours over library books to learn fabulous facts about these way cool insects. A trip to the butterfly conservation gives Velma the chance to prove she is way cool too. Factual information is woven into this delightful story, making it a nice companion to a unit on butterflies. Visit the Good Green Read page of this blog for more books on butterflies! 
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/10/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Recess Bells and Butterfly Wings- Supporting Natural Habitats at School  There’s a new splash of color outside of my children’s school. Where once only a plain patch of green grass grew, now bright fronds of goldenrod and purple spikes of Blazingstar sway in the breeze. Look closely, and you’ll even spot a flash of orange as a Monarch flits between the flowers. Both insect and human visitors are enjoying the new butterfly garden.Plans for the garden began last spring, when a PTA committee contacted the Conservation Foundation, a local not-for-profit environmental protection organization, and asked for help converting an area of the school grounds into a natural habitat. The Conservation Foundation designed the garden, suggesting the best types of native plants to include to attract butterflies. They also helped us selected the best spot for the garden- a sunny area where students often gathered.  Before digging in, the area had to be cleared of grass. Time to call in the eager grade-school troops! Armed with piles of old newspaper, shovels, and mulch, the students went to work. They spread newspaper 6-7 layers thick over the grassy area designated for the garden. Atop the newspaper, they piled mulch 3-4 inches of mulch. The smothered grass died, leaving plenty of space for a new garden.  After a few weeks, the troops were summoned again, this time to plant. A local organic gardeners club donated native plants, including milkweed, liatris, and black-eyed Susans. On planting day, students had a wonderful time digging holes, planting, sprinkling compost, and even adding a few wriggling guests to the garden to help aerate the soil. When the school year ended, families signed up for weekly summer shifts to water and weed the young plants. All of the hard work paid off. By September, students were welcomed back to school by a garden bursting with cheerful blooms. As time passes not only will the garden grow more colorful, but it will be easy to maintain. Native plants can withstand drought, so they don’t need extra watering. The garden will also do the important work of helping butterflies. Many types of butterflies are disappearing because of loss of habitat. This natural habitat garden will supply food and shelter butterflies need to survive and reproduce. Our school hopes to expand its garden as time goes on, not only to nurture butterflies, but also kids who care about and help protect nature. To learn more about how to start your own butterfly garden or other natural wildlife habitat visit:
By: Michelle Schaub,
on 9/1/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
The following is an article I recently wrote for the Green Earth Institute, the Community Supported Agriculture program of which I have been a member the past 8 years... When I first discovered the Green Earth Institute’s CSA program in 2002, I thought it would be a great way to expand the limited, and somewhat picky palates of my two young children. Each Tuesday night venture to the farm that first season became a lesson in new and unique produce, items not normally found on my grocery list. “No that’s not a leafy octopus. It’s a kohlrabi.” “You’re right fennel does look like feathers and taste like licorice.” Thanks to the CSA, my kids soon learned to enjoy snacks such as kale chips and hakurei turnips, where once only peeled and sliced apples would suffice. As our family expanded to include a third child the lessons my children gleaned from the CSA expanded as well. Through the farm’s camps and u-pick days my children came to appreciate the hard work hidden behind the peas and carrots dished onto their dinner plates. They learned how organic farming helps keep the earth and people healthy. They also discovered the rhythm of the growing season. They began to anticipate the treasures waiting in the pick-up bins from week to week: lettuce first, tomatoes later, and the coveted watermelon just in time for school to roll around. After a long winter of bland supermarket veggies, my youngest would jump for joy when he spied French breakfast radishes in our CSA order. He’d crunch into the radishes with a huge grin, understanding with each bite that in-season produce simply tastes better. This season, my children have been learning something new from our CSA involvement: how to cook. On Tuesdays, my oldest daughter surveys the week’s bounty and peruses the newsletter for enticing recipes. Then she plans and prepares a meal, challenging herself to use as many local ingredients as possible. She enlists her younger brothers as sous chefs, and soon everyone is measuring, mincing, and mixing, turning my kitchen into a disaster zone. But the mayhem is worth it when the three young chefs serve up their creations with huge I-made-it-myself smiles. Recently, after a successful meal of fennel apple soup and eggplant dip on crackers, my daughter declared “I’m going to open a restaurant someday and grow all my own ingredients so everyone can enjoy fresh and healthy foods.” I joined the CSA hoping to teach my children not to grimace at green veggies. I never imagined they’d receive such an education in eating healthy and caring for the earth. Thanks to the Green Earth Institute, I know my families’ enthusiasm for fresh, local produce will continue to grow in the seasons to come. Check out the Green Earth Institute's website for more information and some great recipes using fresh, local produce: ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/383679802317346
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By: Michelle Schaub,
on 8/27/2010
Blog: The Little Green Pen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Hooray for CSA's! Did you know that bunch of carrots you recently grabbed from the grocery store bin probably traveled thousands of miles to reach your hands? Produce starts to loose nutrients the minute it is picked. No wonder those roots look a bit weary! Want a great way to get fresh-picked, vitamin-packed produce that doesn't need a travel passport? Join a CSA! CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a special agreement between families and farmers. Families pledge to cover the cost of seeds, equipment, and other supplies needed to run a farm. Farmers can then focus on growing peas and carrots instead of worrying about nickels and dimes. In return, families receive weekly baskets bursting with fresh produce for an entire growing season.  My family has been part of The Green Earth Institute, a CSA in Naperville, for the past 8 years. We've become spoiled by super-crisp, height of the season produce that was usually picked hours- not days- ago and only had to travel a few mile to reach our mouths. I feel great about being part of a CSA. It boosts the health of my family, small farms, and the earth!
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Wow! great interview. I cannot wait to read this book and use it in my middle school classroom as a mentor text.
Thanks for making this available.
ValB
Hello,
I am a huge fan of Nancy. Thanks for posting such a great interview.
Nicole Weaver
http://marieandherfriendtheseaturtle.blogspot.com
Nancy,
I donate all of the picture books I get to a small local library. I think it would be a great addition to their collection.
Blessings,
J. Aday Kennedy
The Differently-Abled Writer & Speaker
Children's Author of Klutzy Kantor & Marta's Gargantuan Wings
www.jadaykennedy.com
http://brainfartexplosion.blogspot.com