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A quite lively discussion has blown in from space on a friends Face-postcard about something I forgot because it went a completely different way in short order and is now a history lesson on indigenous peoples.

It was said the “Native “”American”” people” were here first and that they claim to be “Indigenous” and that they have their traditional stories to back up their claim to properties etc.

That got me to thinking (usually leads to minor disasters) that just because someone in your past lived some place and told creation stories doesn’t always mean you have any more rights than the guy who was born there after you lost the battle, in my case way after.

I know, growing up, my mother used to tell me, when I asked how I got here that I came from heaven and perhaps, if I’m a good boy, God will give me land there again though I think he may balk at the casino I want to build even if it is to take all the sinner’s money or credits or what ever the currency of his realm is.

And further more if in the past there was only one super continent, Pangaea or what ever they really called it, then we all have a claim to everywhere cause we are all descendants of the original inhabitants and I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut there aint anywho who can tell me where they thought they came from even after the break up.

I thought perhaps we are all from Mars via the Pleiades star system but had to leave cause the Marshonians wanted the place back so we moved on as they had come from the Hercules system to Mars first.

To send every one back to where they came from is stupid, you can’t fit that many people on Ellis Island let alone grow enough hemp there to have a trade economy with New York.

I don’t know the answer other than if we don’t start being natives from “EARTH” the little grey men will boot us out and wipe out the myths of our origins from then to eternity.

It’s a race none us may win …

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EIEIO: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm with a Little Help From a Hen

by Judy Sierra & Matthew Myers, illustrator

Candlewick Press      2/25/2014

978-0-7636-6043-7

Age 4 to 8     32 pages

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“Once upon a time, Old MacDonald didn’t have a farm. He just had a yard—a yard he didn’t want to mow. But then, under the direction of the wise (and ecologically sensitive) Little Red Hen, Mac learns to look at the environment in a very different way, and whole new worlds start to bloom.”

Opening

“Old MacDonald had a house, E-I-E-I-O!”

The Story

Old MacDonald had a house with a big backyard he didn’t like to mow. In fact, he waited so long to mow it that Old MacDonald would sweat after just a short push of his power mower. There had to be a better way. So Old MacDonald got a goat. E-I-E-I-O! There were problems with the goat. MacDonald knew there had to be a better way, so he searched the Internet for help. He got that help from the Little Red Hen, the smartest hen in the world. But could she help Old MacDonald with his backyard lawn mowing aversion?

Review

A fun story that will have kids and adults laughing from the beginning, E-I-E-I-O puts Old MacDonald in the middle of suburbia. He has a house with a large backyard and Old MacDonald doesn’t like to mow. He gets a goat but the goat eats the hedges, putting a window between MacDonald and his neighbor. But MacDonald’s real trouble—and fame—doesn’t begin until he hires the Little Red Hen. I love bringing in a character from another story. It adds more flavor to the story and most kids will instantly recognize the Little Red Hen. Plus, this wise hen has an agricultural diploma—perfect for Old MacDonald.

First, Little Red Hen gets rid of the grass. At first, I didn’t get what she was doing—nor will most kids—but soon it became clear. Until that could happen, the neighbors join and form a protest, insisting, as one sign put it, “A LAWN in every YARD.” I love the signs. One says the neighbors formed a mud watch group. But the sign stating, “Change is BAD” pretty much sums up the problem: no one like change. Though there is one little guy who may like change. His sign says, “No More Mud,” but he put a line through one of those words. Not until Old MacDonald has a workable farm, producing organic veggies, does the neighborhood change their feelings toward the smell of Old MacDonald’s backyard farm.

The illustrations are fantastic. They tell the story as well as the text tells it. The details are terrific and sometimes surprising, but you must look carefully to appreciate all the effort that went into these spreads. Colorful, informative, and humorous are but three words that immediately come to mind when looking at E-I-E-I-O. I love the part when Little Red Hen has Old MacDonald throw his trash onto his backyard, well, actually, his back-mud. Old MacDonald looks like he has given up when he tosses his corncob out the window onto his back-mud.

Kids inherently think the word “poop” is funny. Well, Little Red Hen cannot make her compost without it, or worms, so kids will love these spreads. Of course, Little Red Hen stays out of the muck, calling directions out from atop her hen house. Yes, she is one wise hen. Eventually, Old MacDonald gains the neighbors’ favor and a new career in one of the most entertaining, yet informative, picture books this year.

E-I-E-I-O: HOW OLD MACDONALD GOT HIS FARM. Text copyright © 2014 by Judy Sierra. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Matthew Myers. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

E-I-E-I-O- POSTER

Learn more about E-I-E-I-O: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm with a Little Help From a Hen HERE.

Get your copy of E-I-E-I-O at Amazon—B&N—Candlewick Press—your local bookstore.

.Meet the author, Judy Sierra at her website:   http://www.judysierra.net/

Meet the illustrator, Matthew Myers at his website:  http://www.myerspaints.com/

Find other great books at Candlewick Press’ website:   http://www.candlewick.com/

Also by Judy Sierra

Wild About You!

ZooZical

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur

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Also by Matthew Myers 

Battle Bunny

Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind

The World According to Musk Ox  9/2014

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.New from Candlewick Press

Ocean Creatures: A 3D Pocket Guide

FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman: Doggie Duties

Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation

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By Michael Hanley

Urban gardens are increasingly recognised for their potential to maintain or even enhance biodiversity. In particular the presence of large densities and varieties of flowering plants is thought to support a number of pollinating insects whose range and abundance has declined as a consequence of agricultural intensification and habitat loss. However, many of our garden plants are not native to Britain or even Europe, and the value of non-native flowers to local pollinators is widely disputed.

We tested the hypothesis that bumblebees foraging in urban gardens preferentially visited plants species with which they share a common biogeography (i.e. the plants evolved in the same regions as the bees that visit them). We did this by conducting summer-long surveys of bumblebee visitation to flowers seen in front gardens along a typical Plymouth street, dividing plants into species that naturally co-occur with British bees (a range extending across Europe, north Africa, and northern Asia – collectively called the Palaearctic by biologists), those that co-occur with bumblebees in other regions such as southern Asia, and North and South America (Sympatric), and plants from regions (Southern Africa and Australasia) where bumblebees are not naturally found (Allopatric).

Rather than discriminating between Palaearctic-native and non-native garden plants when taken together, bees simply visited in proportion to flower availability. Indeed, of the six most commonly visited garden plants, only one Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea – 6% of all bee visits) was a British native and only three garden plants were of Palaearctic origin (including the most frequently visited species Campanula poscharskyana (20.6% of visits) which comes from the Balkans). The remaining ‘most visited’ garden plants were from North America (Ceanothus 11% of visits) and Asia (Deutzia Spp 7% of visits), while the second most visited plant, Hebe × francisciana (18% of visits) is a hybrid variety with parents from New Zealand (H. speciosa) and South America (H. elliptica).

However a slightly different pattern emerges when we consider the behaviour of individual bumblebee species. This is important because we know from work done in natural grassland ecosystems that different bumblebees vary greatly in their preference for native plant species. Some bumblebees visit almost any flower, while others seem to have strict preferences for certain plants. The latter group (‘dietary specialists’) include bees with long tongues that allow them to access the deep flowers of plants belonging to the pea and mint families that short-tongued bees cannot. One of these dietary specialists, the aptly named ‘garden bumblebee’ (Bombus hortorum), showed a strong preference for Palaearctic-origin garden plant species (78% of flower visits by this species); although we also saw this species feeding on the New Zealand-native, Cordyline australis. Even more interesting was the fact that our most common species the ‘buff-tailed bumblebee’ (B. terrestris) appeared to favour non-Palaearctic garden plants (70% of all visits) over garden plants with which it shares a common evolutionary heritage (i.e. Palaearctic plants). So it seems that any preference for plants from ‘home turf’ varies between different bumblebees; just like in natural grasslands, some bees are fussy about where they forage, and others not.

So what should gardeners do to encourage pollinators? Our results suggest that it is not simply a question of growing native species even if this is desirable for other reasons, but that any ‘showily-flowered’ plant is likely to offer some forage reward. There are caveats, however. Garden plants that have been subject to modification to produce ‘double’ flowers that replace or obscure the anthers and carpels that yield pollen and nectar (e.g. Petunias, Begonias, and Hybrid Tea roses) are known to offer little or no pollinator reward. A spring to autumn supply of flowers of different corolla lengths is important to provide both long- and short-tongued bumblebees with nectar. A reliable pollen supply is particularly important during nest founding through to the release of queen and male bees at the end of the nest cycle. Roses and poppies are obvious choices, but early season willows also offer pollen for nest-founding queens. Potentially most crucial of all however, are the pea family as they offer higher quality pollen vital for the success of the short-nest cycle, specialist bumblebees such as B. hortorum. It is also important that access to what gardeners refer to as ‘weeds’ is available. Where possible gardeners can set aside a small area to allow native brambles, vetches, dead nettles, and clovers to grow, but as long as some native weed species are available in nearby allotments, parks, or other green spaces, we suggest that a combination of commonly-grown garden plants will help support our urban bumblebees for future generations.

Dr Michael Hanley is Lecturer in Terrestrial Ecology at the University of Plymouth. He is co-author of the article ‘Going native? Flower use by bumblebees in English urban gardens’, which is published in the Annals of Botany.

Annals of Botany is an international plant science journal that publishes novel and substantial research papers in all areas of plant science, along with reviews and shorter Botanical Briefings about topical issues. Each issue also features a round-up of plant-based items from the world’s media – ‘Plant Cuttings’.

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Image credit: Bumblebee on apple tree. By Victorllee [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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There is a deep and pervasive hunger for a less fragmented and more integrated way of understanding and inhabiting the world. What must change if we are to live in a sustainable relationship with other organisms? What role do our moral and spiritual values play in responding to the ecological crisis? We sat down with Douglas E. Christie, author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind, to discuss a contemplative approach to ecological thought and practice that can help restore our sense of the earth as a sacred place.

What is the blue sapphire of the mind?

It is an image used by Evagrius of Pontus, a fourth century Christian monk, to describe the condition of the mind transformed by contemplative practice: it is pure and endless and serene, capable of seeing and experiencing union with everything and everyone.

What is “contemplative ecology” and what does it have to do with this idea?

Contemplative ecology has two distinct but related meanings. First, it refers to a particular way of thinking about and engaging ecological concerns, rooted in a distinctive form of contemplative spiritual practice. Second, it refers to a particular way of thinking about spiritual practice, one that understands the work of transforming awareness as leading toward and including a deepened understanding of the intricate relationships among and between all living beings. The underlying concern is to find new ways of thinking about the meaning and significance of the relationship between ecological concern and contemplative spiritual practice, that can help to ground sustained care for the environment in a deep feeling for the living world.

What possible meaning do you think such a contemplative approach can have in an age of massive and growing environmental degradation?

Contemplative traditions of spiritual practice, including those grounded in monastic forms of living, have long occupied the margins of mainstream society. The work of such communities is often hidden from view. Because of this, their contributions to work of social and political transformation can seem, on the face of it, negligible. But a careful examination of the historical record suggests that such communities have contributed and continue to contribute significantly to the project of cultural, social and even political renewal — primarily through their unwavering commitment to uncovering the deepest sources of our bonds with one another and with the living world. In our own moment of ecological and political crisis, these traditions of contemplative thought and practice can help to awaken in us a new awareness of the deepest sources of our shared concern for the world.

Is this a matter of particular concern to religious communities?

Yes, and no. Certainly, environmental degradation is a concern that religious communities around the world are waking up to in a new way, and this includes the particular contributions of monastic communities. But the distinctively contemplative dimension of this renewal transcends religion (at least in narrow terms) and touches on a wider and more fundamental human concern: to truly know ourselves as part of the rich web of life. Contemplative ecology addresses anyone who wishes to think more deeply and carefully about what it is to be alive and attentive to the natural world, and to respond with care and affection.

Douglas E. Christie is Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, and the author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology and The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism.

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Image credit: Dissolving fractured head. Photo by morkeman, iStockphoto.

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5 Stars Desert Baths Darcy Pattison Kathleen Rietz Syvan Dell Publishing 32 Pages      Ages 4 to 8 ………………….. Inside Jacket: As the sun and the moon travel across the sky, learn how twelve different desert animals face the difficulty of stay clean in a dray and parched land. Explore the desert habitat through its animals [...]

In the “Good old days” A cell phone was the phone you got your free phone call from when you went to jail …

I've just returned from vacation and have some catching up to do, but I didn't want to let Nonfiction Monday pass by without highlighting Claire A. Nivola's beautiful picture book, Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle.


Nivola, Claire A. 2012. Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Born in 1935, Sylvia Earle rode in a single passenger airplane at the age of 5, was diving by the age of 16, went on an expedition in the Indian Ocean (the only female member of the expedition!), helped design a submersible diving bubble, once lived for 2 weeks under water, and served as the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Ostensibly a biographical story of the admirable, Sylvia Earle, Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle is this and more.

Life in the Ocean inspires the reader to follow his dreams, wherever they may lead, and for the reader already interested in the natural world, and marine environments in particular, Life in the Ocean calls him to explore,

     We have explored only 5 percent of the ocean.  We know more about the planets in outer space than we know about the sea on our very own home planet!
  

4 Comments on Life in the Ocean - a review, last added: 4/16/2012 Display Comments Perogyo said, on 4/16/2012 5:52:00 AM Love the aquanaut photo. Only 5% of the ocean- how amazing. What a future there is in that! Tara said, on 4/16/2012 8:17:00 AM This sounds like a wonderful non fiction addition for our class library. Thank you! Fats Suela from Gathering Books said, on 4/16/2012 5:03:00 PM I love books about chasing dreams and I enjoy looking at the ocean. Will be sure to check this one out. Thank you for the review! shelf-employed said, on 4/16/2012 5:25:00 PM I am hoping that it will be my daughter's future. She, too, has "lost her heart to the water." :) Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 35. A Leaf Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas & Violeta Dabija Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: smmorris, on 4/15/2012 Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  nonfiction children's books, 5stars, Children's Books, poetry, seasons, NonFiction, Favorites, biology, ecology, botany, leaves, Add a tag  5 Stars Rhyming text and illustrations explore some of the many things a leaf can be, from tree topper to rain stopper.  Includes facts about leafs and a glossary. A leaf is a leaf— A bit of a tree. But just try to guess What else it can be! This book, A Leaf Can Be [...] Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 36. “Irish need not apply” He Read 1 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: yesisedit, on 3/17/2012 Blog: Yesisedit's Weblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  politics, science, Photography, Green, world, Ecology, help, Irish, society, Fair-e-tale, St.Patrick's day, Fuel for thought, My view, Thoughts, Art, nature, Ideas, Poem, Thank yous, Stories and art, Food shortages a boom!, Say it ain't so, 1, childrens poems, bail out, Words can be funny, story, Fun, Add a tag With apologies to my ancestors, My interpretation of Skibbereen and post script. They say it tis a lovely place, where in  a saint might dwell, so why did you abandon it father dear, the reason to me tell? Oh son I loved my native land, with energy and much pride ‘Til a blight came over on my prats, my sheep and cattle died, The rent and taxes were so high, I could not them redeem, And that’s the true cruel reason why, I left dear old Skibbereen. Oh, It’s sure I do remember, that bleak December day, The landlord and the sheriff came, to drive us all away They set my roof  afire, with their cursed yellow english spleen And that’s another reason why, I left dear old Skibbereen. Your mother too, God rest her soul, fell on that snowy ground, She fainted in her anguish, seeing the desolation laid all round. She never rose, but passed away, from life to imortal dream, She found a quiet grave, my boy, in dear old Skibbereen. And you were only a wee young lad, and feeble was your frame, I could not leave you with your friends, for you bore your father’s name, I wrapped you in my overcoat , in the dead of night unseen I heaved a sigh, and said goodbye, to dear old Skibbereen o’ father dear, the day will come, when answer to the call all Irish men of Freedom Stern, will rally one and all ill be the man to lead the band, beneath the flag of green loud and clear, well raise a cheer , remember Skibbereen PS on St. Patrick’s day The plight of the Irish immigrants who flooded the world in the time of potato famine was caused as much by greed and prejudice as any lack of simple peasant food. The poor Irish were driven from land by invaders, monetary greed, by taxes and starvation, demonized like any culture the powerful wish to wash away so they may consolidate their power. If scattered, the poor could not rise up, if not fed they would parish and be no threat. Drunkenness is not the legacy my father gave to me, pride in my name and ancestory of a race that will never give up or in  until death takes me kicking to what lays beyond. That is what my Father sang to me as his Father did to him. John Murphy 1 Comments on “Irish need not apply” He Read, last added: 3/17/2012 Display Comments Wendy Van Camp said, on 3/17/2012 1:00:00 PM Your poem touched me. My ancestors were Scottish, not Irish, but they shared much the same fate when leaving the old world for the new. Thank goodness for America where our peoples have flourished. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 37. Ecology Book Cover 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 3/2/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag 0 Comments on Ecology Book Cover as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 38. Ecology Borders: 9 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 3/1/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  core knowledge, ecology, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 0 Comments on Ecology Borders: 9 as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 39. Ecology Borders: 8 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/29/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 0 Comments on Ecology Borders: 8 as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 40. Ecology Borders: 7 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/28/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 0 Comments on Ecology Borders: 7 as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 41. Ecology Borders: 6 4 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/27/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 4 Comments on Ecology Borders: 6, last added: 2/27/2012 Display Comments Lori said, on 2/27/2012 6:00:00 AM really nice! Steve Morrison said, on 2/27/2012 9:04:00 AM Thanks, Lori! ashmae said, on 2/27/2012 9:19:00 AM i love this! thanks for making good things for kids. Steve Morrison said, on 2/27/2012 1:05:00 PM Thanks, Ash :) good to hear from you! Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 42. When Life Begins 1 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: yesisedit, on 2/26/2012 Blog: Yesisedit's Weblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  story, Thoughts, Art, politics, nature, science, Photography, Ideas, Poem, world, creation, Ecology, help, belief, insects, choices, society, Thank yous, Stories and art, Say it ain't so, 1, bail out, Fair-e-tale, Fuel for thought, My view, Life, greed, photo, Future, thought, look, political comment, Add a tag One of the, if not The, deepest questions of the universe. You have to start with what you believe is the force that is the creator of this life I believe. Some think of GOD as a human type creature in who’s image we are created, with long flowing hair, robes to make him modest though he needs to hide nothing from his creations as I see it, and a celestial kingdom where he, or she in some cases, sits reining judgement down upon the works he designed and gave free will to. I can not see that which created me in such limited form. I can not even envelope the concept of never ending or forever just because I am temporary in this form at least. I do however believe I was created from and by the “GOD” that has no limits and this is exactly why I think I am made in it’s likeness, BUT not in it’s totality, there are things missing if I am separate FROM God, God did not make me GOD, God, or even god, GOD made me human, GOD made everything else what it is too I believe but I think, like one atom in my body or even smaller than that, to infinity small, that part is still a part of GOD though never “GOD”, only a part, that the smallest part of me is still me, I am made in the likeness of and from GOD, I am alive, that smallest part of me is alive, GOD must also be alive if we are all part of everlasting life. Conclusion; Life never begins, it is never ended, It IS! Consciousness in itself does not prove to me that I am not alive. The fact that when sperm and egg combine and the DNA messages combine to spark cell multiplication (The spark of life if you will) and a plan is put into affect to form a body which will make a human or any other living thing would seem to be life to me. BUT it was life even before that! The EGG and the SPERM were also alive, donated by the life forms of at least two separate beings, who were made in the image of GOD, who is also alive. GOD talks to all of us in GOD’s own way. Some hear “Him” like “He” was talking in their language and sitting having tea I suppose. Others see the “Great Spirit” manifest as all that surrounds us and all that can not be seen or even heard but that still is. I am more from that camp I suppose but still believe all is possible. The right to life for me is hard to conceive when I believe that life is never ending. The right to life is not for me to tell you, you may or may not have though if you threaten my life I will not hesitate to use what ever is at my disposal to protect mine and stop yours! The question to me is more the quality of the life you give rather than just letting all life happen. If all in creation is from GOD then even the worst of it is sacred and the Jaines may be correct and may have more in line with current Christian values than most think. But if we do not take into account what we offer, if a human is brought into this world through violent action that threatens the life that brings it who is the killer here? The mother who was raped or is too young and will surely die from the birth or the entity being born who would kill it’s mother, most assuredly it would be the rapist but can we take his life either? I would say it is not my place to judge any of these unless they are me. I WILL FIGHT FOR MY LIFE! But a Mother must make the call of giving herself for another in my view. It may seem selfish or unjust but it must be hers with as much help and support from all sides as she can get. Advise and support but not Judgement and in the end her decision as final carrier of that which will always be alive to enter into this world. If you believe in eternal life you will not be sad for the soul who returns to it’s maker but wish it return another time 1 Comments on When Life Begins, last added: 2/26/2012 Display Comments rossfinn said, on 2/26/2012 11:10:00 AM Reblogged this on infoinno. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 43. Ecology Borders: 5 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/24/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 0 Comments on Ecology Borders: 5 as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 44. Ecology Borders: 2 1 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/21/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 1 Comments on Ecology Borders: 2, last added: 2/21/2012 Display Comments Lori said, on 2/21/2012 6:41:00 AM wonderful! Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 45. Ecology Borders: 1 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Steve Morrison, on 2/20/2012 Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  ecology, core knowledge, Add a tag This is part of a series of borders for an elementary school reader about ecology. 0 Comments on Ecology Borders: 1 as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 46. It’s about TIME! 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: yesisedit, on 12/9/2011 Blog: Yesisedit's Weblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  society, Thank yous, Stories and art, Say it ain't so, 1, bail out, Fair-e-tale, Words can be funny, Fuel for thought, My view, story, Fun, Thoughts, Art, politics, nature, humor, Photography, Ideas, Children's book, world, Ecology, help, Add a tag The world needs to be on a 24 hour time schedule, the same time anywhere in the world. That way no matter where you are in the world, day or night it will be the same time in New York, London, Moscow, you name it. If I tell you my business is open from 08:30 to 14:30 you will know exactly when that is where you are. There will be no daylight savings time either, if your boss wants to save daylight at his factory he will put out a memo that everyone will come in an hour earlier or later and the time will remain the same for everyone. Simple huh? 0 Comments on It’s about TIME! as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 47. Interview with Nancy Stewart, author of Sea Turtle Summer 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Mayra Calvani, on 12/6/2011 Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  sea turtles, sea turtle rescue, children’s environmental book, empowering kids, ecology, Add a tag Nancy is the bestselling author of the four Bella and Britt Series books for children:  One Pelican at a Time (eighteen weeks on Amazon Bestselling List), Sea Turtle Summer, Bella Saves the Beach and Mystery at Manatee Key. All are published by Guardian Angel Publishing. She and One Pelican at a Time and were featured in the PBS Tampa (WEDU) special, GulfWatch.  Pelican was nominated for a Global eBook Award and has won the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. Nancy’s travels take her extensively throughout the world, most particularly Africa. She is US chair of a charity in Lamu, Kenya, that places girls in intermediate schools to allow them to further their education. She and her husband live in Tampa and St. Louis. I understand you were a university professor teaching classes about children’s and young adult literature before you started writing. How did the leap from teacher to author come about?  I thought fleetingly about writing for children through my years as an academic, but it never seemed the right time.  After teaching children’s and young adult literature, though, the idea crystallized.  The day after my granddaughter, Leah, was born, I wrote my first children’s book, I Held You on the Day You Were Born.  Since then I’ve never looked back, and those pent-up books flow faster than I would ever have expected.  So, in a real way, Leah (who is now five) is the true catalyst behind my writing. What makes you passionate about writing for children?  My entire academic career has been about children, from teaching young kids to teaching pre-service teachers.  It was, I think, a natural segue to begin writing for them.  The combination of my love of all things books and the real joy I feel about children and their growing awareness of new ideas led me to this passion. Congratulations on the publication of your latest children’s picture book, Sea Turtle Summer. What was your inspiration for this story?  My morning walks on Clearwater Beach provide me with so many ideas, particularly for the Bella and Britt Series.  With Sea Turtle Summer, I walked by a cordoned off area of the beach that contained a sea turtle nest.  The orange tape and the affixed state seal warning about the serious consequences of tampering began the process in my mind. Clearwater Beach, always voted one of the three best beaches in the world, is a sea turtle’s nightmare if she happens to lay her eggs there.  There is so very much activity—from sun worshiping, to volleyball games, to kids’ digging sandcastles (hatchlings cannot get over them), the problem became defined. The tension was set up. All we needed was a sea turtle laying her eggs in an unfortunate place, and Bella and Britt were back on the job! Tell us something about your protagonist, Bella. What kind of girl is she and why do you think young readers will love her? Bella is a go-to girl.  She thinks on her feet, is self-assu 0 Comments on Interview with Nancy Stewart, author of Sea Turtle Summer as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 48. 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: yesisedit, on 12/5/2011 Blog: Yesisedit's Weblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  bail out, Fair-e-tale, Words can be funny, Fuel for thought, My view, story, Fun, Thoughts, politics, nature, humor, Photography, Ideas, world, Ecology, society, Say it ain't so, 1, childrens poems, Add a tag I look deeply into my Dog’s eyes and wonder “if we really knew the others thoughts beyond what we do now, would we really like each other?” I suspect I would still like his character very much but believe he may reevaluate me. 0 Comments on as of 12/5/2011 11:47:00 AM Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 49. 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: yesisedit, on 11/17/2011 Blog: Yesisedit's Weblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Ecology, society, Fuel for thought, My view, The gulf of Mexico, Add a tag Life…A fun attempt to mess with your parent’s sanity. Death…An opposite and, as far as we know, equal reaction to taxes. Heaven…The merging of life,death and your local coffee shop.   0 Comments on as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 50. Book Review: The Adventures of Zeppi: New Friends (book 1) 0 Comments | Previous | Top | By: Mayra Calvani, on 10/11/2011 Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  children's books, C.K. Omillin, penguin stories for children, omillin planet, penguins, ecology, animal stories, planet, green planet, eco, Add a tag The Adventures of Zeppi: New Friends (book 1) By C.K. Omillin Blurb.com Children’s picture book, 24 pages, $15.55 www.omillinplanet.com In the middle of the night, a mysterious red truck races down Happy Town. Its cargo? Cages filled with penguins on their way to be shipped to another country. Suddenly the doors fling open and one cage rolls down the street and lands in a garden. From it, a little penguin steps out fearfully, awed at the world around him. Up until now, he has only known the constraints of the zoo. In the morning, a boy named Alesdor discovers him and decides to keep him. Naturally, they immediately click and become the best of friends. Though the little penguin, Zeppi, is heartbroken from being separated from the rest of his family, he finds warmth and affection in Alesdor, who is as anxious for a friend as his new companion. This children’s book by first-time Belgian author C.K. Omillin put a smile on my face throughout; not only because it’s about a penguin (and who doesn’t love penguins?), but because the story is sweet and weaves elements of friendship, family and ecological, planet-friendly values. This is the first instalment in Th 0 Comments on Book Review: The Adventures of Zeppi: New Friends (book 1) as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag View Next 16 Posts © 2017 Jacketflap.com                         About Us   FAQ   Advertise on JacketFlap   About our Widgets program for Publishers   Privacy   Terms