Check Out My "Green" Family Post at BlissTree

I'm now writing at BlissTree about Parenting and Crafting. There are many opportunities to be "green" in those areas.

Check out my post, Parenting for the "Green" Family, and let me know how you're going green in your home.

Creating Children's Container Gardens

Spring is the time of year when children plant container gardens at school. From kindergarten through about third grade, youngsters learn about green and growing things by planting seeds in paper cups or other containers at school.

Often these are planned so they can bring a growing bean plant, or perhaps marigold home to mom for Mother's Day. My daughter did this in elementary school, as did both grandchildren. Then we waited until we were sure the frost was gone before we planted them in the garden outside.

When I substitute teach in these grades, the children always are ready to show me the "gardens" they have growing in the classroom and want to water them so much the plants nearly drown. However, it's delightful to see youngsters so excited about gardening.

Also, check out these Gardening Resources for Families.

Writers Publish Related Books for Youngsters & Adults

Writers are taught to "get the most mileage" from the material we research and write. When we write a book, can we write others in the same vein or related to it? You'll even find this in the children's book writing field.

When I discovered the children's story book, The Quiltmaker's Gift, I didn't realize there were related books with quilt patterns and suggestions. In researching an answer for a reader's question about this book, I discovered more and wrote about them in Follow-up Books for the Quiltmaker's Gift. You may want to check out these books:

The Quiltmaker's Gift
Quilts From the Quiltmaker's Gift
More Quilts From the Quiltmaker's Gift

Books About Daylight Saving Time & Spring

Discover facts and figures (the curious and the ordinary) about Spring and Daylight Saving Time

Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time by David Prerau
Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing
Crafting Springtime Gifts: 25 Adorable Projects Featuring Bunnies, Chicks, Lambs & Other Springtime Favorites by Tone Finnanger
Time for Change: Setting Clocks Forward by One Hour Thorughout the Year by Mayer Hillman
The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Writing Ideas from Photos

Check out Mary Emma's Writing Tips at One Book Two Book for suggestions on developing writing prompts from photos. One photo can yield ideas for many types of writing. In this post, I've used a photo from my childhood of Nubble Lighthouse, Cape Neddick, Maine.

I'm also incorporating this idea into a workshop I'm teaching this week for a group of homeschoolers.

(If you'd like to learn more about my workshops for young writers, e-mail me at me.allen@juno.com .)

Mary Emma Allen Published in Anthology

Book Bag blogger, Mary Emma Allen has stories featured in the new release, Eternally Yours, an anthology of poetry, light essays, devotions and meditations, edited by Mary Ellen Grisham and published by Xulon Press.

Featuring some of the best Christian writers on the Internet, this book represents work that has appeared in the Eternal Ink E-zine since it’s inception in 1999.

In addition, Mary gives presentations and teaches workshops at schools, libraries, writers’ conferences, and for other groups. Some of her talks include topics such as Alzheimer's and caregiving, quilt history and quiltmaking, New Hampshire history, and writing.

I was pleased when Ms. Grisham selected some of my stories for inclusion in this anthology. It's exciting to encourage and inspire others with my writing.

Happy Valentine's Day from Book Bag Blog

Happy Valentine's Day!

May this be a special day for you.

We have been enjoying Valentine's Day flowers, cards and candy. This was a fun day at school yesterday with the Valentine parties.

Today the children in our household are enjoying it, too.

What have you been doing for Valentine's Day?

Gardening Books & Resources for Families

When I wrote the post at my blog, One Book Two Book, Thoughts of Gardening for Young and Older, I planned a companion one with information about books on gardening that might appeal to families. There are some books and gardening resources that may be of interest:

Gardening with Kids by Catherine Woran and Martyn Cox
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy
Gardening with Children (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide)
In the Garden with Van Gogh by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober
Seedfolks, a novel about planting and gardening and neighbors together by Paul Fleischmangh

ToySmith Garden Tote with Tools
The Rumford Gardener Watering Can with 3 Tools
Children's Folding Gardening Seat with Tool Storage

A Valentine's Journey Writing Prompt

Check out the writing prompt for youngsters, A Valentine's Journey, at my b5 media blog, One Book Two Book.

This is a fun activity youngsters...and adults...may enjoy. I know a variation of it was fun for students I worked with the other day.

Valentine's Day & Family Fun

Do you and your family participate in Valentine's Day festivities?

This was a fun family day when I was a youngster because Mother made it so. She had been a school teacher and held parties for her students. Thus, she incorporated some of these ideas into festivities for my sister, two brothers and me, even though she was a busy farm wife.

• Mother often decorated a cake with white frosting and red hearts. When we were old enough, sister and I did this for her.
• She helped us with making and addressing valentines for family members. When we were in school we had exchanges there, too.
• Mother planned a special night meal for Valentine's Day, with the cake and fruit for dessert. There was only our family...four children, Mother, Father and the hired man...but we had a joyous time.
• We made decorations to hang around the kitchen (the warmest room in our farmhouse during winter), and name cards for each place setting.

Suggestions for books and other items:

The Night Before Valentine's Day (picture book)
Where Is Baby's Valentine (lift-a-flap book)
My Fuzzy Valentine (Sesame Street Board Book)
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (DVD)
Disney Valentine Assortment

What do you and your family do for Valentine's Day at your house?

Rainbow Fish - Is It Controversial?

Periodically, comments crop up on posts concerning the picture book, The Rainbow Fish over at my One Book Two Book blog. Some readers seem to feel it's a controversial one and spouts socialist propaganda. Other readers see it as a lovely story with a light moral and unique, colorful illustrations.

Perhaps you'd like to check out these posts and let me know what you think.

Interpreting an Author's Meaning - Particularly in The Rainbow Fish

What Does The Rainbow Fish Mean? Is There An Underlying Meaning?

Rainbow Fish Makes a Comeback at Our House


(The Rainbow Fish available at Amazon - link above)

Check Out This Week's Obama Writing Tip at One Book Two Book

Mary Emma's Writing Tip of the Week

Each Sunday, I try to post a writing tip at my One Book Two Book blog. This week, since we've just experienced the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I gave some suggestions for writing about this occasion.

For some ideas, check out Mary Emma's Writing Tip - What Did You Think of the Inauguration?

The World of Abraham Lincoln & His Connection to Obama's Inauguration

With so many references to Abraham Lincoln, during Barack Obama's Inauguration festivities, it might be helpful to have some resources so youngsters can learn more about our 16th President. He was criticized during his term in office and was blamed for mistakes in the Civil War fought at that time.

Yet he was important to the black people because he issued the Emancipation Proclamation giving the slaves their freedom. Also, his leadership ensured that our country stayed together.

Abraham Lincoln for Kids: His Life & Times with 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Janis Herbert
A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler
A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden
Abraham Lincoln and His Family Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney
You Are There: Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Moments: The Emancipation Proclamation/The Gettysburg Address (DVD) starring Walte Cronkite and Paul Birch
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America by Allen C. Guelzo
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln (The Story of the Gettysburg Address) by Jean Fritz
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips (One of my favorite books about Lincoln)
Emancipation Proclamation Silk Necktie (produced for the NY Historical Society from Lincoln's handwritten original)

Obama & Presidency Books to Inform Young Readers

Whether you voted for Obama or not, he has become the President of the United States. As such, he'll affect our lives, our country and the world. So that the you and your youngsters can keep abreast of current happenings regarding the Presidency and the 44th President, I've compiled a few books and resources here.

Barack Obama, President for a New Era (Gateway Biographies) by Marlene Targ Brill
Barack Obama: Our 44th President by Beatrice Gormley
Barack Obama: Out of Many, One (Step Into Reading) by Shana Corey
Michelle Obama: Meet the First Lady by David Bergen Brophy
The U. S. Presidency (Our Government) by Muriel L. Dubois
The American Journey of Barack Obama by the Editors of Life Magazine
The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Patricia A. Pingry
Time Line Presidents Presidents Learning Placemat
Presidents of the USA Floor Puzzle

Do you have any favorite books about Obama, the Presidency or other Presidents?

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's " Take" on Literary Fiction for Children & Adults

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This is the Place, The Frugal Book Promoter, and The Frugal Editor, ponders why so much sci-fi, fantasy and romance is published, but less and less literary fiction? I think you'll enjoy her ideas. Even though Book Bag Blog deals mainly with books for youngsters and teens, Carolyn's guest post may set you thinking.

For me the real topic is this: Why is it that literary fiction seems to be losing readers? The only reason my literary novel This Is the Place sold well in 2001 (at least for a first novel) is that I am also a marketer and took lots of time nurturing the sales and thinking of angles that would appeal to large segments of readers (yes, like the romantic aspect, that it is based on a true story, etc)

Here are some reasons I think literary work is not being read, in no particular order:

• Literary fiction (including poetry) isn't being published, at least not in the numbers it was published in the past.
• 
  Publishers are assigning their marketing dollars to their top authors and stars and very nearly ignoring their midlist people. In fact, they aren't building midlists in any genre as they once did which doesn't bode well for publishing in general as the big names age and retire.
• 
  Our education system isn't encouraging critical thinking or reading.
• 
  Our education system is failing to teach reading/vocabulary building, etc. at a level required by many literary novels. So must we dumb-down our literary writing?
• 
  Evidenced by the way our culture votes for their leaders, it doesn't much value anything intellectual. No matter what your politics I think we writers might agree that Obama's critical thinking, speaking and writing skills might be an encouraging sign for the future.
• Parents are busy working to bring two, three and even four incomes. That doesn't leave them enough time to participate in their own children's educations.

Please don't forget to discuss the sorry state of poetry. I read recently that even poets aren't buying books or chapbooks of poetry. Sorry, I can't find the article in my files.

Carolyn's web site: How To Do It Frugally.

Children's Story Books That Develop Spin-off Appeal

Children's story books sometimes develop wider appeal than simply telling a tale. This is the case of The Quiltmaker's Gift which has evolved into spin-offs that offer quilting patterns.

I'd read The Quiltmaker's Gift to children when I was subsitute teaching and mentioned it on my Quilting and Patchwork blog. A reader inquired where she might find fabric with the Quilter's Gift as a theme.

As I was researching her query (and I haven't found any fabric yet, but asked for other quilters' input), I discovered some books with quilt patterns that accompany the story book, called Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift and More Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift.

Another quilter read my post at Quilting and Patchwork today and said she checked out these quilt pattern books and discovered they are "must haves." She's going to get one as a gift for a friend, too.

Books to Check Out for Tots through Teens

From time to time, I compile lists of books for young and YA readers. Here are some in categories I've been researching:

Bird Books: Stories, Information & Fun

World War II Books for Children & YA

Controversial Books

When you check out these lists, you'll also find the information about where they're available. Also, you may be able to find most of them in your local library.

Who Attended the J K Rowling Tea Party?

A month ago, I wrote about a tea party with Harry Potter author, J K Rowling, some children in England would be attending. This was a highly publicized event celebrating of the release of Rowling's new book, Tales of Beedle the Bard.

I was wondered if anyone attending the tea party reads any of my blogs. It would be fun if you'd leave a comment and let us know how you enjoyed this special tea party. Was Mom as excited as you?

Were there any other tea parties going on to note this occasion...in libraries, bookstores, homes, schools? If so, what were they like?

Happy New Year's from Book Bag Blog

May 2009 be a wonderful year for you.

It's cold (3 degrees F.) and windy here where I live. (A perfect day for curling up with a good book!)

But we're looking forward to a grand 2009.