Connections

Personal connections are important to everyone, and that is one of the reasons I enjoy being a part of our local Farmers' Market. It gives me an opportunity to interact with people in my community that I wouldn't normally know and an opportunity to share my struggles and triumphs as well as theirs.

This past Saturday was our first market day after a long winter and I welcomed vendors both new and old with a smile and a joyful heart. I hugged a customer who lost her husband last year and rejoiced that she was doing well with the help of friends and family. And I mourned the loss of a customer who used to bring his small dog to visit all of us at the market each week.

I chatted with my maple syrup vendor about the complexities of raising a teenager, I took pictures, and I sold lots of mini quick breads. In essence, I lived life, I interacted with those around me, and hopefully, my existence made a difference.

The two books I read for this week's review were both about connections. The first book, Through With The Zoo, was a story of a small goat from the petting zoo who longed to get away from all the people and other animals and find a space of quiet and serenity. He searched high and low for such a space and when he finally found it, he realized that we all need a balance between alone space and time with others.

The second book, Mango, Abuela, and Me was the story of a young girl whose Spanish speaking grandmother moved in with her family and shared a room with her. At first it was difficult for the two to communicate, but soon the young girl decides they can teach each other. With the help of a new parrot which keeps the grandmother company while the girl is at school, the three soon become bilingual and have much to share with each other.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Niagara Falls and Diversity

This past week, Emily, myself, and Emily's Aunt Kay made our much awaited trip to Niagara Falls where we had a fabulous time despite my having contracted a poison ivy rash before we left. We settled in to our hotel about ten minutes from the downtown area and opted to take a tour with Gray Line Niagara Falls on our first full day. Our tour guide, Larry D. The Legend, led us on an informative journey to see the whirl pool which is the only spot of water in the Northern hemisphere where the water moves counter clockwise, Through the Cave of the Winds where Emily and Aunt Kay felt the force of the hurricane deck, and onto the Maid of the Mist where we got up close and personal with the American and Canadian falls.

We picked an opportune week to visit as the gulls were nesting, and we were able to see chicks just a few inches away from the path we strode upon.

On our own one evening, we took a jaunt to the lights. I found the casino on the Canadian side fascinating as well and admired the constantly changing colors of the building lights.

We managed to slip in a stop at a chocolate factory where we watched two ladies make chocolate suckers and we sampled some delicious ice-cream.

On our last day we did a little antiquing in a town forty minutes away and when we returned we explored down town Niagara where you never know what you might find around the next  corner.

And as we toured all the wonderful spots, we spent time chatting with a mother and daughter from England, a mother who was visiting with her two daughters, one of whom was born in Japan, and her two parents who were visiting from Cuba. We passed many Asian families on vacation just like us, and we saw many Indian families enjoying the plethora of Indian restaurants dotting the area.

This diversity of people is what lead me to pick the book A Different Pond out of my review stack when we arrived home. A Different Pond is the story of an early morning fishing trip and the bond between a son and father. A Vietnamese Family who moved to America after the Vietnam War, they are poor, and not only must the father and mother hold down multiple jobs, the father must fish to provide food for the family. I found this story touching not only because it shows a family much different than the one I experienced growing up, but also because it seemed to me to be the authors way of honoring his parents who were also Vietnamese refugees.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Children's Book Week and Diversity

Normally my children's book reviews show up every Monday, but in honor of children's book week, I thought I would squeeze in an extra review. Since the only book that I haven't yet read at my house is Henry & The Incredible Incorrigible, Inconveniently Intelligent Smart Human by Lynn Messina, a trip to the library was mandatory. But don't worry, the review for that title will be forthcoming in a few weeks.

While at the library browsing, I noticed a book with a great cover that immediately made me think of the book diversity conversations that have been going on in social media lately. So I scouted around a bit  more and found some other books that looked diverse and decided that's what I would post about today.

The book whose cover caught my eye, Our Community Garden, provoked a conversation between the children's librarian and I. She informed me that our town, Shelby, Ohio has it's very own community garden. I wasn't aware of this and as soon as it stops raining, I think I will go down and have a look see.

Meanwhile, I really enjoyed reading Our Community Garden which takes place in San Francisco. Several school aged children live next door to a community garden where they each plant something different. Tom`as grows tomatillos for his famous salsa, Cassandra grows carrots, Allison Chin grows asparagus beans, and Audrey grows skinny, purple, eggplant. When harvest time roles around, everyone makes a special dish out of the vegetables they grew and they all have a community feast.

Not only does this book show a diverse group of children, it also promotes community which seems to be lacking quite a bit in this day and age. I heartily recommend this book!

As I continued to wander the aisles looking for any books that might catch my eye, I saw two additional books by an author I had previously read. A while back, I read Everybody Bakes Bread, by Norah Dooley, which I enjoyed immensely. So when I saw Everybody  Brings Noodles and Everybody Cooks Rice, I knew they were must reads for my diversity post.

In Everybody Brings Noodles, Carrie helps arrange a neighborhood block party. Everyone is making something special to eat, and each dish turns out to be a noodle dish. This thrills Carrie to pieces since noodles are her favorite food and she has a blast trying noodles dishes from all around the world.

In Everybody Cooks Rice, Carrie's mother sends her off to fetch her brother for dinner. As  Carrie visits each neighbor where she thinks her brother might be, they are all cooking rice dishes from different countries around the world. Each family offers Carrie a small helping, and by the time she returns home,  she is too full to eat the rice dish her mother has made.

What I love about these books are the glimpses into a community of diverse families and the different ethnic recipes they are preparing. And a beautiful bonus to each book is the inclusion of recipes at the end. Not only do these books entice me with their interesting stories, but they appeal to the cook in me as well.  And speaking of rice, if you want to add a new recipe as well as new reads to your diet, here is a rice recipe that is a favorite at our house.

Yellow Chicken Curry (Indian)

1 pound skinless boneless chicken diced
1 TBS Red Curry Paste
2 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Yellow curry powder
1 can coconut milk
1 can cooked sliced carrots
1 can sliced white potatoes
2 cups instant brown rice cooked

In large skillet cook chicken and set aside. In now empty skillet add curry paste, sugar, curry powder, and coconut milk. Mix thoroughly and simmer on medium heat. Next, add carrots and potatoes which have been drained. Last, add chicken and stir well. Simmer for about ten minutes so the flavors can blend. Serve over prepared rice.

Well, that about wraps it up for today. Join me next week for another exciting episode on my normal Monday. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.