Hello, June!
Everything’s green and growing, and good things are happening . . .
1. Big Congratulations to Jorge Argueta and Margarita Sada for winning an International Latino Book Award for Guacamole: A Cooking Poem! The award was given for best Children’s Fiction Picture Book (Bilingual). Most of you know how much I love Jorge’s Cooking Poem series, and I’m sooooo glad to see a poetry book win in this category. Read my interview with Jorge to find out more about Guacamole. 
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2. Happy Happy Book Birthday to Tara Lazar!!! Her debut picture book illustrated by James Burks, The Monstore (Aladdin/S&S, 2013), is officially out today!! Finally, finally, I’ll know just where to shop for all my monsterly needs. Sounds like such a wild and funny book — can’t wait to get my mitts on a copy. You can learn more by reading Tara’s recent interviews at Literary Friendships and Watch. Connect. Read.
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3. Since June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, we’re featuring several of Cris Arbo’s beautiful illustrations from What’s in the Garden? (Dawn Publications, 2013) in our blog header. Can’t wait to tell you more about this delicious book in my Poetry Friday post!
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4. Speaking of fresh veggies, I can’t wait to try this recipe for Asparagus Frittata, charmingly illustrated by Aliona Bereghici. Aliona’s recipe was selected as They Draw & Cook’s favorite for May 2013.
(click to enlarge)
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5. Finally, have you ever tried to grow a vegetable garden from kitchen scraps? The only thing I’ve ever done involved an avocado pit mounted on toothpicks. Check out this thoroughly cool video created by my niece Cobi at Veggietorials.com for some great ideas, and be sure to read her corresponding blog post for more detailed instructions.
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Know what else is good about June? Sir Paul McCartney’s birthday is on the 18th — he’s going to be 71!
“So if I’m cooking, I’ll be steaming vegetables, making salad, that kind of stuff.”
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Copyright © 2013 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
Since I really wanted to impress any grandmotherly prospects, I decided to forego the classic white potatoes recipe in favor of something a little different. Actually, I got a special request from poet friend Gail Gerwin to share the Sweet Potato-Apple Latkes recipe from 
Well, it seems Sir Paul has decided to turn 70 today and I can’t think of any other classic rocker who’s managed to age quite so well. Still has his boyish good looks and charm, still writes, records, performs and tours, still the idol of millions all over the world. Whenever I see him, I still feel like that innocent middle schooler watching the Ed Sullivan Show, so lucky to have witnessed that watershed moment in history when popular music changed forever.
