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Posts Tagged ‘picture books’

friday feast: are your tomatoes laughing?

Posted in book reviews (all genres), poetry friday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2013 | 33 Comments »

Seriously, who could resist a poetry book called Laughing Tomatoes?

Well, I certainly couldn’t, but I shamefully admit I didn’t actually know about this fabuloso feast of pure delight until just a few months ago.

This Pura Belpré Honor Award-winning bilingual 20-poem collection by Chicano poet Francisco X. Alarcón and Maya Christina Gonzalez was first published by Children’s Book Press back in 1997. Where was I?!

Likely staring at grumpy, aloof tomatoes and not appreciating strawberries for the “sweet tender hearts” they are, living a bland life full of ho-hum edibles, certainly not hearing the warm morning sun calling to me through my window, and — *shakes head* — totally oblivious to dew, “the fresh taste of the night.”

But now, having read this glorious, jubilant celebration of Spring and its earthly delights, family, culture and community, my life is complete!

I’m happy to say Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems/Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera is one of my favorite children’s poetry books ever. :)

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we have two caperlicious winners!

Posted in just for fun, picture books, tagged , , , on June 5, 2013 | 25 Comments »

Remember when Mr. Cornelius fell victim to caper-lollipop-induced bad behavior?

You’ll be happy to hear that after learning that hard lesson, he’s been the model of good behavior.

*cue in angelic harp music*

No cookie stealing, no boozing, no bad words, no dumping on the dumplings.

In fact, he’s been so good, he didn’t once nag beg ask to pick the winners for the The Great Lollipop Caper Giveaway.

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five happy things on a tuesday

Posted in picture books, sides, salads, and appetizers, tagged , , , , , , on June 4, 2013 | 24 Comments »

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. :)

jorge's award

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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.

monstore cover

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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.

asparagus frittata

(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.

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friday feast: a chat with author and poet frances h. kakugawa (+ a giveaway!)

Posted in poetry friday, asian pacific american heritage month, author/illustrator interviews, picture books, tagged , , , , , , on May 31, 2013 | 26 Comments »

“What would happen if all the poets in the world wrote poems to save our forests, rivers, animals, earth, air and oceans? Wouldn’t that be something?” ~ Wordsworth the Mouse Poet

frances planting three

Frances and Wordsworth plant a koa tree at Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods in honor of their new book, Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer! (photo by Tammy Antonio)

Happy Poetry Friday!

I’m delighted and honored to welcome back award-winning author, poet and educator Frances H. Kakugawa to Alphabet Soup!

You may remember when I shared her beautiful and poignant poem, “Emily Dickinson, I Am Somebody,”  (written in the voice of an Alzheimer’s patient), and we learned more about how writing poetry can help ease the heavy burden of caregiving.

wordsworth singleToday, Frances is here to tell us a little about her heartwarming, award-winning series of children’s picture books featuring Wordsworth, the poetry-writing mouse. All three stories, a unique combination of poetry + prose, celebrate the power and wonder of poetry, the enduring value of friendship, and the primacy of the imagination.

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moon mangoes by lindy shapiro and kathleen peterson

Posted in asian pacific american heritage month, book reviews (all genres), picture books, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 21, 2013 | 12 Comments »

moon mangoes cover

Imagine a magical Hawaiian night with a fat, round moon streaming its silvery light on ocean and shore, illuminating a mango tree drooping “with heavy, ripe fruit.”

A mother and daughter sit on the lanai of a tiny blue house that is “tucked under the tree’s broad branches,” engaging in a fanciful dialog of “what if” questions and answers. There’s no limit to little Ānuenue’s* curiosity and wild imaginings, no boundaries to her mother’s love.

What if I ate up all those mangoes one by one, and I got so full of them that I turned into a mango tree?

Then I would bring you fresh, cool water to drink every morning. I’d gently pull out any weeds that block the sun and keep the soil healthy for your roots to grow deep and strong. And I would spend my days resting in your shade so that I could tell you about the fantastic adventures of your great-great-grandparents.

Moon Mangoes, a warmhearted, stunningly illustrated picture book that Papertigers reviewer Aline Pereira calls, “an ode to children’s imagination and a meditation on parental love,” has all the makings of a modern classic alongside such perennial favorites as Mama, Do You Love Me? and The Runaway Bunny.

moon mangoes two

I love the pairing of Lindy Shapiro’s lyrical, poetic narrative with Kathleen Peterson’s highly evocative, color saturated spreads rendered in rich jewel tones. Here is a universal theme presented with a distinct Hawaiian flavor, illuminating the lush, natural beauty of the islands and the spirituality and animism characterizing the native peoples.

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