Tiny Treasury

As a mom of two young daughters, I am very sensitive to this notion of the connection between females and the fields of math and science.

I was a math girl - math team, math minor, attended the NC School of Science and Mathematics. But I was acutely aware that this wasn’t encouraged. I guess I realized this for the first time when my friends thought I should “play dumb” during a math competition. I had just bested my “steady” at try-outs and that was viewed as a death sentence. I could do okay at math, they said, just don’t embarrass the boys.

By the time that I enrolled in college (at an all women’s college), I was struggling to remember why I liked math. I enrolled as a history major and tested into Calculus (we were required to take one math class). During Calculus, my professor, Dorothy Preston, took me aside one day and gave me a pat on the back. I was, she told me, good at this. Next semester, I took Calculus 2, then Calculus 3… you get the picture.

I am now a tax attorney, a field that is hardly proliferated with women. And (gulp) I like math - despite the stereotypes, despite the Barbies that were programmed to say “Math is hard!” (remember those?).

I am so glad that I didn’t just become a statistic, another girl that gave up math in junior high, when in wasn’t cool anymore. My senior college thesis was a report on the connections between girls and math/science - and the ages at which interest and retention in those subjects decreased. It is very clearly in junior high and my “attitude surveys” in the local schools showed that girls perceived math to be fun and easy until puberty. What changed at that age? The coolness factor. The number of girls interested in math after that plummeted.

It is, then, encouraging and refreshing, to see someone willing to take center stage and be a good role model for girls who are interested in math. Huge kudos to brainy (and beautiful) Danica McKellar for choosing to transform her celebrity into something positive instead of taking the dumb party girl route favored by such embarrassments as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.

Danica’s book, “Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without breaking a nail or losing your mind” goes on sale this week. If you know a middle school aged girl, I hope that you’ll consider preordering it.

Positive role models for girls in Hollywood these days are far and few between. I hope that this inspires girls to take a second look at math - and what success and math can mean (there’s a link on Danica’s web site where she discusses the correllation between math and the arts).

math, girls, Danica McKellar

My girls are nuts about Food TV lately. Tops on their collective lists are Giada DeLaurentis and Rachael Ray.

So it was with a lot of glee that they received this Rachael Ray cookbook for their birthdays. It added to their cookbook collection which already consisted of this Emeril cookbook and the New Junior cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens.

Okay, first things first. My favorite is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

It’s well organized and the recipes are kid favorites. Each recipe has nutrition info and serving info - important for moms - in a clear, easy to find box at the top. Many have serving suggestions or interesting facts about the food.

The food is simple, nothing earth-shattering or fancy, but lots of kid favorites - and even a couple of craft recipes in the back. Of all of the cookbooks, it’s by far the better value.

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For the most part, I’m an Emeril fan.

I think he’s a little over the top these days but I’ve been to his show and I can attest to the fact that he’s a showman and a cook. Sometimes, the TV personalities on cooking shows forget that last bit.

I actually bought this book myself, at full price. It wasn’t a gift or a comp. I liked the idea of the international flavors. We try to get our kids to eat a lot of different things.

I found some of Emeril’s choices a bit odd, I have to admit. I’m not sure why he chose some things (German apple pancakes) over others (no pretzels?). But the availability of choices is good - considering it’s geared towards kids, there are a lot of countries represented from Cuba to Morocco to Ireland.

Emeril spends a lot of time giving cooking advice in the beginning. I’m not sure why this was included. Chances are, kids won’t read that bit, and parents should already know a lot of the safety info. That said, the “Caution symbols” for each recipe are a good idea to alert you as to whether the recipes might be appropriate for your age child.

Each recipe has a blurb about the history or culture for the dish and a map of the country of origin. There is surprisingly no nutrition info. It’s an attractive and informative cookbook but not very useful.

And the “Emeril Restaurant Guide” at the end was self-indulgent and not necessary.

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Lastly, there’s Rachael Ray. Now, my kids LOOOVE her. They go nuts when they see her picture. My three year old can even ID her as a cartoon on the cover of her book and pick her out in the cookware at Kohls.

Her cookbook is cute enough. It is cleverly arranged according to age, which is helpful on the surface. The problem is, if you’re looking for say, soup, that a 5 year old can make, you’re taking your chances with this book. It’s not chock full of recipes. It’s actually more full of drawings, stories and anecdotes. Like Rachael’s TV show, it’s really about entertainment with a side of cooking. And that’s okay for the kiddos for a bit. But when they’re in the “can we make something” mood, it’s not terribly helpful.

There are no groundbreaking recipes here, and quite frankly, nothing that you haven’t made before - except maybe presented differently. And for kids, there’s nothing wrong with that.

My oldest daughter (she’s 5) loves the book. The size of it is kid friendly (it’s small) and the illustrations are very kid-appealing - the picture of the “worms and eyeballs” recipe makes her giggle every time. Again, it’s just weak on the cooking side. But Katie’s too young to figure that out.

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All in all, I think it’s great to expose kids to culture in books and that includes books about food. But I think you have to be careful to ID many of these books for what they are: entertainment. If you’re looking to seriously interest your kids in food, I suggest that you stick with the classics and keep it simple.

Bon Appetit!

Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, Better Homes and Gardens, kids cookbooks, cooking, children, recipes

Just in time for Memorial Day, the Smithsonian Institute has published Sarah Thompson’s My Flag Book.

First, the positives:

- I love board books. My kids love board books. They are indestructible. So, thumbs up on the choice to go board book.

- The pricing. After shelling out far too much lately on new books, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the book sells for $5.99. Totally reasonable.

- It’s interactive. Each page asks a learning question - exactly the kind of thing that you’d expect from the Smithsonian Institute.

Now, the not so positives:

- The promotional materials claim that the book is for “up to age 5.” I don’t know many five year olds who would be captivated by the limited text. I think the book is really geared more for ages 1-3. My one year old liked flipping the pages and my three year old liked answering the questions. My five year old had zero interest.

- The book is a little on the, um, American pride side. Now, I mean no disrespect. I’m as patriotic as the next girl. But the “Do we love our flag?” bit at the end is really difficult to describe to a small child. It’s hard to explain why we *love* the flag to a toddler - and that being the “why?” stage, you can expect it to come up. I think, in the series of questions, it’s the most out of place.

I appreciate the difficulty in translating some material for the toddler crowd. And the book does a fairly decent job of getting there.

Memorial Day, patriotism, flag

It’s the Friday Fifteen! Today’s guest is Eileen Kennedy-Moore, an author, psychologist, and mother of four lively children (ages 14, 11, 8, & 5).

She says:

After my first child was born, I knew I wanted to be mostly home with her, but I also wanted to keep my finger in my field, so I co-authored a book for mental health professionals, called “Expressing Emotion” (Guilford Press). It was a huge undertaking, with 47 pages of references, but I enjoyed the process and learned a tremendous amount. I also “caught the bug” and knew that I wanted to keep writing.

My second book, also co-authored, is for parents. It’s called “The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Make Friends” (Little, Brown). It describes nine example kids who struggle socially, and offers practical ideas about how parents and teachers can help.

My third book, “What About Me? Twelve Ways to Get Your Parent’s Attention Without Hitting Your Sister” (Parenting Press) is for children 3-8, and it’’s my sentimental favorite. When my son was a frisky four-year old, he got into trouble too often for hitting his sisters. As a mom and a psychologist, I know that one of the best ways to handle misbehavior is to teach kids positive ways to ask for what they need. So, I made him a little booklet out of index cards, showing lots of positive ways to get my attention. My son loved it, and it definitely helped increase the peace in our home! This little booklet was the basis for “What About Me?”

“What About Me?” actually works on two levels: For kids, it’’s a “how-to” book that helps them cope with feelings of jealousy or being left out. It offers them choices rather than “shoulds.” For parents, it’’s a gentle reminder to catch our children “being good.” It’’s easy to notice when our children are hitting or carrying on, but we need to make a conscious effort to respond when they are being kind, helpful, or creative.

And now, onto the Friday Fifteen!

1. Where are you now?

I have a private psychotherapy practice in Princeton, NJ.

2. What were your favorite books as a kid?

I loved “From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.” I loved the mystery and the resourcefulness of the characters.

3. What are you reading now?

I’’m reading a bunch of psychology books plus “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” for my book club.

4. Do you have kids?

Yes, I have four lively children, ages 14, 11, 8, & 5.

5. What projects are you working on now?

I’’m working on two books for parents, one on practical tips for raising a big family, and another on the social and emotional needs of high-ability children. I also have two children’’s books in the works: one on worries, and one about a child’’s view of love.

6. What is your biggest writing or illustrating luxury?

I adore my Mac PowerBook laptop. I’ve used it so much, there’s actually a worn spot where my hands rest!

7. Coffee or tea?

Either, as long as it’s decaf.

8. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).

I’’m embarrassed to say I don’’t have an iPod. Musically, my test is pretty eclectic, although I like to be able to sing along. My 14-year old does NOT appreciate this.

9. What would I be surprised to know about you?

I grew up overseas. My father worked for a multinational company, so we spent three years in Peru and five years in Spain before I was in high school. I loved having the chance to see the world at a young age. I also think it made my family very close and gave me confidence that I could make friends anywhere.

10. What college did you attend (in what subject)?

I was an undergraduate psychology major at Northwestern University, in Evanston, IL, just outside Chicago. My PhD is from SUNY Stony Brook, on Long Island.

11. If you weren’t working with kids’ books, what would your dream job be?

I really enjoy how each of my “jobs” – author, therapist, speaker, mom – draws from and enriches the others. To be honest, sometimes I feel like I’’m doing one of those circus acts where the performer has a bunch of plates spinning on tall poles, and dashes franticly from pole to pole to keep them from falling. But overall, I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do such a variety of work that I love.

12. What’s the best thing on TV right now?

I’’m not a big TV watcher. I’’d rather read or write or chat with my husband in the evening.

13. How did you get your “big break” into the field?

Perseverance. With my first book, we sent a proposal to ten possible publishers. The ninth place publisher wrote back nine pages, typed single space, about how much they hated the book. They didn’’t quite say, “”If we saw it sitting in the street, we would spit upon it,”” but pretty darn close. I felt devastated. A few weeks later, we had a bidding war between our top two publisher choices. Go figure.

With my children’’s book, the publisher that ultimately accepted it sat on the manuscript for a year. After they accepted it, though, they were terrific. My publisher at Parenting Press helped me turn a good idea into a great book. I really enjoyed the experience of working with a small press.

14. Which celeb would you want most to meet?

I’m not a celeb watcher. I just don’t have time.

15. Who is the best book character EVER?

I don’t have a favorite character. For me, part of the fun of books is getting to “meet” lots of different people and see the world through their eyes. That, and watching people make real changes in their lives, is also what I enjoy about doing therapy.

Anything else?

SOME GENERAL ADVICE:

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO SOMETHING, DO IT. Lots of people say, “Oh, I’d love to write a book!” but never do anything about it. They make excuses for not doing what they want to do. “My life is too hectic.” “I need to be more qualified.” That’s nonsense. Life is always too hectic. You can learn as you go. You can seek out the information or the help you need. Doing what you want to do takes simple nerve, determination, and hard work.

With everything else I have going on, I don’’t break any speed records writing my books, but little by little, I get them done. With my first two books, I did most of my writing typing one-handed while nursing a baby late at night. It does get easier as the kids get older, but I still think it comes down to determination. If you want it badly enough, you’’ll find a way to write. Little bits really can add up.

THINK LIKE A PUBLISHER. Writing is inspired by imagination. If you’re writing just for yourself or your family, that’’s all you need. But if you want to publish your work, you also need to go the next step and think and act in a very practical business-oriented way. The bottom line is that you need to offer publishers something they can sell.

For nonfiction, which is what I write, this means three things:

1) Understand the market:

Who would buy this book? How would they benefit from it? How is it different from what’s already out there?

2) Understand publishers’ needs:

Different publishers have different focuses, so make sure that your book fits with their mission before you submit it. Reading submission guidelines and on-line editor interviews, and attending writer’s conferences like SCBWI can be very helpful for learning about editor’s likes and dislikes. You need to know, for instance, that printing constraints require that picture books be 32 pages, so if you submit something longer or shorter, they can’t publish it.

3) Make a commitment to promoting your book:

All writers have a fantasy that once our book is out, the world will come to us. Unfortunately, it doesn’’t work that way. If you genuinely believe in your book, it’’s not hard to spread the word. I know “What About Me?” can help lots of families, so I’’m happy to talk about it.

Thanks, Eileen!

When I was at Tyler Arboretum a few weeks back, I picked up a copy of Jan & Michael Gertley’s The Family Garden. It was a super buy.

The Gertley’s book is designed for a 32′ x 32′ garden - not exactly an ideal layout for my urban garden. But the book’s projects are nicely divided so that you can choose one or more of the projects if you’re not inclined to do the entire garden.

My favorite project - and on my “to do” list for this summer - is the bean house. The bean house was also the first project that the Gerstleys developed for the book.

The bean house is a simple facade with a door, all scaled for children. The frame of the house is built with PVC piping and string. The sides of the house and the roof are bean plants trailed on the string. As the bean plants grow, the house becomes more enclosed. It has that whole “fort” feel for kids and looks lovely in the garden. I have the feeling that my kids are going to hide in it all summer…

Clearly, the project isn’t meant to be completely put together by children. But there’s lots of input that they can offer in terms of aesthetic and placement in the garden. In this respect, I guess The Family Garden isn’t a “children’s book” but it is the best kind of book for children: the kind that you can read together with your family.

Towards the end of the book is a list of projects specifically for children, including jack o’lanterns (we started ours from seed last week) and gourd birdhouses. There are also a number of recipes based on foods that you can grow in your garden like cupcakes with edible flowers and garden omelets. It’s important that children understand where their food comes from - and think about how smart they’ll feel at restaurants!

Whether you live in the city (like I do now) or in the country (where I grew up), there are plenty of garden projects in this book that can be adapted to fit your yard. Give it a whirl. Your kids will thank you for it.

garden, children

I love crafts. I always have. As a kid, I loved any excuse to create a little something out of paper, glue and some embellishments (I still do, which is why I love Kari’s paper blog!). I didn’t want to wait for Christmas and Easter to be crafty - and why should you? St. Patrick’s is a great holiday to be crafty - lots of color, lots of pageantry, lots of fantasy.

You can find cute and eminently do-able crafts in Kathy Ross’ Crafts for St. Patrick’s Day. Crafts include a host of shamrock-related projects, jewelry and an Irish magic wand (we have one of those in my house right now). It’s the perfect book for days like today in Philadelphia - cold and snowy out.

S. Patrick’s Day, crafts, shamrocks, paper

Guess who has joined the list of celebs like Madonna and Billy Crystal and decided to become a children’s book author? That’s right, she of forthright moral character, Jenna Bush.

Just today, HarperCollins Publishers announced that it has acquired world rights to Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope allegedly penned by Jenna. The story is classified as “young adult” and non-fiction and will be based on her experiences working as an intern for UNICEF in Central America (who knew?). The book will have color photographs throughout by photographer Mia Baxter (and fellow UT grad), who accompanied Bush on her trip. The book is scheduled for publication in Fall 2007 and a portion of the proceeds will go to UNICEF.

“I have been inspired by my work with adolescents in Central and South America,” said Jenna Bush. “These young people have faced extreme hardships and exclusion but are strong in spirit and have an incredible will to succeed. Through their stories, it is my hope to motivate young Americans to increase their awareness of other young people around the world: to learn about the challenges they face, how they triumph over adversity, and to become involved in helping them.”

Jenna Bush, HarperCollins, UNICEF, publishing

It’s weird to me that Strawberry Shortcake is so hot again. I loved her as a kid. The Strawberry Shortcake that I knew, though, is definitely not the Strawberry Shortcake of today. No bloomers. No puffy hats. Now she’s all about tee shirts, long pants (and sometimes, capris) and trendy haircuts. Strawberry Shortcake is (to quote Amy): cool.

Strawberry Shortcake’s friends are updated, too. Apple Dumplin’s fashion sense leaves something to be desired, but that’s excusable since she’s a baby. Angel Cake sports new denim overalls and Ginger Snap brings a Latin flair. Orange Blossom is now African-American and Huckleberry Pie is (gasp) a boy. In fact, there’s a whole new slate of characters including Peppermint Fizz, Coco Calypso, Blueberry Muffin, Rainbow Sherbet, Seaberry Delight, Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Torte, Crepes Suzette, Tea Blossom, Tangerina Torta, Frosty Puff, Apricot and Cherry Cuddler (whew). And everyone of them has a pet (or two) and a backstory. 1980, it’s not.

That said, the updated Strawberry Shortcake also comes with a new line of merchandising. Fortunately for me, in addition to the normal toys, games and videos, there are books. Especially fortunate for me, there are cookbooks. Katie has, after all, decided that she will be a “cooker” when she grows up.

The thing that’s so great about cookbooks for children is that there are a number of lessons to be learned. It’s not just great entertainment. It’s an education. We learn reading and math - and science.

Additions in Berry Yummy Cookbookmake it easy to explain how things work to children, too. There is a section on “Kitchen Rules” and a description of things you might find in a kitchen (like wisks and colanders), as well as cooking terms (bake, beat, blend, you get the idea) and measuring tips. And to make it really easy for the reader, there is a “Strawberry Key” on each recipe: one strawberry means that you can do most of the steps by yourself; two strawberries mean that you’ll need an adult to help for some of the recipe and three strawberries mean that you absolutely must have an adult to help.

The cookbook is divided into chapters on Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Dessert and Snacks & Drinks. I was expecting really easy recipes with pre-fab ingredients. Not so at all! Recipes include such fare as Spectacular Berry Pancakes, Super Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Cheese Puffs and of course, Strawberry Shortcake with real whipped cream.

Yes, the berry references can get annoying. And yes, it’s saccharine-y sweet. But the kids love it. It’s all good fun.