Welcome to CROCUS 2016: Exploring Inclusive Narratives in Children's Literature

Starting in 2009, at my other home, Saffron Tree, we have been celebrating a short and exuberant annual blog event, a festival of books we call CROCUS: Celebrating Reading of Culturally Unique Stories.

Each year, we adopt a theme after much deliberation and peaceful voting -- a theme that speaks to us at that time, a theme that guides our book picks to share during the few days of the festival.

Our CROCUS 2016  theme is: Exploring Inclusive Narratives in Children's Literature.

We are focusing the spotlight on our fellow humans who are marginalized based on arbitrary criteria that usually defies logic. Folks who are practically cast aside because they do not fit the mould made for social acceptance. Folks whose physical or mental make-up is so different from the generally accepted idea of "normal" that they are pushed into social isolation.

What better way to break this cycle than by talking about it, through children's books that showcase kids of all sorts - kids with disabilities both physical and cognitive, kids who have suffered abuse, kids who have not had a stable home/family, kids whose gender identities are not binary, kids who simply want to be who they are and not be judged and categorized and limited in any way...

To seal the idea, our own talented Lavanya Karthik has created the gorgeous poster for our theme this year, reiterating that differences are good and that we are the same no matter how different we seem.

Starting today, Dec 1, through Dec 4, we hope to bring children's books with diverse characters who believe that their disability is not a limitation, who know that their differences do not define them, and who help us see that their abilities cannot be measured and quantized in conventional terms.

Visit Saffron Tree during this time, as well as any other time, to find the wonderful books on diversity and inclusiveness.

CROCUS:Celebrating Reading Of Culturally Unique Stories

It's that time of the year again!

Saffron Tree's annual festival, CROCUS:Celebrating Reading Of Culturally Unique Stories, is a four-day long joy-ride of fantastic books and interviews shared by our contributors on a specific theme or topic, to foster the love of reading in children.

I am happy to be a part of this vibrant community of individual contributors who have all come together through their love for children's books and passion for fostering early childhood literacy and developing a lifelong fondness for reading in children.

Many of the contributors are authors of children's books, powerful storytellers in their communities who reach out to the underprivileged and offer this simple joy of entering into a book for the pleasure of it.

Being an admin for Saffron Tree blog (ST, for short) has been the best volunteer-job for me so far, not just because I get to hobnob with my talented and generous pals and talk about all my favorite children's books, but because I get to reach so many people across the globe through the simple act of sharing a good book.

While Saffron Tree Blog is nine years old, this is our 7th CROCUS, and the theme is Comics and Graphic Novels -- a genre that is oft-neglected and gets very little exposure. I grew up with Amar Chithra Katha comics, plus assorted Phantom, Steel Claw, Zorro  and so on, and it was considered legitimate "reading". The right kind of graphic novels and comics can attract reluctant readers, getting them interested in entering the fictional world, rather than be intimidated by stark pages filled with words.

Having an incredibly talented illustrator with her own popular comic strip, plus a couple of passionately skilled artists in the mix at ST, I love peeking into their works and learning from them. Hop over to Saffron Tree to read the various posts on graphic novels and comics over the next few days.

Back in 2009, when we started this annual celebration, the theme was Around the World. It was a vague idea we had and wanted to cram as many books on the topic as possible to share with our readers at ST.

2010: A Cultural Odssey had us thinking about what Culture means in this increasingly global world and how to preserve it and celebrate it.

Our 2011: A Tribute to the Five Elements gave us a chance to understand the five universal elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Space. - and their roles in shaping our lives.

2012: A Menage of Math and Eco-Science came about as a means to remove any stigma attached to Mathematics, to find accessible books that make learning math fun. Plus, to balance it, we added eco-science to get the little minds thinking globally and caring for our Earth.

In 2013: Migration and Exploration takes us back to our ancient roots and travels through time to present day: We looked at animal and human migration and our boundless energy for exploration that led to the moon landing and Mars rovers - things that only we, humans, continue to do because we are not happy staying put.

2014: Prehistoric Life and Ancient Civilization: Civilizations are works in progress. If we don’t know what happened in the past, how can we move towards the future? We need knowledge of history in every aspect of our lives – science, sports, fashion, communications, engineering...

Bookmark www.saffrontree.org and visit it as often as possible, especially over the next few days to join in the CROCUS fun!

Kids and I had a fantastic time reading over three dozen graphic novels and comics over the last 3 months in order to prepare for this year's theme. Even though only a handful of those books resonated with us, it was an eye-opening experience, especially to realize how few graphic novels are out there for kids. Over the next several days, I'll be cross-posting graphic novels here that was reviewed especially for ST's CROCUS 2015. 

Children's Book Week 2015: May 4th to 10th

To celebrate the 96th anniversary of Children's Book Week at Saffron Tree, my other virtual home, we are excited to share some of our favorite books and spread the word about the simple joys of reading.

One of the toughest things for a bibliophile parent is to find ways to encourage a lifelong love of reading in their children from a young age-- reading, simply for the pleasure of it, not with any particular agenda.

There is a book for every reader and the tricky part usually is to match the book with the reader sufficiently early in life to kindle the interest.

"You can’t lecture them,” Jon Scieszka says. “It kills it for them. So you have to show them the thing that will make them want to read. That’s what makes a reader. That’s what puts me in the same boat as the booksellers.”

To that end, we at Saffron Tree passionately share all genres of books for a wide age range; books that we liked as parents, and particularly, books that our children liked for one reason or another.

Whether it is
reading to children who may not have access to books otherwise;
hosting a book club;
presenting a storytelling session;
organizing an author visit;
dressing up as favorite literary character or author;
blogging about your favorite children's books;
sharing children's book related status posts on social media;
participating in events at your local library...
find the best way that fits your lifestyle and get involved!

Head over to Saffron Tree to read all the wonderful books our contributors are sharing this week!

CROCUS 2014: Celebrate Reading Of Culturally Unique Stories

CROCUS, our annual online four-day book festival is here! The theme this year is Prehistoric Life and Ancient Civilizations. Essentially, all about where we came from and what can we learn from these history's stories.

The beautiful flyer showcasing our theme for this year was made by the very talented, Lavanya Karthik, who quietly and unassumingly gets her brilliant work done! I am in awe of her talent.

So head on over to Saffron Tree to follow the reviews, interviews, contest, giveaways, and other fun stuff for the next four days of this unique festival of books!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway, and have fun doing our CROCUSWORD puzzles to win prizes!

Recycled Crafts for Artsy Craftsy June 2014

The kids are into saving every bit of cardboard and one-sided paper and tin cans and bottles and bottle caps for reuse. Since recycled crafts and eco-friendly lifestyle is close to our heart,  I am glad to share that Artsy Craftsy Mom is running Project: Recycled Crafts for the month of June 2014.

Here's a recap of some of the ones we have done several times in the last few years.

1. Rainbow I Spy Jar: This is such a fun "toy" for pre-schoolers that I can't believe any child not having one or making one. Every time we make it, kids have a lot of fun from assembling the materials to proudly displaying (or giving away) the finished product.

Process is much like the I-Spy Jar he made for himself when he was little. Assembly-line precision is his game. I re-purposed a few used  plastic drink bottles from the reycling bin.

Items needed:
Recycled plastic drink bottles with lid
Plain raw rice
Food colors
Knickknacks from around the house, small enough to fit the mouth of the chosen bottle
Paper cone funnel (fitting the mouth of the chosen bottle) for pouring the rice into the bottle, a scoop for rice
Glue (optional)

Process is simple, and all the steps can be completed by kids independently, with supervision as needed for their age:

1. Add enough food color to rice and stir well to get colored rice; use as many colors as preferred. Typically 2 or 3 is plenty as they tend to get muddled with use. For the rainbow I Spy jar, of course, we used 6 colors.
2. Assemble various items to "spy" that will go into the jar. For nature theme, we sometimes use bird feather from the garden, a favorite rock (painted if desired), dry broad beans, tamarind seeds, shells, bark chip, pistachio or peanut shells, dried horse chestnuts - just dry things that won't rot over time and get moldy
3. For a fun craftsy theme we use: pom-poms, fake feather, buttons, marbles, old dice, beads, wiggly eyes etc
4. Kids can use the funnel and scoop to fill the jar with rice, one layer at a time, adding the various objects after each layer; don't fill all the way to the top, leave some room for shaking and finding the items when playing.
5. Optional: apply some glue to the lid and screw it on tight and allow to dry so that kids don't accidentally open the bottle and spill the contents, or try to drink/eat them :)

If the child can write, then have the child write the label; or print out labels to go with the jars. The label lists the items to spy so they can tally as they go.

2. Seed Paper: We called it "Friendship Paper: Plant it and watch it bloom!" On and off we make hand-made paper at home.  Add a little seeds to it and we have seed paper, ready to plant. Mostly just native annuals, wildflowers of the region, easy to maintain, not too delicate plant seeds are our choice. It looks like we default to seed paper for both kids' birthday as it is in Spring and 'tis the season to plant.

The kid helped tear up the unwanted papers and soak them in water to make the pulp. Then, scooped some pulp into my mesh frame to make the paper. We let it dry by the vent. Then, cut the seed paper into heart shapes and attach a label and it is good to go.



3. Recycled Wrapping Paper Thank You Cards

This is a fun and unique set of greeting cards we like to make at home after Birthday parties and Christmas and such where kids get gifts wrapped in wonderful wrapping paper.

Items Used: Wrapping paper from the presents received, white glue (diluted), card stock paper, brown paper bag, scissors, glue stick, old flat paint brush, decorative edge scissors (optional)

[Read more]


4. Recycled "Home-made Wrapping Paper Sticker" Greeting Cards

Most of the usable size scrap papers from other projects get saved in a small box. We sift through it to find the ones to use for the project at hand. I had enough assorted card stock just not big enough for traditional folded cards. So we made it like a post-card - picture on the front, words/message on the back.

One fun make-ahead step is Sticker From Scratch shared at Martha Stewart. These custom "stickers" are especially fun when we make it from some of kids' colorful art work on and off.

Items Used:
For the Home-made Stickers:
wrapping papers or kids' artwork
white liquid school glue
white vinegar

Follow the instructions on the Martha Stewart site to turn the wrapping paper into a lick-and-stick stamp style paper with glue-backing. Allow it to dry completely before use.

[Read more]

5. Card board sandals and wooden block platform shoes: The older child is into making clothes and shoes, her favorites at this time. Anything is fair game for footwear, even if it is not practical or comfortable to walk in. I believe in letting her make her own mistakes and not interfere when she is in the crafting mode. Real life will hit her soon enough, let her enjoy the fancy things she creates for now. But, here are a few that turned out wonderfully unique that I wanted to make a few as well.

Card board box from the recycling bin became sandals thanks to some scrap bits of elastic sitting handily in the sewing cubby. Simply trace each foot on cardboard, cut, and sew on elastic  as needed to make sandals. Vary the elastic placement to get different sandals styles.

Papa's discarded wood pieces plus upholstery fabric and stapler came together to make this wonderfully unique footwear. The fabric was glued on first with wood glue and allowed to dry, but the girl was not convinced that it will hold, so stapler was used as reinforcement. Not the most comfortable to go hiking in. But one wouldn't think that if one saw her clunking around in it merrily as if they were an extension of her feet.

Children's Book Week 2014

I am hosting a week-long celebration at my other home, Saffron Tree, in honor of Children's Book Week 2014. Don't forget to add your entry to the Children's Book Giveaway!

Ninety five years since its inception in 1919, the national literacy initiative is still going strong. 

Reading is a life-changing experience. 

To discern the squiggles on a paper and extract a pattern and learn to communicate using the same coded language is a skill only humans are capable of at this level of complexity. 

World is not a mystery anymore for a reader, and thoughts are not suffocating inside with no way of expression.

From board books to touch-and-feel and squeak and pop-up books; from abecedary to wordless picture books to poignant poetry collections; from magical picture books to early readers to chapter books to graphic books and pithy young adult novels; children these days grow up with an array of choices to match their reading preferences and needs.

I still remember the thrill with which I read to my baby girl, my firstborn.

A week after registering her birth, we got a surprise package from our local library with 3 board books plus brochures and pamphlets about the benefits of early childhood literacy and the programs available at the library for fostering and nurturing it. 

The first board book of the three that I randomly chose to read to my 9-day old infant then was I Spy Little Book, rhymes by Jean Marzollo, photographs by Walter Wick. Didn't matter that she couldn't understand the words or focus on the pictures then.  

I read the same I Spy Little Book to my 9-week old - clinging to my chest crying with colic while I sounded out the now-familiar rhyming text in a soft sing-song. Didn't matter that this seemed highly ridiculous to some while strangely soothing to the mother and baby.

Nine years later, "I Spy" books are still a huge hit with my daughter; and, happily, there seems to be a never-ending supply of them.

The other two board books in the package were Goodnight Moon by Margaret Weiss Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd; and Guess how Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram. 

I was hooked!

Head over to Saffron Tree to join in this week-long celebration of children's books! 

International Children’s Book Day

ICBD 2014 - Imagine Nations Through Story

International Children’s Book Day (ICBD), an annual celebration since 1967, serves to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books. Hosted by the non-profit organization, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the event is organized on or around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, April 2.

Seems like every day is a Children's Book Day for some of us. However, as the world gathers to celebrate the love of reading, and inspire children to share their stories, here are some ways to join in:

• arrange with the teacher so children can share a favorite book with their friends at school
• a small-scale book-exchange party where children can pick out a book they have outgrown, wrap it and bring it to the party; after a story-telling session, kids can pick out one of the other wrapped books to take home
• make up a chain story with the children
• make a book and read it together
• visit Andersen Fairy Tales website and read one of his tales like Shoes of Fortune or Elfin Hill
• listen to Me and My Cat read by Elijah Wood or No Mirrors in My Nana's House by Tia & Tamara Mowry, among others, at Story Online 
• read favorites from yesteryears like A was an Apple Pie and The Square Book of Animals online
• write to your favorite author/illustrator sharing how much joy their work has brought for you and your kids

Happy Reading!

the heart project ♥ – a collaborative fundraiser for the American Heart Association

 

the heart project ♥

What is it?

A collaborative fundraiser for the American Heart Association.

How does it raise funds?

By selling an awesome eBook and equally awesome print version filled with 100+ heart projects contributed by more than 70+ bloggers (including me). The arts, crafts and edible projects in the book are for kids, by kids and all about kids and hearts.

Who spearheads this project? Who can I contact if I have questions?

The eBook and print version is organized, compiled, and managed by Jamie at Hands on as We Grow. This is her brainheart-child, she has a personal reason for doing this.

How can I help?

Buy the eBook: All proceeds of every book sold goes to the American Heart Association.

Buy the print version: a softcover 8.5" x 8.5", full color book, 128 pages, USD $20.00 ($5.00 of every sale of this book will go to the American Heart Association).

US $20.00

Order the Printed Version

[The book is only available for donation through the month of February, so hurry!]


Sneak Peek at the eBook:

What if I don't want the book, but still want to help?

Feel free to donate to AHA by sponsoring Hand On: As We Grow, or just make a donation of your choice.

Sponsors and Giveaways:
Craftprojectideas.com is contributing $1 for every ebook sold this month! That means in addition to your $5 donation by purchasing the The Heart eBook, Craftprojectideas.com will donate another $1 on your behalf (up to $500!)

The Heart Project Bloggers are very generously donating their projects (from The Heart Book!), or something related to their heart project every day from now until the 14th! There's more than one some days, so be sure to check them all out!

There are also a couple special giveaways from Melissa & Doug, Fudoo Boards and CraftProjectIdeas.com!

Be sure to check back each day to enter that day's giveaways at the appropriate blogs/sites listed below.

Read To Me Picture Book Challenge

Hurray for Books!

That's what came to Ana's mind when thinking about the message she wanted to put on one of her (many) hand-made bookmarks.

And, since we read a ton of books anyway, it seems like a fun thing to participate in the Read To Me: Picture Book Challenge hosted by There's A Book

We read quite a few books on a fairly regular basis -i.e., daily, sometimes reaching for old favorites, sometimes must-take-home new ones from the library. Well, "new" is a relative term.

So, I was leaning towards the challenge level: "Harvesting": 200 picture books with a child in a year.

I figured reading 200 picture books must be a cakewalk considering we've been doing close to that (possibly more) each year.

However, the fact is, out of every dozen books we read, only one or two resonate with the kids enough to urge me to share here in my blog.

Then, I got to thinking. Realistically, writing reviews for 200 picture books is not going to work out so well with the eternal rush this life has turned into, at least, not if I plan to stay sane.

And, if I don't write a review per book diligently, it is hard to keep track of the books we read and how it affected us for this Read To Me: Picture Book Challenge. (No cluster posts or listings for this challenge as far as I understand).

Also, since I subscribe to the If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all school of thought, I seldom share books that I didn't like. What's the point, right?

Plus, now that we are more into fantastic chapter books, reading picture books with Ana is getting fewer and far between... Og pretty much overcompensates with his obsession for books.

Therefore, a conservative challenge of "Watering": 36 picture books with a child from now till Dec 31, 2011, is the level I am settling on for now.

I can always change my mind, I am sure :)