Natasha Wing's Blog, page 9

Who will our next President be?

Presidents' Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents' Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present, even though not all are worthy of celebrating.

Presidents' Day Celebrations and Traditions

Like Independence Day, Presidents' Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance. In its original incarnation as Washington’s Birthday, the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression, when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22.

In 1932, the date was used to reinstate the Purple Heart, a military decoration originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces. Patriotic groups and the Boy Scouts of America also held celebrations on the day, and in 1938 some 5,000 people attended mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in honor of Washington.

In its modern form, Presidents' Day is used by many patriotic and historical groups as a date for staging celebrations, reenactments and other events. A number of states also require that their public schools spend the days leading up to Presidents' Day teaching students about the accomplishments of the presidents, often with a focus on the lives of Washington and Lincoln.

Election Day is November 3, 2020

Soon, voters will choose our next president. To help kids understand what’s so important about Election Day and voting, I’ve written a new book called The Night Before Election Day. It’s bipartisan. I don’t show who won, the story just leads up to the results coming in. It’s a fun way to do a prediction activity in your classroom. Have kids guess who might be the next president and do a graph around that.

The Night Before Election Day sticker book won’t be released until June but you can pre-order a copy. 

Recommendations of more children's books about the election process by Debbie Dadey. 

What's it like having a birthday on Valentine's Day?

Sometimes I get real special emails from fans, and it truly makes my day! I received this one from Christine:

"Hi Natasha,



We recently stumbled across your book as I was looking to try and help explain to our then 2 year old, now 3 year old what New Year’s Eve is. We purchased your first book then. She fell in love with it. Since then, we’ve purchased Valentine’s Day (my birthday) and The Night Before My Birthday (our daughter’s birthday was only a few weeks ago).



Our daughter surprised me yesterday by taking your book out of my hands and reading it “verbatim.” It may sound like baby babble but she knew it in its entirety and interchanged some of the words for the words she still calls things. She’s only begun reading this a few weeks ago.



We thought you might want to see it. Thank you for writing this series. We love them and plan to collect them all."

Christine mentioned that her birthday falls on Valentine's Day and I was curious what it was like as a child having a birthday on Valentine's Day so I asked her to write for this blog. Here's her recollection:

"Growing up as a child with a birthday on Valentine’s Day always made me feel incredibly loved. I remember knowing that day wasn’t only about me or only my day to celebrate. Everyone was celebrating that day.

 

I was always woken up early (6 am?) by my parents creeping softly into my room. They always had two gifts for me, one for my birthday and one for Valentine’s Day. My grandparents always called me shortly after to sing me “Happy Birthday.” 

 

At school, I wore a heart-shaped candy corsage my Mom made for me every birthday filled with various lengths of heart lollipops, chocolates, and gum balls. And when I got to class, I handed out miniature versions of my heart-shaped candy corsage to each classmate. 

 

Everyone remembers Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school? I remember how long the day felt waiting for our party. I remember cookies, candy, and snacks. We passed out valentines in our Valentine mailboxes that everyone made beforehand. We “read into” those valentines received from that special crush even though it was just a standard Valentine from the store with nothing special written on it.

 

I passed out homemade birthday cupcakes while classmates sang “Happy Birthday” to me. If felt special to be individually celebrated, too, while classmates asked, “You were really born on Valentine’s Day? Cool!” After school, we usually had my birthday party at my grandparents' home or a special restaurant with gifts and cake. I don’t remember the flash of it all. I just remember the love.

 

I used to joke when I was in high school and college, “Well, if it doesn’t work out in the romance department, there’s always my birthday to fall back on!” And as an adult? I still love it. I love being able to celebrate a day to love with others. The world needs it. And my husband will give me two gifts always, one for Valentine’s Day and one for my birthday, to remind me that the day is also about me, too. And I do have to say, now that I have my husband and 3-year-old daughter, it is SO much better to give than to receive on my birthday."

 

Now that's a sweet thing to remember! Thank you, Christine! And Happy Birthday!

 

 

Happy Birthday to me!

On Friday I celebrate my 60th birthday and I'm having a big party. Since we're renting a room, it feels like I'm planning a wedding reception - catered food, libations, decorations, a band and friends flying in! So I'm actually using one of my books to help with decorations and such - The Night Before My Birthday Gift Set. 

I colored in the banner, will used the book as my guest book for people to sign, and there's a cute cake topper I'll put out on the table. Coloring in the banner made me feel like a kid again, which at my age is a good thing. 

Any other February birthdays out there? I toast to you!

Vintage Valentines

Since I was born in February, I have always gravitated toward heart shapes and the colors red and pink.

I have pjs with Sweetheart graphics on them. I have a felt beanbag paperweight on my desk with a heart sewn on it.  And I pick up heart-shaped rocks whenever I find them.

My husband and I go to estate sales and at one in Fort Collins, I came upon boxes of vintage Valentine’s Day cards, some so naively silly, some with moving parts. Each Valentine’s Day I pick one out to give my husband. The special ones are lined up on the bookshelves in my home office, serving as cheerful inspirations.  Here are a few of my finds. I realize how un-pc they are nowadays, but I still enjoy them for their graphic design and clever sayings, and as a snapshot of days gone by. 

 

 

My love for Valentine’s Day is why one particular Night Before is a favorite of mine – The Night Before Valentine’s Day. There are hearts everywhere in the drawings in that book! And the kids make silly cards to give each other at school. Plus the principal is dressed up like Cupid.

Then, when Bagel In Love was published, my publisher printed up sheets of fun Valentine’s Day cards and stickers. I was over the moon!

What's you favorite Valentine's Day saying?

 

When Jackie Saved Grand Central by Natasha Wing

Children's Books Heal

When Jackie Saved Grand Central: The True Story of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Fight for an American Icon

Natasha Wing, Author

Alexandra Boiger, Illustrator

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Narrative Nonfiction, Mar. 7, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 6-9

Themes: Jacqueline Kennedy, Grand Central Station, Conservation and Restoration, New York City

Opening: “When Jackie became First Lady of the United States in 1961, she moved into the White House and restored the dreary mansion into a stately home that made Americans proud… Fourteen years later, another famous landmark, this time in New York City, needed Jackie Kennedy’s help…”

Book Jacket Synopsis: First Lady. American legend. New Yorker.

Jacqueline Kennedy loved everything about her home city, from the beauty of the parks to the grandeur of the buildings. Grand Central Terminal was one of the grandest buildings of all — but in 1968, it was in danger of destruction. Jackie couldn’t…

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The Big Adventures of Tiny House by Susan Schaefer Bernardo

Children's Books Heal

The Big Adventures of Tiny House

Susan Schaefer Bernardo, Author

Courtenay Fletcher, Illustrator

Inner Flower Child Books, Fiction, Apr. 25, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Tiny Houses, Salvaged, Recycled, Travel, Home, Community

Opening: Once there was a farmhouse in a field of hay, / but while it lay sleeping, the acres gave way / to a bustling city whose bright, shiny towers / edged out the farmhouse, the fields and flowers.

Synopsis: An old farmhouse finds its once peaceful setting surrounded by a big city. People pitch in and dismantle the house, salvage the windows and doors, and build a Tiny House on wheels. It has a tiny front porch, a kitchen with cabinets, a loft for sleeping and a nook for reading. When Tiny is hooked up to Big Truck they can travel where ever they want. Tiny heads west to see the world…

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Interview with Natasha Wing

A four-year daughter of a friend read my book and now wants to go to NYC!

Allison's Book Bag

Natasha Wing grew up in Connecticut, not far from New York City. After graduating from Arizona State University, she worked in advertising for a number of years. In 1991, she decided to write children’s books, and sold her first book within six months. Now she’s the author of many picture books, including the best-selling Night Before Series. Below is an interview with Natasha Wing, courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. Please return tomorrow for my review of her latest picture book, When Jackie Saved Grand Central, which I received as an Advanced Reader Copy.

Q. If you weren’t an author or illustrator what would you do for a living?

I’d flip houses. I love resurrecting neglected things and making them beautiful. Hey! That’s like polishing up old manuscripts!

Q. What is the first book you remember loving as a child?

The Cat in the Hat.

Q. What’s your favorite word?

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Trash Talk: Moving Toward A Zero-Waste World

Children's Books Heal

Earth Day 2016

Trash Talk: Moving Toward A Zero-Waste World

Michelle Mulder, Author

Orca Book Publishers, Nonfiction, Apr. 1, 2015

Pages: 48

2016 Book of the Year for Children Award

Green Earth Book Award 2016

Suitable for Ages: 8-12 years

Themes: Garbage, Refuse and refuse disposal, Recycling, Reusing, Composting, Getting involved

Book Jacket Synopsis: What is a garbologist? How many people live in the Cairo garbage dump? What are the top ten types of human garbage found in the ocean? Where is the Trash Palace?

Did you know that humans have always generated garbage, whether it’s a chewed on leg bone, an old washing machine or a broken cell phone? Trash Talk digs deep into the history of garbage, from Minoan trash pits to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and uncovers some of the many innovative ways people over world are dealing with waste.

Why I like…

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2015 Gift Guide for Outdoor Families

Originally posted on Rockies Girl: Confessions of an amateur mountaineer:

I don’t often hold back on buying good winter gear because I think being warm and comfortable is the best way to enjoy winter.  BUT the holidays always seem like a good reason to replace an aging item or invest in something new.  Since I always enjoy reading what other families recommend as outdoorsy gifts, here are some winter themed items that we’ve enjoyed so much I’d recommend!

1. Kombi Moose Mitts

If you’re a parent of a young toddler and your kid likes wearing mitts…wait, does that even exist?! Surely it must but I’m guessing many can relate to the difficulty of keeping mitts on.  These moose mitts have been a huge help in getting Little Bear to keep mittens on.  They’re most effective when talked up (“Do you want to take your moose hiking?”) and I love that they’re warm and water repellent.

2. Good quality toddler winter boots.

In…

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Two Authors, One Voice for the Voiceless by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

Originally posted on Nerdy Book Club:

Hurricane Katrina has been called the largest and most devastating natural disaster in the history of our country. Ten years ago this week we watched in deep sadness as our fellow Americans suffered great losses.

But out of horrific experiences come opportunities for giving and receiving love. As author Tory McClure, (A Pearl In the Storm) wrote, “Love is what makes our humanity bearable.”

After Hurricane Katrina hit, thousands of volunteers put their unconditional love and friendship on display as they poured into the Gulf Coast; their numbers included Kirby who flew first to Pearlington, Mississippi, and then Houma, Louisiana, to help with clean-up and rebuilding.

But, as we discovered, love, friendship, and loyalty are not reserved for the human species. Two tender pets — Bobbi, a five-month-old puppy and Bob Cat, just out of kittenhood — managed to survive Hurricane Katrina by lending each other a paw.  In…

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