April Pulley Sayre's Blog, page 11

Rah Rah Radishes in Kirkus

Kirkus Reviews sure knows how to ask quality questions to get a person talking and reflecting. Read the Rah Rah Radishes interview here.  There's also a fun little California connection for the book made by a writer out in Salinas. His article is "'Vegetable Chant' showcases Central Coast's chief product."  Meanwhile, after a fun South Bend Farmer's Market signing last Sat, I'm completing final shots for Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant, 2012.

If You're Hoppy sings

 Here, some rockin' awesome Mississippi librarians show me how they sing If You're Hoppy, incorporating the slight variations from the traditional If You're Happy song. (I admit I never imagined folks singing it, only saying it out loud. But I've heard lots of librarians are singing it for story hour.)  The facebook author page with the video.

Greens & Other Goodies at South Bend Farmer's Market

I've been busy admiring greens, the structures of leeks, and other veggies at South Bend Farmer's Market. Beets are one of the most productive crops because both the greens and roots can be used.

Shelton's Farm Market Near Niles, MI

When I got into a pickle with needing some fruit photos for the upcoming fruit chant book (Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant, 2012) , a gardening friend directed me to Shelton's Farmer's Market near Niles, MI, and they welcomed me heartily.  I hadn't visited in years. What surprised me is how much produce they had. They had all the traditional Midwestern fresh veggies and fruits, but also lots of specialty items for the Hispanic community and other communities, as well. Lots of Mexican fruits and vegetable specialties.  Plus many other intriguing gourmet items. I've never seen black radish! I was able to buy a whole case of cactus fruit here for one of the shots in the new fruit book. Thanks, Shelton's!

Daley Plaza Farmer's Market, Chicago

Explore Chicago's Farmer's Markets at this useful site, which lists them by day of the week. I can't wait to try the green market. While I was in town for a reunion of grad school friends/writers, I visited Daley Plaza Farmer's Market.  The place was hoppin'! Music playing. Kids climbing, Chicagoans foot splashing in the water, and lots of folks buying veggies and fruits. Children's book authors Gretchen Woelfle and Carmela Martino and I strolled, purchased beeswax products, and sampled some yummies. Some of the farmers here also come to my market at home, I think. Many represent orchards and farms in southwest Michigan. A few were from Wisconsin, too. I took a few photos in my continuing work for Go, Go, Grapes: A Fruit Chant, (Beach Lane, S&S, 2012), the sequel to Rah, Rah, Radishes: a Vegetable Chant. 

Sea Turtle News and Online Kids Club

So much turtle news!  Kids ages 7-18 who are seriously interested in conservation can join a new online club for young sea turtle fans, run by the Sea Turtle Conservancy.  Sea turtle AdvoKids  http://www.iseaturtle.org/

The Sea Turtle Conservancy's "Tour de Turtles" starts August 15th and is a great classroom activity. Track migration, learn, and enjoy the race.    www.tourdeturtles.org

It's been a tough year for sea turtles. Strandings of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico are up and most of those stranded, it seems, were drowned in fishing gear. The Sea Turtle Conservancy and others are pressuring the National Marine Fisheries service to enforce the laws that protect sea turtles, particularly those regarding fishing nets and turtle excluder devices. Letting lawmakers know that we care about sea turtles is more important than ever.

Glad you are embracing the newly illustrated Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!  For related activities to this book and many others, see Picture Perfect Science Lessons, published by NSTA. The authors, Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan, are excellent presenters and create dynamite day-long and two-week long science education/literacy workshops.  www.pictureperfect.com.

Peppers and Huckleberries at Crescent City Market, New Orleans, Louisiana

In between a panel talk and signings at ALA, I fit in a trip around the corner to the Crescent City Market near my hotel.

See what I found…yummy peppers and a possible fruit for Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant: huckleberries! I stood in the market pondering, trying to figure out how to work it into the rhyme. Nothing came to mind. Just in case, I bought the huckleberries to take home and photograph/ponder. But I  forgot them in the fridge at my hotel. Couldn't tote them home for book photos. Oh, well, huckleberries. Sorry you're not in the book, only in the blog!

THE CHANT BOOKS: Read, Taste, Teach!

My chant books are a celebration of  words, rhythm, rhyme, and biodiversity. To celebrate my upcoming (June 16th, 2011) vegetable chant, I've assembled sound samples to help in teaching and understanding these books.

After a quick reading of the book, a 6-year old spontaneously practices, is able to chant a section, and has made up some dance moves to go with it.   RahRahRadishesOutLoud

Here I teach the new chant to a large group, line-by-line. Rah Rah Radish youngauthorsconf. I teach word-by-word and challenge a group:  Teaching Insect Chant.  Here I perform a high speed version of the Fish Chant End . An older student rhythmically reads Bird, Bird, Bird_ A Chirping Chant.

Rah, Rah, Radishes: A Vegetable Chant is being released by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster on June 16th, 2011 but can be pre-ordered at  most stores/sites now. Order from your local independent bookstore at IndieBound. I highly recommend that preschools and early child care organizations order from the folks at The Book Vine For Children. They are experts on books for ages 0-6 and they ship nationwide.

Another activity is to divide up into teams and have each act out a stanza of the chant. I wish I had video of what creative teachers did performing Ant, Ant, Ant: An Insect Chant during a recent inservice!

Sea Turtle News and Online Kids Club

So much turtle news!  Kids ages 7-18 who are seriously interested in conservation can join a new online club for young sea turtle fans, run by the Sea Turtle Conservancy.  Sea turtle AdvoKids  http://www.iseaturtle.org/

The Sea Turtle Conservancy's "Tour de Turtles" starts August 15th and is a great classroom activity. Track migration, learn, and enjoy the race.    www.tourdeturtles.org

It's been a tough year for sea turtles. Strandings of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico are up and most of those stranded, it seems, were drowned in fishing gear. The Sea Turtle Conservancy and others are pressuring the National Marine Fisheries service to enforce the laws that protect sea turtles, particularly those regarding fishing nets and turtle excluder devices. Letting lawmakers know that we care about sea turtles is more important than ever.

Glad you are embracing the newly illustrated Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!  For related activities to this book and many others, see Picture Perfect Science Lessons, published by NSTA. The authors, Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan, are excellent presenters and create dynamite day-long and two-week long science education/literacy workshops.  www.pictureperfect.com.

Tribune Article

Just back from whale watching in Canada to see that reporter Kirby Sprouls of the South Bend Tribune did a wonderful article July 31, 2011 about Rah, Rah, Radishes: a Vegetable Chant , the farmer's market connection, and my work as an author. Hooray!