urbanmoms.ca Book Club

Sharing My Childhood Favourites With My Children - The Booky Trilogy

Reading is part of a regular bedtime routine at our house. One the whole family looks forward to. Whether it be a family affair sharing a great story book or the latest issue of Owl or Chirp or whether it be alone or two and two we try and read for at least a half an hour every night.

My son and I tend to love reading the classics together - Charlotte's Web, Anne of Green Gables, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to name a few.

Right now we are reading one of my all time favourite children's books. A gem of a story that takes place in Toronto during the Great Depression. This story offers so many opportunities for learning, reflection, and gratitude. My son and I have had many heart to hearts about the struggles of poverty and the power of a positive attitude.

The version we own (see pic to the left) is the Trilogy which includes The Scatterbrain Booky, With Love From Booky and As Ever, Booky. We both love the fact that the story takes place in our home town. Especially when we recognize some of the streets or events such as the (then) Eaton's Santa Claus Parade.

If you have a curious 8 or 9 year old this is a great book to read together. If you have a mature 10-12 year old who loves to read, the Booky Trilogy is a great addition to their library!

My 9 year old son says, "It's interesting to read about Booky because her life is very different than mine. She lives a long time ago and is very poor. Even though Booky is very poor she has a good attitude."

This review is by Jen.

LAST POST

This is the last post for the Literary Mom. 

I have really enjoyed writing for urbanmoms.ca and I thank all of you for your great support and comments!

Enjoy the last days of summer, and keep reading!

Elizabeth

Everyone Can Cook Midweek Meals, recipes for cooks on the run

ERIC AKIS  should be an honorary member of urbanmoms.  According to his media release, he is a food writer for the Times Colonist in Victoria, B.C., a freelance food consultant, a former chef and the bestselling author of Everyone Can Cook, Everyone Can Cook Seafood and Everyone Can Cook Appetizers.  With Everyone Can Cook midweek meals, he may have written the cooking bible for the busy momma. 

5 reasons why I love Eric Akis' Everyone Can Cook midweek meals, recipes for cooks on the run:

1. Stocking your Pantry - If I loaded up my house as Eric suggests, I'd have no excuse not to have a good dinner every night.

2. Nifty Noodles - 20 pages of pastas, casseroles and noodle recipes...sooo easy, sooo tasty!

3. Slow Cooker Suppers - There are not many cookbooks which combine nice food for entertaining with easy slow cooker recipes.  There are times during the winter that my crockpot is truly my best friend and may even get more love from me than my family - who get love from the contents of the crockpot

4. Curry and Ginger - My favourite spices and it appears Eric is fond of them too

5. Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies - healthy and yummy and the kids can't tell - I've tried, tested and it's true!

6. I know I said 5, but humour me with a little poetic licence...
6. I am a cook on the run.

"Whenever I get the chance, I try to change the belieg that preparing a midweek meal is a horrible task; instead, it's a pleasurable way to relax and put memories of a busy day behind you." - Eric Akis

The Best Children's Book Ever!

Well, at least one of the best children's books ever!

OLLIE'S FIELD JOURNAL: A 9/10THS HAPPY STORY FROM AFRICA, written by Patti McIntosh and illustrated by Tara Langlois is a must have in every household. http://www.juniorglobalcitizen.org/ollie-introducing.php

This moving story of African children and malnutrtion is told through the device of a 10 year old girl's visit to her mom who is working with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) during 'the hunger season" in Niger.

Young Ollie, short for Ophelie, travels from Toronto to Niger to visit her mom and have 4 questions answered.

1. What is malnutrition and why does it happen?

2. How can children suffering from malnutrition be helped?

3. What is the Peanut Paste Prescription?

4. Why do mothers make the best doctors?

The story is heavy due to the content, but the sheer creativity of how the book is put together balances the seriousness of the story for young readers (ages 8-11). The Gaffer, who is 4, regularly flips through the pages. She has a fascination with Africa and does not really know the content of the book but is able to discuss the fact that these children do not have as much as she does.

Each page is a visual essay including photographs taken by young African children who received disposable cameras from Patti and Tara in the villages they visited. Set among the photos are ticket stubs, prescription information, stamped passports, maps, food labels, post cards, etc. The background is the brown newsprint quality paper typical of a journal.

The book literally looks and feels like a scrapbook.

There are interactive sections and an invitation at the end of the book for children to get involved by joining JUNIOR GLOBAL CITIZENS, or by sending their footprints to the children in Niger.

I had the great fortune of meeting Patti in June and hear her talk about this labour of love. OLLIE'S FIELD JOURNAL: A 9/10THS HAPPY STORY FROM AFRICA, is the second book by the McIntosh/Langlois team. The first, THE REMARKABLE MARIA ( which won Children's Book of the Year for the Alberta Book Awards 2006, The Best of the Best Edmonton Public Schools Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Ontario Library Asscn's Silver Birch Awards in 2007) is about a little girl from Suriname who has HIV/AIDS and is ostracized by her community.  Both books are self-published and if anyone in the publishing business is reading this, you should contact these two right away. These books are gold!

I googled Indigo's List of Heather's Top 26 Picks for Kids and Aside from Owen and Mzee: The True Story of A Remarkable Friendship, there are few non-fiction titles and even less books for our children that are informative, entertaining, captivating and teach them how to be global citizens. With the terms "character education" and "global citizen" becoming as ubiquitous in schools as "Can I go to the bathroom?" and "When is recess?" it is important that we complement this learning at home.

Thank you Patti McIntosh, Tara Langlois and your co-contributors M. Shaun Murphy and Dustin Delfs for finding a formula that engages, entertains and educates our children. I cannot wait for your next book on environmental issues in Tanzania!

And The Winners Are....

Thanks everyone for your submissions!

The Gaffer helped me out with a random draw for our 2 copies of The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer and the lucky winners are:

Janet McDougall  and

Chelsey

I asked Marty to choose the winners for Marty's World Famous Cookbook; remember, this one required you to post a story about a great food experience you and your family shared: a reunion, a birthday celebration, a holiday feast in order win a copy of MARTY'S WORLD FAMOUS COOKBOOK for yourself.

Here is Marty's message:

Hi there,
The readers should know I read every entry and it was difficult to choose.
However the results are in
Rhonda Struthers and Jaime Stephens.
Thank you ,
Marty

Congratulations Rhonda, Jaime, Janet and Chelsey.  Please send me your addresses at thislife@urbanmoms.ca and I'll send your books out. Happy reading and cooking!