January 2022 Issue #15
January 1, 2022
January 2022 Issue #15
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the fifteenth issue of The Simpsonian Muse. I am your scribe, Martha Seif Simpson, Author and Children's Librarian. As the header says, this monthly newsletter will feature:
- News – Mine as well as other interesting tidbits
- Views – A few photos from my world travels
- Stuff You Can Use – A mish-mash of activities, crafts, recipes, or whatever I am excited about sharing
If you missed the previous newsletters, you can click the button on the left sidebar on my website to catch up or click here:
https://www.martha-seif-simpson.com/newsletter.htm
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope you will find something to inform and entertain you.
~ NEWS ~
2021 was my first full year of writing the Simpsonian Muse, so I accomplished at least one of my writing goals for last year. I would like to get more subscribers, so if you haven't subscribed yet, please do! And if you know anyone else who would be interested in reading my monthly musings, please spread the word. (see the link above)
As for my other writing goals:
I managed to find time to write a few more picture books. My agent, Lynnette Novak of the Seymour Agency, has submitted some of them to publishers, so hopefully we will get some interest in 2022. I helped to critique a few picture book manuscripts by other Team Novak authors, too.
I also joined a critique group with 3 other Jewish women, and we share feedback on our various writing projects every month. Now I have to digest their comments and do some editing, particularly on an early chapter book that needs a lot of revision.
My current work schedule has made it difficult for me to meet with my local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) critique group. But I hope to get back to joining them in 2022. So that's another goal of mine.
But wait! There's more…
As my faithful newsletter-readers know, I was Chair of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee last year. We had our deliberations in December, and decided on winner, honor, and notable books in the Picture Book, Middle Grade, and Young Adult categories. We also selected the winner for the Body of work Award, which is given every two years. It's difficult to hold onto these delicious secrets, but my lips are zipped until they are officially announced at the Youth Media Awards Press Conference on January 24, 2022 during LibLearnEx (formally called ALA MidWinter).
The press conference will be streaming live at: Youth Media Awards
I want to thank the wonderful committee members who offered their insightful contributions to our lively discussions during the year - Talya Sokoll, Toby Harris, Judy Ehrenstein, Aviva Rosenberg, Carla Kozak, and Kay Weisman - as well as Rebecca Levitan, who chaired the committee previously and offered her support and wisdom as I learned the various facets of the job.
I will continue the chair the STBA Committee in 2022. But before the rush of new books comes, I want to catch up on reading some of the other great 2021 books that I didn't have a chance to read.
BOOK SHARE
Rather than annotating books I read this year, I want to direct you to a couple of monthly podcasts that highlight new Jewish books.
I've mentioned the first one before. The Book of Life podcast, hosted by former Sydney Taylor Book Award committee chair Heidi Rabinowitz, is a monthly program that promotes Jewish books for children and teens. I recorded a promotional piece about the STBA that aired last month. Once the 2022 results are announced, Heidi will interview me to talk about the books the committee has recognized. Be sure to listen for it at: Book of Life Podcast
If you read adult Jewish literature, Sheryl Stahl has a new podcast called Nice Jewish Books which you can find at: Nice Jewish Books
CALENDAR TRIVIA
Did you know that January is also National Get Organized Month?
According to the Every Day's a Holiday Calendar, other noteworthy January dates include:
- January 2 – National Science Fiction Day
- January 3 – Festival of Sleep Day
- January 8 – Argyle Day
- January 10 – Houseplant Appreciation Day
- January 11 – Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends day
- January 17 – Kid Inventors' Day
- January 20 – DJ Day
- January 21 – National Hugging Day
- January 22 – Answer Your Cat's Questions Day
- January 25 – Fluoride Day
- January 26 – National Green Juice Day
- January 29 – Curmudgeons Day
Celebrate Appropriately!
~ VIEWS ~
In 2007, I visited Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada with my husband, John, and daughter, Rose. It had snowed the day before, which you can see in the photos we took at the International Buddhist Temple, which is in nearby Richmond.
Here is Rose at the park entrance.
Here is the Happy Sitting Buddha statue:
And some pictures of the grounds:
This is the Main Temple.
Photography isn't permitted inside the Main Temple, so I took these photos off the website provided by the International Buddhist Society, which sponsors the park.
This is a statue of the Meditative Buddha.
The statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has one thousand hands and one thousand eyes and is truly spectacular. In the Seven Buddha Pavilion of Worshipping Square, we saw another Bodhisattva with ten thousand hands and ten thousand eyes! Each hand and eye symbolize the Bodhisattva watching over humankind and protecting them from harm.
The Sakyamuni Buddha statue is the largest Buddha statue in North America. It is approximately 35 feet in height, from the bottom of the lotus base to the top of the aura.
There are lots of pictures online if you want to see what the grounds look like in the summer. And if you ever decide to visit, you will be pleased to know that there is no admission charge. You should definitely stop by if you take a trip to Vancouver.
~ STUFF YOU CAN USE ~
February 1 is the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated in China and other countries. According to the Chinese zodiac, this will be the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate, here are directions for making a Tiger Hand Drum.
You will need:
- 2 orange plastic plates 7" diameter (Or you can use heavy paper plates and paint the bottoms orange.)
- 1 12-inch wooden dowel
- 2 large pony beads
- 1 36-inch strand of black yarn
- 2 12-inch strands of black yarn
- Glue stick
- Masking tape
- Magic marker
- Hole punch
Look at this picture to draw and cut out:
- 1 tiger muzzle (about 2 ½" wide x 2" tall)
- 2 eyes (about 1 ½" wide x 1 ½" tall)
- 2 orange outer ears (about 1 ½" wide x 2" tall)
- 2 white inner ears (about 1" wide x 1" tall)
- 6 short black stripes (about 1" long)
- 3 long black stripes (about 1 1/8" long)
Enlarge this Chinese good luck symbol to 4 ½" diameter and print:
Prepare the plates:
- Punch holes around the outer rim of one orange plate. The holes should be spaced about 1 inch apart.
- Lay that plate on top of the second plate with the insides facing each other. Using the plate with the holes as a guide, mark on the second plate where the holes should be punched.
- Punch the holes for the second plate.
- Use a marker to draw a line on the inside rim of 1 plate to show where the dowel will go. Mark the inside of the second plate, making sure the holes you punched line up when the plate insides are facing each other.
Prepare the yarn:
- Take one end of a strand of yarn a dip it in wet glue or glue stick. Smooth the tip with your fingers and set it aside so the tip will harden. This will make it easy for you to lace in through the plate holes.
- Do the same to 1 end of the other 2 strands of yarn.
Instructions to make the tiger face:
- Take 1 orange plate. Place it so you can see the line inside of the plate. Move the plate so the line is at the bottom, facing you. That will be the lower part of the tiger's face.
- Flip the plate over so the outside of the plate is facing up. Make sure the line (on the other side) is still at the bottom.
- Place the muzzle and eyes on the plate but don't glue them down yet.
- Place the stripes on the plate as shown in the photo in this order: short, long, short. There will be stripes at the top of the face, on the right and on the left.
- Place the orange ears on the plate as shown. Only the bottom half of the ears will touch the plate. You may have to arrange the muzzle, eyes, and stripes to fit the ears.
- Once you have arranged everything, you can glue them onto the plate.
- Last, place the white inner ear parts inside the orange ears, as shown, and glue them down.
Instructions for the second plate:
- Take the other orange plate. Place it so you can see the inside. Notice the dark line at one of the holes. Move the plate so the hole is at the bottom, facing you.
- Flip the plate over so the outside of the plate is facing up. Make sure the line (on the other side) is still at the bottom.
- Glue the sign onto the plate.
Secure the dowell:
- Take the second plate (the one with the good luck sign) and place it with the sign side down. Look for the dark line.
- Take the wooden dowel and position it to cover the dark line. The top of the dowel should go as far inside the plate as it can, without going over the outer ridge.
- Use several strips of masking tape to secure the dowel in place, as shown. Make sure it is as tight as possible so the stick won't fall out.
Put it all together:
- Place the tiger face plate on top of the plate with the dowel, so it looks like a lollypop.
- Take the 36" strand of black yarn. Note which end has the stiff tip.
- Take the other end of the yarn and tie a double knot on the wooden dowel close to the plates. Leave about 1 ½ to 2 inches free to finish off the lacing later.
- Match the holes of the plates together. Using the stiff end, lace the yarn through both holes on the right of the dowel. Keep looping it all around the plate, making sure to pull the yarn tightly as you go to keep the plates together. You may have to shift the plates slightly or go back to some of the holes you already did to make sure the lacing is tight.
- When you have laced all around the plate, secure the yarn by going past the dowel and lacing the yarn through the first holes on the right again.
- Then return to the left side of the dowel and pull the yarn through the last holes again.
- Use the yarn sticking out from the first knot to tie a double knot with the longer side of yarn. When everything is tightly tied, you can cut off any leftover yarn.
Adding the beads:
- Take one of the 12" strands of yarn. Find the hole to the right side of the eyes. Use the stiff end of the yarn to go through the hole.
- Tie securely with a double knot.
- String one bead onto the yarn.
- Lay the yarn over the face of the tiger so the bead sits on the black part of the left eye.
- Secure the bead at that length by stringing the yarn through the bead again. Tie it tightly with a double knot.
- Do the same with the bead on the left side. Trim any leftover pieces of yarn.
Your drum is now ready to play! Hold the dowel and turn the drum from side to side so the beads hit the tiger and good luck sign. Happy Year of the Tiger!
That'll do it for this month.
Until next time, Happy New Year, and remember to infuse your muse!
~ Martha