Martha Seif Simpson

March 1, 2025

 

Happy March!   

 

Welcome to issue #48 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 to Amuse – A mish-mash of activities, crafts, recipes, videos or whatever I am excited about sharing.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope you will find something here to inform and entertain you.

 

~ News ~

 

I've been working on setting up publicity for my new book, A Ring for a King. During the past month, I answered interview questions for three blogs that will be posted in April when the book comes out. I'll have more information about that in next month's newsletter.

 

But wait, there's more!

 

I have new book news – but I can't tell you about it until the official announcement from the publisher. You'll have to wait a bit to find out!

 

BOOK SHARE

 

For Women's History Month, here are some picture book biographies of Jewish women that I read over the last few years while serving on the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee.

• Abzuglutely!: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug written by Sarah Aronson & illustrated by Andrea D'Aquino. The life of Bella Abzug, who was the second Jewish woman elected to Congress.
• Debbie's Song: The Debbie Friedman Story written by Ellen Leventhal & illustrated by Natalia Grebtsova, and A Place to Belong: Debbie Friedman Sings Her Way Home written by Deborah Lakritz & illustrated by Julie Castano. Two biographies of the popular Jewish songwriter.
• Hannah G Solomon Dared to Make a Difference written by Bonnie Lindauer & illustrated by Sofia Moore. About the woman who started the National Council of Jewish Women.
• Judy Led the Way written by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso & illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. In 1922, Judy Kaplan was the first American girl to have a bat mitzvah.
• Madam Alexander: The Creator of the Iconic American Doll written by Susan Goldman Rubin & illustrated by Sarah Dvojack. How Beatrice Alexander came to create unbreakable cloth dolls.
• One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor written by Richard Michelson & illustrated by Sarah Green. How Sarah Brenner grew up to become Sydney Taylor, author of the All-of-a-Kind Family books.
• A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion written by Mara Rockliff & illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. Lane Bryant was the first person to design fashionable clothes for plus-size women.
• Perfect Match: The Story of Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton written by Lori Dubbin & illustrated by Amanda Quartey. Two tennis players, one Black and one Jewish, face discrimination but come together to form a winning team.
• Remembering Rosalind Franklin written by Tanya Lee Stone & illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers. Rosalind was a gifted scientist who discovered the double helix structure of DNA but was never taken seriously because she was a woman.
• A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah written by Nancy Churnin & illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg. A story about the founder of the Jewish women's social justice organization.
• Rena Glickman, Queen of Judo written by Eve Nadel Catarevas & illustrated by Martina Peluso. A biography of a girl from Coney Island who became the first female Judo champ and Olympic coach.
• Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg written by Doreen Rappaport & illustrated by Eric Velasquez. A biography of the second woman ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
• Sally Opened Doors written by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso & illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. How Sal­ly Priesand became the first Amer­i­can female rab­bi.

 

~ VIEWS ~

 

In December of 2023, John and I went on a cruise that left from San Francisco, CA and went to four ports in the Mexican Riviera. Unfortunately, when we got to the pier at 10 am, we were told there was a delay, and we couldn't board until evening. So we dropped off our luggage and walked along the pier until we found our Plan B – a boat that would take us to Alcatraz Island for a tour of the infamous former prison.

Here is a view of the island from the boat.

The entrance, where we bought tickets, acknowledges that this was Indian territory.

Most people walked up the hill to get to the prison, but we were able to get a ride. This photo shows some of the plants that grow on the island. The prison is above.

The inside of the prison was as drab and as cold as you would expect. We looked inside some of the cells and saw where Al Capone had lived. It was interesting but so intimidating that I didn't feel comfortable taking photos. I'm glad we got the chance to see it, though. Another item to cross of my bucket list!

 

I won't go into the trials and tribulations of our delayed boarding. Suffice it to say that we didn't actually get onto the Crown Princess until around 10 pm, and our luggage didn't show up until past 1 am. Not the best start to our cruise. But the next day, we were able to appreciate how beautiful the ship was. Here's a shot of the atrium. You can see 3 decks and some of the Christmas decorations.

Our first stop was in Manzanillo. You can see the outdoor marketplace is also decorated for Christmas. We didn't have an excursion that day and spent time strolling the dock area and looking at shops.

Our next port was Puerto Vallarta

where we were greeted by these musicians.

We got on a tour bus that drove through narrow streets, past grocery stores and other shops, until we stopped at Marino & Marino Jewelry.

The store had lots of jewelry, but I was fascinated with the figures made with mother-of-pearl and shells, like this colorful rooster.

We also stopped at Mundo de Azulejos - World of Tiles, which featured various ceramic items as well as tiles. I bought an assortment of tiles to give as holiday gifts.

Our last stop was the main reason some of our fellow passengers booked this cruise – a visit to the Hacienda Doña Engracia Tequila Factory. I don't drink tequila, but apparently, this is the Good Stuff. Customs allows people to enter the country with 2 bottles of liquor per person, and one family brought their kids, siblings, and grandparents along so they could buy twenty bottles of tequila. And that wasn't the first time they took this cruise to buy tequila!

The tour included a look into the process of growing agave and turning it into tequila, but I chose to walk around the lovely gardens instead.

I also enjoyed watching the dance performance. See the man on the horse to the left, outside the tent? They got onstage and the horse danced next!

We had a little time to walk around after we returned to the port.

We really enjoyed our time in Puerto Vallarta. There were two more stops on the cruise, which I will get to next month.

 

 

~ STUFF TO AMUSE ~

 

After last month's Simpsonian Muse went up, the schedule for the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour was announced. The blog tour ran from February 10-14. You can click on this link to see it. The tour includes written and audio interviews of all the 2025 STBA books. Enjoy!

 

To find out more about Alcatraz Island and its history, click on this link from the National Park Service.

 

To be honest, Manzanillo is not a very good tourist stop. But Puerto Vallarta made up for it. This Travel Guide to Puerto Vallarta has some fun ideas.

And Lonely Planet has a First-Time Guide to Puerto Vallarta.

 

Here's the website for Mundo de Azulejos - World of Tiles. It's apparently the best place in the city to buy tiles and other ceramics.

That'll do it for this month.

Until next time, remember to enthuse your muse!

 

~ Martha