December 2023 Issue #34
December 1, 2023
Happy December!
Welcome to issue #34 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.
If you missed the previous newsletters, you can click the button on the left sidebar on my website to catch up or click here: Newsletter.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope you will find something to inform and entertain you.
~ NEWS ~
Author Tracy Newman and I shared a table at the Congregation Beth-El gift fair in Norwalk, CT last month. Thanks to Stacy Moser for inviting us!
Rolande Duprey, an Adult Services Librarian at the East Hartford Public Library in CT, interviewed me for her Meet the Authors Zoom program about my book, The Dreidel in the Window: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah. You can find it on the library's YouTube page, or click here for the direct link.
But wait, there's more!
I mentioned a few months ago that I will be participating in Read Your World's Multicultural Children's Book Day in January 2024. Here is the promo poster for my book. You can see all the participating authors and illustrators at: MCBD 2024. I am the 14th author listed.
BOOK SHARE
I mentioned Tracy Newman above. Here are some of her books.
Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved the Violin is a picture book biography of Itzhak Perlman who overcame physical disabilities and prejudice to become a world-renown violinist.
Around the Passover Table is a rhyming celebration of the holiday.
Shabbat Hiccups is about a boy who needs to get rid of his hiccups before Shabbat begins.
Uncle Eli's Wedding - Daniel is upset about missing his soccer game to go to his uncle's wedding.
Tracy has also written several holiday board books, including Sukkot Is Coming! There is a book for almost every Jewish holiday!
CALENDAR TRIVIA
Did you know that December is National Pear Month?
According to the Every Day's a Holiday Calendar, other noteworthy foodie dates include:
- December 1 – Eat a Red Apple Day
- December 7 – Fritters Day
- December 7 – Cotton Candy Day
- December 8 – Brownie Day
- December 11 – Have a Bagel Day
- December 15 – Lemon Cupcake Day
- December 16 – Chocolate Covered Anything Day
- December 17 – Maple Syrup Day
- December 18 – Bake Cookies Day
- December 19 – Hard Candy Day
- December 22 – Date Nut Bread Day
- December 25 – Pumpkin Pie Day
- December 26 – Candy Cane Day
- December 27 – Fruitcake Day
- December 30 – Bacon Day
Celebrate Appropriately!
This ends my 12 months of food holidays. What will I feature in 2024? Come back in January to find out!
~ VIEWS ~
Here is my nineth and final installment of photos from our Holland America cruise to New Zealand and Australia.
On March 13th, John and I toured the Sydney Opera House. Located on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbor, it's one of the most famous and distinctive buildings in the world and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.
There's a restaurant on the lower level of the building.
The Opera House has seven color-coded theaters, each with their own entrances and lobbies. This is the stage for the Drama Theater.
The Studio is a flexible space, used for experimental theater.
This is a view of the stairs leading to the balcony of the Concert Hall. We went inside for about five minutes but were not allowed to take photos because the band Bikini Kill was there, rehearsing for their evening concert. Boy, were they loud! After we left, we could still hear them until we moved to another area of the Opera House.
Our guide was an architect, and he took great pride in explaining how the buildings were designed and constructed. He especially enjoyed pointing out some of the dramatic beams.
This is the lobby of one of the theaters.
Here, we are looking through a window to see some of the adjoining sections.
The Sydney Opera House is truly a unique and magnificent feat of architecture. I wish we'd had the opportunity to see all of the venues and attend a concert or play.
For more information about the Sydney Opera House, here's their SOH website.
To find out how it was built, look here: Architecture
Within walking distance of the Sydney Opera House is the Royal Botanic Garden.
There are several entrances. We entered through the Queen Elizabeth II Gate and walked down the main path.
I was fascinated by these birds, which walked freely throughout the park.
I was also amazed at the majestic trees we passed.
We explored this herb garden. You can see the city in the background.
What do you think this is?
And this?
The whale was decorated with streamers in a rainbow of colors to celebrate Pride Month.
We rested in this beautiful circular garden.
More streamers adorned this fountain statue.
Along with a bird who seems to be having a discussion with the boy.
John and I saw only a fraction of this beautiful oasis, located close to the Sydney business district and Sydney Harbor. Here is a photo of the Garden and the Opera House, taken from the Royal Botanic Garden website where you can learn more about it.
After a busy day, we returned to our hotel and ate at La Boca Restaurant, which featured this debonair bovine.
John and I would have loved to visit more of Sydney and other parts of Australia, but after almost three weeks, it was time to go home.
Next month, I'll show you another one of our adventures!
~ STUFF TO AMUSE ~
The Sydney Taylor Book Award committee members will meet online this month to determine the most outstanding Jewish picture, middle grade, and young adult books of 2023. I'm not a voting member this year, but as the committee advisor, I'll be observing as the members name the Winner, Honor, and Notable Books.
You can read reviews of several of the 2023 books on the Sydney Taylor Shmooze website.
And you can participate in the Mock Award Program, which is described here.
Note that you do not have to limit your voting to the six books listed for each category. You can vote for any Jewish-themed picture, middle grade, and young adult book published in 2023.
The Sydney Taylor winner and honor books will be announced during the American Library Association's LibLearnX conference at the Youth Media Awards on January 22, 2024. Look for the livestream on the ALA's YouTube page.
Also, the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee is looking for new members who will start in January 2025. You can find the application on the Association of Jewish Libraries website, or click here. The deadline to submit applications is December 26, so act fast!
That'll do it for this month.
Until next time, remember to enthuse your muse!
~ Martha