March 2024 Issue #37
March 1, 2024
Happy March!
Welcome to issue #37 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.
*NOTE: If you are a subscriber to my newsletter and some of the photos don't show up, please go to my website to read it. The server is sometimes finicky.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope you will find something to inform and entertain you.
~ NEWS ~
Shepherd.com is promoting my book, Esther's Gragger: A Toyshop Tale of Purim, along with my list of 5 best fun picture books about Jewish holidays. Check it out!
Also, my editor showed me some of the illustrations for my next book, A Ring for a King, which is slated for publication next year. As usual, Yael is doing an outstanding job. I can't wait to see the entire book!
But wait, there's more!
The fifth year of the Sydney Taylor Shmooze has begun! Read this post from moderators Heidi, Susan, and Chava. Reviews of the 2024 Jewish books for kids and teens have already started to appear on Facebook. I'm looking forward to my second year as advisor for the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, and to reading more great books!
BOOK SHARE
Shepherd.com has many best books lists by authors and illustrators for kids and teens, as well as books for adults. To search for kids books, at the top of their home page, click on Kids. On The most recommended children's books, scroll down to What type of children's book? If you click on Genres or Topics, you will find some choices to narrow down your search, including Jewish books. Above each book that comes up, you can see who recommended it and the name of their book list. Click on the list to see all 5 of their recommended books, as well as one of their own books and bio.
Some of my favorite lists are:
Illustrated stories that are Jewish& by Erica Lyons
Hanukkah picture books for trying times by Arthur A. Levine
Middle school reads with Jewish American characters by Jacqueline Jules
Middle grade novels featuring young environmentalists by Dianna Renn
There are so many interesting lists to explore. Look for yourself and find some more great reads.
CALENDAR TRIVIA
This year, I'm featuring the birth dates of authors and illustrators who create books for kids and teens. Here are some people and a sample of their books.
- March 2 – Dr. Seuss (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)
- March 3 – Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
- March 4 – Peggy Rathman (Officer Buckle and Gloria)
- March 5 – Mem Fox (Hattie and the Fox)
- March 6 – Sid Fleischman (The Whipping Boy)
- March 6 – Chris Raschka (A Ball for Daisy)
- March 8 – Robert Sabuda (The Movable Mother Goose)
- March 11 – Peter Sis (Nicky and Vera)
- March 12 – Virginia Hamilton (M.C. Higgins, the Great)
- March 12 – Carl Hiaasen (Hoot)
- March 17 – Patrick McDonnell (The Gift of Nothing)
- March 18 – Douglas Florian (beast feast)
- March 20 – Lois Lowry (The Giver)
- March 20 – Bill Martin, Jr. (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?)
- March 20 – Louis Sachar (Holes)
- March 21 – David Wisniewski (Golem)
- March 27 – Dick King-Smith (Babe: The Gallant Pig)
- March 30 – Anna Sewell (Black Beauty)
Can you identify the 8 books that were made into movies? And the 8 Newbery and 3 Caldecott winners?
~ VIEWS ~
This month's travelogue is from June 8, 2023, when our cruise ship docked in Juneu, Alaska.
We arrived at sunrise.
Here was the view of Juneau from our stateroom balcony. Notice that the water level is low. You can see on the pilings where the water would be at high tide.
This is a closer view of the statue and totem that are on the lower right corner of the previous photo.
We had two excursions that day. In the morning, we took the Goldbelt tram to the top of a mountain.
Here is a view of our ship from the tram.
We watched a movie about the Tlingit people, and walked along a trail that featured several totems.
The trail was lovely, but we didn't expect so many mosquitoes!
In the afternoon, we went on a whale watch. I took photos from inside the boat's cabin, so you will see glare on some of the photos.
The guide told us that a whale will spout before coming up for air, so we looked for a stream of water vapor, like this one at the center of the photo. The guide also said that there are a few whales that like to show off for visitors. They named this one Flame.
Now you can see the whale's back.
And here's the tail as she goes back down.
They named this whale Sasha.
Here's a closer look.
Here's the tail.
And the tip of the tail as she goes under.
We had a good day in Juneau.
There was one more stop on this cruise, which I will wrap up next month.
~ STUFF TO AMUSE ~
When I have time, I like to do jigsaw puzzles. I have a square folding table in the living room that I use. Usually, the table is big enough to hold the completed puzzle, but I have two puzzles that are 39 inches wide, which is too big to fit on the table. A friend told me that she has a puzzle board that is wider and has a felt cover to hold the pieces. I looked them up online at Michael's Crafts and saw that a 28" x 40" puzzle board cost $79.99, which is a ridiculous amount of money. Another one that comes with two trays for sorting puzzle pieces costs $129.99, which is absolutely outrageous!
I decided to make one myself. I found a long cardboard box and cut it to 22" x 45". Then I went to Joann Fabrics and bought one yard of flannel (they didn't have yards of felt) which is usually $12.99/yard but was on sale for half price. I measured and cut the fabric to 26" x 49". I put double-sided tape ($4.99/roll) onto the cardboard to hold the material in place, then placed the flannel over it, smoothing it down so there weren't any lumps. I turned the cardboard over and used duct tape ($3.99/roll) to secure the flannel on the bottom of board. Viola! I made a puzzle board for under $20, which is wider than the ones at Michael's. As for sorting trays, I always use the box the puzzle comes in, and I have other containers if I need them. Why spend $50 for two trays that come with an already overpriced puzzle board?
Here is the result, along with the 39" wide puzzle I pieced together. An easy DIY project that you can do, too. (How many of these classic books have you read?)
That'll do it for this month.
Until next time, remember to enthuse your muse!
~ Martha