jama rattigan's alphabet soup

mood: busy

  
   photo by amy_eggsonsunday.


I was craving a chocolate strawberry tartlet today, and thought you might like to have a little bite. While you're wrapping your lips around this luscious beauty, check out these other tidbits:

 Thank you to Candice Ransom (uber prolific author of a million books, fellow teddy bear collector and antiques junkie), for awarding alphabet soup the One Lovely Blog Award. I love reading her Live Journal blog, Under the Honeysuckle Vine -- we've been slowly discovering that we have similar tastes in bears, old children's books and china, and of course, food. I'm honored Candice found my blog worthy of recognition. Bring on the tea parties!

 I'm also tickled to report that Becky Levine has awarded alphabet soup the Love Ya Award. The criteria for this award is as follows:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."

Wow! *beaming* Thanks so much, Becky! I appreciate your taking the time to stop in regularly, in between blogging here on Live Journal and at your website blog, "Moving Forward on the Writing Path."

 Congratulations to Cynthea Liu on the recent release of her second book, a middle grade novel called Paris Pan Takes the Dare (Putnam, 2009)! For the past couple of weeks, she's been hosting an extended online Launch Party -- yes, there's plenty of food, games, and fun, but there's also an awesome auction to benefit Tulakes Elementary School in Oklahoma. You can bid on fabulous prize packages as well as critiques by published authors, editors and agents! The auction deadline has been extended to midnight (EST) July 8, 2009. 

 I've mentioned before that one of my absolute fave food blogs is Cakespy.com. This is where I get my daily fix for all things dessert -- and it's calorie free! Just wanted to point you to two especially delicious posts -- "Malasada Madness: The Portuguese Doughnut That Took Over Hawai'i," and "Cinema and Sugar: Movies to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth."  The first post is about a place in Seattle that sells malasadas; it includes mouthwatering tidbits about the history of this island favorite, and the cinema post has a great list of movies with storylines featuring some form of dessert. I'm going down the list, and adding anything I haven't yet seen to my Netflix queue. The perfect summer diversion!


  

Finally, in case you didn't have a chance to stop in at Grace Lin's Launch Party yesterday for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, I wanted to remind you about her contest. All you have to do is take a picture of yourself with the book and post it on her Facebook Fan Page. She will draw winners at the end of July, August, and September for a $25.00 gift certificate, good for purchases at her new online store. Then, on October 1st, she will draw a grand prize winner -- and the prize is your name or likeness in one of her upcoming books! Eeeee! 

Oh, and there's one more thing:

photo by shotsi.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Tags: announcements, taste of summer

Posted at 06:36 am | Link | Leave a comment | 11 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: ecstatic

Gorgeous photo of Grace by Alexandre Ferron.

Hooray hooray hooray!!
 
Today is official Pub Day for Grace Lin's brand new middle grade novel, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little,Brown, 2009)!

   
      WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON by Grace Lin,
      (Little, Brown, 2009), Fiction for ages 8-12, 288 pp.

As far as I'm concerned, any time Grace publishes a new book, it is cause for big celebration. I'm a huge fan of both her gorgeous picture books and her heartwarming novels about Pacy Lin, Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat. When I interviewed Grace last year, she had recently returned from visiting China and Taiwan, and she talked about how she hoped to incorporate some of the sights and sounds of her fascinating experiences in a new book.

( Read more... )

Tags: book reviews, grace lin, soup of the day

Posted at 06:43 am | Link | Leave a comment | 16 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: chipper

#9 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.

Just had to post this wonderful InkyGirl comic by Debbie Ridpath Ohi:


         


Isn't it perfect? Thanks to Sara Lewis Holmes for the link! Sara is now 2 for 2 in pointing me to totally faboo alphabetica (the other one was brilliant paper cutting artist, Hina Aoyama). Keep 'em coming, Sara -- and if anyone else comes across any cool alphabet-related stuff, please let me know so I can add it to my collection here (this can be anything -- from art, to alphabet books, to food, clothing, etc.).

See more alphabetica here!

Certified authentic alphabetica. Handmade especially for you with love, Debbie Ohi's genius, and Sara Lewis Holmes' sharp eyes. 

Tags: alphabetica, debbie ohi, taste of summer

Posted at 08:06 am | Link | Leave a comment | 22 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: hopeful

My dearest Kelly,

Though I may be small in stature (3 inches tall to be exact), I am your biggest fan.

All during Brush Up Your Shakespeare Month, I've read your brilliant, insightful, fascinating, bawdy witty and informative posts. You've treated us to a bountiful feast of commentary and analysis of the Bard's greatest plays and sonnets. You've included videos of hotties like Kevin Kline, Dave McKean and Kenneth Branagh. You made me laugh, ponder, and appreciate anew the greatest poet and playwright who ever lived.   

Though I don't have a blog of my own, I hope I'm still eligible to enter your final contest by posting my favorite Shakespearean sonnet here. Verily, I confess my affection for this particular adulation of the fair youth is partly due to the "food" and "gluttoning" contained therein. (You would find yourself similarly influenced if you inhaled soup all day.) 

Thank you for sharing your time, your wealth of knowledge, your heart. "So you are to my thoughts as food to life. Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day."

One question has been tormenting me of late: do you think there is the slightest possibility that the fair youth was a garden gnome? *hoping*

Forever yours,
Fitzhugh Dobbins, Esq.
aka "gnome sweet gnome"


"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

*rose cupcakes by bakerella.

Tags: kelly fineman, shakespeare, taste of summer

Posted at 08:33 am | Link | Leave a comment | 11 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: giddy

Check out the new "Pursuit of Happiness" illustrated essay by Maira Kalman, "Time Wastes Too Fast." It's all about (*swoon*) Thomas Jefferson and Monticello!!

Best line: "History makes you hungry."


~ from the New York Times.


I lurv her ♥!

Tags: maira kalman, taste of summer

Posted at 04:42 pm | Link | Leave a comment | 2 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: thirsty

            
           photo by Abby Lanes


Happy Poetry Friday!

Please help yourself to some fresh lemonade and make yourself comfortable. Summer's in full swing now, so we don't have to rush. It's the season to lounge, languish, and love your lemons!


photo by distopiandreamgirl.

It's an odd thing, really. Lemons are acidic and very sour -- yet their emotional connotations are almost always joyful and sweet.

( Read more... )

Tags: jennifer perrine, poetry friday, taste of summer

Posted at 07:12 am | Link | Leave a comment | 36 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: happy

 THE UGLY VEGETABLES by Grace Lin (Charlesbridge, 2009),
 Picture book for ages 4-8, 32 pp.


Mmmmmm!! What's that tantalizing aroma?

( Read more... )

Tags: book reviews, grace lin, taste of summer

Posted at 08:20 am | Link | Leave a comment | 8 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: busy

Lately, I've been watching a lot of Little House episodes in preparation for my interview with Sidney Greenbush. Though I've seen most of them before, this time around I've been keeping a careful eye on Carrie. There are a lot of charming scenes of her at the table, or mimicking grown-ups. And have you ever noticed the twins' big, beautiful blue eyes?

I'm having fun trying to see if I can tell the twins apart. As they got a little older, Sidney is recognizable by a space between her front teeth. Their facial expressions are a little different, too. Lindsay's face is longer, more angular, Sidney's rounder and fuller.

I watched an interview with Alison Arngrim (who played Nellie Oleson) last night. Like me, she always wondered why Carrie was treated as "Baby Carrie," even when she was 10 or 11. She definitely should have gotten more speaking parts as one of Laura's siblings, and more storylines written for her.

Thought you might like to watch the beginning of the only episode that features both twins, "The Godsister." Apparently, this is the only time they argued over who would play which scenes. Both wanted to be Elissa, Carrie's imaginary friend, so in the end, they shared both roles. "The Godsister" is Sidney's favorite episode. I'm embedding Part One, so you can see her famous opening sequence, and Part Two, which shows Carrie meeting Elissa for the first time. The rest of the episode is on YouTube (7 parts total).

Tags: little house on the prairie, sidney greenbush, taste of summer

Posted at 06:04 am | Link | Leave a comment | 8 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: hungry

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE STORIES BEHIND THE THINGS WE EAT,
by Ken Robbins (Roaring Brook Press, 2009), ages 6+, 48 pp.

What do you think is the most important food in the world?

Besides chocolate, that is ☺.

In his sumptuous new book, Food for Thought: The Stories Behind the Things We Eat, Ken Robbins serves up a thoroughly mouthwatering, fascinating feast of culinary history, myth, folklore, trivia, and nutritional information about nine foods widely available in supermarkets across the country: apples, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, mushrooms, corn, bananas, and pomegranates.

Though some may find the selection eclectic, I like that Robbins includes foods most kids in America probably eat on a regular basis, maybe even take for granted -- and then piques their curiosity with provocative infobits and absolutely stunning photographs. Then, while he's got their attention, he also rhapsodizes about mushrooms and pomegranates (not exactly lunchbox fare), tempting them just enough to whet their appetites (pizza lovers may not even need a mushroom nudge).



As Robbins states in his brief introduction, "Every kind of food has its story." This includes where these foods originated, how they are grown, processed, and consumed, how they've inspired writers and artists, what part they've played in America's history, and even their political and economic implications in a world whose population will likely double by the year 2050.

I like knowing that an apple helped cause the fall of Troy, that Brazil produces the most oranges (but most of its OJ is not drunk at breakfast), and that bananas are so full of essential nutrients that it would be possible to "eat nothing else and still survive in good health." Good stuff to know if you're ever banished to a desert island and allowed to take only one kind of food! And now, I feel even more indebted to the Native Americans, who kept the Colonists from starving with their gifts of corn. 

One might ask, why do we need to read this book, since the information is widely available on the internet? First, the gorgeous photographs are worth the price of admission alone. Life-size, and larger-than-life-size close-ups of the fruits and vegetables, set against various skyscapes, some dark and cloudy, some sunny, provide a unique opportunity for aesthetic appreciation. It's no mistake that some of the world's greatest paintings are still-life studies; through Robbins' discerning lens, we are invited to reconsider and pore over the beautiful texture of orange peel, the juicy sheen of citrus chambers, or the curious, almost comic shapes of heirloom tomatoes. Food can nourish on so many levels.

     

Also, each fruit or vegetable is discussed via several pages of text, with additional photographs showing their sources -- a vineyard, a potato field, an apple tree. Because only 2% of today's Americans live on a farm, fewer of us know what these foods actually look like in their natural state. Robbins never forgets who his audience is, either -- kudos to him for two photos of french fries (both with ketchup, of course), along with pizza, apple bobbing, a mushroom fairy ring, as well as sit-up-and-take-notice mention of popcorn, cornflakes, banana splits, and apple pie.

Food for Thought, suitable for ages 6 and up, is perfect for National Fruit and Vegetable Month. The bountiful mixed platter of information contains just enough choice facts to intrigue young palates, enabling them to look at these common foods in a new way.



And the most important food? Corn. It feeds billions of people worldwide and without it, many would starve to death. Did you already know that?

Today's Nonfiction Monday Roundup is at Tales from the Rushmore Kid.

*Photographic spreads posted by permission, copyright © 2009 Ken Robbins, published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press. All rights reserved.

Tags: book reviews, ken robbins, nonfiction monday, taste of summer

Posted at 09:38 am | Link | Leave a comment | 23 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: chipper

You know the old saying, "You are what you eat"?

This is my dad, James:

( Read more... )

Tags: father's day, taste of summer

Posted at 07:14 am | Link | Leave a comment | 10 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: contemplative

        

I bet you think I'm going to share a Poe poem today.

I can't because I'm not wearing black, and my raven's out sick.

No, today, I'm wearing blue Winnie the Pooh pajamas that glow in the dark. My mentioning this might raise your expectations just a tiny bit -- will this post contain a flash of brilliance from A.A. Milne?

When I first read Kenneth Koch's "You Were Wearing," I smiled at all the cultural references. I was drawn in right away by the poem's freshness and curious details, and suitably teased by the suspense. I love Koch's spontaneity, side-swiping humor and unpredictability. I also love that if you look beneath the light, casual tone, you find a more perplexing message (which I'm still pondering). Koch is a master at enrobing the profound with playfulness.

Just like the narrator and girl in the poem, as readers we approach pieces of writing clothed in expectation of the experience to come. What habits of understanding are you wearing today?

YOU WERE WEARING
by Kenneth Koch

You were wearing your Edgar Allan Poe printed cotton blouse.
In each divided up square of the blouse was a picture of Edgar Allan Poe.
Your hair was blonde and you were cute. You asked me,
"Do most boys think that most girls are bad?"
I smelled the mould of your seaside resort hotel bedroom
on your hair held in place by a John Greenleaf Whittier clip.
"No," I said, "it's the girls who think that boys are bad."
Then we read Snowbound together
And ran around in an attic, so that a little of the blue enamel was scraped off my George Washington, Father of His Country, shoes.
Mother was walking in the living room, her Strauss Waltzes comb in her hair.
We waited for a time and then joined her, only to be served tea in cups painted with pictures of Herman Melville
As well as with illustrations from his book Moby-Dick and from his novella, Benito Cereno.
Father came in wearing his Dick Tracy necktie: "How about a drink, everyone?"
I said, "Let's go outside a while." Then we went onto the porch and sat on the Abraham Lincoln swing.
You sat on the eyes, mouth and beard part, and I sat on the knees.
In the yard across the street we saw a snowman holding a garbage can lid smashed into a likeness of the mad English king, George the Third.

~ from Thank You and Other Poems (Grove, 1962).

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol's Corner. I wonder what she's wearing. ☺

Tags: kenneth koch, poetry friday, taste of summer

Posted at 07:26 am | Link | Leave a comment | 18 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: indescribable

Dear Paul,

Today's a very special day, and I've been looking  for you everywhere.

( Read more... )

Tags: paul mccartney, taste of summer

Posted at 08:04 am | Link | Leave a comment | 12 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: good

While sipping a cool beverage of your choice, check out these noteworthy things:

♥ It's Small Graces time again! Look at the gorgeous painting Grace Lin has up for auction this week:

        

As before, this one is approximately 5" x 5", gouache on Arches watercolor paper, a signed, original unpublished gem that will go to the highest bidder on Ebay. All profits from Grace's year-long charity auction will benefit the Foundation for Children's Books, which serves underprivileged schools in the greater Boston area. Read more about Small Graces here, and click here to place a bid!

♥ Susan Taylor Brown is offering more online classes in Social Networking for Authors and Illustrators. Here's your chance to learn about blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and how using them can support your promotional efforts and enhance your web presence. There's a new session starting up next week, June 22-26, and another one July 13-17th. Click here to get the full scoop!

♥ You know I'm crazy about cakes. In case you missed it, click here to see Susan Kusel's post at Booklights, featuring "Books Good Enough to Eat." Trés cute!

♥ Via Kerry Madden's blog, I learned about a couple of online petitions in support of releasing American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee ASAP. You probably know they were recently convicted of trespassing on North Korean soil and sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp. They've already been detained (wrongfully, in my opinion) for 3 months, and the longer they're there, the harder it will be to sort things out and secure their safe release. Sign the petition!

♥ Don't forget, there's only about 2 weeks left to head on over to your nearest Kohl's store to purchase Jackie Urbanovic's New York Times Bestsellers, Duck at the Door and Duck Soup, and plush versions of main characters Max and Brody. Only $5 each for a book or toy, and all profits support health and education programs for kids in your own community! Read what Jackie has to say about Kohl's Cares for Kids® here.

    
                TAKE US HOME AND HELP SOME KIDS!!


♥ BTW, you look so good today. You really should wear that color more often!

Tags: announcements, small graces, taste of summer

Posted at 07:32 am | Link | Leave a comment | 8 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: giddy

photo of Jakob Dylan by Herb Ritts for Vanity Fair.


So, how's your summer going so far?

Behold, a young blue-eyed musician -- talented, sensitive, good-looking, and bound to set your heart a-flutter. Yes, whether you need to mellow out in your hammock, or spice up your salsa, Jakob Dylan's your man.

I shamefully admit I overlooked Jake's music entirely. Didn't pay any attention to his albums with the Wallflowers. I thought, well, he is Bob Dylan's offspring, yes, but how good could he be? He could never come close to his dad's music; I would only find myself comparing the two and be disappointed. But earlier this year, I heard about Jakob's first solo acoustic album, Seeing Things, and gave it a listen.


photo by josh c.

I fell into it right away. Love his smokey vocals, crisp guitar, lyrical songwriting and relevant themes. In this age of over-produced teeny bop mediocrity, it's refreshing to hear a record that's pared down to the basics of accessible emotion and honest, personal vision. Seeing Things gets better with every listen, and its subtle messages will sneak up on you. I'm one of many who have underestimated Jakob's talents. He looks like Bob, some of his music harkens back to Bob, but Jakob is Jakob.

         

I'm happy to share some of his goodness today. Listen with an open mind, and take the time to let his sound wash over you, easy and clean. Be sure to click over to the PBS website featuring two videos of Jakob on Austin City Limits. One features a track from the album, "Something Good This Way Comes," and the other is an interview. When you see Jakob talking, you will see for yourself just. how. hot. he. is! For the record, he's also one of 18 beautiful male specimens vying for the title of Handsomest Man in the World in Vanity Fair's June poll. Guess who I voted for? Good genes, all around. ☺

Here's one of my fave songs from Seeing Things, "Will it Grow," :


Click here if you wish to engage in more unabashed swooning and drooling over Jake on this fine summer day!

Tags: jakob dylan, summer songs, taste of summer

Posted at 08:12 am | Link | Leave a comment | 12 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: cheerful

       


Are you lucky enough to have your own vegetable garden this year?

Right about now, I'm envying those of you who are enjoying homegrown lettuce, beans, peppers and zucchini, with the promise of juicy red tomatoes yet to come. Since we moved to the woods, we don't get enough sun to grow a decent garden, and because of the deer, we don't have any flower beds or anything.

But I can certainly get into the gardening spirit by reading picture books which focus on the miracle of growth and cultivating a love of nature. Whether you fancy flowers, shrubs, or veggies, you're sure to enjoy dipping your trowel into these stories. 

( Read more... )

Tags: gardening, taste of summer, thematic book lists

Posted at 09:42 am | Link | Leave a comment | 15 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: worried

    
    from timandpep's photostream

Egads, what is it now?

As Gilda Radner used to say, "There's always something."

Of the thousands of thoughts I have each day, I would say at least 3/4 of them stem from fear, anxiety or worry. They run the gamut from silly mind clutter, like:

Is the eye doctor going to dilute my pupils?
What if I wear the wrong thing to the party on Saturday?
Am I getting even more freckles?

to work-related, self esteem issues:

What if I never publish another story ever again?
Why can't I find the right plot for this story?
Shouldn't I be a better writer by now?

All the way up to some heavy duty fears:

Why is North Korea so focussed on nuclear weapons?
Will we ever recover from this recession? 
We've been lucky so far, but what if something bad happens to us?
Is the end of the world coming soon?

I never really took stock of how much time and energy I spend worrying about things that never materialize or over which I have no control, until I read this poem by Jeanne Marie Beaumont. The list of things sounded so familiar. I guess none of us are immune. We cope with anxiety in different ways, but we all want answers, reassurance. Wouldn't it be grand if someone with real authority could just come up to us and say:


photo by dinning under a windmill

My only comfort is knowing there are other worry worts like me out there. *gulp* Aren't there? What if no one reads this post? What if no one cares?

See what I mean? It's enough to make you want to curl up into a little ball and never come out:



AFRAID SO
by Jeanne Marie Beaumont

Is it starting to rain?
Did the check bounce?
Are we out of coffee?
Is this going to hurt?
Could you lose your job?
Did the glass break?
Was the baggage misrouted?
Will this go on my record?

(Rest is here.)

Just in case you can relate, here are some worry dolls from Guatemala. The Mayans believe that if you tell your worries to them, then put the dolls under your pillow at night, by morning they will have taken your worries away.


photo by catclawtub

Yeah, right. What if the dog eats the worry dolls while I'm asleep? Jama, you don't have a dog. Okay, why don't I have a dog? I like animals, why don't they like me?

Egads.

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Brian Jung at Critique de Mr. Chompchomp. OMG! Will he bite us?

P.S. I think writers are more predisposed to worry than most people. We are in the business of creating stories based on a lot of "what-if's." Always looking for conflict, needing to add dramatic tension. Thinking of worst possible scenarios for our characters. What say you? You ARE out there, aren't you?

*Worry coccoon courtesy of Amy Ng.

Tags: jeanne marie beaumont, poetry friday, taste of summer

Posted at 07:20 am | Link | Leave a comment | 30 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: creative

#8 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet

    
    from bjensen2008's photostream

Awhile ago, poet extraordinaire, Julie Larios, gifted me with the letter "T" on a Poetry Friday when I posted about James Taylor.

So now, I'm sharing some of the things I love that begin with T, the most commonly used consonant in our alphabet, and the second most common letter in the English language, after "e."

 

( Read more... )

Tags: alphabetica, taste of summer, thankful thursday

Posted at 07:08 am | Link | Leave a comment | 21 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: busy

        
      Sidney Greenbush = adorable.


I'm just about ready to send off some questions to Sidney Greenbush, one of the identical twins who played Carrie Ingalls on the popular TV series, "Little House on the Prairie."

When I told Sidney that lots of children's book writers are also big Little House fans, she agreed to drop by for an interview. We've already gotten some great questions as a result of my post last week, but in case you missed it, and have something you want to ask Sidney, leave a comment here by the end of the week, or email me: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot com).

Don't miss your chance. Thanks!

Tags: laura ingalls wilder, sidney greenbush, taste of summer

Posted at 02:07 pm | Link | Leave a comment | 5 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: bouncy

In honor of Sendak's 81st birthday today, the alphabet soup bears wanted to share a couple of their favorite stories:

Tags: maurice sendak, taste of summer

Posted at 07:42 am | Link | Leave a comment | 11 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

mood: ecstatic

           

These are probably not your mother's stilettos.

But they could be your grandma's!

Just ask Tali and Octavia, whose grandmother not only wears red stilettos, but drives a red sportscar, dons flippy wigs and push-up bras, has very strong opinions, and tells them about her very surprising history.

Woo Hoo! The day I've been waiting for all year long has finally arrived: official pub day for Mare's War, a young adult novel written by the one and only Tanita S. Davis!!

*stilettos all over the world clicking together in celebration*

    
       MARE'S WAR by Tanita S. Davis,
       (Knopf, 2009), Young Adult Historical Fiction,
       Ages 12+, 352 pp.

Tanita's first book, A La Carte (2008), was so thoroughly delicious that I can't wait to read Mare's War. Mare is the grandmother in question; Tali and Octavia's summer plans are ruined when their parents force them to accompany Mare on a l-o-n-g cross-country road trip.

( Read more... )

Tags: soup of the day, tanita s. davis

Posted at 06:46 am | Link | Leave a comment | 19 comments | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend