Uber-talented author-illustrator Calef Brown created this cool Kindness Poster yesterday, which he’s generously made available to the public free of charge.
Click here to print a copy for your home, school or library. High resolution images are available in a variety of sizes and formats.
Thanks, Calef!
Copyright © 2016 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
Happy to sign this pledge.
Illustration by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Children’s literature may be the most influential literary genre of all. Picture books, chapter books, middle-grade and young-adult novels all serve the most noble of purposes: to satisfy the need for information, to entertain curious imaginations, to encourage critical thinking skills, to move and inspire. Within their pages, seeds of wisdom and possibility are sown.
Therefore we, the undersigned children’s book authors and illustrators, do publicly affirm our commitment to using our talents and varied forms of artistic expression to help eliminate the fear that takes root in the human heart amid lack of familiarity and understanding of others; the type of fear that feeds stereotypes, bitterness, racism and hatred; the type of fear that so often leads to tragic violence and senseless death.
Our country is deeply divided. The recent election is a clear indication of the bigotry that is entrenched in this nation, of…
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Some of you may know we love talking about Presidential Food here in the Alphabet Soup kitchen.
Whether it’s polishing off a bowl of JFK’s clam chowder, whipping up a batch of George Washington’s hoecakes, or wrapping our lips around Barack Obama’s homemade chili, learning about our leaders’ favorite foods makes them more human and accessible.
I like associating Ronald Reagan with jelly beans, George Bush with pork rinds, Jimmy Carter with peanuts. But what of the first female presidential nominee?
I guess Hillary Rodham Clinton can be summed up this way: she’s a hot pepper and a smart cookie. 🙂
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: A good cup of instant Mexican coffee, not too strong, not too mild. With sprinkle of sweetener and a bit of cream. It will wake me up and give me the fortitude to sit down and write!
☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Summer of the Mariposas (Tu Books, 2012); Under the Mesquite (Lee & Low Books, 2011); The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2014). Forthcoming: My new book, SHAME THE STARS, is due for publication in September 2016 from Tu Books and I couldn’t be more excited!
☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Sip, Slurp, Soup, Soup, Caldo, Caldo, Caldo! by Diane Gonzalez Bertrand and Alex Pardo Delange (Piñata Books, 2008) is my favorite food related book because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a good bowl of caldo. Caldo has the power to warm even the coldest heart!
☕ Visit Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s Official Website.
☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out this student video of Guadalupe’s poem “Cicada” from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science:
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☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Book Trailer for Summer of the Mariposas!
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☕☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: Wonderful video of Guadalupe discussing the genesis and development of Summer of the Mariposas, which was selected for the 2015 Spirit of Texas Reading Program:
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Copyright © 2016 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
In my many years of scoping out flea markets, craft fairs, juried art exhibitions and gift shops, I’ve encountered a lot of ho-hum pottery and ceramics. You’ve probably seen them too — pieces that are nice enough but not distinctive in design or color, pieces that lack a certain je ne sais quoi that makes you stop and take a second look (ho-hum, yawn, moving right along . . . ).
So when I do stumble upon truly exquisite work that sets my heart aflutter, prompting numerous sighs and pangs of longing, it’s cause for celebration. Enter award-winning UK artist-designer-ceramicist Katrin Moye!
An English and Art History major, Katrin is largely self taught in ceramics. She’s inspired by mid-century decorative art, Scandinavian and Eastern European folk art, and 1970’s childhood memories growing up in England and Germany (mainly textiles, book illustrations, soft furnishings and other domestic paraphernalia). Literary influences include Hans Christian Andersen, Astrid Lindgren, Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, and Alf Proysen.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 