To Market, To Market, by Nikki McClure

This awesome book has been inspired by farmers selling goods at the Olympia Farmers Market. It celebrates and shares the virtues of hard work, communities, growing and eating food on the local level. Stories and food making processes found within the book have been shared by farmers, providing an intimate look into how important small and locally owned farms and business are. Food and other preparation techniques are also shared; readers will learn how smoked salmon is prepared with rock salt and Alder smoke, as well as how fabric is dyed with Indigo plants using traditional Japanese methods.

Also included is the technique for apple grafting, a process in which a new tree is created by splicing a small scion (branch cutting) to a rootstock (tree grown for its roots). Yet another point of interest is the story behind honey collection – did you know smoke convinces the bees there is a fire, so they eat a lot of honey, which in turn sedates them?

Nikki McClure has illustrated many books, including Mama, Is it Summer Yet? and New York Times bestseller All in a Day. In mid-90s she released music through K Records, but has since focused on books. She creates illustrations by cutting images drawn on black paper with an X-Acto knife. This process is time consuming but rewarding, resembling lace after it is cut. Cup paper is then scanned and digitally colored, using simple color themes for each section of To Market, To Market.

Nikki just finished Market to Market tour where she held readings and signings at farmer markets across Washington, Massachusetts and New York states. Please make sure to read her other books as they are wonderful.

Abrams Books for Young Readers

Ages: 4 and up

Pages: 40

List Price: $17.95

Cover: Hardcover

Published: 4/01/2011

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9738-7

First Garden : The White House Garden and How it Grew, written and illustrated by Robbin Gourley

Readers of this book will find a plethora of information regarding past presidential gardens, the White House, as well as how to garden successfully and learn about its many benefits. 

Michelle Obama has been working towards alerting American families to proper nutrition; she recently redesigned the food pyramid to make it easier to use. Keeping the importance of healthy, locally grown organic food in mind, she proposed the idea of keeping a vegetable garden to her husband, President Obama, who thought it was a great idea. Last time a vegetable garden was planted at the White House was back in 1943, during World War II by Eleanor Roosevelt, who wanted to set an example of the importance of growing  food.

To assist with the project, Mrs. Obama invited twenty-three students from a local school, who helped by digging up grass, breaking up earth, mixing organic material and installing a beehive. They planted seeds and vegetables that grew to feed not only the guests to the White House, but also Miriam’s Kitchen, an organization that provides healthy, homemade foods to the homeless of the area. At the end of the season, Mrs. Obama threw a Harvest Party for the students that helped make the White House Garden a success.

Robbin Gourley wrote and illustrated this beautiful and informative book full of lovely watercolor images. It is also beautiful in the message it passes along – locally cared for gardens provide not only healthy organic food, but they also teach the importance of growing it. Gardens show children how hard work and patience pay off, connecting them with the way nature works and how food finds its way to their table.

Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Ages: 4-8

Pages: 48

List Price: $16.99

Cover: Hardcover

Published: 4/04/2011

ISBN-10: 0547482248

And Tango Makes Three

This delightful true story follows the lives of chinstrap penguins living in the Central Park zoo. Through beautiful watercolor illustrations a story of families is told, imparting the importance of love and care above all. Story’s central characters are Roy and Silo, two male penguins that work towards forming a family.  Following the example of other penguin families at the zoo, Roy and Silo form a nest and take turns sitting in it. However, lacking an actual egg, they sit in vain, until a zookeeper places a penguin egg in need of care into their nest. They name the penguin that hatches “Tango”, “because it takes two to make a Tango.”  The lesson all readers can take away from this story is that love, patience, and care define the concept of family. This story has received numerous awards, but has also encountered censorship due to its theme. The American Library Association reported that And Tango Makes Three was one of the most challenged books from 2006 to 2011.

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Ages: P-8

Pages: 32

List Price: $16.99

Cover: Hardcover

Published: 4/26/2005

ISBN-10: 1442424109

Inkblot, by Margaret Peot

Inkblot is an imaginative art guide for anyone seeking inspiration. Creative blocks can be avoided easily by playing with inkblot art, and this book provides a plethora of demonstrations and examples. It mentions several different techniques and variations, including blow-art and ink pouring, drawing into inkblots, creating inkblots with single fold and multi-fold, using colored ink, creating inkblot landscapes, applying different amount of pressure and ink, inkblots created within different shapes and styles of paper,  landscapes, among others . Additionally, it provides examples of a few artists, as they themselves used inkblots in order to expand their visions. Some of the most famous ones include Victor Hugo (artist and writer of novels such as Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Stefan G. Bucher (contemporary master of the blown-ink technique). This is a great book that will inspire creativity for artists of all ages.

Boyds Mills Press

Ages: 11 and up (although younger artists are encouraged to work with minimal guidance)

Pages: 56

List Price: $19.95

Cover: Hardcover

Published: 3/1/2011

ISBN: 1-59078-720-X