This small but mighty press brings you award winning books about the essence of New England with wonderful titles like Find a Moose with Me by Buzby Hersey and illustrated Ashley Halsey; How to Tap a Maple by Stephanie Mulligan and illustrated by Connie Rand; and Walk in the Woods with Me by Patice Phinney Turner and illustrated by Emily House.
We are delighted to join this publisher of fine picture books that describe the beauty and spirit of New England! This new publication will be available in early December, and is available for pre-order now. For all nature centers, community groups, and citizen scientists, you can have this in your hands by the next crossing season! And please be in touch if you would like to schedule an author’s talk or salamander migration learning experience for your school or group.
All my thinking and writing has been on a slower program, as we slog through the cold and the phases of this pandemic. Coming back from break and into the new year, at the peak of the Omicron virus was.. something. I finally found the words and wrote about it for Edweek.
The responses to my original tweet that led to that post were heartbreaking and illuminating. I wanted to reach out and hug every single educator who responded, every parent who showed solidarity and support, and all of the health care workers who have dealing with impossible conditions for far too long. I wrote about the emerging themes for We Are Teachers.
Lastly, I read at a fever pitch this deftly reported book on climate change education by Katie Worth. Sometimes it takes a journalist shining a bright light on an issue, going way back, making connections and showing evidence over time, to give us a clear eye on how we got here. I encourage all parents, educators, and concerned citizens (and well, everyone!) to read it too, and think about how we can do better.
But mostly, I hope you are taking care of yourself. Resting. Getting out in nature when you can. Finding pockets of joy and love.
I sit here in the November rain (for about 1,000 days now), with the wood stove fire popping and glowing. I am so thankful for my health, family, friends and school community. What a blur the fall has been — the pandemic, teaching with daily changes, stressors, and situations, the election (which feels like years ago now). I saw something that blew my mind. A simple number, and the calendar. In 3 months, it will be March again. Can you believe that? Oh, how the world has changed. So much has happened. So much loss and turmoil, but also, hopefully, growth and change.
For right now, for the holiday season, I wish these things for you:
Musings from Instagram @katyfarber.
What is your list of things keeping you going on the day to day? Mine includes:
Sheer perfection.
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (Seriously. These are no joke. Have 1-3 and feel very decadent. Rewarded for making it through the day. But now they are ALL GONE).
Good TV. We recently did a Harry Potter movie marathon and it was so joyful, like seeing old friends, rediscovering lines and scenes I had since forgotten (and yes, I still cried you know where and you know why). We’ve also watched We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (incredible, but parents, swearing, if you care!) and Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (we have a serious dancer in the house).
Good books. Recent high quality reads include I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (YA), The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker (MG), and All American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney.
A sketchnote inspired by I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Calm App. I cannot say enough good things about doing this for 10 minutes a day. Honestly, sometimes I think it is the only thing that can really help me manage my fears and get in the right headspace for parenting and teaching. This is worth every dime to me and is now a daily practice.
Nature. Exercise. Even for 20 minutes. Even a walk while calling a parent or friend. Just get moving. I always feel better about everything after I do this, even if only for a few minutes.
What is keeping you going? What shows are you watching, books have you read? Who are YOUR favorite Harry Potter characters? I would love to hear about it.
Published by Green Writers Press.
And if you are holiday book shopping, I would be honored to have you check out my books! You can look at the links on this page to learn more about each one. You’ll find Salamander Sky (illustrated by Meg Sodano) for your nature loving, curious younger kids, and The Order of the Trees, an environmental, magical novel for upper elementary students. And for the teachers in your lives, I’ve got several options there, too, including our newest, Personalized Learning for the Middle Grades. If you are interested, please ask for them at your local, independent bookstore!
Wishing you and yours well. Stay safe and healthy.
