Summer is far from over! Here’s a book of poetry by a local father-son team, a perfect beach read, a summer-ready cookbook and an informative book about food for kids. I featured these today on WBRC-Fox 6.
Illusions: Poetry & Art for the Young at Heart
by Charles Ghigna with illustrations by Chip Ghigna
Charles Ghigna, our own beloved Alabama author who often goes by the name “Father Goose,” teamed up with his artist son, Chip, for an especially beautiful book of poetry. Through thoughtful words and fanciful black and white images, they create a dream world that is anything but black and white. The poems and pictures blur the lines between imagination and reality in a way that is inspirational and heartwarming and even funny.
Art
Art is undefinable,
A mystery of creation
Inspired by a pigment
Of your imagination.
The father-son collaboration is magical—sort of like how family members can harmonize better and more naturally than singers who are not related. Charles’s poetry is accessible, as always, which I enjoy. There’s truth in his poems. And Chip’s illustrations are spare, yet thought-provoking. A perfect pairing.
I’m a little late to the Rosie situation. The Rosie Project was published in 2013 and there have been two other installments since then: The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result. I must say, I thought there would be a film before any sequels; The Rosie Project is a very visual read. This international bestselling rom-com of a book is about a genetics profession named Don Tillman who is absolutely brilliant but socially challenged. He’s looking for love and approaching it as a scientific project. He designs The Wife Project, complete with an exhaustive, 16-page questionnaire, that he hopes will lead him to a life partner. Smokers, drinkers and late arrivers need not apply. Then, by chance, he meets Rosie Jarman who has all three of these “flaws.” Don quickly disqualifies Rosie for The Wife Project but is intrigued by her quest to discover her biological father. So, he embarks upon The Father Project, and his world is quickly turned upside down by the unpredictable Rosie. The book is laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming and just plain fun. Don discovers that sometimes, despite the most diligent search for love, it sometimes finds you.
Summer, a Cookbook: Inspired Recipes for Lazy Days and Magical Nights
by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson
Americans are ready to share dinner and drinks and lunches and brunches with friends and family. No doubt about that. This brand-new cookbook offers delicious, easy-to-follow instructions on how to do that. More than 100 seasonal recipes here advocate going with the flow (and not turning on the oven if it’s just too darn hot out). Even though the spotlight is on ease, the ideas are inspiring. Consider Spicy Pineapple Spears and Landlubber’s Lobster Rolls for your next beach picnic. Gather at the lake for Grilled Shrimp Louie salad. Host a paella party. There are tiki cocktails here as well as a Five-Minute Frosé. And you’ll even find tips on building a beach firepit. Welcome to the rest of your delicious and fun summer!
There’s No Ham in Hamburger: Facts and Folklore About our Favorite Foods
by Kim Zachman with illustrations by Peter Donnelly
This new book is about the history, science and geography behind lots of foods beloved by kids (of all ages). That said, this book is written especially for young readers ages 8-12. Burgers and fries, chocolate and chicken, peanut butter and ice cream and cold cereal, Chicken McNuggets and hotdogs. They are all addressed here in a way that’s playful and informative.
Author Kim Zachman, from Roswell, GA, is a history buff and an advocate for kids reading for pleasure.
“I wanted to write history for kids, and I wanted it to be really fun,” she told The Associated Press. “I was trying to think of ideas, and I was out walking my dog one day, and I was like, why is there no ham in hamburgers? I’d always kind of wondered that. That’s when I found so many great origin stories.” Even something as everyday as vanilla and chocolate are not so straightforward:
- It takes four years for a young vanilla plant to produce a flower, and the flower lasts for just one day.
- The tropical trees grown for chocolate can’t handle direct sunlight, need rain year-round and take three to four years to produce blossoms that can only be pollinated by tiny flies called midges. Out of 1,000 flowers, just three or four will be pollinated and grow into seed pods, which take about six months to ripen.
- Cacao seeds were so valuable that the Aztecs used them as money.
This hands-on history lesson includes some simple recipes and one science experiment—learn how to extract iron from fortified cold cereal.
I link to Amazon to show you exactly what book I’m talking about, but I love to shop locally at Church Street Coffee and Books, The Alabama Booksmith, Little Professor Book Center, and I often visit my local library.
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