Feature: Delicious Summers with Healthy Meals

Delicious Summers with Healthy Meals
by Brynn Smith-Raska
Editorial Assistant

It is an indisputable fact that every season has a distinct smell. Fall is imbued with the rich aroma of falling leaves. Winter is bitter and harsh with the its essence of snow. Spring time tantalizes the nose with flowers and freshly cut grass. All these wonderful smells of nature permeate the world around us for 8 months out of the year. Then summer rolls around and the scents that waft through the air become strangely less natural and much more – delicious!

Anyone who has suffered through a long and sweltering summer knows the oppressive heat and glaring sun are all worth it because of what the warmth brings with it – outdoor dining. May through August have long been famous for being the seasonal hosts to barbecues, picnics and baseball games; hot dogs and ice cream cones and lemonade and potato salad are the star players of these warm month past-times.

Unfortunately, despite their scrumptiousness, these famous summer meals leave something to be desired in the nutrition department. Combine the unhealthy nature of the junk food which we often indulge in during the summer months, with the long and sometimes unregimented days that kids enjoy while out of school, and you have a recipe for disaster!

A recent study from Ohio State University has found that, contrary to what one might expect, kids often gain weight in the summer. When kids are no longer in school, under the watchful eye of teachers and coaches, their eating habits get off track and their lifestyles can become sedentary. Schools have made great strides in keeping junk food out of classrooms and hallways, but when kids are left to their own devices, apples and granola are quickly replaced with popsicles and soda.

In the study, researchers measured the increase in the BMI of students during the school year as compared to the summer months, and found the number rose more staggeringly during the summer break. The best way to reverse these findings is to eat healthfully and exercise. But everyone knows talking about living well is a lot easier than implementing healthy choices into a daily routine, especially without the vigilant eye of Mom, Dad, teacher or coach.

That's why YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition is such a fantastic tool for living well – aimed at kids, it puts the power in their hands. In addition from providing information about food (where it comes from, how it grows), author and registered dietitian – and mom – Daina Kalnins offers kids-friendly recipes for healthy snacks and alternatives to unhealthy favorites.

There are some really interesting facts about eating and hunger, too. Did you know that sometimes when you feel hungry, you might in reality just be thirsty? Especially in the summer when we all sweat from the sun's hot rays, it's easy to become dehydrated. So next time your child goes to grab a bag of chips, suggest that they take a drink of water and see if the hunger goes away. They may be surprised to find they don't want that snack anymore!

My favorite part of the book (and one kids are sure to love) is the “What Celebs Say” section: we learn from Zac Efron about his efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and the NBA's Tony Parrish's strategy of living well by avoiding a lot of sweets and working out. If busy celebs can find the time to stay fit through the summer months, why can't we all give it a go?

With recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with great ideas for working out and feeling good, YUM will seamlessly guide your child (and the whole family) through the delicious summer months. Here are five tips from Daina Kalnins and YUM to kick start a healthy lifestyle this summer:

• When having a picnic or a barbecue, try using whole wheat bread and buns with your sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers.
• Calcium is crucial for everyone, especially for growing bodies. Luckily, frozen yogurt is a great source of calcium, and deliciously refreshing, too.
• Try something new! It's no secret that football players sometimes take ballet classes to improve their balance and agility. If you play basketball during the school year, why not try diving classes? And if you figure skate in the winter, maybe you could give tennis a swing. Your body will feel great, and who knows, maybe you'll discover you have a knack for kick-boxing!
• I'm sure you've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it's easy to forget about it when you don't have to wake up early for school. But that doesn't mean breakfast isn't just as important in the summer. Eating a healthy breakfast is a meal with two perks – it will make you more energetic and give you a healthy level of body fat.
• Instead of firing up the grill and making hamburgers, try YUM's more nutritious – and delicious! - recipe for Lentil Burgers. They're sure to be a hit!

Now, your kids can submit their delicious summer recipes for a chance to win their own copy of YUM and four other Lobster Press books - check out the YUM Summer Snack Contest!

Bon Apetit!

Contest: Win a Summer Reading Book Bundle!

Lobster Press and City Parent are giving away “Summer Reading Book Bundles” of Lobster's most popular kids' books.

Enter to win the “Summer Reading Book Bundles” for ages 3 – 7, for ages 8 – 12, and for ages 13 – 17, by Sunday, July 20th.

Celebrating the City of Quebec's 400th with the story of Grosse Île, Island of Hope and Sorrow

by Mahak Jain
Marketing Assistant

I live in Montreal, Quebec and soon we'll be celebrating the City of Quebec's 400th anniversary. Coming from below the border as I do, it seems sort of superficial to enjoy the holiday without a brush-up on Quebec's history. Three jobs in tote, I don't have time to read lengthy history books, and the generic Wikipedia entry is a bit dry. Luckily, author Anne Renaud has made the process simpler for me - and much more interesting.

Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île is written for children, focusing on a crucial chapter of Quebec's history. From 1832 to 1937 more than four million people sailed across the Atlantic to the port of Quebec with the dream of starting a new life in the New World. The tiny island of Grosse Île, located fifty kilometers downstream from the port, served as a quarantine station for thousands of these newcomers and Renaud's Island of Hope and Sorrow carefully sketches out the ebbs and flows that make up the history of the island. Stocked with old photographs and etched drawings that re-create the hushed silence of a museum, the book includes brief "history notes" that kept teaching me new things. For example, did you know "doukhobors" are members of a Russian Christian movement or that they refuse to serve in the military because they believe war is wrong?

It's easy to overlook history in the wake of celebration. Renaud's book is most touching because it focuses on bridging the present and past, reminding us that several people ended their journey from Europe to the New World at Grosse Île - and some began a new chapter of their lives at the island. What drew Europeans to come to the New World? How did the island become a quarantine station, a stop-over with houses built for doctors and hospital sheds? Renaud writes how the island was both home and graveyard, both beginning and ending, an island sometimes thriving with people and other times waiting out cold winters for the next batch of immigrants like an animal in hibernation.

The blurbs and photos scattered around the main text were my favorite part of the book. Focusing on incidental memories, like the photograph of an old shoe, covered in dirt and discovered during an archaeological dig, the book returns us to the past, giving an unexpected gift to both children and adults. Children will especially love the miscellaneous facts the book shares - like the notice of rules posted in the cargo holds of ships that begins "STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!" or an image of Canada's first stamp sporting an askance-eyed beaver.

Anne Renaud ends her portrait of a chapter in Quebec's history with a look at Grosse Île in the present - from its transformation during World War II into a research station for biological warfare to the historical landmark it has now become. I am in full agreement with Declan Kelly, Ireland's Ambassador to Canada, when he said:

The story of Grosse Île is one which needs to be re-told to each new generation of children, Irish and Canadian, to enable them to understand where they have come from, and I can think of no better method than a book as interesting and as well written as this...

Even if I wasn't an immigrant myself, I would find it hard-pressed to remain untouched by the story of Grosse Île. Definitely a perfect addition to family reading lists for Canada Day and the upcoming Quebec City celebration.

Feature: Mitigating the Reading Crisis One Book at a Time

Mitigating the Reading Crisis One Book at a Time
By Mahak Jain
Marketing Assistant

Much anxiety and biting of nails accompanied the news of a “reading crisis,” an industry illness as chronic as the cold. But librarians were not surprised by the the "Reading at Risk" report, which is available on the National Endowment for Arts's (NEA) web-site: "'It's something that librarians have known for decades,' said Ginger Bush, the director of patron services at the Minneapolis Public Library."

The report noted that a sharper rate of decline in reading occurred among individuals between the ages of 18-24 - young adults and future parents whose example may discourage their children from reading. Scholastic's 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report has reconfirmed this worrisome conclusion. The Scholastic study notes that "pleasure reading in children begins to decline at age eight and continues to do so into the teen years."

Why don't children read more? Do they hate reading? Do they find it boring?

Surprisingly, one of the top reasons children didn't read was that they found it difficult to find books they enjoyed. Other reasons include "too much homework" and "I would rather do other things." The first two reasons indicate that reading itself is not the problem - but it's not surprising that kids would rather do other things if we don't encourage them to read books they enjoy. Most importantly, our media-saturated society has not discouraged kids to read as much as we thought, so we need to turn our attention to discover what they do like to read.

Karen Louise Boothe, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Public Library, noted in the SLJ article that "the public needs to understand that the definition of literature has broadened beyond the standard classics to include other genres—even Japanese manga." Similarly, Claire Fripp, elementary and middle school English teacher and mother of three, recognizes that it is crucial that parents let their children choose the books they want to read:

Forget your own ideas about what constitutes a “classic” and let them choose their own books from the list, if one has been provided by a teacher. All the books on the list have some merit or they would not have made the list in the first place. If your child hasn't been given a summer reading list, create one by browsing online. Make sure your child has a say in a list you create together - the plain truth is that if your child doesn’t like the book they won’t read it—would you?

But parents need to be involved in the process even after a visit to the library or a bookstore:

Once the books are at home and you see that they are collecting dust, your best bet to a hassle free reading summer is to share the reading. Depending on age and ability parents can read the book to the child, alternate reading one page with each other, or listen to your child read aloud a few pages and you finish up the chapter. All ages love to have a story read to them—some just show their joy more readily than others.

Seem like a lot of work for you this summer? Studies show that children with parents who are actively involved in their schooling process do better at school. By showing your interest and taking the time to read with your child you are demonstrating that reading has value; that reading can be fun; that reading is something you also do—not just something you say your child has to do.

Claire's article offers more tips that parents (and teachers and librarians) can use, but most importantly, her suggestions indicate that we must not let reports of a "reading crisis" paralyze us, but teach us. Kids want to read. Kids like to read.

Claire concludes with an important reminder: "Above all show that you are enjoying the reading. You never know, you may discover some new authors that will give your “classics” a run for their money." Here at Lobster Press, we have always known that the first step to building a love for reading is a great book - so take a look at our suggestions for books that your kids and you are sure to enjoy.

Feature: Clearing the Air with Great Kid's Books and the Cigarette Display Ban

Clearing the Air
by Brynn Smith-Raska
Editorial Assistant

You know that strange sensation you get when you recognize something is different, but you can’t put your finger on it right away? Like when your best friend gets a haircut, or when someone you haven't seen in a while no longer has her braces?

I had that very same curious experience recently when I went to the corner store to buy eggs. I walked in, the little bell above the door rang, and I immediately noticed that something was … different. As I walked up and down the aisles, picking up eggs and a loaf of bread and a newspaper, I racked my brain. They hadn't painted the walls or installed a new floor; the lighting hadn't changed, and the employees were the same married couple I'd seen nearly every day for the past thousand some-odd days. Then, when I was standing in line to pay, it hit me: “The cigarettes!” Where had the cigarettes gone? Normally, they are displayed behind the cash register, in plain sight of everyone who enters the store. Now, they were mysteriously absent.

When I arrived home, I opened the paper and learned the reason why I couldn't spot the cigarettes. A cigarette display ban enacted at the beginning of June now required dépanneurs, grocery stores, and gas stations to conceal cigarettes and tobacco products in an opaque case, out of the public’s view, in an effort to decrease the smoking population. By keeping the cigarettes out of sight, anti-smoking groups are hoping cigarettes will stay out of mind.... and out of the hands of impressionable children.

The government's proactive tactic is working to prevent kids and teens from picking up the habit and becoming addicted, and we all need to keep up the effort to keep kids from smoking in the first place. A positive way to get the message out that smoking stinks is by having kids deliver the message too, like they do in Let's Clear the Air: 10 Reasons Not to Start Smoking. This collection of stories and essays is written by real kids, a testament to the fact that kids care about issues surrounding smoking too.

In Let’s Clear the Air, over forty kids give their reasons not to ever start smoking in the first place. Some kids have lost parents to cigarettes and tobacco, and the sadness they felt over their loss has given them an important reason to never start smoking: cigarettes kill. Other kids realize that it’s a habit that turns teeth funny colors, taints fingers and nails a sickly shade, and even threatens the health of nonsmokers. As the kids astutely point out, smoking is bad for our environment and our planet too. Did you know that about 4.3 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year? That it can take up to 12 years for one cigarette butt to decompose? Let's Clear the Air offers tons of facts like this that you might not know about smoking, but that really lend convincing and stupendous support to the decision to never, ever take up smoking.

Cassidy Sauve, a 10-year-old contributor, received the Barb Tarbox Award of Excellence for her commitment to spreading the word about the dangers of smoking and Let’s Clear the Air reminds us that the power to choose is in the hands of kids. These kids recognize that tobacco companies use advertising to trick kids into thinking smoking is a cool thing to do. With the new laws enacted here in Quebec, and also in Ontario, the government is hoping that everyone will realize what the kids in Let's Clear the Air do: that smoking is a dangerous habit and there are ten good reasons to never start in the first place. Bravo to the governments of Quebec and Ontario for helping to clear the air!

Great Summer Reading

Despite the intermittent rain, summer is on its way. Sink or Swim is an excellent picture book for kids looking to beat the heat: Ralph decides swimming is the best way to cool down - but everyone tells him that cows can't swim! Read the book to see how the spunky cow learns to swim and to surf. Cheryl Rainfield describes Sink or Swim perfectly in her review: "an enjoyable, funny, uplifting book, sure to appeal to any reader who's been told they can't do something--or just wants to try something new."

Looking for more summer reads? Lobster Press offers great picks for all ages:

Not Just Proms & Parties series: each of the five books in these series is a fun beach read for teens - or anyone getting ready for a long ride in the car.
YUM: Your Ultimate Manual to Good Nutrition: with this tasty guide, you can kickstart a healthy summer!
Let's Party: Find great ideas for theme parties including Hawaiian Luau and Life's a Beach.
Come On, Mom! and Come On, Dad: these companion books suggest tons of activities, rain or shine.
The Baseball Card: a great book to have when you are in the mood to play some ball!
Ridley Bluefox and the Flying Fish of Fortune Falls: think "Indiana Jones, Jr."
Our Song: The story of "O Canada": a vibrant read about Canada's national anthem - what better way to celebrate Canada's birthday?
Going on a Journey to the Sea: kids can enjoy a vacation - without leaving the house!
I Don't Want to Go: a perfect story for kids getting ready to visit their grandparents over the summer.

Contest: Enter the YUM Summer Snack Contest!

Lobster Press is offering readers an opportunity to win YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition and four other books of their choice. Find out how you can participate in the contest here!