Martha Seif Simpson

 

Happy May!      

 

Welcome to issue #39 of The Simpsonian Muse. I am your scribe, Martha Seif Simpson, Author and Children's Librarian. As the header says, this monthly newsletter will feature:

• News – Mine as well as other interesting tidbits
• Views – A few photos from my world travels
• Stuff to Amuse – A mish-mash of activities, crafts, recipes, videos or whatever I am excited about sharing

If you missed the previous newsletters, you can click the button on the left sidebar on my website to catch up or click here. *NOTE: If you are a subscriber to my newsletter and some of the photos don't show up, please go to my website to read it. The server is sometimes finicky.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope you will find something to inform and entertain you.

 

~ NEWS ~

 

I have some exciting news!

The publisher of my Mother's Day book is having a huge book sale on Amazon during the month of May. During that time, the Kindle version of What NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day will be only $1.99, and the hardcover book is just $7.39. So if you haven't bought the book yet, now is the time to do it! Look here to get the special price. The offer ends May 31st.

As always, you can find activities, including a printable Mother's Day card and a matching game, on my website.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Also -- On June 8, I will be participating in an authors panel at the New Haven Free Public Library. Writers with a variety of book publishing experiences will talk about their publishing journeys. More details next month.

 

But wait, there's more!

 

Readers of this newsletter will know that I often reference The Book of Life podcast by Heidi Rabinowitz. In her April 1, 2024 podcast she interviews April Powers, a Black Jewish woman who is Vice President of Diversity,  Equity, and Inclusion at Project Shema. According to their website, "Project Shema is a training and support organization focused on addressing contemporary antisemitism with an emphasis on how anti-Jewish ideas and implicit biases can be carried alongside conversations about Israel and Palestine. Built by progressive Jews, our programs focus on depolarizing difficult conversations around anti-Jewish harm to strengthen allyship for and within the Jewish community."

 

I urge you to listen to this enlightening conversation and check out their resources, especially if you have experienced antisemitism.

 

BOOK SHARE

 

Did you know that May is Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month? To celebrate, here are some books that feature kids with both Jewish and Asian heritage.

 

Two New Years written by Richard Ho, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield

The 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award picture book winner compares two new year celebrations - the Jewish Rosh Hashanah and the Chinese Lunar New year. The author is Jewish and Chinese, and his family celebrates holidays of both traditions.

 

Zhen Yu and the Snake by Erica Lyons, illustrated by Renia Metallinou

This 2024 STBA Notable picture book is based on the Talmudic tale of Rabbi Akiva's daughter and the snake. In twelfth century China, a young woman's mitzvah (good deed) ends up saving her life.

 

Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup by Pamela Mayer, illustrated by Deborah Melman

Bubbe makes her Jewish chicken soup with kreplach, while Nai Nai adds wontons to her Chinese chicken soup. Sophie loves them both! A cheerful story of two similar foods and a multiethnic family.

 

This Is Just a Test by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Madelyn Rosenberg  

In 1983, seventh-grader David Da-Wei Horowitz Is trying to balance studying for his bar mitzvah and school while his Jewish and Chinese grandmothers argue about everything, and everyone is worried about a possible nuclear attack. This 2017 STBA Honor middle grade book is fast-paced and full of humor.

 

Not Your All-American Girl by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Madelyn Rosenberg

In this follow-up to This Is Not a Test, Lauren Horowitz tries out for the school musical but doesn't get the lead role because her teacher thinks Lauren's Asian features don't look like an "all-American" girl. Lauren struggles with her feelings and identity, until she learns to be true to herself.

 

Lessons in Fusian by Primrose Madayag Knazan

Sixteen-year-old Sarah is invited to compete on a virtual cooking competition during the pandemic. But the producers don't want her Baba-inspired Jewish recipes, only recipes from her Filipinx heritage. Since she was raised without learning anything about her mother's culture, Sarah must learn to cook Filipino foods while discovering her ancestry. Recipes fusing both cultures are included in the book.

 

Orchards by Holly Thompson

In this young adult novel in verse, Kana Goldberg feels guilty about a classmate's suicide. Her parents send her to Japan to spend the summer with her estranged grandmother. Kana reflects on her life while getting to know her relatives and tending the family's mikan orange groves.

 

Also, Mia Wenjen, whose social media handle is @pragmaticmom, posted a list of 39 Contemporary Jewish Children's Books created by Heidi Rabinowitz. If you want to see more lists of diverse children's books, check out her webpage.

 

CALENDAR TRIVIA

 

This year, I'm featuring the birth dates of authors and illustrators who create books for kids and teens. Here are some people, along with a sample of their books, for May 2024.

• May 4 -  Don Wood (The Napping House)
• May 5 -  Leo Lionni (Swimmy)
• May 6 -  Ted Lewin (Peppe the Lamplighter)
• May 6 – Barbara McClintock (Adele and Simon)
• May 7  - Nonny Hogrogian (One Fine Day)
• May 8  - Milton Metzer (Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust)
• May 9 – Richard Adams (Watership Down)
• May 9 – Eleanor Estes (Ginger Pye)
• May 10 – Christopher Paul Curtis (Bud, Not Buddy)
• May 12 – Edward Lear (The Owl and the Pussycat)
• May 14 – Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl)
• May 14 – George Seldon (The Cricket in Times Square)
• May 15 – David Almond (Kit's Wilderness)
• May 15 – L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz)
• May 16 – Margaret Rey (Curious George)
• May 17 – Gary Paulsen (Hatchet) 
• May 18 – Lilian Hoban (Bread and Jam for Frances)
• May 20 – Mary Pope Osborne (The Magic Tree House series)
• May 22 – Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad series)
• May 23 – Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon)
• May 23 – Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising series)
• May 23 – Scott O'Dell (Island of the Blue Dolphins)
• May 28 – Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

Do you know which two authors won both the Newbery Award and a Newbery Honor?

Which illustrator won a Caldecott award, but not for his most famous books?

Which author was more famous for his adult spy novels than for his only children's book?

Which book helped the author escape Nazi Germany?

Which Newbery-winning author has another award named after him?

Which of these authors and illustrators lived or still live in the UK?

Which four authors/illustrators have published books with their spouses?

 

 ~ VIEWS ~

 

I'm taking a break from my vacation travelogues to write a memorial for a friend who passed away earlier this year.

David Brown of Old Saybrook, CT was a unique person – a farmer, painter, devout Buddhist, and local legend. Every year, he held a Daffodil Brunch in April which was attended by hundreds of his friends. I was fortunate to have been to many of these gatherings. Here are a few photos taken in 2007, 2008, and 2024. The 2024 photos were taken at the last-ever Daffodil Brunch, which was held by his sister, Audrey, as a memorial to David.

 

David was a great lover of nature, and his farm was located on the Great Cedars Conservation Area.

He lived very simply, in a house constructed from bales of hay covered with stucco. Here's the Hay House in 2007.

A closer photo of the house, taken in 2024, shows the faces on either side of the door.

The Hay House from the side.

The Hay House has no electricity or plumbing. In fact, there is an outhouse in the back with a sign saying, "Hey guys, pee in the woods! Thanks - The Management."

Here are some photos of the inside of the Hay House, taken in 2024. It certainly is rustic!

David used a wood-burning stove for heat and cooking.

There's a photo of David on this table. The ladder leads to a loft that was used as the bedroom.

David had several dogs over the years. This one found a comfy place to nap.

Beyond the farm, there is a wooded area with many trails. My kids and I liked to walk to the pond…

…and to visit the chickens on the farm.

David sold the eggs, as well as honey from his beehives, which was a real treat.

He also sold jam that he made from fruit grown on the farm, plus fresh pesticide-free vegetables and flowers at various farmers markets. We always bought jam when we went to the Daffodil Brunches.

One of our favorite spots is the bamboo hut.

Inside, it's cool and peaceful.

Here's the view looking straight up.

In 2007, David and some Tibetan friends erected the first (and only) Stupa in Connecticut near the entrance of the property.

The Stupa was officially dedicated at that year's Daffodill brunch, which was a huge affair. The Stupa is the white structure on the left. Notice all the Tibetan prayer flags surrounding the area.

The media and several local dignitaries came, including Senator Blumenthal.

Here's David addressing the attendees.

The ceremony included Tibetan music and dancing. We felt privileged to be a part of that memorable event.

David's art studio was on the upper floor of the barn. Unfortunately, the barn burned down one month after the Stupa dedication. Friends and neighbors got together to help fund and build a new barn. Most of the work was done by the time the 2008 Daffodill Brunch was held.

Here's a photo of the food tables, with the new barn on the right, taken at the Daffodil Brunch in 2024.

This photo is from inside the barn studio, looking out at the tables of food and the Hay House. John is at the bottom left in the red and gray jacket.

David painted on wood, which suited his fondness for nature. Here's one of his signature pieces of art  - a month of sunrises.

Every year, David sent postcards to his friends to invite them to the Daffodil Brunch. The postcards always featured a new painting that he would auction off at the brunch. This was the painting that was used for the 2024 invitations. The people behind the painting are crowded around the dessert tables. Guests could eat while enjoying the art.

Here are the front and back of the 2010 invitation.

 

That year, we were lucky and won the actual painting! Here it is, framed and hanging proudly in our living room. David always signed his name in Tibetan in the bottom right corner.

I suppose by now you're wondering, where are all the daffodils? Here are a few photos of the property, taken at various times.

This photo includes the two beehives.

This has the new barn in the background.

Daffodils growing among the vegetable beds.

More daffodils dotting the field, with the Tibetan prayer flags flapping above.

And, of course, daffodils by the stupa.

My husband, an accountant, did David's income taxes for many years. Often, he would pay John with fresh eggs, honey, jam, or with a painting. David painted our portraits and gave us other original art, done in his unique style.

 

David rarely used canvas, but he did for this painting of chickens. Compare it to the other paintings on wood.

A few years ago, David wrote and illustrated a picture book about his beloved pets. He showed me an early draft, and I made a few suggestions, which he added. He included my name in the Acknowledgments at the back of the book.

I hope you enjoyed this tribute, even though it made the Views section longer than usual. It's my way of saying farewell to an old friend.

 

~ STUFF TO AMUSE ~

 

For more information about David Brown and his art, see his website.

Click on Paintings to see his artwork. I especially like the timelapse montage of 54 sunrise paintings he made for a year from the same spot.

 

To see David talk about life at the Hay House, I highly recommend you watch this video by samdogfilms, David Brown and the Hay House Documentary, which was filmed in 2004. It includes a scene of the Daffodil Brunch in front of the old barn, a look inside the Hay House, his dogs, and explanations of some of his artworks. 

 

You can also read more about the Stupa.

 

To learn more about his early life and influences, read David's obituary, written by his sister, Audrey.

 

I think you will agree, David Brown was an extraordinary person.

That'll do it for this month.

Until next time, remember to enthuse your muse!

 

~ Martha