Sofia's Dream blog book tour - two giveaways!

Today we visit Dagmar's Momsense as part of the Sofia's Dream blog book tour. Dagmar Bleasdale is one of the premier mom bloggers in the blogosphere, so be sure to visit her blog, and sign up for the book drawing. Add her to your blogroll and visit her often! Thank you, Dagmar, for hosting this stop.

For a chance in our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

The Sofia's Dream Blog Book Tour Continues!

We had fun visiting all our host blogs last week (you can click on the link above and visit them anytime)! The winners of Sofia's Dream are Jennifer Taekman, Michelle Whitaker, Deborah Robson, and Bob Sanchez. Linda Peterson was the lucky winner of the iPod Shuffle. Congratulations, everyone!

The book trailer for Sofia's Dream is up and you won't want to miss it. Click here to view it - it's really a sweet treat and beautifully captures the spirit of the book!

This week we continue with a new round of hosts starting with the wonderful Dagmar Bleasdale tomorrow. Today we're going to host the book giveaway here, so leave a comment and your email address below!

For a chance in our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a second comment and please include your email address again so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Congratulations!

Linda Peterson won our first iPod Shuffle drawing!

The Gift of Gratitude

By Land Wilson, Author of Sofia’s Dream

Getting a book published gives me a new appreciation for what it takes to go from the original idea to having the book in print. Before meeting Chief Executive Pickle, Rana DiOrio, it was an evolution of many life experiences, many conversations, interviews, writing, editing, re-writing, re-editing, re-writing, re-editing… and then came all of the publisher’s steps once the manuscript was submitted and accepted. This post is too short to list all of those many steps. At its state of completion, looking back at the number of people I am grateful to for their role in getting Sofia’s Dream to print, it is like looking back down a mountain. Each step along the way and each person’s role was a vital part of the process.

The people I am grateful for stand out in my mind as clear as day. I think this is because for me, writing is such a personal practice. I take it to heart when somebody offers me words of encouragement, a useful idea, or a referral to someone helpful. My gratitude runs deep, and I don’t forget the people who have assisted me along the way. For their role in helping bring Sofia’s Dream to life, I have these people to thank:

• To Apollo astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Frank Borman and Eugene Cernan—for their heroism, knowledge, inspiration, and interviews.
• To family Daphne Ahlenius, Catherine Carlton, Doug Carlton, Helga Carlton, Pietro Cinus, Susan Pagani, Eric Tetschner, Anna Wilson, Blythe Wilson, David Wilson, Donald Wilson and Joyce Wilson—for unwavering support.
• To friends and colleagues Dave Adams, Nina Cartee, Ken Goldman, Sean Hannan, Hillary Homzie, Pam Jacobs, Amy Rennert, Christina Rossini, Helen Rossini, Pennie Rossini, Ethel Seiderman, George Shank, Martin Singer, Tina Stolberg, Betty Joe van Gelder, and Jackie Winspear—for greatly valued assistance and encouragement.
• To global hero Denis Hayes—for Earth Day, for his life’s work, for his visionary mind, and for being the first person to express that they thought this story would be an attractive children's book.
• To publisher Rana DiOrio—for her vision and commitment to this project and for being “the person” responsible for having my voice heard.
• To illustrator Sue Cornelison—for her exceptional talent and help with introducing Sofia to the world.
• To Little Pickle Press Team Members—Dani at Blogbooktours, Leslie Iorillo, Katy Kenney, Judy O’Malley, Rose Audette, Keith Anthony, Douglas Rowell, and the rest of the Pickle team—for your talents and devotion.

It is thanks to everyone here that I’m in this position of being able to fulfill a dream of writing and educating kids about protecting nature. I am grateful to each and every one of you!

A wise person once said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.”

If there is someone you feel gratitude towards, tell them. This could be one of the best gifts you give this holiday season. And if you feel like you need something else to go along with your expressions of gratitude, I’d be grateful if you’d consider giving the gift of Sofia’s Dream by visiting http://www.littlepicklepress.com where you will find their shopping cart.

Day 5 of Sofia's Dream Blog Book Tour

On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the largest shopping day of the year, we have a Sofia's Dream book review at Walking Nature Home. Susan J. Tweit, an author, naturalist, and environmental activist, writes about conscientiously buying gifts for the holidays. Her blog is one you'll want to bookmark and visit again!

If you've hopped over from Walking Nature Home for our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Day 4 of Sophia's Dream Blog Book Tour

Today we visit Canadian Natural Mama for our blog book tour - a perfect stopping place because everyone in American will be having Thanksgiving dinner! The rest of the world will likely be doing what it usually does - and because we are a global company with a world view, we'll continue sharing our lovely new book, Sofia's Dream, with all of you. Jump over to Canadian Natural Mama to see what she has to say about the book, and to sign up for the book drawing.

If you've hopped over from the Canadian Natural Mama's for our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Day 3 Sofia's Dream Blog Book Tour

Today we visit the Blood-Red Pencil to discuss how e-books are created for children's books. Because Little Pickle Press is a global company,  fulfillment of orders had to include methods by which the products could be rapidly delivered worldwide, and which considered the environmental impacts associated with mailing to great distances. So digital media was part of the business model from the company's beginnings. Read about how LPP delivers a quality product via the Internet by clicking here.

If you've hopped over from the Blood-Red Pencil for our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Day 2 of the Sofia's Dream Blog Book Tour

Today we visit Not Quite June Cleaver for the blog book tour. Isn't that a great name? It's a wonderful home and family blog, and the perfect place to share with readers about Sofia's Dream and its sweet and important message for children... and for parents, too. Please pop over to explore and to sign up for the book drawing!

If you've hopped over from the site for our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Our Sofia's Dream Blog Book Tour Begins!

Today we kick off our blog book tour with one of the most fabulous hosts anyone could imagine. Victoria Klein is a true kindred spirit who recently published 27 Things To Know About Yoga and whose newest title, 48 Things To Know About Sustainable Living will be out next week. When it comes to taking care of the Earth, we are truly on the same page together and putting forth a similar message. Today Victoria hosts Little Pickle Press's newest release, Sofia's Dream, and you'll want to visit her blog for the book drawing and for more information by clicking here: http://www.victoriaklein.net

Sofia's Dream is a sweet children's story written by Land Wilson. Sofia makes a dreamy visit to the Moon and sees the Earth from the old Moon's wise and somewhat sad viewpoint. When she wakes up, she is moved to do all she can to protect her precious home. Written in a soothing lullaby style, the book's strong message is presented in a gentle manner, and is perfect for children and adults alike. Find out more at each stop of the blog book tour. Links are at right above.

If you've hopped over from Victoria's site for our iPod Shuffle drawing, leave us a comment and please include your email address so we can contact you if you win! You'll also be registered to receive our beautiful monthly email newsletter. The drawing for this week's iPod will be on Saturday at noon CST and the lucky winner will get to download the original iTunes created for the Little Pickle Press titles. We know your children will love them! Be sure to connect with us at right, too, through Friend Connect, Twitter, and Facebook.

Enter our iPod Shuffle drawing by leaving a comment with your email address!

Showing off Little Pickle Press

By Dani Greer

The morning started bright and early at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado. We stayed overnight at the beautiful Glen Eyrie Castle. Originally the home of city founding father, William Jackson Palmer, the canyon offers 800 hundred acres of hiking trails and wildlife preserve, so a peaceful, pleasant stroll through the area was a marvelous beginning to the day.

I was representing Little Pickle Press at the annual holiday bazaar for Holy Theophany Church nearby, an American Orthodox Catholic church which also owns the most popular coffee house and book store in town, Agia Sophia.

Here's the LPP table at the show. I'm happy to report that the books were a hit with the patrons, especially What Does It Mean To Be Present. In fact, Agia Sophia ordered books for the shop. Being an environmentally conscious congregation that even has an organic vegetable garden on their grounds for the surrounding community, they were particularly impressed with the eco-conscious production and printing of the books and posters. I felt we were all on the same page, and I was pleased to be representing LPP and sharing the books and company concepts with the church members!

In California, Katy Kenney, LPP's Director of Sales, presented the books at the Lollipopalooza event.

What's coming up next? New book releases, and the blog book tour starting tomorrow for Sofia's Dream, with marvelous blog hosts and contests, so stop by daily. You can order the books at http://www.littlepicklepress.com and remember: free shipping until November 24 - don't miss out on that - get your pre-order in under the wire!

Thanksgiving Traditions with Your Little Pickles

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

For those of you who don’t know or haven’t guessed, I am Italian—as far back as we can see, on both sides of my family. Among the many benefits of being Italian is that we know how to celebrate holidays with gusto. Food, prepared with love and care, is integral to our holiday celebrations.



Thanksgiving was always over-the-top in my family. We celebrated with my Aunt Dolores, Uncle Eddie, and their children, Karen, Lisa, Eddie, and Steven. We alternated the responsibility annually, one year at our home, the next at theirs. We always included our grandparents and often included friends.


During the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I polished each piece of sterling and ironed each napkin (I believe the going rate was 5 cents a piece!), and my brother chopped wood for the wood-burning stoves with my Babbo (who paid him a lot better!). The dinner itself took days to prepare. The table took an hour (or more) to set with our special occasion china, crystal, sterling, candles, flowers, handmade place cards, “feet” for the bird, etc.

The food was always epic, and we inevitably had five or six courses of fabulous homemade delicacies from antipasto to minestrone soup to homemade ravioli, to eggplant Parmesan to wild mushrooms (that my Uncle Eddie gathered himself and has not yet shared with us where is secret spot it) to roasted chestnuts and much more. After the 3rd course and before the turkey, we inevitably had to take an intermission. I can remember that as young children we used to get dressed up for Thanksgiving in what were usually restrictive clothes, and then as adolescents we would wear comfortable clothes that expanded at the midline, so we could eat until we were overstuffed. I’m shaking my head at the memory.

What I remember most about Thanksgiving is how much we used to laugh. The DiOrios are great storytellers. My Uncle Eddie, my cousins Karen and Lisa, and my Dad are especially good storytellers. In their perfect RI accents (http://bit.ly/bMrOT4) with their wild gesticulations, they would tell tale after tale until we were all laughing so hard we were crying. I miss that, but I am grateful to have experienced it so richly and fully.

As we create our own family traditions with our own Little Pickles, I try to incorporate some of the elements that made my family of origin’s celebration so very special. For example, I enlist the “help” of our children to make the Thanksgiving recipes we like most. One recipe that is always a hit in our house is our stuffing. There are many “jobs” to delegate and share, and the end result is amazing. As with many Italian recipes, the measurements are not precise, but I am going to share this with the hope that you will experiment with your children.

DiOrio Family Turkey Stuffing

2-3 loaves of white bread
2-3 yellow onions
1 bunch of celery (2 cups or so)
4-8 eggs (beaten with a fork)
1 lb. sausage meat (removed from the casing; pork breakfast sausage for those of you who are cooking for the unadventurous palate, mild [or even hot] Italian sausage for those of you are cooking for the curious palate).

2 lbs. ground pork blade meat
poultry seasoning
salt and pepper

Toast 2-3 loaves of slices white bread. Chop the yellow onions and celery. Sauté 1 lb. sausage meat with 2 lbs. pork blade meat and drain the excess fat. Wet the toasted bread and then squeeze it dry. Put it in a large mixing bowl. Add 4-8 hand-beaten eggs (depending on how much bread you’ve toasted—4 eggs for 2 loaves and 8 eggs for 3 loaves).Then add the sautéed meat and the chopped vegetables. Add poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper until it smells great to you.

Mix with an electric mixer.

Stuff your turkey (being mindful that you are working with raw eggs). Put the leftover stuffing in a covered casserole dish and bake it next to the turkey during the last 45 minutes it is in the oven.

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From all of us at Little Pickle Press to all of you, have an especially grateful and wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your family. Oh, and if you are a fan of the Rhode Island accent, by all means, please “Like” the relevant page on FB http://on.fb.me/diOPII.

Thankful For

If you haven't signed up for your own Personal Gratitude Journal at Thankful For, here's the link:

http://thankfulfor.com/

We think it's a neat idea!

Thanks for Thanksgiving - A Book Review

By Bernardine DiOrio, Ed.D.

Title:  Thanks for Thanksgiving

Author:  Julie Markes

Illustrator:  Doris Barrette

Hard cover:  28 pages

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Language:  English

ISBN - 13: 987-0-06-051096-1

ISBN - 10: 0-06-051096X

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What is most important to give thanks for on Thanksgiving? The author unfolds the answer simply yet abundantly, with  colorful and richly detailed illustrations of children playing and learning and spending time with family. The meaning of Thanksgiving is the joy we share with family and friends as part of our daily lives.

This is a beautiful book to read to children and lovingly captures the essence of the Thanksgiving holiday and an understanding of gratitude that is relevant to the little ones. Included is a place in the book to share your own thankful thoughts.

You can read more at the Harper Collins website: 

Tell us your favorite thing about Thanksgiving. What do you give thanks for?

Little Pickle Press is Grateful for Ronald McDonald House

By Maria Mostajo, Director Nonprofit Partnerships

Little Pickle Press is committed to forging long lasting relationships with nonprofit organizations that provide for individuals in need regardless of where they are from, particularly when those in need are little pickles.

Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The house, which is located on the Upper East Side and is in close proximity to many wonderful clinics, hospitals, and doctors specializing in cancer treatment, can accommodate 84 families. The house offers children and their families a warm and supportive environment where they can cook meals, do homework or rest in beautifully decorated common spaces located inside and outside the house. In warm whether, meals are served in a newly renovated garden patio, a true gem and luxury for Manhattan living. There are also activities that encourage getting out and enjoying sports and culture. Most nights the house is filled to capacity and more than 25,000 families have stayed there since it's founding. For more information, visit http://www.rmh-newyork.org.

In the fall of 2010, I met with Richard Martin, Director of Development, where we brainstormed about ways that Rana DiOrio's books, the What Does it Mean To Be…? series could be used to generate donations for the house. He walked me through the house where I was touched by what I saw. I observed families, who were clearly caring for a sick child, going about their lives in quiet, yet typical fashion. I saw a family preparing a meal together. I saw a child doing homework. I saw a father and son returning from a walk in the neighborhood. I also saw a bulletin board in the lobby that listed activities available in and around the house. The day I was there, residents were going apple picking just outside the city.

As we continued to talk about the various fundraising events that are planned by dedicated individuals at Ronald McDonald House, I learned about the Share a Night program that was being planned for December 2nd. It seemed just the right fit for Little Pickle Press, as it is a global celebration of the holidays: it is a house lighting party where there will be lighting of a Christmas tree, the Hanukkah menorah, and the kinara for Kwanzaa. There will also be games and music for the children.

Share a Night is in its fourth year and it offers New Yorkers an opportunity to share in a celebration with residents of the house. Money raised that night goes directly toward bridging the gap between the nominal fee of $35.00/night that families are asked to pay and the actual cost of their stay. Through the Share a Night program, families from all over the world can continue to receive the gift of a warm and supportive home away from home during the holidays and while caring for a sick child.

On December 2, 2010, I will be attending the night's festivities with my family and as many friends as I can gather. I will also be selling all of LPP's books that evening and, of course, proceeds will be donated to the house. Please consider attending the event which is open to the public, and supporting this very worthy cause.

For more information contact Natalie Greaves.

You can also connect at Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news about Ronald McDonald House in New York.

Being Grateful For the Sun and Other Good Things

By Robin Schaffran, M.D.

It’s easy to be grateful for the sun because it makes bees happy, helps flowers bloom, and seeds sprout but it can also harm young, delicate skin even in the fall and winter months. As a pediatric dermatologist, I’ve noticed my patients generally associate sun protection with hot summer days so I often have to remind them that cold, cloudy weather does not decrease the intensity of the sun’s rays.

So when playing outside on chilly, crisp days, apply sunscreen on your little ones, just as you would in summer months, because studies prove that protecting skin from UVA and UVB rays early in life prevents skin cancers and premature aging. In fact, 80% of lifetime damage to the skin occurs before the age of 18 and it only takes one serious childhood sunburn to cause skin cancer in later years.

While there’s nothing better than a fun day of snow sports with your family, it’s also important to remember that UVA rays – the most damaging kind – are stronger at higher altitudes and snow increases their intensity too. Because the sun reflects off the snow and bounces its rays back at you, it produces an effect similar to a typical day at the beach.

And since UVA rays don’t cause sunburn, it’s easy to forget that they still penetrate the skin. Overexposure can suppress the skin’s immune response, cause DNA mutation and lead to skin cancer. UVA rays also damage collagen and elastic causing premature skin aging and can exacerbate brown spots and hyper-pigmentation. That’s another reason protecting skin from UVA rays is recommended for every member of the family.

So this holiday season while you express your attitude of gratitude, take a moment to protect your family too. Your recreation time will be that much more special because you’ll know you’re taking that extra little step to prevent sun damage. So wear sunscreen every day and don’t be shy, re-apply!
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Robin Schaffran, M.D., is a board-certified Dermatologist who has been treating parents and children in her Beverly Hills private practice for over 10 years. She is an attending staff physician at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and over the years, she has developed an expertise in caring for children's skin. She has lectured extensively on the subject of skin cancer prevention and has been quoted in publications like the "Los Angeles Times" and "U.S. News and World Report."

Dr. Schaffran created Dr. Robin for Kids All Natural Chemical-Free sunscreen in an effort to help parents and children learn about sun protection and to provide them with safe, effective and natural skin care products.

An Attitude of Gratitude for... Too Much?

I don't know what it is... I always seem to accumulate too much stuff. I'm not a shopper and I certainly am not a covetous person when it comes to possessions, but I still seem to have more than I need and ever use. I've been de-accessioning clothes for years with the goal of having eight outfits, and I still have a closet-full. A person with eight outfits doesn't need twelve black turtlenecks, but there it is: the truth in my closet. Way too much stuff staring me in the face.

I've been thinking a lot about reducing and re-purposing in light of the blog book tour we're planning for Sofia's Dream starting November 22. In this magical new title, Sofia befriends the Moon and sees our planet from the Moon's point-of-view. She's inspired to do whatever she can to protect the Earth and encourage others to do the same.


A kindred spirit, Susan Tweit in her fabulous Walking Nature Home blog, is doing the same. Yesterday she wrote of "no net accumulation". That means every single time she wants to buy something, she has to get rid of one similar item in her home. She accomplishes this in various clever ways that you can read about here. You'll be inspired to "lighten up", too.

If you need more inspiration, consider that November 15th is America Recycles Day. More than a celebration, this day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. Go to the website for lots of ideas on how to get involved in joining an event, taking the challenge, and spreading the word. At the very least, start by getting rid of a few things in your home that are duplicates. Okay, so you need more than one drinking glass, but do you really need an extra box of drinking glasses in the closet? You know, when you couldn't resist that great sale? No you don't. Donate those extras to a worthy charity. Then you can help by spreading the word about this important cause - just share on Facebook or tweet about them on your Twitter page.

What about you? Any plans to reduce, reuse, or recycle?

An Attitude of Gratitude for Libraries

By Dani Greer

Our theme this month is An Attitude of Gratitude and I've been thinking daily about all the things that make me feel grateful. More than once I've thought about my library.

When I first moved to this small rural town in America, I immediately went to the tiny library to get my library card. It turned out not to be a very useful place for me. I do a lot of research, and frankly, I was spoiled by my fantastic city library. Not only could I find everything imaginable in the way of research materials, but like most modern libraries, other media like music and movies were available for check-out. I could get online connections by appointment, and the library even issued laptops to use with the in-house wi-fi.

Beyond that, the branch is tapped into the Colorado State Library system, so anything I could ever want can be ordered through inter-library loan, not just within the state, but from anyplace that might have the resources I needed.

Living 120 miles from the city, the most useful tool for me is the online catalog, which not only lists the book collection and allows me to reserve items for pick-up, but is also connected to other online resources. If I can't figure it out myself, an online librarian is available at regular times for live chat: the same librarians who greet me when I visit in person, and often by name because I've been going there for so many years. This kind of friendly and helpful service is unparalleled in the modern day.

All this for the cost of local taxes. It's a benefit that is well worth every dime spent and then some. So a big and heart-felt thank you to the librarians, and to a society that believes their presence is worth the money spent. It's the hallmark of civilization, to my way of thinking, and I wouldn't want to live in a land that didn't put libraries at the top of the list of important places in everyday living.

How about you? Do you have a good library?  Do you use it regularly? What's your favorite thing about it? Leave us a comment.

In Gratitude to Our Veterans

By Debra Lewis

Ronald Reagan once said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Those who choose to serve in the military know the sacrifices well, as do their families and loved ones. Veterans also know the great rewards… the privilege of living in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Veterans are proud to serve! As we reflect on Veterans Day—the 11th hour, the 11th day of the 11th month—a world pauses to remember the need for these sacrifices, along with celebrating the love, courage, and inspiration of those willing to serve in uniform despite these costs and hardships. Without the willingness of Americans to serve in harm’s way and remain engaged throughout the world, our future may in jeopardy. After commanding in Iraq and 30 years of service, I know the men and women who volunteer today are as good as any our nation has produced. Our military are gallantly serving throughout the world, many on repeat deployments, doing tough jobs and consistently demonstrating their professionalism, bravery, and compassion.

Enemies seek 24/7 to harm us for simply living free, as they did in 9/11. Ironically, fewer Americans understand hardship or real sacrifice. So, how best to keep hope and optimism alive for a better future for us all? By endeavoring to make a difference each and every day, by encouraging others to learn from our past, being grateful for the blessings we enjoy today, and by doing what is needed to be prepared for what lies ahead. For example, get to know the veterans around you, along with those who desire to serve. Pay attention to what really helps so we will succeed in protecting our freedoms for generations to come. On this day and always, take time to thank a veteran for all of us and for a very grateful nation.

Gratitude

by Brannon Beliso 

Gratitude is the ability to be thankful for everything in your life. Be it a breath you take or to a new day you wake, give thanks in quiet meditation.

Breathe in and say, “I am breathing.”

Breathe out and say “I am grateful.”

Be grateful for each moment you’ve been blessed with by being fully present for the present is a gift. Create a grateful mindset by saying, “My cup is neither half-full nor half-empty, my cup flows over.” Practice an attitude of gratitude by always acting in a positive manner.

Plant the seeds of gratitude in your children by teaching them to always say Please and Thank You. Teach your children to earn so they learn to appreciate what they have versus what they don’t. Lead by example showing your children your gratitude through appropriate praise and lots of hugs. Embrace life challenges with gratitude, knowing it will help you learn, grow and become a better person.

Be grateful for every tear you shed because it lets you know you’re truly alive. Smile as you walk through the rain acknowledging it eventually gives way to the light of a new day.

Show your appreciation for those you love by giving of yourself completely without condition. Give generously with thanks knowing it builds community and just feels plain good to give. Celebrate yours and everyone else’s victories and challenges with humility for it is the path to gratitude. Above all, show your gratitude by giving thanks and praise to a higher power.
©Beliso 2010
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Brannon Beliso is the owner and head instructor of One Martial Arts in San Francisco. He is the creator of One Merit Badges, an innovative life skills education system for children. He is an inspirational speaker and maintains an active blog, Live Your Best Life at www.bbeliso.blogspot.com.

Impressions of the NAEYC Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

It was a thrill to attend the The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference. The energy and enthusiasm of the educators and administrators eager to learn the state of the art in early childhood education is infectious. As I do with all of these conferences and events, I want to share with you some of my impressions.

The Attendees. There was a sea of humanity at the conference. The demographic was 95% women. This self-selected group of some of the finest educators and administrators from all over the country (and some from all over the world) were friendly, enthusiastic, supportive, curious, and grateful to be here.

The Exhibitors. The over 1,000 exhibitors at the conference ranged from children’s media publishers to booksellers to educational toy purveyors to classroom supply vendors to government agencies to nonprofits serving children. I’d like to highlight where we spent our time:

Barefoot Books  is another indy publisher of high quality children’s media with a similar mission to LPP. Both Leslie Iorillo, our Art Director, and I really enjoyed speaking with Sarah Spencer, Global Sales Director.

Charlesbridge is a top notch publisher of children’s picture and early reader books. We visited our beloved Editor, Judy O’Malley, who was working in the booth and also enjoyed meeting one of their prolific authors, Stuart J. Murphy.

BookVine is a children’s bookseller with a carefully-selected collection of the finest children’s literature available. LPP connected with Isabel Baker, President, and is hopeful to add its books to BookVine’s distinguished repertoire. Leslie purchased BookVine books authored, illustrated, and signed by the highly-acclaimed Patricia Polacco, with whom she is pictured at left.

I stopped by the Council for Environmental Education (CEE) booth and met Geoffrey A. Castro, Manager of Operations and Marketing. After a brief conversation it was clear to me that What Does It Mean To Be Green? ought to be included in the organization’s curriculum and recommended reading. We’re on it!

I also collected a bookmark from Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE) from one of the special interest tables outside of the Expo. I will investigate further.

The Mission. The objective of the NAEYC Annual Conference is to learn, share, and experience the latest information, products, and services in the field of early childhood education.

The Passion. With professional development resources hard to come by in these difficult economic times, the fortunate conference attendees resonated an attitude of gratitude. I marveled at how many educators were collecting suitcases full of information and new resources for their classrooms and schools. You could feel their excitement about getting home and integrating the new treasures into their lesson plans.

The Call to Action. If you are an early childhood educator, I strongly recommend that you join the NAEYC. If you are a parent, encourage your school to send its teachers, librarians, and administrators to the NAEYC conferences. If you are a blogger or Tweeter, please check out the amazing group of contributors who support the NAEYC. You may find them by searching #naeycAC on Twitter or by checking out the Twitter feed on the Annual Conference website http://www.naeyc.org/conference/. Follow these folks (and Little Pickle Press too, please).


The Facilities. I’d be remiss if I didn’t opine about the facilities for the conference. Hats off to the NAEYC for selecting a conference venue that is LEED Certified and recycles all of its waste! I also appreciated the easily accessible and usable, smoke-free outdoor space where we could find something edible to eat and enjoy it in the sunshine or in the shade of the beautiful palm trees.

To learn more about future conferences or to become an NAEYC member, please visit http://www.naeyc.org/conference.

The Art of Saying Thank You

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

http://www.cardstore.com

During our weekly all-hands meeting/call, we were brainstorming ideas to flesh out our November Editorial Calendar. As you may or may not be aware, our theme for November is An Attitude of Gratitude. One of our advisory board members, who was calling in from Colorado, remarked that I am among the most grateful people she has encountered and that I am always saying, “thank you.” It was a very high compliment, and one that made me feel as though I’m finally “getting it.”

As a mother, I try to foster an attitude of gratitude in my children. We practice saying “please” and “thank you” at home. I know you parents can relate to how much time, energy, patience, and love it takes to instill these simple manners in your children. But it is worth the effort, wouldn’t you say? Isn’t it the greatest feeling when you hear your child thank someone for something? Our two-year-old has about 15 words in his lexicon at the moment. Two of them are “thank you.” No kidding. He routinely thanks the people in his life for everything from setting his breakfast down in front of him to helping him reach something out of his grasp. It is truly heartwarming.

I’d like to encourage the grown-ups in the lives of children to take this a step further. I would like to see those of us who know the importance of saying thank you to teach our children to write thank you notes. As a child, my mother was very diligent about keeping lists of gifts my brother and I received for our birthdays, Christmas, milestone celebrations (such as First Communion), etc. We were expected to write hand-written notes to everyone who gave us gifts. Well, of course! They took the time to think of just the right gift, went out to buy it with their hard-earned money, and either gave or sent it to us—it was only right that we write them a heartfelt note expressing our appreciation, right?

Sadly, I think that children today are not writing thank you notes as much. I encourage you to change this with the children in your life. Buy raw materials made of post-consumer waste and reuse materials in your home (scrap paper, catalogues, ribbon, fabric, etc.). Make the exercise of writing thank you notes fun and engaging. If your child does not yet write, make it about them drawing a picture expressing their gratitude. If your child is just starting to write, have them decorate the card and then write the first letter of each word of their note. In so doing, they are practicing identifying the starting sounds of each word as they express thanks. If your child is writing, then by all means have them draft an original note. They can write a draft on scrap paper and then “ink” it onto their beautiful card. I promise you, it will be a rewarding experience for you and your child. My children draw thank you pictures with notes for us all the time now. They express gratitude for not only things but also for special time we have spent with them.

As always, I encourage you to lead by example. Let your children hear you thank your friends, family, co-workers, employees, shopkeepers, mail delivery people, etc. Let them see you writing thank you notes too. Saying “thank you” is an art, and it is contagious. Try it, you’ll see.

Little Pickle Press is at the NAEYC Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has joined forces this year with the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) to provide an opportunity to share, exchange, and learn from a broad range of practitioners and advocates across the country at the 2010 NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo. Rana DiOrio (Chief Executive Pickle), Judy O’Malley (Editor), and Leslie Iorillo (Art Director) will all be in attendance. We are grateful for this opportunity to learn from the innovators of early childhood education. 

Educators will come to Anaheim, CA from across the country and around the world for hundreds of well-planned workshops, seminars, and presentations on the latest research and information on early childhood development. They also come for the exciting Exhibit Hall, with more than 1,000 booths featuring the best materials, services, and ideas for early childhood teachers, administrators, and programs.

The opening keynote address on Wednesday, November 3rd features T. Berry Brazelton, MD and Joshua Sparrow, MD and focuses on Touchpoints: Caring for Children, Parents, and Other Caregivers. According to the conference collateral, Dr. Brazelton’s concept of “touchpoints” represents opportunities for educators and clinicians to help parents and children through difficult and predictable phases of development. Developmental growth spurts become opportunities for hope and confirmation for parents caring for children with developmental delays. As a child approaches a spurt, he/she often experiences periods of frustration and disintegration or regression. This is likely to be an anxiety-laden time for parents. If parents understand the underlying reason for their child’s regressive behavior, they can support and comfort their frustrated child, and not just be baffled by him.

Since there is a predictable map in each developmental line, clinicians, and educators can join with parents in their struggle to understand by sharing with parents the concept of the next spurt, how powerful it is, how critical it is, and why it leads to a child’s unwanted behavior. Each biobehavioral shift or “touchpoint,” which occurs just before a new spurt in development, becomes a powerful opportunity for entering into the system of the parent and infant or young child. As providers and parents grow closer in their efforts to understand the child's behavior, they can share their dreams for his/her future and face differences in beliefs about what children need to learn and grow with comfort, confidence, and mutual respect.

To learn more about the conference, please visit http://www.naeyc.org/conference. To follow the conference on Twitter, search the hashtag #naeycAC. We’ll be tweeting live from the floor of the conference (using the #naeycAC hashtag, of course) and our blog post on Friday will reveal our impressions of the event.

The Little Pickle Press Insider

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An attitude of gratitude is our theme for November at Little Pickle Press. We celebrate Thanksgiving Day in America on November 25th and that gives us most of the month to contemplate our many blessings. Thanksgiving is perhaps the one holiday in American tradition that is focused most on family and friends as well as food and fun.

Teachers plan their lessons around the historic aspects of Thanksgiving Day and children throughout the land bring home arts and crafts featuring Pilgrims in the early days of American settlement. We focus on traditional foods such as stuffed turkey, pumpkin pie, corn, and other autumn favorites. Many environmentally-minded people try to connect with local farmers and their harvests of heirloom crops, making this heritage celebration even more special.

Prayer was an important act of gratitude practiced by early Americans, and churches today continue promoting the saying of “grace” before meals, especially on holidays. The practice easily transfers to modern and more secular events, where many share a spoken “thank you” for the gifts in their own lives including each other.

The Wikipedia article on gratitude states that it is an emotion that occurs after people receive help, depending on how they interpret the situation. Specifically, gratitude is experienced if people perceive the help they receive as (a) valuable to them, (b) costly to their benefactor, and (c) given by the benefactor with benevolent intentions (rather than ulterior motives). Other factors come into play as well.

There are various methods with which to gauge gratitude, and the Appreciation Scale was developed to measure 8 different aspects of gratitude: appreciation of people, possessions, the present moment, rituals, feelings of awe, social comparisons, existential concerns, and behavior which expresses gratitude.

Extensive research about gratitude suggests that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives. So instilling the lesson of gratefulness in children has many benefits beyond good manners and appropriate social behaviors, though these are clearly important.

Little Pickle Press is grateful for many things, including its latest milestone—on November 26th, we publish our newest title, Sofia’s Dream, written by Land Wilson and illustrated by Sue Cornelison. The book celebrates Planet Earth and encourages the care-taking of our fragile, precious world in a sweet lullaby sure to inspire adults and children both. Follow our blog book tour to learn all about the making of this book as we visit kindred spirits online from November 22nd – December 3rd. Be sure to click here for pre-orders.

We also thank you, our dear readers, for your patronage and continued support and hope you’ll share this newsletter and blog with your friends and family members who have children and grandchildren and who might benefit from our stories and news. Wishing you a holiday filled with blessings from our family to yours.

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“Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” ~ Cicero