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Look at these wonderful drawings created by the students of Ms. Crowley, Media Specialist at St. John Vianney School. I love to see these. These are true artists! A big thank you to the students who created these lovely illustrations. I’ve enjoyed all of the extra details you’ve added. So Fantastic!  

Just to let you know that if there are other little artists that have enjoyed the book, I would love to see your drawings as well! You send, I’ll post!
The Swamp Where Gator Hides, Dawn Publications, Marianne Berkes, Author, Roberta Baird Illustrator

Sometimes what is considered edible is subject to a given culture or region of the world; what someone from Nicaragua would consider “local grub” could be entirely different than what someone in Paris would eat. How many different types of meat have you experienced? Are there some types of meat you would never eat? Below are nine different types of meat, listed in The Oxford Companion to Food, that you may not have considered trying:

Camel: Still eaten in some regions, a camel’s hump is generally considered the best part of the body to eat. Its milk, a staple for desert nomads, contains more fat and slightly more protein than cow’s milk.

Beaver: A beaver’s tail and liver are considered delicacies in some countries. The tail is fatty tissue and was greatly relished by early trappers and explorers. Its liver is large and almost as tender and sweet as a chicken’s or a goose’s.

Agouti: Also spelled aguti; a rodent species that may have been described by Charles Darwin as “the very best meat I ever tasted” (though he may have been actually describing a guinea pig since he believed agouti and cavy were interchangeable names).

Armadillo: Its flesh is rich and porky, and tastes more like possum than any other game. A common method of cooking is to bake the armadillo in its own shell after removing its glands.

Capybara: The capybara was an approved food by the Pope for traditional “meatless” days, probably since it was considered semiaquatic. Its flesh, unless prepared carefully to trim off fat, tastes fishy.

Hedgehog: A traditional gypsy cooking method is to encase the hedgehog in clay and roast it, after which breaking off the baked clay would take the spines with it.

Alligator: Its meat is white and flaky, likened to chicken or, sometimes, flounder. Alligators were feared to become extinct from consumption, until they started becoming farmed.

Iguana: Iguanas were an important food to the Maya people when the Spaniards took over Central America. Its eggs were also favored, being the size of a table tennis ball, and consisted entirely of yolk.

Puma: Charles Darwin believed he was eating some kind of veal when presented with puma meat. He described it as, “very white, and remarkably like veal in taste”. One puma can provide a lot of meat, since each can weigh up to 100 kg (225 lb).

Has this list changed the way you view these animals? Would you try alligator meat but turn your nose up if presented with a hedgehog platter?

Headline Image: Street Food at Wangfujing Street. Photo by Jirka Matousek. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

The post Nine types of meat you may have never tried appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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Here's something I posted on my blog, as well as here....

This is from a while back, a personal project. I wanted to do an alphabet. And the never-ending question for me is in regards to style: Cartoony? Stylized? Loosy-goosy-esque? (Whatever THAT means!). But in time, place and history, I made it look like this. So without further ado, I give you the letter "A", featuring an alligator eating and apple, of course!

Posting some work from a while back, a personal project. I wanted to do an alphabet. The never-ending question for me is in regards to style: Cartoony? Stylized? Loosy-goosy-esque? (Whatever THAT means!). But in time, place and history, I made it look like this. So without further ado, I give you the letter “A”, featuring an alligator eating and apple, of course!

The Swamp Where Gator Hides written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by me, Roberta Baird is now an app!! Click here to download it at 20% off!  Dawn Publications Book App

Preview it now!

I've been working on my advertising page for the Directory of Illustration. I decided to do all new art work…here's one of the paintings I finished for the directory. 

Under the algae that carpets the swamp, near the duck who paddles in ooze, close to the turtle who takes a snooze . . . hides a gator! Still as a log, only his watchful eyes can be seen. But when gator moves, he really moves! What happens to the duck, the turtle, the egret, the deer, and the many other critters of the swamp when gator makes his move!

A great time was had with the kids at The Lighthouse! We learned about the plants and the animals that inhabit the Everglades and studied the layers of swamp water that enables gators and other animals the ability to hide. What a great time we had!

“Here’s a fun tale that introduces young readers to concepts of camouflage and predator-prey interactions. And kids will love searching for the hidden alligator in the beautiful illustrations.”

–Annie Oxarart, Board Member, League of Environmental Educators in Florida                           Available HERE

She didn’t hear the click clack of the lock, nor did she hear the munching of the last piece of Mama Camain’s pie as Papa hungrily gobbled it up.

And there you have it! Thirty days of SkADaMo and thirty days of Picture book ideas with PiBoldMo

This has been a very worthwhile experience to participate in. I now have 30 ideas, some good, some not so much, but none the less they are mine to work on and grow into full fledged stories!

No Excuses!

After dinner, Mama Caiman was so tired that she didn’t hear the dogs barking or the see the shadowy figure slowly making a pathway through the bayou.

And so they arrived at the fay do do, over to Maman Caiman’s house. Each bringing with them, something to share. They ate till their bellies were full and they make the veiller. So much fun!

But Maman was worried, she hadn’t heard from Papa since last he left on his trip  to N’awlins.
“Merci pour m’svoir aide! We’re so happy you came! She said at their guest prepared to leave.

“Merci to you, Maman Caiman!” I hope you’ve saved some pie for Papa!

Mama Caiman was sure to invite Bougre Bete Puante on her next trip to the beaute salon.

SkADaMo 25

Next she delivered an invite to Mrs. Piette chatoui!

An invite for Clovis tortue!

Some quick character development sketches.

Fait pas une esquandal!

sal·u·ta·tion
A polite expression of greeting or goodwill.

An excuse to draw an alligator…who tends to live in a swamp. This one’s having a hard time getting a phone signal. You know how swamps can be.

Today’s sketch is a bit rougher and not completely worked through. But, pant pant pant, I got it in… wheeeeeze!

They’re not all great ideas, but the goofy stuff that pops into your head when you’re doing these challenges (like this and PiBoIdMo) is almost worth the lack of sleep… or maybe it’s because of the lack of sleep.

Every week I post a colouring/activity page for you to print out and give to children - yours, someone else's or to use in a school or library. All I ask is that it is not used for commercial purposes.