“I am Flippish!” by Leslie V. Ryan, and illustrated by Adolph Soliz, is part story, part game, and all learning about cultures, flags, and acceptance of who we are (no matter what we look like).

“Sean’s mom usually helps out at school, but not today. Today it’s dad’s turn! But when his classmates start asking some awkward questions, Sean wonders why he’s so different. Together, and with the help of their teacher, the students learns a few things about diversity and Sean teaches his friends just how wonderful it is to be different.”

I happen to know Leslie and her children, so this book was especially fun for me to read.  Leslie graduated from University of California, at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and Japanese Language. Her lifelong passion for reading books turned into a new found love of writing them.  The illustrator, Adolph Soliz, is a graduate from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a BFA in animation. Adolph, who is “Indixican,” brings charming and endearing characters to life in all media. Which means you’ll never find him without his sketchbook, observing the world and people around him. Along with illustrating children’s books, he also teaches art to young aspiring artists.

If I didn’t blog about parks and play, I’d probably be blogging about books and reading.  I’m glad this book has an element of play to it.  You see, the characters end up pulling out a map to trace their ancestral history.  Where did their families come from?  The book even uses flags to illustrate the multitude of different countries and cultures. Little Sean learns he is “Flippish” which is a short and silly word for “Filipino Irish.”

I played the same game for my heritage.  My mom’s family is French and my dad’s is German which would make me: Frenman? or Gerench? Making up silly names is a great exercise to illustrate that “We are all made up of the best parts of our parents.” (As the teacher points out in the story.)

I’ll proudly shout out that “I am Frenman!”

GIVEAWAY

Leslie is not only giving away ONE autographed copy of her book, but the winner will even get a caricature of their children drawn in the book by the illustrator, Adolph!!  How cool is that?

To enter:

• Play the game and try to come up with a declaration for yourself! Who are YOU? (Then you will have practiced for when you read the book with your kids.)
• Enter your answer in the comment section. Let’s see how many different combos we come up with!
• I will pick ONE winner from comments (chosen by Random.org). Comments must be received before 7pm (PST) on Wednesday, July 20th.  So comment while you are here and thinking about it!
• (Make sure you enter an e-mail that you regularly check, because you must respond to the notification that you’re the winner within 24 hours. Otherwise, I have to pick a new winner.)

Even if you don’t win, you can always order Leslie’s book from Amazon: “I am Flippish!” by Leslie V. Ryan, and illustrated by Adolph Soliz.

If you’re like me, I get fixed on the easiest way to get content from my favorite blogs and websites. Just wanted to let you know your options, since a few of them are new:

1. E-mail (NEW!) – There’s a box underneath the sponsors where you can enter your e-mail address and Feedburner will send each new post directly to your e-mail inbox. You will get a little teaser and if you want to read the complete post, you just need to click on the hyperlinked title.
2. Kindle Subscription (NEW!) – Just search for Fun Orange County Parks Blog and read it like an online magazine.  All the pretty photos don’t show up, though. It’ll cost you $1.99/month, but you can get a 14-day trial for free.
3. Subscribe in your Reader (RSS) – See that little orange icon up in the top right corner of the page. Press that button to get a subscription to the RSS feed in your reader. If you have NO idea what I’m talking about — here’s a great tutorial about how to set up a reader and subscribe to RSS feeds.
4. Facebook News Feed – If you’re already on Facebook, this is a fun one. I like to give little tidbits of info to introduce posts and link to other websites of interest. Even if you’re not signed up with Facebook, you can still see our Facebook page by going to: http://www.facebook.com/OCPlayParks. You can also see what other readers are saying about the posts.
5. Bookmark Us – Easy, huh? Just bookmark the site and come back to visit often. I’d also recommend bookmarking the playground map so you can search the map when you’re traveling to a specific location.
6. Mobile Version – We have our site optimized for viewing on smart phones. Of course, the videos don’t always show up and it’s not as pretty, but at least you can do a search and learn more about a park while you’re out.
7. Play Trips Newsletter (NEW!) – Only one edition of the Play Trips Newsletter has gone out so far, but it was fun to create and I hope to convey more unique content over the coming months.  I’m thinking summertime will be a great time to send you more detailed coverage and ideas.  Just sign up for our mailing list in the sidebar where it says “Sign Up for Our Newsletter.” You’ll probably receive TOO FEW rather than too many newsletters from us. You can always unsubscribe if you get annoyed.

Have fun and play often!

If I didn’t have a parks and outdoor play blog, I’d write a book blog. I absolutely love books! I wrote about a few other choices in Mice Can Be Heroes. The following are sure to give you some outdoor inspiration.

Have you ever read a Mo Willem book to your child? Mo Willem wrote Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. He sneaks in lots of hilarity for the grown-ups. So give this one a try: Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book).

I couldn’t resist buying The Curious Garden by Peter Brown at last year’s Scholastic Book Fair. I value books where I can look at the same illustrations over and over, but find something different or get a different feeling every time. The Curious Garden doesn’t disappoint.

So whether you order them from Amazon or check them out at the library . . . Enjoy!

And have a Happy New Year!

*This post contains third party affiliate links. Read our full disclosure policy.

“When children and nature mix, something magical happens.”
-Marghanita Hughes, Author & Illustrator

I get goosebumps every time I hear Marghanita say those words. Her voice gets wispy when she says “magical” and you know Marghanita can see her Little Humbug characters flitting around the woods playing and doing their good deeds. Jasmine is leader of the Butterfly Girls. She lives in Humbug Village with her friends: Lucy the Bird Keeper, Chloe the Gardener, Flint the Dragonfly Boy, and Nika the Gemstone Collector.

These characters are stewards of the Earth providing a model my children try to emulate. We’re old friends of Jasmine. I bought a doll and the “We’re the Little Humbugs” book for my daughter last Christmas. Jasmine is her constant companion and I’ve been chastised more than once for not following the Butterfly Girl’s lead. I’ve been told the Butterfly Girls “don’t like it when you leave the light on when you’re not in the room.” My daughter also picks up trash at the park without the benefit of my suggestions. She learned it from the Butterfly Girls!

Nika and The Painted Turtle is the latest Little Humbugs magical adventure. Marghanita is offering it as an e-Book available for download ($2.99). She gives instructions how to print and bind the 31-page book with ribbon. We took 3 nights reading it to the kids at bedtime. There are even activity pages at the back for coloring. Sshhh! I will be printing these out to color myself!

I regularly read Marghanita’s blog so it’s particularly fun for me to see her weave stories from her life into the pages of the book. There are surprises and disappointments in this book. My kids really identify with these young characters and were genuinely excited, concerned, and celebratory in different parts of the story. Its pages provide environmental enlightenment and a call to action. Problems have solutions. These are some of the insider connections to Marghanita’s blog posts you wouldn’t make unless you were reading the book with me:

• Enchanted Waterfall and her family adventures Finding the Waterfall
• Lucy in the Butterfly Girl Fairy House
• Sunflower Wishes
• Baby Quail Needs a Helping Hand – In the book, Lucy helps a Nuthatch.
• You’ll even see a nod to one of my posts (what a thrill!) with Nika’s rock stacking

Visit Marghanita’s  Wildwood Media YouTube Channel filled with her “Let’s Go Outside” series of wonderful nature crafts and inspiration to get your kids outdoors.

Download Nika and The Painted Turtle for an inside adventure to the far reaches of outdoors (e-Book available for ($2.99).

*Artwork credit: Marghanita Hughes is creator, author and illustrator of The Little Humbugs.

**No compensation received for this post. Marghanita is a #playoutdoors friend whom I met on Twitter. I value her as a mentor for her passion and creativity.

Leo Lionni and Arnold Lobel books prove that mice are smart. At least, that’s what you’ll think after you read these two favorites to your kids. Turns out my favorite children’s books aren’t just one-hit wonders. I’m fond of many, many books by both Leo Lionni and Arnold Lobel. These author/illustrators tell real stories with wonderful lessons featuring animals who embody struggles and victories within their colorful pages.

In Frederick, Leo Lionni describes a family of mice frantically gathering supplies for the winter. Frederick doesn’t seem to be helping, but he’s really gathering the most important item of all.

Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel features a crafty mouse who may, or may not, get out of being dinner for a weasel.

I highly recommend these books for any child’s home library. They made my imagination explode as a kid and the vivid stories are still present in my mind as an adult.

*This post contains third party affiliate links which benefit us if you make a purchase. The links are here more for your convenience than anything. Link here to full disclosure policy.