The Seventh "S" of Spring

About the Authors & Illustrator

MaryAnn Easley is an award-winning author & educator. A recipient of the Award of Excellence from Greater San Diego Reading Association, she was selected Teacher of the Year three times and has taught kindergarten through adult level. Her first novel for young people, I Am Ice Worm, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and ALA Quick Picks. Born & raised in California, she has lived aboard a sailboat along the coast, taught Inuit children in three villages above the Arctic Circle, and traveled to Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia. Other young adult books include Alone in the Ice World, Dog Woman, Belly Up, A Few Screws Loose, Warrior's Daughter, Finding Jade Mountain, and Knuckle Down. A former magazine editor, she has been published nationally and regionally, and is the author of a number of audio English and vocabulary courses sold nationwide. As a core adjunct professor, she teaches multicultural children's literature, linguistics, and integrated arts at the university level. As an author, she presents assemblies and programs in elementary schools, peer coaches adult writers, and facilitates writing workshops for children & adults in various programs throughout Orange County, California.

Noosha Ravaghi, born in Iran in 1970, spent her first four years in Tehran with her father and paternal grandparents and then the next six years traveling with her father to the United States, France, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. She learned English, French, Arabic, and Farsi before starting high school. After graduation, she taught English as a foreign language to students of various ages. While studying French literature at the university, she worked with several magazines proofreading French and English texts and translating literary articles from French into Farsi. After receiving her masters in French literature at the University of Tehran in Iran she again traveled extensively, this time to France, the United States, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, China, and Brazil. She settled in Orange County, California, where she teaches English, Farsi, and French to children and adults.

Nasim Kavoosi, born in Iran, is a talented illustrator who has worked on several children's books. She holds a master's degree in animation and resides in Tehran, Iran, where she is an educator and popular illustrator.

Contact: authorinschools@gmail.com

VISIT THIS SITE OFTEN FOR UPDATES, BOOK SIGNINGS, & SPECIAL EVENTS!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Book Launch!

The Seventh "S" of Spring is now available!

Limited first edition, paperback, 32 pages, $15.95 plus $3.00 shipping/handling. Orders prior to March 1st pay no tax or shipping.

This charming K-2 picture book is sure to delight readers as they learn along with Noosha the meaning of items placed on the haftseen table and the significance of the Persian new year that comes on the first day of Spring. Share the joy of the season with someone you love.

To order your autographed copy, send check, cash, or money order to:

Authors
P.O. Box 7089
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607

Make check payable to MaryAnn Easley.

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS available for teachers! If you are a preschool, kindergarten, first, or second grade teacher, contact authorinschools@gmail to receive special ordering instructions.

Enrich your Spring unit of study with this charming new multicultural K-2 picture book that will delight children as they learn about the Persian new year and traditional customs.

Activities to accompany the reading of The Seventh "S" of Spring will be offered on this site. Visit often for teaching tips, special events, and book signings. Check below for information on how to select good multicultural children's literature.

Special offers and gifts relating to this book will be available on this site so be sure to check back often! Spring is coming soon, and The Seventh "S" of Spring is a wonderful way to celebrate the season of renewal with your child.

CLASSROOM VISITS: Share the joy of reading and writing by booking an author for a classroom visit or library story time.

BECOME A FOLLOWER: For special discounts, frequent updates, tips on using literature in the classroom and at home, become a follower of this blog! See below.

Happy Nowruz!

There is much to do as the first day of Spring approaches. Noosha sees Mamanbozorg cleaning the house, polishing the samovar, and making the delicious samanoo pudding. Bababozorg is in the garden working hard, too, cleaning the pond and trimming the flowers, but Noosha is only a little girl and would rather play. Once her grandmother convinces her to help set up the traditional haftseen table, Noosha discovers the true meaning of the Persian new year that always arrives on the first day of Spring.

CHOOSING MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

As parents and teachers, we can promote a global community through multicultural children's literature. A child's understanding of history and geography is improved while respect, empathy, and acceptance of all people is cultivated. Reading a multicultural story offers an opportunity to discuss similarities and differences. Every classroom and home library should include multicultural children's literature, but how do we choose these books and stories?

Classroom books need to not only reflect the diversity of the students in the classroom and school, but the diverse reality of the world in which we live.

Authentic multicultural literature in the classroom is necessary in helping students to develop an understanding of diverse cultures, the people and their perspectives.

How to select multicultural books:

* Is the book considered high literary quality?

* Is there a distortion or omission of history?

* Is there any negative stereotyping?

* Are there any loaded words?

* Are the lifestyles depicted genuine?

* Is the dialogue accurate?

* What are the standards of success?

* Are the cultural roles accurate?

* What is the author's or illustrator's background?

* Look at the illustrations.

* How is the relationship between characters from different cultures portrayed?

* Are heroes/heroines accurately defined according to concepts of the culture?

* Look at the copyright date.

* What are the effects on a child's self-image?

The Haftseen Table

“Haftseen” is a major tradition of Nowruz, the Iranian new year.

"Haft" means seven; "seen" is the sound of the letter "s" in Persian (Farsi)

The haftseen table includes seven specific items, all starting with the letter S or Seen (‘س’ in the Persian alphabet). The items symbolically correspond to seven creations and holy immortals protecting them.

sabzeh - wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolizing rebirth

samanu / samanoo - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolizing wealth

senjed - the dried fruit of the oleaster tree - symbolizing love

sîr - garlic - symbolizing medicine

sîb - apples - symbolizing beauty and health

serkeh - vinegar - symbolizing age and patience

sekkeh - coins (prosperity and wealth)

Other items that are also used on the table are:

a mirror and lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)

decorated eggs (fertility)

a bowl with goldfish (life)

HAPPY NOWRUZ!