Thursday, April 30, 2009

Springtime and New Moms


Spring is a time for all things new. The earth comes back to life after a long cold winter, flowers begin to bloom, trees are leafing out, and many moms (and families) are looking ahead in anticipation of a new little bundle of joy.

At Maren Green we're inspired by this time of year and all the newness it brings. It's a time of optimism, appreciation, renewal—and a reminder of things that matter most.

It's also when our award-winning children's board book You Are Important serves as a good reminder of why we do what we do: because children are important. They are the future, it's an important future, and we want them to know just how important they are.

You can let them know, too. For the expecting mom in your life, we'd like to suggest our award-winning 'You Are Important' Board Book Series (set/5) as the perfect baby shower (or Mother's Day) gift that keeps on giving (and an affordably priced one at only $27.95 online).

Affirming words and illustrations help very young children know they are Beautiful, Brave, Creative, Friendly, and Important. Mom's (and us dad's, too) will enjoy reading these to their baby before they're even born. And you'll know you're contributing to a child's future sense of healthy confidence—and reinforcing that every child is precious and valuable.

We don't think spring gets any better than that.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Uh-oh. Watch out! You're about to sneeze!

Swine flu is spreading. As reported by CNN, 40 new cases here in the U.S. today. While we certainly don't want to add to our children's daily stress, it's difficult to keep wide-spread media stories like this from their attention. Everyone's talking about it. You may think it's not on their radar, but don't be fooled. Just because kids don't say anything doesn't mean they're not thinking about these big news stories—and even worrying about them. Worrying about the implications it might have on them, their loved ones, their school, and more.

As with any important issue, information and education are critical. The prospects of swine flu are frightening for all of us, but we can dispel the mystery and fear by arming ourselves and our children with important information and skills to deal with it.

What can we do? Make this a teachable moment and remind kids about some hygiene basics: covering our noses and mouths when we cough or sneeze, and washing our hands with soap and water. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) these are the top 2 things of What You Can Do To Stay Healthy. And they're covered specifically in our books below.

Please take a few minutes today to remind the kids in your life about these important (and timely) basics. And don't forget to practice them yourself:

From Manners Are Important for You and Me (click on image to enlarge):


From You Are Healthy (click on image to enlarge):

Thursday, April 23, 2009

"Obesity is the No. 1 health crisis in the United States...

...and the nation could be at risk without immediate action," former President Clinton said at CNN's first Fit Nation Summit earlier this year. "We need to do something about it for our children, and for our country, because something like this could easily collapse our nation if we don't act now," Clinton said.
If that isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is. Bottom line: one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity carries increased risk of myriad health problems, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

As adults, most of us can relate to the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle—from eating right, to exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, taking quiet time for ourselves, even finding time for simple fun. It's hard work. But anything is better than nothing, and as adults, we simply must do more. We have to understand that foregoing a healthy lifestyle no longer affects just us. When we're unhealthy, our children are unhealthy. Our behaviors become their behaviors—and those behaviors become established at a very early age.

One of President Harry S. Truman's favorite sayings was "The buck stops here." He even had a sign with this message made for his desk. As adults, as parents, as grandparents, as aunts and uncles, as educators, as caregivers, as counselors, we can all benefit from adopting this message as our personal mantra—especially when we think of the children in our lives and their future health and happiness.

You Are Healthy was published to support your efforts with the children in your life. As we work to set a better example, this book will affirm key behaviors important to children's health. Whether a child reads the book themself, or you read it with them, the goal is the same: children hear messages that become the positive self-talk they'll rely on to live a healthy lifestyle as they grow and develop. Experts agree:
"I highly recommend Maren Green Publishing’s You Are Healthy and the three companion books for encouraging healthy behavioral choices for children.”
—Neal R. Holtan, M.D., M.P.H., Preventive Medicine Specialist
You Are Healthy is a terrific tool to introduce young children to important things we do to stay healthy. I love that it covers aspects from washing hands to laughing, playing, and having quiet time. These are good reminders for young and old alike.”
— Dr. Carol Carlson, M.D.
If there's good news when it comes to any crisis, it's that we can all do something to help fix it. Maybe someday soon we'll be reading
"Obesity is no longer the No. 1 health crisis in the United States..."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

How will your community share kindness?

We were excited to see how our book Kindness to Share from A to Z is inspiring the entire community in Mishicot, Virginia to come together during this National Volunteer Week (April 19-25).

As reported in the Virginia Parlato/Mishicot News, one of their week-long events to bring attention to volunteering will include:
A book entitled Kindness to Share from A to Z will be read, there will be singing, and children can create a special Mother's Day gift.
We applaud the efforts of Mishicot Area Growth and Improvement Committee! Perhaps you can inspire a child—and your community—with this book, too? In simple words and warm illustrations of children in real-life situations, Kindness to Share from A to Z includes 26 ways to make the world a better place, no matter what age you are.


Examples from the book:






Wednesday, April 8, 2009

“Let’s hear it for vegetables, let’s hear it for fruits.”

...cheered First Lady Michelle Obama to about two dozen fifth graders at the recent groundbreaking of the new organic White House kitchen garden—the first full-fledged vegetable plot on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden during World War II.

The gardening effort reflects the First Lady’s persistent call for healthful eating. She often speaks about the importance of nutritious eating, the problem of childhood obesity, and of the challenges involved in getting her two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, to eat more healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

Although we're slightly resentful that we're not gardening yet here in Minnesota (where our winters tend to be regularly too long), we couldn't agree more with the First Lady's sentiments. We published our newest book You Are Healthy to encourage young children to practice healthy behaviors by letting them read similar (and very important) messages like: "You are healthy when you eat veggies and fruits every day."



Just think what can happen if more of us followed Mrs. Obama's healthy example and renewed our efforts to help young children develop a solid foundation of healthy habits. Children will establish their own healthy habits for eating right, exercising through active play, drinking enough water, getting enough rest, laughing and giggling, and much more, to stay healthy for a lifetime.

The First Lady's gardening effort serves as a great reminder that we need to act now—and especially when children are young. Did you know "approximately 25 million children are obese or overweight, making today’s kids possibly the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents." says a report by the nonprofit organization Trust for America’s Health? This news is simply frightening—and should make us all stop and ask ourselves: "What can I be doing differently for the children in my life?"

We have a simple and effective idea: read You Are Healthy to make a positive difference in the health of a child in your care. It's simply written, has engaging and vibrant illustrations of multi-ethnic kids so all young children can relate to the messages and—more importantly—follow the examples shown. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, early childhood educator, librarian, or counselor, each page is an excellent conversation starter for discussions of other healthy behaviors, too.

So instead of buying that carton of ice cream, another box of cookies, or giving in to buying another candy bar at the checkout counter, buy a copy of You Are Healthy. It's only $7.19 when you order it from our website. We guarantee it'll last a lot longer and your child will appreciate it even more—especially when they're older and living a healthy lifestyle.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

April is National Poetry Month

“Poetry is music written for the human voice.”—Dr. Maya Angelou, celebrated poet.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.

Here at Maren Green Publishing we love to support efforts to widen the attention of individuals—especially children—to the art of poetry. That's why our books are here to help you introduce a child to the pleasures of reading poetry—and help spark their creativity to even write their own poetry.

Start with our award-winning My Favorite Sounds from A to Z. The colorful pictures and rhyming poems invite children to listen more closely to the sounds in their everyday lives, imagine sounds they haven't yet heard, experiment with creating new sounds, and even sharpen their listening skills.


Then follow up with My Favorite Places from A to Z. These vivid poems and illustrations describe an alphabet of special places. Children are invited to remember places they've been, imagine places they'd like to go, and realize their world expands with each new place they experience.



And here are 30 more ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month.

Exclusive Maren Green pricing makes our books very affordable so you can easily share the "music" of poetry with the children in your life all this month. Both books are even more affordable when you buy them together here.

April is National Humor Month

And it has been for the last 33 years!

National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. Mr. Wilde is the author of over 53 books on the subject of humor. You can find them here.

Designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life, National Humor Month is something worth celebrating with our kids—especially in these economic times when everything (and everyone) appears so serious. Kids need to laugh. As parents, educators, and caregivers, we need to facilitate that.

Our newest book The Dirtiest Hair in the World is here to help—and will definitely get kids on their way to some side-splitting laughter.

Here's the story: Claire has long, beautiful hair. She also has a mind of her own. And one day she decides she will not wash her hair. At first, her hair is not so bad. But as the weeks go by, tangles grow to brambles. Her parents despair! Luckily, even a very stubborn girl can change her mind. When Claire announces, “All right, I'll wash my hair!” that's when the fun begins. You won't believe what crawls, walks, falls, and flies out of Claire's hair.



Get your copy of this hilariously funny, vividly illustrated, rhyming tale here at a great price — and enjoy lots of laughter for the rest of this month, and many months to come!