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A New Book Takes Children on the Adventure of a Lifetime with Leonardo DaVinci
What would you do if one of the most famous artists in the world landed on your doorstep? In Leonardo and the Time Travelers, cousins Jack and Nick are in Silicon Valley for a summer technology class, when they discover a secret time travel app on an old iPad. Upon using the app, they bring back the world’s first-time traveler, artist, engineer and scientist, Leonardo da Vinci, and adventure ensues!
This fun and entertaining book takes children on the adventure of a lifetime. Joined by Jack’s sister Poppy, they solve problems, meet other time travelers, and have a summer they will never forget.
Leonardo, affectionately nicknamed “Nardi” by the kids, is shocked by his new surroundings but as a man who loves to learn, he is highly curious about the technology he discovers everywhere throughout the house. He just can’t resist the urge to play with things. And Jack’s feisty and artistic sister, Poppy, isn’t shy about sharing her artwork with the man who painted The Last Supper.
As “Nardi” tangles with today’s technology and traveling incognito, he and the kids bring other time travelers back from the past while facing up to challenges of their own. Nardi learns to ride a bike, makes a special drawing to tuck into a time capsule at Stanford, compares notes with the kids on delicious gelato, creates a bubble bath blizzard and gets stuck on top of the house when inspecting the solar panels!
As the summer ends, the kids celebrate their accomplishments with a surprise trip to the Magic Kingdom, and a tour led by none other than time traveler Walt Disney himself! Nardi upstages everyone in his final fling before heading back into history – but he leaves an enormous imprint on Jack, Nick and Poppy, his creative compatriots and proteges.
Leonardo and the Time Travelers is the product of a unique collaboration of five women from around the world who joined together to create a children’s book about learning and time travel during the pandemic.
In 2020, two grandmothers across the pond from each other decided to do something positive during the lockdown: to write a book inspired by their grandchildren. Marian Lye and Patty McGuigan share a set of lively grandkids, who were to be the heroes of a Silicon Valley adventure. But they needed an illustrator. Rebekah Reif, just turning 21 and graduating, joined the creative team. Next was Maria Mayer Feng, an incredible creative director in New York and then Kate Ryan, an editor who lives in Hawaii and understood the writers’ vision. The Circle of Five was established: women of all different ages, from Hawaii to England coming together to create Leonardo and the Time Travelers.
“The pandemic has brought many changes to our world. We were determined to produce something positive out of this time,” says author Patty McGuigan. “The five of us put our creativity to work and created this fun and inspiring story.”
This fall introduce kids to the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci and join him, Jack, Nick and Poppy on an adventurous journey and discover the answer to the big question – how to get their time travelers back home?
“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” – Leonardo da Vinci
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Patty McGuigan is the proud grandmother of four grandchildren. She is also a successful commercial real estate agent, a past high school English teacher, and active in her San Francisco Bay Area community. Patty has created numerous books of her artwork and travel memories. Her creativity has been her defining factor throughout her life, and indeed she does believe in time travel.
Marian Lye lives in Weymouth, England. She and her husband raised three boys, and she worked in administration for a government department for many years. Her love of history led her to write Weymouth at War, an account of World War 2 on the south coast of England. The book, now in its second edition, features the dramatic build up to D-Day in June 1944, when thousands of American servicemen set sail from the twin ports of Weymouth and Portland, bound for “Omaha Beach” in Normandy. In this millennium, the arrivals of three lively grandkids in California have been magical milestones.
Rebekah Reif is based in New Hampshire, where she recently graduated from the School of Art and Design at New England College. An up-and-coming artist, she has a natural talent for drawing, and amazed her collaborators on this project with every new scene she sketched out. Rebekah specializes in comics and enjoys drawing stories from battles to slices of everyday life.
To learn more about the creative team and Leonardo and the Time Travelers, visit leonardoandthetimetravelers.
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Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen – an appreciation of Latin cuisines and offers young chefs a hands-on experience creating recipes from other cultures
Have you ever tried empanadas? Made cheesy arepas for your family? Or shared homemade sprinkle-covered chocolate brigadeiros with your friends? Celebrity chef Gaby Melian brings you into her kitchen to teach you her favorite recipes from all over Latin America. From desayuno (breakfast), to meriendas (snacks), to cena (dinner), to postre (dessert), you’ll be a pro in no time.
America’s Test Kitchen Kids, the most trusted cooking brand for kids, announced the launch of Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen – an innovative new cookbook by author and celebrity chef, Gaby Melian. Available now on Amazon, the new title combines America’s Test Kitchen Kids’ rigorous recipe testing method with Gaby’s expansive culinary background and fun, inviting style to create an inspiring new resource for young chefs around the country. Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen invites kids to travel the world of Latin America with 70 recipes, incorporating Gaby’s take on dishes from across the region like completos chilenos (Chilean hot dogs), Cuban ropa vieja (shredded beef stew), Argentinian empanadas de pollo (chicken turnovers) and more.
Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chef Gaby Melian began cooking at just eight years old. From crimping empanadas with her family to enjoying her grandmother’s “la pizza rapida,” Gaby has always had a passion for cooking and teaching others how to develop confidence in the kitchen. Once she moved to the United States, Gaby’s interest in food grew into a career and she climbed the culinary ladder, from selling empanadas as a street food vendor to becoming a test kitchen manager with more than 20 years of industry experience. Now adding cookbook author to the list, Gaby goes back to her roots with Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen, which features recipes and anecdotes from Gaby’s childhood through her many travels and experiences.
Aligning with America’s Test Kitchen Kids’ mission to build a new generation of empowered cooks and engaged eaters, Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen fosters an appreciation of Latin cuisines and offers young chefs a hands-on experience creating recipes from other cultures. The new title is divided into six chapters: desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo (lunch), meriendas y bebidas (snacks and drinks), cena (dinner), guarniciones y salsas (sides and sauces) and postre (dessert). From cheesy arepas to sprinkle covered chocolate brigadeiros, each recipe includes the country of origin, recipe history, and tips right from Gaby’s own kitchen. Spanish language phrases and cooking terms are also translated throughout the book and highlighted in an educational Spanish glossary.
Like all America’s Test Kitchen Kids cookbooks, the recipes in Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen were tested and approved by a group of over 15,000 kid testers, so each dish is guaranteed to set young chefs up for success.
About the Author
Gaby Melian is a professional chef with almost twenty years of industry experience and a lifetime of personal knowledge about food and all its many wonderful flavors. She shares her deep love of food and vast kitchen know-how across multiple food media outlets. Her life in food has led her to many roles, including street vendor, culinary instructor, official Food Revolution ambassador, Bon Appétit test kitchen manager, cooking video host—and who knows what’s next! Gaby completed her culinary training at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City with degrees in Culinary Management, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts. Find her on Instagram @gabymelian.Editor: America’s Test Kitchen has been teaching home cooks how to be successful in the kitchen for 25 years. The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Kids is to build a new generation of empowered cooks, engaged eaters, and curious experimenters. ATK Kids’ kid-tested, kid-approved recipes and hands-on STEAM activities inspire families to spend quality time together in the kitchen, and a lifetime of cooking. Learn more at www.americastestkitchen.com/kids.
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New Children’s Book Tells Story of Self-Identity, Acceptance & Animal Rescue
Robert Vincent’s real-life tale of son’s black cat saved by a homeless woman
Author Robert Vincent has written and illustrated “From the Pocket of an Overcoat” (Friendly Falls Press; Archway Publishing from Simon & Schuster), a children’s book inspired by the real-life story of a black cat named Max who was rescued by a homeless woman in Dallas.
“From the Pocket of an Overcoat” tells the story of an affable cat, Max Buckles, through his adventure of finding a new home and family – and being loved for who he is. He goes from the cozy overcoat pocket of Sally in the city, to the country with Farmer Buckles and his other animals, including his four dogs – Sam, Tots, Scotty, and Junior Buckles. Along the way, Max discovers a true sense of belonging within his new family. As told through the journey of Max the cat, this is a story about self-identity, acceptance, animal rescue and adoption. The inspiration for the story comes from Vincent’s son Matthew, who adopted Max in 2010.
“I was inspired by the amazing story of the real Max the cat,” notes Vincent. “Almost everyone struggles with self-identity and being loved for their authentic selves. This book embraces those concepts and lets kids – and adults – find solace in the courage of this wonderful black cat.”
“From the Pocket of an Overcoat” retails for $17.99 and is sold on BN online and Amazon begins from November 22, 2021; it is currently available at Valencia Sport Saddlery and Glenroy’s Equestrian Gifts in Los Angeles. A portion of each book sale will be donated to organizations that promote animal rescue and adoption – The Humane Society, Best Friends, and Alley Cat Allies.
About Robert Vincent
Robert Vincent is a children’s book author and illustrator, as well as the author of a number of other literary works. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Kathy. Robert and Kathy’s son Matthew is a violinist with Oakland Symphony and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. In December 2010, Matthew adopted a lovable black cat named Max. And the rest, as they say, is history.
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Learn Gardening, Science and More with “A Family Guide to Terrariums for Kids”
With the increasing likelihood that more kids will be home distance learning, here’s a fun and creative means to learn about science, nature, and more.
Kids love to create, imagine, and have fun. Nothing fulfills all three of those desires quite like designing and planting a terrarium. With the step-by-step project instructions found in A Family Guide toTerrariums for Kids, the results are beautiful, inspiring, and confidence-building. Making these little landscapes develops motor skills, spatial awareness, and provides a wealth of sensory input. The science behind the art is included with quick and simple lessons on ecosystem functions, the water cycle, and plant nutrition. But for kids, it’s all about being active and building something cool!
With the terrarium plans found in A Family Guide to Terrariums for Kids, everyone in the family can tap their inner “science geek” to:
- Use multi-colored sand and succulents to craft a desert terrarium
- Plant, trim, and tend a terrarium bonsai tree
- Build a peat bog filled with carnivorous plants
- Make an aquatic terrarium, complete with a marimo moss ball “pet”
- Design a prehistoric garden of air plants
- Create a plant-filled habitat for a praying mantis
- Grow a Japanese garden with living rocks
With information on selecting the best terrarium container, growing materials, decorative elements, tools, and plants, readers are primed for success that lasts long after the terrarium has been built. Terrariums combine imagination and creativity with a dash of hands-on science. And you get to play in the dirt! What could be better than that?
About the author:
Patricia Buzo is the owner and artist behind Doodle Bird Terrariums. From the age of 15, she had a successful career in fine art and mural painting, often choosing plants and nature as her preferred subject matter. Looking for a chance to work more closely with nature, Patricia founded her terrarium-making business in 2008, and through trial and error has become an expert in her craft. Both by experimentation and research, she perfected how to best create and care for planted terrariums, while at the same time using her artist background to create realistic miniature landscapes using live mosses and other tiny plant life.
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Need New Kids Activity Books? Look No Further!
Looking for engaging and educational activity books to keep children busy and off the electronics this summer?
Schiffer Kids has you covered with books that feature optical illusions designed to confuse and excite the eye, and adventures that test problem-solving skills and develop motor skills.
ISBN: 978-0-7643-5951-4 | softcover | $9.99 | May 2020
With this beginner introduction to paper folding, create a merry band of black cats, each in a unique pose and ready to pounce on the included paper balls of yarn. Precut and creased kitties are ready to pop out and play in just a few folds!
Inkyeong and Sunkyung (IK&SK) are sisters from South Korea who have both earned a master’s degree in product design, with honors. They graduated from Reims School of Art and Design in France and work together in Reims, France, and Seoul, Korea. Instagram: @ikskdesign Facebook: ikskdesign Website: http://isdesignstudio.cafe24.com 
ISBN: 978-0-7643-5952-1| softcover | $9.99 | May 2020
Bug enthusiasts of all ages as well as budding etymologists will flex their dexterity and creativity with more than 20 paper bugs. Precut and folded pieces require no scissors or glue!
More than twenty multicolored insects are ready to crawl in just a few folds! Have fun recognizing and playing with them all. Pop out the pieces on each page and follow the instructions to create your perfect little paper friend. Each page features the name of the bug to help you identify them on your outdoor adventures.
ISBN: 978-0-7643-5943-9| hard cover | $24.99 | May 2020
Are you ready? Open your eyes! Look carefully! Look very closely, because things are not always what they seem. Dr. Goodview shows and explains more than 20 optical illusions to educate and entertain with amazing effects. From brightness and contrast, twisted cord, and color and perspective to motion illusions, see how these visual tricks can confuse and excite the eye!
This is a book that seeks to explore how the eye send message to the brain for ages 5 to 12 because there is a certain magic in optical illusions.
About the Author: Enric Jardí is a graphic designer specializing in editorial design and typography. His three published books have been translated into a number of languages. In October 2009 he received the National Prize of Culture in design from the Generalitat de Catalunya. He has also received awards such as the European Design Awards, Laus, and D&AD, and from the Infographics Malofiej Summit. Jardí combines his work with teaching at art schools and universities.
Schiffer Kids is now on social media! Please follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SchifferKids – looking forward to seeing you.
