March 2012
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04/02/12Meet Author Barry WolvertonDoes your young reader love animal adventure tales? Memphian Barry Wolverton is celebrating the publication of his first children's book, the middle grade novel Neversink. This funny story is set in the Arctic Circle on the island of Neversink, where a pompous walrus, an underdog puffin, and a sassy hummingbird plot to save their island from a flock of scheming owls. Be prepared to giggle and guffaw as you read this charming tale. My 10-year-old is clamoring to get her hands on my copy. Wolverton launches his novel locally with a book signing at the Booksellers at Laurelwood on Tuesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. Neversink is published by Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. While living in Washington, D.C., Wolverton wrote for National Geographic,... Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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03/30/12Civil War Stories Come to LifeThis year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Special battle reenactments and celebrations marking the sesquicentennial in Tennessee — as well as at more than 70 national parks north and south of us — will make this an anniversary to remember. My son and I once drove to Shiloh National Military Park (two hours east of Memphis, near Savannah, Tennessee) to watch the reenactors who come each year to present living history demonstrations around the Battle of Shiloh. This bloody, two-day encounter — the largest engagement in the Mississippi Valley campaign — was the first major battle of the war. When the costumed men and women gather in their encampments at the park, it’s makes for a compelling revisiting of history. Blue-Gray... |
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03/27/12Easter Egg Hunts Around Memphis"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity, Easter’s on it’s way." — Dress up a basket and take your kid out for some egg hunting fun! FRIDAY, MARCH 30 After Dark Easter Egg Hunt Cameron Brown Park in Germantown. 7:30 p.m. Ages 9-12. Features games, activities, and concessions. Rain Date: Tuesday, April 3. Free. Call 757-7375 to register by March 28. Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt Halle Park (field behind Burch Branch Library) in Collierville, 8 p.m. Using flashlights, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders hunt for eggs. 457-2777. SATURDAY, MARCH 31 Bartlett Easter Egg Hunt and Basket Contest W.J. Freeman Park, 9:30 a.m. basket judging, 10 a.m. egg hunt. Baskets to be judged for... |
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03/26/12Helping Kids with Allergies and AsthmaAs spring unfolds, the season can bring extra trips to the pediatrician’s office as children struggle with allergies and asthma. Sniffles and sneezes are pretty common this time of the year. In fact, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation recently named Memphis the 8th worst city in the U.S. for allergy sufferers. We spoke with pediatrician Melissa Adams with PedsEast to get the 411 on how best to deal with allergy season. What do allergy symptoms look like? - constantly runny nose (mucus will be thin and clear, not thick and ropy) - congestion - itchy, watery eyes - no fever - symptoms... |
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03/20/12I Love: Songs of Fox Hollow Finds a New AudienceWhat was the soundtrack of your childhood? For mine, it was a mashup of American folk tunes, jazzy riffs by Louis Armstrong, and pop songs like Daydream Believer, that danced through my transistor radio. For Nashville-based singer/songwriter Peter Cooper, who recently performed at the Folk Alliance International conference with musical partner Eric Brace, it was a children's album written by Country Music Hall of Fame artist Tom T. Hall, entitled Songs of Fox Hollow • songsoffoxhollow.com. Gentle melodies like I Love left an indelible impression on Cooper growing up. He fell in love — with the music as well as the inventive images each song conjured up: of sneaky snakes and one-legged chickens and mysterious foxes loping into the night. When he... |
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03/07/12Calling All Cover Kids!Calling all cute kids! Enter your child in our annual Cover Kids Contest and he or she might just land on our cover. From our entries, five Cover Kids winners will be selected, and all contest entrants and winners will be announced in the May 2012 issue of Memphis Parent. Click here to download the Cover Kids entry form. |
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03/07/12Our Favorite Party PlacesEver wonder what the most-read story of all time is on memphisparent.com? It's this: 25 Destinations for the Best Party Ever. Our readers must feel the way we do when we're trying to figure out something fun, unique, and budget-conscious for our children's birthday parties: the choices can seem overwhelming! This feature, which originally appeared in the May 2011 issue of Memphis Parent, can help get your creative juices flowing. 25 Destinations for the Best Party Ever is an great resource to get you started on your party planning! |
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03/07/12Cheeseburger Pie!One of our perennial reader recipe favorites is Elizabeth Phillip's adaptation of Jennifer Chandler's Cheeseburger Pie, from her book Simply Suppers (Thomas Nelson 2010). From Elizabeth's original story: Could we really have our pie and eat cheeseburgers, too? When I took a closer look, it seemed that the answer was yes. I could use ground turkey (dark-meat for best flavor), and the recipe contained actual vegetables, in the form of onions and tomatoes. Paired with some green beans or Chandler’s Lemony Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Raisins, this was a meal I could serve in good conscience, while pandering to my family’s basest instincts. Yum! Check out Cheesburger Pie at this link: "Yes, It's Naughty: Cheeseburger... |
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03/05/12Memphis Parent Wins 4 National Awards in Editorial and DesignPutting together a magazine every month is challenging work. I often think about flow and color and bringing to life stories that will hit home in your world. So when we attend our annual trade organization conference, hosted by the Parenting Media Association, it's always gratifying — okay, down-right awesome — when our work gets honored. This year, parenting magazine folks from across the country gathered in San Antonio, Texas to learn new tricks of the trade and recognize the best of the best at our annual awards banquet. I'm proud to say we were nominated as winners in four categories and were finalists in 10 categories. Here are the winning entries: Editorial WINNER: Liz Phillips for her Family Table food column, Cheeseburger Pie... |
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02/29/12Take A ListenI had the chance to enjoy some amazing performances at the Folk Alliance International conference last weekend. The acoustic music that wafted through the halls of the Memphis Marriott Downtown was so diverse and compelling, I walked around grinning until late into the night. What's more, I discovered a number of groups who are doing some engaging music for children. I'll mention two of my favorites here and bring more in-depth interviews in coming posts. Among my favorite recordings was the Grammy nominated, "I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow.” Originally written and recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall, (he had a number one hit with I Love back in 1974), these simple but poignant tunes tell of life at his farm at... |
