Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
I said yes.
On this date, April 23, 1979, at my dad’s birthday party, this guy popped the girlfriend question. And the rest, they say, is his (and her) story. Our story. What an adventure it’s been! 43 years ago.
The attempted photo recreation…
The journey continues, my honey and me, best friends.
Fishing with Grandpa and Skye
Written by Candace Spizzirri
Illustrated by Beverly Love Warren
Spork, April 19, 2022
Congratulations, Candace and Beverly! Welcome to the world, Fishing with Grandpa and Skye!
I’m so happy for my critique partner, Beverly Love Warren! She did the art for Candace’s new picture book, and through Beverly, I connected with Candace. Have a wonderful day celebrating the arrival of Fishing with Grandpa and Skye!
About the Book:
Days on the lake are a Skye and Grandpa thing. They load up their tackle box, hop aboard their skiff, and chug out to their favorite fishing spot. Today, the sun is shining, the fish are jumping, but will Skye hook a big one?
FISHING WITH GRANDPA AND SKYE explores the rewards of patience and celebrates the love between generations.
Children’s Author
FISHING WITH GRANDPA AND SKYE, April 19, 2022
FINLEY: A MOOSE ON THE CABOOSE, Spring 2023
Children’s Book Author and Illustrator
spring began, stuttered
winter rushed back, hanging on
dumped a cold white gift
my hat! it’s heavy
my neck bends low, ground view
where did the sun go?
we wait, hope for warmth
wrap our coat-leaves tight, shiver
dreaming of sunbeams
snow hats by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Tieton River Nature Trail, Pacific Northwest
Tic-tac-toe in the garden! The wood chunk topped by an unfinished wood circle is complete and ready for play. The battle is on!
I came home one day to see that my honey had added a table top to the gorgeous log I’ve been hoarding. Yes, cool wood logs are hoard-worthy. 🙂 Thanks to some good friends who shared their haul, I’ve been hanging on to several for just the right project (besides being used as extra seats).
I showed my honey the size and placement of the tic-tac-toe board I was imagining, and off he went to wood burn the game board. Once the top was burned in, play immediately commenced, though the rocks wear not yet ready. My creative grands figured out a plan though, smooth stones versus pointy stones (river rocks and gravel). Perfect!
But Nana just had to have painted river rocks for playing pieces…
A pleasant side benefit is that the tic-tac-toe table also works as a garden table, just right for reading books and eating snacks.
I used mineral oil on top of the unfinished wood, to add just a bit of weather protection. I’m still not sure if I will add more, perhaps wood wax. But I love the mix of bark and unstained wood.
And surprise, as I was oiling the wood, I discovered a praying mantis egg mass on the bark! This table is all around good for the garden!
Ready for the next garden project. Any ideas? What’s in your garden?
upon reflection
holes dripping lost connection
my heart leaking love
leaking love by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Tieton River Nature Trail, Washington state
After church on Sunday, we dug out our hiking boots, backpack, and hats and drove up to the Tieton River Nature Trail. From Yakima, it’s a pretty quick drive, just a few miles up Highway 12 after the road splits into Hwy 410 and Hwy 12. We parked across from the Oak Creek Feeding Station (Discover Pass required).
For a first time out hiking this year, it was excellent. Not too much elevation gain, and the trail was mostly smooth but quite dusty. There are rocks and roots to watch for in a few sections, but overall the trail is in great shape. The canyon scenery was gorgeous, with the Tieton River rocking and rolling, and blue skies interspersed with puffy white clouds.
Now is the time to go! Spring wildflowers are peeking out! And, my personal favorite, the grass is barely greening and shooting up, so there is less tall grass to rub up against my legs and give me ticks! Cheatgrass is not an issue if you stay on the trail. Yuck.
Sunblock was a necessity, as usual. I’m not a huge fan of hiking into the wind, but it kept us cool. When the wind died down on certain sections due to canyon topography and stands of trees, it was quite warm.
We did not do the entire hike since we started out later in the day. We hiked over the first bridge near the feeding station and walked the trail past the quonset hut (it’s visible across the river) to the foot bridge. Whee! That was fun. I’m definitely a two-hands-holding-on type of person. And a one-person-at-a-time hiker. Lots of swinging and swaying. The metal bridge is pretty slippery on the southern end just as you get on, so beware that section.
We found a beaver-gnawed tree, saw and heard squabbling blue jays, watched an eagle soar up above the canyon walls, marveled at a group of rock climbers, enjoyed a tiny nut hutch scrambling up a tree (best guess), and wondered who left the plentiful berry-filled scat (and watched carefully in case we found the culprit). One bumblebee and a few flying insects rounded out our wildlife sightings.
Hikers can also park at the quonset hut a few miles west of the feeding station (Discover Pass required here as well).
We can’t wait to return and continue west of the quonset hut.
Read more about the Tieton River Nature Trail here.
Happy trails to you!
I love learning how different foods are made, so you can imagine how much I loved reading this new picture book by Helen H. Wu. TOFU TAKES TIME (Beaming Books) will make its appearance on April 19, and I can’t wait! Let’s get right to it and meet the author.
Welcome, Helen! Tell us a little about yourself.
Thank you so much Angie for having me! I am thrilled to share more about TOFU TAKES TIME and my publishing journey. I’m a children’s book author and illustrator, as well as a translator. I work as the associate publisher at Yeehoo Press, an independent children’s book publishing house which publishes picture books in Chinese and English.
I’m so excited about TOFU TAKES TIME! It makes me want to make tofu. Or at least eat some!
Congratulations on your new book! What was your inspiration for TOFU TAKES TIME?
The inspiration for this story was born of my tofu-making experience with my treasured grandma. When I was a kid, I often sat nearby and watched as she cooked—a process that sometimes involved tofu. She would wash vegetables, chop meat, stir porridge, and cook all the meals for our entire family. It was during these times that she would share stories that transported me to faraway places and other eras. After I moved to the US and had my own family, my kids would ask many questions about the process and tools we used to make tofu together: serving as a warm reminder of the sweet time I spent with my grandma in the small kitchen across the ocean. Hence, a story began to take shape.
I LOVE that this picture book is so closely tied to your family and wonderful memories. What a special treasure for your family!
What was your writing journey for this book?
A great book calls for multiple layers with varied messages readers can take away from the story. Though the idea behind the book was grounded in the tofu-making process, I knew the story must involve a bigger concept that is more relevant to kids. When I cooked with my own kids, I noted their preoccupation with imaginative play and occasional complaints about the time required to cook a proper meal: which inspired me to weave the topic of patience into the text. In examining the tofu-making process in a more imaginative way, I discovered an assortment of inherent elements that connect with nature and even the universe at large. I’m now so happy to have found a sweet spot that includes food, culture, patience, nature, and intergenerational love all tied into one story.
The way that TOFU TAKES TIME is told through the voice of a young child is pretty awesome! Learning patience is such a difficult thing for young people. I still struggle with being patient.
What special plans do you have to celebrate the book birthday of TOFU TAKES TIME on April 19?
I have a book launch event planned on the book birthday, April 19th! I’m so excited to present the book launch event of TOFU TAKES TIME with Avid Bookshop, with talented illustrator and bookseller Julie Jarema! The reading and conversation will take place on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from 7pm – 8pm ET on Zoom. Preorders from Avid Bookshop will come with a special bonus: a 5”x7” print, bookmark, food stickers, and a bookplate signed by the author and illustrator created just for TOFU TAKES TIME. Don’t miss your chance. You can register here:
https://www.avidbookshop.com/tofulaunch (Isn’t it a cute URL for the event?)
LOVE it! So much fun!
I love the heart in TOFU TAKES TIME, the relationship between grandmother and grandchild, and the connections between tofu and the ingredients/resources needed to make it. How do imagination and your childhood experiences impact your creativity as you work on picture books?
Thank you! Speaking of picture book writing, I didn’t have typical picture books when I was a kid growing up in China. We had black and white comic books and only in the last two decades, picture books were introduced into China. My writing career started from being part of picture book projects. Reading, especially reading all kinds of picture books, is one of the best ways for me to foster imagination, expand my knowledge, and be open to new ideas. Picture book is a magical format that I feel can perfectly encapsulate a feeling, a moment, a subject, a place and time. And as an art lover, I also find it’s very entertaining and soothing to simply enjoy the artwork of picture books.
I don’t remember reading many picture books as a child, mainly Dick and Jane readers. I do remember jumping right into chapter books. Many of them are still favorites. I’m so glad that picture books are being published for much larger audiences. And the artwork of picture books is divine!
What are you working on now?
My next picture book, LONG GOES TO DRAGON SCHOOL, illustrated by Mae Besom, will be published by Yeehoo Press in February, 2023. Inspired by my experience as a minority immigrant student, this picture book follows a Chinese dragon who struggles to breathe fire in his new Western dragon school, only to discover he must carve his own path to finding a sense of belonging. Wrapped in Eastern and Western dragon lore, this fantasy tale celebrates perseverance, self-acceptance, and cultural differences.
Oh, dragons! This sounds perfect!
What tip would you give to a new picture book author or illustrator?
Read as many books as you can in the genre you intend to write. Take picture book writing classes. Find a critique group and get feedback on your stories. Revise, revise, revise. Most importantly, keep writing and keep going.
Excellent tips. Writers, let’s get busy!
Surprise us! What else would you like to share?
I started writing and illustrating in 2012 and since then I’ve self-published over 20 picture books. TOFU TAKES TIME is my first traditional published book, my debut book. Good things take time!
TOFU TAKES TIME is such a lovely, heart-warming story! I’m excited to see it out in the world. Thanks so much for stopping by, Helen! And CONGRATULATIONS!
About Helen
Helen H. Wu is a children’s book author, illustrator, translator and publisher. She is the author of TOFU TAKES TIME, illustrated by Julie Jarema (Beaming Books, 2022) and LONG GOES TO DRAGON SCHOOL, illustrated by Mae Besom (Yeehoo Press, 2023). Helen is the Associate Publisher of Yeehoo Press, an independent children’s book publisher. Being fascinated by the differences and similarities between cultures, Helen loves to share stories that can empower children to understand the world and our connections. Currently, Helen lives in San Diego, California, with her family and two kids.
Learn more about Helen at:
Twitter @HelenHWu
Instagram @HelenHWu
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Love, Laughter, and Life 