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Are you parent, uncle/auntie, or friend who is searching for an entertaining story for a child? Maybe a nature lover and gardener, wanting to share this passion with your family? Or perhaps you're a teacher looking for fun material for your class? This book is for you! I wrote and illustrated TWELVE RABBITS AND A TURTLE to teach my nieces basic concepts of organic gardening. (And also to make amends with the turtle who was living in our pond and did not like me at all.) This book has thirteen short chapters, which are meant to be read over a few sessions, perhaps even one week. My purpose was to introduce young readers to longer stories and to plots that were a ittle more complex, while still having plenty of illustrations to capture their interest. Synopsis: Don Pedro is a good farmer who sends his days taking care of his animals, his fields and his beloved vegetable garden. He likes everything to be under control. Little does he know that a tribe of mischievous rabbits is trying to break into his garden. When mysterious events take place, the farmer gets very worried. His world is about to be turned upside down! But Don Pedro will find out that sometimes, change can be a very good thing. Twelve Rabbits and a Turtle is a delightful story of creatures learning to resolve conflict in order to live together in harmony. It is available in a bilingual English/French version that can be used as a language training tool, as well as in French. |
WOULD YOU LIKE MIGRATORY BIRDS TO STOP BY, JUST AS THEY DID IN DON PEDRO´S GARDEN?
HOW ABOUT CREATING ARTWORK FOR BIRDS TO LOOK AT
when they fly over your garden? What free resources have you got lying around? What can you use to create contrast? Ideas of palettes to paint your garden: Light colors: ashes, straw, horse manure, pine needles, bits of cardboard... Dark colors: amarantho, caroub beans and caroub leaves... |
FUN FACT ABOUT TWELVE RABBITS AND A TURTLE
The summer during which I wrote the story, I was also busy creating hearts, spirals, star of David, etc in the garden because I like the idea of birds enjoying these designs. A lot of migratory birds fly over the island, and they stop at our pond for a drink. I want them to feel welcome, and to tell their friends to stop by too. Why not make a museum for them? As I was writing the chapter about the tropical birds landing in Don Pedros garden, that same day, a magnificent male peacock appeared out of nowhere & decided to stay. It was the most magical surprise ever. The peacock caused such havock in our garden that we had to put our plants in a cage to protect them from his voraciousness, but it was totally worth the trouble! Two months later, my inlaws returned. My father in law resumed his woodworking and use of heavy machinery. Unfortunately, the noise was too much for our feathered friend. He left immediately and I was a bummed to say the least. (My inlaws weren´t great fans of the peacock and the impracticality of caged plants, so they were rather relieved. |
A LESSON FROM THE SNAKE GOURD: INFINITE LOVE CREATES INFINITE RESOURCES |