Safe to Learn
  • About
    • Why Safe to Learn? >
      • Page 2 - Why School Safety?
      • Inspiring Quotes
      • Thank You...
    • Leading Safety >
      • Select one action item to support the Safe to Learn Community Project
      • Incorporate Safe to Learn
    • Safe to Learn
    • Safe to Learn Community >
      • Mission & Values
      • Background: Safe to Learn Pilot Project
      • How Are the Children?
      • Reflections: Education & Safety
      • Educators Q&A: "Why be part of Safe to Learn?
      • Saving School Safety
      • Let's Be Safe
    • Quick Views >
      • Principals Quick Views
      • Teachers Quick Views
      • Directory Quick Views
    • Advisory Council >
      • Chate Asvanonda
      • Dr. Nancy Degnan >
        • Uncommon Sense, Uncommon Courage
      • Renee Domingo >
        • School Safety Standards
      • Kim Colella >
        • A Musical Journey to Africa
        • Kim Travles to Africa
        • Kim's Photos from Africa
      • Dr. Tom Horton >
        • 1923 Cleveland School Fire was Catalyst for School Fire Drills
      • Kay Karr >
        • Why Plan?
        • Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
      • Avagene Moore >
        • My Dream of “A Nation Prepared”
      • Sgt. Tracy Moore
      • Captain Jim Olsen >
        • School Shootings - What Have We Learned
        • Let's Listen - School Shootings
      • Barbara Thurman
    • Safe to Learn Teams >
      • Our Team & Contributors >
        • Dee Beaugez, Founder >
          • Interview Q&A
          • About Safe to Learn >
            • Preparedness Experience
          • Real Images
        • Donald J. Beaugez >
          • Technology Expereince
        • Diana Savage
        • Jessika Savage
        • Elizabeth Hall
        • Patti Lowry-Parrish
        • Kanun Andrade
        • Jorge J Martinez >
          • A Gateway to Freedom
      • Pilot Project Team - LCISD >
        • About the Safe to Learn Pilot Project
        • Thank You - Lamar CISD Principals & Assistant Principals
        • Balancing School Safety and Academic Goals
        • Irma Nurre
        • Sonya Sanzo
      • Safe to Learn Authors
    • Authors
    • Authors In the News >
      • Phillip Martin - In the News >
        • The Mural Man - Liberia
        • Help African Teachers Expand School and Clinic
        • Mural Man - Moldova >
          • #1 TV Interview
          • #2 TV Interview
          • #3 TV Interview
          • #4 TV Interview
          • #5 TV Interviews
        • The Mural Man Series Begins
        • A Taste of My World Cookbook
      • Rick Tobin - In the News >
        • Ten Tips for Safer Schools Series
      • Authors Press Releases
    • Media & Press Releases >
      • TEPSA Conference 2016
      • Three Questions June 2016
      • Authors Press Releases
      • Advisory Council Press Releases
      • About Safe to Learn
    • eBook Submission Guidelines >
      • eBook Submission Requirements
  • Blogs
    • Wander My World With Me by Phillip Martin >
      • 2018 - 2016 Directory Wander My World With Me
      • Introduction - I Draw
      • Faces in the Crowd Logo
      • Help African Teachers Expand School and Clinic
      • Wander My World - Liberia -eBook Helps Fund School
      • About Murals for U.S. Embassy Ebola Survivors Project in Liberia
    • Safe to Learn by Advisory Team and Authors >
      • Dream of A Nation Prepared
      • About the Masai Warriors
    • Golden Navigator by Sage West
    • Ask Tiffanie - Seasonal Foods and More >
      • Tiffanie's Invitation
      • About Tiffanie Boldizsar
    • Nurse Stitches
    • Authors Blogs >
      • Authors Blog Directory
    • Honoring Mourning and Remembrance
    • Preparedness Perspectives >
      • Preparedness Directory
      • Flooding in Texas
    • What Have We Learned? >
      • Directory 2016 - What Have We Learned?
      • Let's Listen - School Shootings
    • Inspiration for Life
  • Let's Guide Safety
    • School District COOP
    • Principles for Principals >
      • Leading the Way to School Safety
      • Reflections >
        • The Day After 9/11
        • Observations
        • Be Prepared and Be a Leader
        • Communication is Key
        • New Safety Checklist
        • Practice, Practice, Practice
        • Note to Ada
      • Author Ada Rosario Dolch
      • It Takes Time & Practice
    • Keeping It Real >
      • Building School Response Teams >
        • Lucien Canton, CEM
    • Response to Violence >
      • The Best Response to Violence in Your School Is the Response which Never Has to Happen >
        • Dr. Cathy Anthofer
        • Links and Resources
    • Ten Tips for Teachers for Safer Schools >
      • Elementary Schools
      • Middle & Junior High Schools
      • High Schools
      • A Great Starting Point
      • Rick Tobin
    • Color Me Safe Series >
      • Patti Parrish >
        • Pet Safe - All Seasons
        • Keep Pets Disaster Safe
        • Lucky Dog's Message
        • Lucky Dog Rap
      • Denise Langston
    • Forever Hope >
      • Fulfilling a Dream >
        • About Vickee Greer
    • 2016 Authors Inspiring Safety & Awareness
    • 2016-2017 Authors Inspiring History & Leadership
  • Safety Series
    • Invest 1 Hour a Month to be Safe to Learn
    • Principles for Principals by Ada Rosario Dolch
    • #1 - Safety First
    • #2 - Calendar >
      • Safe to Learn 2016-17 Calendar
    • # 3 - Fire Drills >
      • 1923 Cleveland School Fire was Catalyst for School Fire Drills
      • Fire Drills Prepare Students for Real-Life Incidents
      • Outstanding Safe to Learn Pilot Project for 2014-2015
    • #4 - Building & Campus Safety
    • #5 - School Response Teams
    • #6 - Tips for Teachers
    • Why Plan? Documentary >
      • Why Plan? For Sale
    • Future Safety Series
  • Teachers Tools
    • About Health Equity Project >
      • Waiting for Health Equity
      • Start a Conversation about Health Equity
    • The Door - A Must for the School Year >
      • More About - The Door
    • Tsunami K-6 Curriculum
  • Let's Read
    • Wander My World - Liberia -eBook Helps Fund School
    • Let's Read Authors
    • Contact Safe to Learn About Volume Orders
    • Let's Read - Books >
      • What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada & Illustrated by Mae Besom >
        • Resource: Examples of Lessons Plans Based Around "What You Do with An Idea"
      • The Mitten by Jan Brett >
        • Sheir Loy Reads "The Mitten" to Help with Safety
      • Sleep Ponies by Gudrun Ongman
      • Garbage Bag Suitcase
      • A Long Walk to Water >
        • Links - Linda Sue Parks
      • What Color is Your Parachute for Teens
      • Helping Traumatized Children
      • Let's Be Prepared Resources
    • Let's Read Educators
  • Let's Talk
    • Start a "Let's Talk" Round Table Discussion >
      • Let's Brew a Cappuccino
      • Every Child Needs a Champion
      • Foster Care & Garbage Bag Suitcase >
        • More about Garbage Bag Suitcase
      • "Why Plan?" Documentary
      • 9/11 Webinar 9/13/2016 >
        • New York 9/11/2015 >
          • Let's Talk 9/11/2015 - Stand with Me Today
          • New York 2015 - 9/11 Images
          • Remember 9/11 by Phillip Martin
      • Documentary Films >
        • Let's Talk - Most Likely to Succeed
        • Let's Talk - Beyond Measure
        • Let's Talk - Paper Tigers >
          • Educational Versions
          • ACEs/toxic stress color wheel
        • Let's Talk - The Cats of Mirikitani >
          • The Cat Who Chose to Dream
          • Asian American History
      • Distracted Driving Awarenes
      • Discovery Education MS 88 Brooklyn NY
      • Bullying Though the Eyes of a Child
      • Kindess Matters Campaign
      • Let's Listen - School Violence
      • Let's Talk - Safe to Learn >
        • How Are the Children?
        • Reflections about Safe to Learn
        • Why Safe to Learn?
      • Let's Talk - Safety >
        • Active Shooter
        • Make A Difference
        • Emergency Preparedness for School
        • Incarceration >
          • Incarceration - Links and Resources
        • Natural Disaster - Lessons Learned
        • Teaching 9/11
        • Violence in Schools
        • Violence Prevention Resouces
        • Cure Violence
      • Let's Talk - Social Issues >
        • Homeless Students >
          • Homeless Youth Resources
        • Helping Hunger
        • Human Trafficking in Schools
    • Health Equity Issues
    • Share Your Ideas
  • Free
    • Free Graphics for Teachers
    • Presentations for Teachers
    • Free Art Lesson Plans
    • Free Coloring Books
    • Websites for Teaching and Learning
    • Original Stories
    • Safe to Learn Calendars
    • Safe to Learn Drawing
    • FREE Seasonal Recipes >
      • ​Cumin-Jalapeno Black Bean Soup
      • Pies by Barbara
      • Healthy "Ice Cream" Treats
  • Links
    • Suggest a Link
    • Animals and Children >
      • Pasado's Safe Haven
      • The Gentle Barn
      • Red Rover Readers
      • Travel the World & Learn Kindness to Animals
      • Animal Stories & Books
    • Children, Education & Safety Resouces >
      • Linda Lantieri
      • Resilience Resources
    • Let's Talk - Preparedness >
      • Emergency Plans
      • Incident Command System
      • FEMA Trainings
      • Earthquake and Tsunami Resources >
        • The Really Big One
      • Distracted Driving Awareness
      • School Bus Safety Resources
      • Fire Drills
      • School Safety Resouces
    • Homeless Youth
  • Leadership
    • Inspiring Leaders >
      • Every Child Needs a Champion
    • In Memoriam >
      • Principal Susan Jordan
  • Amazing Educators
    • Every Child Needs a Champion
    • Sheri Loy's Innovative Lockdown Solution
    • Miss Julie Inspires Safety >
      • Julie Kennedy, Teacher/Educator
      • Outstanding Safe to Learn Pilot Project for 2014-2015
    • Let's Sing >
      • Nancy Stewart, Founder of Sing With Our Kids >
        • Sing With Our Kids - Nancy's Pilot Project and Free Resources Website
        • Nancy Stewart Free Website Resources
        • Why Sing? The 5 Practices of Early Literacy
        • Safe to Learn - Let's Sing Excellence in Education Award Winner 2015
    • Let's Sign (ASL) >
      • Nancy Hanauer, Founder Hop to Signaroo ® >
        • Babies Can Communicate
        • Signing for Social and Learning Skills
    • Educators in the News >
      • Abigail's Plan
      • 10 Minutes of Compliments >
        • Special Books Project
      • Inspiring Student with Music & Songs
  • Let's Explore
    • Phillip Martin - The Mural Man >
      • Directory of Murals
      • Let's Explore Mural Man Series
      • Murals #43 and #44
      • Mural #14 - Don't Let Drugs Take You for a Ride!
      • Murals #6, #7 & #35
      • Food Pantry - Ohio, USA
      • Mural Man' Phillip Martin
      • Artist Phillip Martin
    • Wander My World With Me Blog Directory 2016
    • Water >
      • Water Center - Earth Institute | Columbia University
  • Let's Taste
    • A Taste of My World Cookbooks by Phillip Martin >
      • Let's Brew a Cappuccino
      • A Taste of My World, Vol. 1
      • A Taste of My World, Vol. 2
    • The Very Exciting, Great And Nutritious (VEGAN) Cookbook >
      • Kanun Andrade
    • Flavorful Food Adventures >
      • Tiffanie Boldizsar
  • Communities
    • Principals Resources >
      • "Why Plan?" - School-Center Emergency Management
      • Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
      • THE DOOR - Health -Safety
      • "Principles for Principals" A Gift From Ada Rosario Dolch
    • Leadership & Safety Series Downloads >
      • Leadership and Safety Series HS
    • Lamar CISD Community
    • Inner Resilience Program
  • TEPSA 2016
  • About Health Equity Project

When in Ohio . . .

7/31/2020

 
Picture
I know what to do when in Rome.  I do as the Romans do, eating gelato or pasta when I am not buying leather shoes.  When in Africa, I get as far into the rain forest as I can get (avoiding mosquitoes and malaria along the way) while savoring cassava leaves, beans gravy and the time with my friends who prepared the food.  And, when in Moldova, while painting murals, I get interviewed on national radio and then on five television stations.  (I'm quite sure that it is a record that will not be broken.)  But, what do you do when you're in Ohio -- especially during the coronavirus pandemic? 

Part of what I do is just like everyone else in most other places in and out of Ohio.  I wash my hands a lot.  I stay home a lot.  I wear a mask that fogs up my glasses whenever I go into a store.  I keep my distance.  I wash my hands again.  I rejoice now that I can buy hand sanitizer.  And, I wish for the "good old days" that were just a very few months ago. 

But, with or without a nasty little virus, one thing has remained the same.  I spend a lot of time at my computer.  I guess some people would play video games (but they bore me to tears) or watch Netflix (about the same reaction as video games).  I've been working on children's books for the past two years and that work has been put on overdrive since I've been confined to home with little else to do.  Recently, I've completed five books and so it's time for a little "show and tell".

PictureOnce Upon Southern Africa
ONCE UPON SOUTHERN AFRICA
Full disclosure, I started this book well before the pandemic.  It has fifty stories and fifty illustrations.  I've been working on it for at least half a year.  But, the final editing by some very good eagle eyes happened during the corona chaos.

My collection of folk tales from Southern Africa grew while I lived in Zambia for two years. I taught at an international school and asked librarians at other schools in the region if they had collections of tales. Librarians tend to be amazingly helpful. This group was no exception. I received a wealth of material. And, I gathered more tales as I traveled the region.

And, I traveled the region!  I had amazing experiences. I paddled on a dugout canoe through the Okavango Delta of Botswana, searched for whales off the coast of South Africa, wandered around Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, explored game parks in Zambia, and survived (barely) another bout of malaria in Namibia from a trip to the world’s largest sand dunes. But, hands-down, no competition, the best experience I had was traveling to Bushmanland in northeast Namibia.

I wanted to see this region ever since I saw the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy”.  I was warned in advance by the travel agency that they couldn’t guarantee that I’d see any of the San people. Besides, the San people no longer dress like they did in that movie. It didn’t stop me. I was a man on a mission and I was going to Bushmanland.

My guide knew that I was interested in photographing portraits. As we passed a Herrero woman in the absolute middle of nowhere, he said, “This woman will let you photograph her if we give her a ride.” Everyone was happy after that. As it turned out, the woman said she knew some Bushmen, and if we took her home, she could introduce us. That night, we camped next to the woman’s home, under magnificent Africa stars. Around a fire, we shared African folk tales. It was one of the most magical nights I’ve ever had anywhere in the world.

The following day, I was taken to see a San man who lived in her village. He very happily dressed up in their traditional clothing for my photographs. And, as it so happened, he was the star of the movie “The Gods Must Be
Crazy”!  I told you I had amazing experiences in Africa.


PictureA Fowl Chain of Events
A FOWL CHAIN OF EVENTS
This story from Zimbabwe is part of my collection of fifty folk tales in Once Upon Southern Africa. Of course, I illustrated each of the fifty stories. But, when I created the art for this fowl tale, it was so beautiful that I had to make it into its own book. I personally believe that it is my most beautifully illustrated book -- so far. The reason for that is not my whimsical child-friendly illustrations alone. No, I was inspired by traditional fabric from Zimbabwe to create the background for each illustration. The combination is lovely.

I used to live next door to Zimbabwe in Zambia. It was the first country that I wanted to visit on vacation. But, shortly after I arrived, Zimbabwe fell into political turmoil at the hands of their own leader. It wasn’t safe to visit, at least not as much as I wanted to explore. I crossed the border to see both sides of Victoria Falls (and the view is best from Zimbabwe). I also visited the best animal reserve in the country, Hwange, where you get to see amazing game and sleep in designer tree houses at an equally amazing price.  (I never told my mother how much it cost.  She would not have enjoyed the safari if she knew.)

Since I lived in this part of the world, I was very familiar with a lot of things mentioned in the tale. I’d seen the palm trees, the machetes, the enormous ant hills, tasted the mangoes and heard the guinea fowl. But, in Zimbabwean folklore, the guinea fowl had a role that I’d never known. It was their job to call the sun every morning and let him know it was time to start his daily journey. As a result of a fowl chain of events, that task was not performed. What happened? How was it resolved? What’s the buzz? Why did I just say buzz? You’ll have to read A Fowl Chain of Events to get those answers.


Picturethe Half Rooster
the HALF ROOSTER
If you know how I travel, you know I prefer off the beaten path.  Usually, way off the path.  So, for the longest time, Albania has been one of my favorite destinations in Europe.  It’s now kind of a trendy destination and the tourism industry has blossomed.  But, I first went to Albania shortly after it opened up to the West.  There were no travel guides.  There were few taxis.  I know this because I asked a policeman to help me get a taxi in the capital and he kind of chuckled, “Taxi?”  Then, he blew his whistle, stopped the first car that passed by, and told the driver where to take me.  Outside of the capital, it could very well have been a ride on a donkey cart.  They were the main form of transportation at the time.

Quite by accident I stumbled upon the Kotoni family and their guesthouse on my first trip to Albania.  Their home, a 200-year-old Ottoman building, was in the middle of the old town section of Gjirokaster.  It was lovely, but it was the family that has kept me coming back to Albania over the years.  Vita and Haxi adopted me into the family and I’ve returned three additional times.  Who goes to Albania four times and is waiting anxiously for the fifth time?  That would be me.

Rural life in a poor country is more difficult than most people can even imagine.  However, the rooster in this story has more problems than most.  His owner was hungry and cut him in half.  The half that was not eaten was kept around as a pet.  The rooster knew that something had to be done before the poor man grew hungry again.  He hatched a plan to find wealth and fame with the help of his friends.

As I illustrated this book, I tried to keep in mind my Albanian experience.  The castle on the cover is the one overlooking Gjirokaster.  People in the book wore traditional Albanian clothing.  The mountains looked like the ones I saw from Vita and Haxi’s front porch.  But, most of all, I had to include a mushroom.  No, it has nothing to do with fungus.  During the Cold War, the leader of the country built 750,000 cement bunkers across the country.  You can still find them on beaches, across fields, outside of cities, and in the middle of nowhere.  The country was preparing for the imminent invasion from either NATO allies or the Soviet Union.   The bunkers were designed to withstand tank assaults.  But, that invasion never happened.  You could search online to find what one of these mushrooms actually looks like, but wouldn’t it just be a whole lot more fun to read the Half Rooster?
.

PictureThe Bible as Simple as ABC
The BIBLE as SIMPLE as ABC
Some of my earliest memories on Sunday mornings were in my grandmother’s Children’s Church services.  And, it wasn’t just me.  She taught this class for a few decades.  I have no idea how many lives she touched.

Long before the arrival of the Internet with resources at your fingertips, Grandma created a lot of her own teaching materials.  I mostly remember her ABC’s Bible verses.  Except, it was a long time ago.  My memory isn’t what is should be, and I didn’t remember all of the verses.  To create this book, I relied on my faulty memory, asked a few of my cousins for help, reviewed a list that my mother wrote down, and made a few personal changes when other verses inspired some of my illustrations.

Of course, back in those days before the Internet, everyone – including my Grandma -- only used the King James version of the Bible.  With very few exceptions, I mostly used the New King James Version for this book.  I hope Grandma doesn’t mind.


PictureShirley, Goodness and Mercy
SHIRLEY, GOODNESS and MERCY
All the Days of My Life
Inspiration for a story can come anywhere, even in the middle of a pastor’s sermon.  Yes, there I was, sitting in the congregation as my pastor spoke about Psalm 23:6 and said, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”  Except, he said that he liked to think of Shirley, Goodness and Mercy as guardian angels.  I don’t remember anything else about the sermon.  As soon as he said that, I thought, “That’s a children’s book!”  My mind thought of nothing else the rest of the sermon.  I’m fairly certain that nobody else who heard the pastor’s message had that same experience.

It was a challenge for me to figure out how to use those three guardian angels.  What kind of plot could I weave?  I first thought of having a parent reading the psalm to a child as a bedtime story.  But, inspiration finally solved the problem.  It just seemed like a perfect fit to have King David tell his young son, Solomon, about how Shirley, Goodness and Mercy followed him all the days of his life.  And, then the story just flowed.  It’s kind of shocking to me how fast I can write a story.  The same can’t be said about creating the illustrations.

I selected three specific incidents in the life of David when he met each of his guardians.  If you went to Sunday School, you can probably guess a few of the events that I wrote about, but I’m not going to ruin the surprise for you here. 

We all know that the part of this story with Shirley, Goodness and Mercy is made up.  I used my humor as much as possible to tell this tale.  But, I truly believe in guardian angels.  It’s the only way I could have survived five bouts of malaria; multiple accidents by motorcycle, car and truck; rogues with knives in the Ivory Coast, an angry witch doctor and prison in Haiti; and near death by waterfall and/or drowning.  Yep, I have been protected. Solomon was comforted when King David told him that his guardian angels would protect him all the days of his life.  These are good words for anyone who might read this book to children.  Everyone should have Shirley, Goodness and Mercy (or some other equally qualified angel) follow them all the days of their life.

So, what have you done wherever you find yourself?  I'm hoping your answer involves gelato, meals with friends, or shopping for Italian leather shoes.  As for me, I keep making my books.  But, my next one will be in a different direction.  I'm going to make a cookbook.  Probably no gelato involved, but it will still have a lot of deliciousness.

PS   If you want to know more about each of these books, click here.
PPS  If you want paperback books, those should be available soon.  I'm on the trail of a printer in Ohio that makes hardcover books.  The Bible as Simple as ABC and Shirley, Goodness and Mercy should be available (hopefully) in September.

    Wander My World With Me 
    by Phillip Martin

    Artist, Muralist,
    Photographer and
    World Wanderer
    Blog Directory

    Wonder about Wander My World With Me?
    • I Draw (Introduction)
    • Faces in the Crowd
      About Icon Images 
    • Directory

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Portraits
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    View Previous Blogs and Add Comments
    Scroll to the bottom of this page and select "Previous" 
    and/or add Comments by selecting "Comments" and fill in the "Leave a Reply" form.
    Phillip Martin's Web Sites
    • Facebook
    • ​The Mural Man
    Phillip Martin's Books
    • The Mural Man Series 
    • A Taste of My World Cookbooks
“Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. 
 We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”
 
~ Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa



Proudly powered by Weebly
Design by DivTag Templates