Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Today's read... My Crumby Guide to Baking and Friendship Making by Shannon Addison

 Today's read should hold all sorts of ideas for girls, who enjoy baking or would like to learn how. Plus, it encourages friends to do this together. I'm expecting easy recipes, which taste great, and a light atmosphere through-out the read. Let's see if it accomplishes both!



    MY CRUMBY GUIDE TO BAKING AND FRIENDSHIP MAKING
by Shannon Addison
Middle Grade 
ages 8 to 12










Embark on a delightful journey of friendship, connection, and resilience with ‘My Crumby Guide to Baking and Friendship Making” – the interactive baking book featuring the characters “The Breadcrumbz” designed especially for children! This magical culinary experience not only introduces the joy of baking but also weaves in heartwarming lessons about the importance of friendship and the strength found in resilience.

https://www.mycrumbyworld.com/shop/my-crumby-guide-to-baking-and-friendship-making/


MY TIDBITS

Activity and good vibes surrounding friendship and fun fill every page and offer tons of new ideas along the way.

This book is a mixture of several things. It holds recipes for baking all sorts of breads and things, encouraging readers to dive into the world of baking themselves...but always with the help of adults as is mentioned in the foreword. Then, the science behind several aspects of baking is presented. So, readers get a bit of practical knowledge along the way. There are hints and words of encouragement/empowerment surrounding friendship and some life wisdom. And there's a little bit of fiction reading too, where situations surrounding friendship are presented in wholesome ways. Add the colorful illustrations and tons of enthusiasm, and it's a packed read.

The recipes offer a nice variety of baked goods, some which aren't usually presented to the age group but easy enough for them to do (with a little supervision, of course). These are understandable and use usual ingredients. The science facts are a nice touch and give insight, which will open bakers' eyes and follow them their entire lives...and yet, these are simple and easy to understand as well. The mix with short stories and more gives this the atmosphere of girl-day-fun and make it a book to pick up whenever a new idea is needed. 

It's an entertaining mix with quite a bit to offer. I did find the format a bit 'busy' and would have enjoyed a little more space between the sections...at least, every now and then. But that doesn't influence the quality of each section or the joy of each activity. It's a fun mix and offers support and inspiration, too.



And here she is...

Author Shannon Addison doesn’t consider herself a writer. She considers herself someone who likes to write and has been doing so for most of her life. Shannon finds inspiration for her writing through journaling, which she believes allows her to explore ideas without feeling any constraints It is this love of journaling that reinforced Shannon’s concept of combining stories with journaling which is reflected in her Breadcrumbz Presents format.  She believes that by getting girls to start journaling at a young age, it helps them to find ways to express what they are feeling, to address difficult questions, and to provide positive messaging. 
 
Shannon’s first story idea came from personal experience. While having lunch with her daughter at her school, she observed the interaction between girls at the next table and how easily and quietly they were able to manipulate and bully girls without being noticed. This furtive and mean behavior was both troubling and familiar to Shannon and gave her pause to reflect on her own experiences at that age and how little has changed with how errant young girls treat each other; and in fact, with today’s access to cell phones and social media, it only provides them more capable tools to be able to inflict such behavior. It became a mission for Shannon to be able to prepare girls for this type of conflict and encounters, and to help them learn how to better navigate it by building better communication with their parents and their peers.
 
Shannon hopes that her books’ stories, activities, and journaling enable young girls to deal with friendship, feelings, conflicts, and failures and empowers them in the process. Her aim is to have young readers relate to the characters in her stories and their flaws and differences, and in doing so be more accepting of themselves and others, finding their true inner strength, their kindness, and their generosity of spirit.

This is Shannon’s second book in the Breadcrumbz Presents collection.  The first book, “My Crumby Guide to Failing,” is currently available on Amazon.
My Crumby World, LLC
sgaddison@sbcglobal.net mycrumbyworld.com

Where to find her:
IG, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tiktok   @mycrumbyworld


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