Flora, fauna, food
I share this, in case you enjoy some of the same things, I do. I also hope you’ll find the kids books, posters and photos, a fun way to share time with the children in your life and open their hearts and minds to the wondrous world of flora, fanua and food.
Kid’s AV Books
Fueling food for thought...
Who is...
Mau?
Marcelo Gleiser (physicist and astronomer) answered,
“The beauty and exuberance of the natural world”.
It most elegantly and perfectly describes my own belief system and approach to life.
From as far back as I can remember, I had an innate curiosity about the natural world. Probably what led to a strong leaning toward science and mathematics the basis of my academic training – M.Sc. in Neurophysiology and an MBA.
My love for animals was indulged by parents who allowed me to bring home – every stray dog, cat, mouse or chick that had fallen out of its nest. This endless menagerie of pets – culminated in the most important one, the German shepherd pup that was in my bed licking my face on my 6th birthday. I named her Bambi – and she was my constant companion for many years.
And finally, my other obsession, cooking, also comes from my love of chemistry. Taking different things and making them into a whole other and (hopefully) delicious thing using chemical reactions – FUN!
The Mission: To share my fascination with the natural world.
And maybe inspire, entertain and educate…
- The books are meant to inspire curiosity and make kids want to learn new words and concepts. The content is meant to be entertaining while delivering messages about:
- Animals and animal behaviors
- Humans coexisting with and managing the natural environment with minimal harm
- Problem solving, team work and cooperation
- Fair play
- Organizational/group behavior
- Importance of planning
- Perseverance and patience
- The posters are meant to remind kids to look up and fuel a desire to learn more about the world around them
- The photos are meant to remind that stunning beauty exists all around – whether in a sunrise, snowfall, fall colours or in a beautiful plate of food cooked from scratch.
Who's Eating the Garage Door???
The story behind the story
Play a preview
Once upon a time…
There was a mysterious creature that was eating the garage door which made Mau and her husband Paul
literally ask the question, who’s eating the garage door? Eventually the creature revealed itself and the mystery was solved but not before a lot of photos and video evidence was gathered.
It really happened. And from that, grew a germ of an idea which eventually became the first kids’ book, “Who’s eating the garage door?”
Curious? Want your kids to learn about who was eating the garage door and why? Come on in
Download the full (14 min, 25 sec) video.
Wake Up, Wake Up, Sleepy Head!!!
It was early in the year 2020
Play a preview
The author was staring out at the frozen lake…
She got to thinking about the animals that hibernate during the winter months and decided to write a story for children about the sleeping and waking habits of these animals. And then something happened. Something else had woken up as well so the story took a slightly different turn.
Want your kids to know about the Flora Fauna team and their antics? Press on.
Download the full (15 min, 14 sec) video.
Hope these books inspire kids to want to learn more about the world in which they live and share with other creatures.
Animal Posters
Download your child’s favourite animal character
In poster format
Flora and Fauna: The nature I love...
And am lucky to be around.
Fabulous Fall
Wondrous Winter
Fantastic
Flora and Fauna
Spectacular Skies
Sparkling Waters
Hope these images inspire more outdoor time looking up and looking around.
The photos are meant to remind that beauty exists all around – in flora and fauna, in fall colours,
winter blizzards, sunrises, moonrises, cloud patterns and sparkling waters.
Food: My culinary history...
Is very long.
Beauty
of Ingredients
Menu planning
Baking
A few principles I live by in the kitchen…
- Be fearless – every failure, teaches invaluable lessons – never truer a cliché than in the kitchen.
- Nose to tail everything – squeeze every last bit of flavour out of your ingredients.
- Try to make things from scratch – it’s simpler than you think – would you believe that you probably have all the ingredients you need to make buttermilk – in your fridge right now.
But most importantly have fun.
Flora and Fauna: The nature I love...
And am lucky to be around.
Fabulous Fall
Perfect weather conditions led to spectacular fall displays in our neck of the woods.
Wondrous Winter
My love of winter and winter sports started in the Himalayan mountain resorts where we (my parents, sister and I) spent family Christmas Holidays. It was pure magic since in the 60’s the Himalayas were not overrun by tourists and it was as if it was just us, the snow leopards and lots and lots of snow.
My love for snow and being outdoors in the winter hasn’t changed since.
Fantastic Flora and Fauna
Who doesn’t love flowers – afterall, every special occasion from birth to death is marked using bouquets and floral arrangements. But it is when we look beyond the classics that we discover the often-overlooked beauty of flora like pine cones, thistle, chives and the humble dandelion.
And of course, I’ve been fascinated with animals and animal behaviours for as long as I can remember and it is the fauna around us and their antics that inspired my 2 children’s books.
Spectacular Skies, Sparkling Waters
Look up, look around – it’s amazing what you’ll see.
Whether it’s mind-blowing cloud patterns, magical moonrises, sunrises that light the lake on fire, radiant rainbows, sparkling waters, the C130 Hercules on a low fly by, the incredible Toronto skyline or Canada Day firework displays – the outdoors offer a wide and varied eyeful.
Relax your eyes – look up and look around.
Food: My culinary history...
Is very long.
Beauty of Ingredients
My relationship with food and cooking is an immersive experience. It starts with a deep interest and absolute fascination with ingredients – everything about them – colours, shapes, textures, smells and tastes. Then comes my love of the process – transforming beautiful ingredients into delicious dishes is a heady drug for me and keeps feeding my cooking obsession!
Menu planning
Whether it’s for parties or our day-to-day meals, I love planning menus. Making things from scratch is also something I enjoy. So in our house, whether it’s a simple amuse-bouche or beef wellington, souvlaki, schnitzel, turkey, squid ink pasta, pizza on a multigrain sour dough crust everything is homemade. I also like to add my own twist to dishes like adding a sunny side up fried egg on top of my turkey club – turning it into the croque madame of the club sandwich world – ooey gooey messy deliciousness, so napkins are in order.
The most important thing is to have fun with food and be fearless in the kitchen!
Breads, quiches, savory pies, casseroles and dessert galore
My 50+ year love affair with cooking did not start with baking and dessert making.
As every cook knows, baking requires a whole other set of skills. But since I’m obsessed with making everything from scratch – I did eventually get into baking and have done my
fair share.
From breads, to quiches and savory pies with home made crusts to ice creams, meringues, cookies and cakes. There’s always a cache of desserts in our freezers for when company
visits, since neither of us has a sweet tooth.
And who can argue with how baking can make your house smell.