Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: sharing

  • The House on Pleasant Street

    The House on Pleasant Street

    The House on Pleasant Street is a brightly coloured and detailed picture book that captures the eye immediately. It shows Pleasant Street, but with a most unusual house and weird characters around it. A rather forlorn looking boy is staring hopefully down the street. You see, Alby has just moved into the district with his embarrassing Dad and strange Mum. We know how hard it is to meet new neighbours, and develop new friendships, but when your pet is a dragon…….!

    Fortunately, it is the eve of Halloween. Alby decides to go trick or treating and his Mum insists that Dad go as well. Things go smoothly until Dad interferes and Alby is forced to use Delia, his new pet, to complete a trick. Surprisingly this really impresses the local kids, who all want to discover more about the newcomer and his family.

    The artwork creates an atmosphere that enhances the story. The expressions on faces says it all. The details shown are humorous, such as the banister of the staircase being made of leg bones, and dad looking like a cool vampire.

    Lucky for Alby, his involvement in the Halloween celebrations, cement his relationships with the neighbours. This is one strategy for developing new friends. It is also a great way to share a story with others.

  • Toy Mountain

    Toy Mountain

    Toy Mountain is a beautifully coloured Picture Book from Stef Gemmill  that should hold the answer to all children’s dreams. At the end of the rainbow there is a toy factory where little hands make toys all day. Toys that “Rumbled, grumbled and plinked.”  For Sam, the toys he played with were all hand me downs from his grandmother; they were worn and faulty. He shared those toys with a younger brother.

    When his mother came home and asked Sam if he would like to be a tester for the toy factory it seems as though all his wishes had come true. However, there were to be consequences which no one could have foreseen. The motto, “Be careful what you wish for,” certainly applies here. The problems that arise are unforeseen and test Sam ‘s resolve.

    The illustrations from Katherine Hall are vibrant and add to the text in a humorous way. There are large and colourful pictures as well as small, detailed drawings which need close examination. The text is a good size for young readers, and the font is designed for easy reading. Many words such as “PLONK,” are written in a larger size for emphasis.

    While Sam is discovering his newfound toys, his younger brother is left out of the fun. His expressions show his feelings, creating a solid base for a discussion about sharing.  Toy Mountain is good book for all younger children.

  • The Food Sharing Revolution: How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-Ops are Changing the Way We Eat, 2nd Edition

    The Food Sharing Revolution: How Start-Ups, Pop-Ups, and Co-Ops are Changing the Way We Eat, 2nd Edition

    The changing face of food production over the years, in the race to produce more and more food to feed an ever-growing world population, has seen what was once historically a family undertaking turn into giant conglomerates, pressurising the earth to produce more and more while squeezing the small farmer out of business.

    Gone are the days when you owned your own land, your own plant and equipment and could produce from a holding a good and substantial living year after year, climate permitting. In the space this change left behind, there has begun to emerge a very different take on small hold farming, which does allow a good income to be created and from that perspective, the philosophy has had a flow on to small business across a broad spectrum.

    In The Food Sharing Revolution Michael Carolan has shown what is slowly emerging as the modern face of successful farming, returning control to the small hold farmers, showing how by adopting a slightly different strategy towards the growing, marketing and most importantly sharing, there is and has been a positive change.

    Although the case studies and legal aspects of food production are based on America, the over reaching facts can be transplanted to just about anywhere in the world, which makes this an ideal read for people who are investigating some very workable options to either growing and marketing their produce, going into a small business or similar. Carolan investigates that while the concept of sharing in not new, he looks at it as a modern-day alternative to conglomerates, one with very real benefits, not just from a financial perspective but also a community benefit.

    The many examples shared, from the Hog Farmer, who while owning all around him was steadily losing money, to the restaurateur Faye, slowly working her way into almost unrepayable debt, Noelle the labour attorney who gave up corporate life to work in the Sharing economy and Dorothy who opened her bakery through a wonderful crowd funding operation all show what can be achieved with the Sharing philosophy.

    All the case studies harness the most important factor of success, Community: the sharing, caring and supportive people who embrace change and by doing so, make a success out of their enterprises, large and small. The Food Sharing Revolution is a based-on sharing: sharing of plant, equipment, ideas and funding to achieve a common goal, that of business success.

    Throughout the chapters the thread is consistent that regardless of the complex web of laws around food production, particularly in the USA where major corporations rule the legal world, the way through it is to return to a more traditional way of progress, that based in community and collaboration.

    Collaboration is the new catch phrase; creating repayable crowd funding through a variety of non-traditional and realistic sources, all contribute to a real sharing economy and the massive benefits that will pay off in lifestyle, the food produced, shared, better relationships within the industry and community, are presented as the way forward, the pathway to future economic and business success.

    The food Sharing revolution is packed full with essential information looking as so many aspects of food production it makes essential reading for anyone interested in alternate and community-based living.

    Inspirational. A win wine concept that benefits everyone from the bottom up!.

  • Sharing Plates for brunch, lunch and dinner with friends

    Sharing Plates for brunch, lunch and dinner with friends

    Luke Mangan has had a huge influence on the food industry. His involvement, ranges from cooking in many countries, to airline food, as well as cruise ships menus, and has been remarkable. His philosophy and passion encompass showcasing the “Relationship between Australia’s finest ingredients “, in a clean and contemporary manner. Luke is also the co- founder of Australia’s largest hospitality awards programme, the Appetite for Excellence programme, helping to develop young chefs, waiters and Restaurateurs in Australia.

     The contents of this book then will not be those of an ordinary cook book. They follow the trend and delightful custom of sharing meals in a casual and informal style. The introduction explains that the Spanish with tapas, the Chinese with Yum Cha, and the Italians with their anti pasti, have all embraced this tradition. So this is an Australian way of sharing plates with good company and good food.

     The book is divided into Breakfast and Brunch, Bread, Snacks and Salads, Oysters and Sashimi, Fish and shellfish, Meat, Poultry, and Sweets. It is the full range of foods that you may wish to serve at any time, maybe nibbles with drinks before a show, or sweets, with coffee after an evening out. There is an index for easy access to particular dishes, and many beautiful and well labelled photographs.

     Some of the recipes are unusual and take a little time to assemble. For those people who wish to serve something a little different, or even make a toastie that looks amazing, the instructions will easily guide you through the process. Other recipes give option for those of us who like to cheat a little.  There is a superb recipe for a three way focaccia, with the instructions on how to make the focaccia dough. I’m sure that you could find a wonderful focaccia loaf at an Italian Bakery if you were pressed for time. However, the fun would be to make your own.

     Just reading through this book makes you want to have a gathering and to begin cooking. In the nibbles section we see “Sweet potato and chilli salt fries with gorgonzola cream.” In the main courses we have, “Crispy salt & pepper popcorn chicken”, which sounds wonderful and would be tempting palettes of all ages. The main courses all look tempting and different. There is “Lamb’s neck adobo with coconut jackfruit curry”, and on the next page, “Hot dogs”, so the range of food is certainly wide and varied. The sweets again show a great variety of dishes, but all similarly delicious and tasty.

     This would be a wonderful reference book for those who enjoy food and cooking.