et ceteras
Welcome to et ceteras, a blog featuring posts about Joann, animals, childhood, The Mollys B. (her latest book!), and writing in general. An insight to her writing, Joann shares thoughts on topics regarding her inspiration, ethics, companionship with animals, and imagination. Check back often, or subscribe to receive the latest updates by email!
An Accidental Invention – The Evolution of the Color Mauve
Mauve. What a blasé sort of word. What is it, anyway? It’s the name of a color. How does one describe the color Mauve? It fits in with the purple family but it can also drift toward the pinks. My research into this rather bizarre subject has led me to discover that the color didn’t exist before 1856 – weird, huh? To think that with our world of colors today, galore in all hues and tones, that a color hasn’t always been around. But it’s true. Purple existed but not mauve.
COLORING OUTSIDE THE LINES
One of the first activities a child engages in as he emerges from toddlerhood to preschooler is picking up a crayon and trying out this thing called “coloring.” It’s a rite of passage for children and has been since crayons were first invented in 1903 . . .
REMEMBER THE SMELL OF BRAND-NEW CRAYONS?
Not too long ago I talked about a few of my favorite fiction picture books. Today I want to talk about a non-fiction favorite: “THE CRAYON MAN The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons” written by Natascha Biebow and illustrated by Steven Salerno. It’s the story of Edwin Binney, who with his cousin, C. Harold Smith, invented the Crayola crayon in 1903. Besides being gorgeously illustrated, it’s a super cool biography full of fun facts and leaves readers asking, “Where would we be today without crayons?”