Category: SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

A CUTE CARE HOSPITAL… REALLY?

We all know it… “Cute=special attention.”  Puppies know it, kittens know it and babies figure it out at an early age.

I was listening to a radio ad about a local hospital and the announcer hesitated just an instant when he read the script and what I heard was: ” A Cute-Care Hospital”.  Looking back, I’m sure what he meant or even did say was: “An Acute Care Hospital”. But it was too late.  I heard what I heard and you can’t make me give it back.

Now that it is out in the open, I felt compelled to draw what I thought the hospital Admitting Room would look like in a Cute-Care Hospital.  Let’s face it.  How many times do you have to be upstaged by something or someone cute before  you acknowledge there is a double standard.  But, a whole hospital catering to cute people?!!  Give me a break….

Puppies and kittens?  Now, there’s a different story.

EATING GREENS… A BAD IDEA!

Most people, even non-golfers, know what “greens” are to golfers.  Vegetarians eat greens… and are proud of it.  Do you think they fight cravings for greens on the golf course?  You can see by the cartoon what would happen if they gave in.  How can vegetarians participate in a sport in which the goal is to get a “Birdie” or, better yet, an “Eagle”?

Golf is an interesting culture when you think about it.  A culture that portrays itself as a “Gentleman’s sport” but the language of golf says otherwise.   Look closely at their language.  Doesn’t it make you wonder about people who talk about “Worm-burners”, “Duck hooks”, “Slices”, “Bogeys” and even, “Double Bogeys”?  Who are these people?

Golf sounds like a war zone.  They talk about “Blasting out of Sand Traps”, “Bunkers” and  “Water Hazards”. “Penalty Shots” come up a lot in their conversations and they’re often “Out-of-bounds”.  You really can’t trust what they tell you because they talk constantly about their “Good Lies” and “Bad Lies”.  They even wear shoes with spikes in them and carry bags full of clubs!  Has anyone reported them to Homeland Security? 

They DO have “Fairways”, but in my experience, golfers rarely choose to use them, opting instead to go into the “Rough”.  What strikes me the most about golfers is their focus.  Hang around them after a round of golf and listen to their stories.  Regardless of the volume of  times they hit worm-burners, duck hooks and slices into the rough, water hazards and sand traps, they have the uncanny ability to focus all the discussion on the one good shot they hit all day.  On the other hand, it might not be focus after all, just another of their bad lies…

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF RAINBOWS…A CHILDREN’S BOOK ABOUT EATING A RAINBOW DIET OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Are you looking for a great way to encourage young children to eat Fruits and Vegetables?  This book might be your answer.

Discover the MAGIC of Rainbows: Annie Oxidant finds the path to Healthy Foods is a new book that tells the story of a little girl,  ANNIE OXIDANT and her dog, PHYTO.  They love rainbows and follow one looking for treasure.  They are disappointed when it ends at a produce stand.  Friendly farmer, BROCK O’ LEE, assures them they are actually looking at the treasure because “You can eat a Rainbow”.

RUDY BAGA, Annie’s neighbor, doesn’t think that is possible.  To explain what he means, BROCK O’LEE takes them to the garden and orchard.  He has them pick fruit and vegetables representing each of the colors in the rainbow and in the process  explains, from a child’s perspective, what’s in it for them to eat the rainbow.

When I got the idea for the book, I needed nutritional information that would resonate with children. I’m not a nutritionist, so I contacted a good friend with a Masters Degree in Nutrition, Dr. Jane Oelke, ND, PhD .  She outlined the reasons why kids, from their perspective, would want to eat fruit and vegetables.  Additional valuable input was provided by Sandi McArthur, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Oryana Natural Foods Market, a Community Cooperative in Traverse City, Michigan.

My goal in writing and illustrating the book was to provide parents and educators with a resource that not only would provide accurate information but be interesting to kids.  Educators say most of the materials for teaching nutrition to young children are “dumbed-down text books”… boring to most children.  Discover the MAGIC of Rainbows has an engaging story line designed to teach the basic concepts of whole food and where food comes from… in the format of a treasure hunt.

After reading the book, parents say children become more interested in what they are eating and why .  Conversations about the book have created a means for parents or educators to address issues related to diet and attitudes about food.  To order the book, go to my website: www.BearClausePublications.com or email me at: bearclausebooks@gmail.com.

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DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF RAINBOWS!

Can you BELIEVE IT?  I wrote and illustrated a Children’s Book!  In all humility,   IT’S THE BEST… I’ve written so far.  I have taught cartoon classes for over 35 years and always thought it would be really cool to write a book for kids.  I finally did it!

A friend, Nancy Kroupa,(www.teamkroupa.com), wanted me to do another coloring book about kids eating a rainbow diet of fruits and vegetables. My first coloring book, “UP NORTH WITH TC BEAR”, featured a Northern Michigan fun-loving tourist,  TC BEAR.  Nancy is a National Marketing Director for a  unique product called JUICE PLUS+ (www.annieoxidantjuiceplus.com).  She told me The Juice Plus+ Children’s Health Study (www.Childrenshealthstudy.com) was looking for kid’s educational materials promoting a rainbow diet.

Coloring books have a very limited audience.  The more I thought about it, the idea for a book evolved. I called a good friend of mine, Dr. Jane Oelke, ND, PhD, (www.janeoelke.com) and  asked for advice.  She has a Masters Degree in Nutrition so I asked her, “Why, from a kid’s perspective, should they eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables?  Or, in a nutshell… What’s in it for them to eat each of the colors?” Jane explained in simple, easy to understand terms, the value of each of the color groups in fruits and vegetables.  That and the concept of whole food became the focus of the book.

Thinking like a cartoonist, I came up with names for the characters that fit the message:  “ANNIE OXIDANT, a little girl that likes rainbows.  “PHYTO” (get it?), her dog.  “BROCK O’LEE”, the friendly farmer.  (Brock is important to the story because we all know FARMERS are FOOD EXPERTS… they’re OUT STANDING IN THEIR FIELDS, so to speak.) The skeptic of the group,  RUDY BAGA, is Annie’s neighbor .

In the story, Annie and Phyto follow a rainbow looking for treasure.  They’re disappointed when it ends at a Produce Stand.  Brock O’Lee explains IT IS THE TREASURE because “You can eat a Rainbow!”  Rudy Baga questions that and the rest of the story is about Brock taking them to the garden and orchard to pick a rainbow of their own as he explains the benefits of each color in both fruit and vegetables.

Needless to say , I’M EXCITED about the book.  It  has been well received since its October, 2010 release. To order it and have it personalized, go to my website: www.bearclausepublications.com .   It sells for $14.00 US.

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