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$417 Worth of Well-Being

John H. Falk is Director of the Institute for Learning Innovations and likes to think about museums. Recently he conducted a survey of 350 museum users across a small sample of history, nature, science, and traditional museums. He wanted to know if users found that their museum visit enhanced their sense of well-being. He also asked them to estimate the monetary value of their experience. Falk calculates the monetary “value” of the well-being engendered by a day-long visit to a museum is $417.

Director Falk acknowledges that it is a small study which, for now, should be “taken with a grain of salt.” But it matches my personal experience. You can read about it here:

https://www.aam-us.org/2022/01/10/why-well-being-is-at-the-heart-of-museum-experiences/?fbclid=IwAR05SHhyGXdMJ3pncJ-8XyvTr0CuZkbFBhpLl5wWSOzxWCMCNy7VguY0Z60

How about you? Leave a comment below about your experience at museums.

Ted Macaluso (@tedmacaluso) is the author of Seeking Cézanne: A Children’s Mystery Inspired by Paul Cézanne and Other Artists. He lives near Washington, D.C.; blogs about art, books, and the craft of writing; and loves coffee.

Painters, Chefs, and You

Chefs combine flavors. Painters combine paints. In both occupations, artists make magic out of everyday ingredients.

Educators have documented the benefits of reading to and with your child, including closer bonding, increased cognitive and language skills, better attention span, and much more. Reading and cooking with your child may add extra benefit.

If you’ll excuse my attempt at being a “book sommelier,” here are recommended pairings of cookbooks for my children’s stories about artists.

Enjoy!

Thank you, Leslie

Leslie Clingan is a mom and former librarian who reviews books on her blog onceuponatimehappilyeverafter. I’m fortunate she chose to review Seeking Cézanne.

#seekingcezanne #bookstagram #mybookfeatures  #childrensbookwriter #childrensbookblogger  #booksforkids  #booklover #kidsbookshelf

Thanks, Joanna

Joannasbookshelf is a great source for book recommendations. Everything from 400-calorie cookbooks through psychological suspense to my new children’s book.

If you love books, joannasbookshelf is well worth a follow. I do.

#seekingcezanne #bookstagram  #mybookfeatures  #childrensbookwriter #childrensbookblogger  #booksforkids  #booklover #kidsbookshelf 

Books, Art, and Maisie

Talk about living on the edge. This young woman paints on the edge of books. It is beautiful. Check it out.

Maisie Matilda is an art history student who is reviving the medieval art of painting on the edge of books. When she put her work on TikTok she got nearly five million viewers. She deserves that fame—her art is beautiful. One of her TikTok videos is embedded below.

@maisie_matilda

“Harry’s heart did beat for us. For all of us.” #foreedgepainting #harrypotter #BOSSMoves #potter #deathlyhallows #hogwarts #potterhead #snape #dobby

♬ Dumbledore’s Farewell – Nicholas Hooper

You can learn more about Maisie in this BuzzFeed article about her. Or check her out yourself @maisie_matilda.

Ted Macaluso is the author of Seeking Cézanne: A Children’s Mystery Inspired by Paul Cézanne and Other Artists. He lives in Northern Virginia.

Text copyright (c) 2021 by Ted Macaluso.

Happy Thanksgiving

A big thanks to readers and critics alike.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

And if you’re in a position to donate, consider these ones, and/or your local food bank.

So Others May Eat

Feeding America

Or these advocates for generous and humane food policies.

The Food Research and Action Center

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Enter The Book Giveaway

Owls Cove Press is giving away six signed first editions of Seeking Cézanne: A Children’s Mystery Inspired by Paul Cézanne and Other Artists.

The giveaway is hosted at Goodreads.com and ends on December 4, 2021.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Goodreads giveaways are very straightforward. One signs in to Goodreads and enters the contest. At the close, Goodreads randomly chooses six of the people who entered and copies are mailed to the six winners. The only requirement is that people who enter agree to list the book as “want to read” on their Goodreads page. They do not have to buy the book or pay anything.

Seeking Cézanne: A Children’s Mystery Inspired by Paul Cézanne and Other Artists is an adventure story about a brother and sister lost in a world of paintings and trying to get home. Grades 2 to 4, but anyone who appreciates beautiful art will love it.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

An insect in a van Gogh? Another one?

Something about wet paint must be irresistible.

Martin Bailey, a leading van Gogh specialist, reported some interesting news.

According to his blog, Adventures with Van Gogh in The Art Newspaper, a three-year research project by an international group of experts found traces of a small insect walking through the paint of van Gogh’s Olive Grove (July 1889).

You can read about it here.

It’s not the first time. A grasshopper did it as well.

Cézanne is coming

Happy to announce that I have a new children’s book in production and it will be available very soon.

Seeking Cézanne: A Children’s Mystery Inspired by Paul Cézanne and Other Artists.

When Jamie and her brother Billy are trapped inside a painting, they want nothing more than to get back to the real museum. But every time they try going back, the museum disappears. They need to find Paul Cézanne to reveal the trick to getting home–and that’s not easy. To find him, they need to learn how to experience and appreciate artistic works. Grades 2 to 4.

Here’s what the cover will look like.

Stay tuned for more info!