Gwen Petreman will be in the Oasis Tent from 9 am to 7 pm. Colourful and informative displays will outline the important role trees play in maintaining a healthy and balanced environment where animals and people can thrive. The book The Blue Bottle will be available to purchase and children will have an opportunity to participate in a variety of fun-filled activities including creating a woodland creature from smooth rocks.
Children who buy a book will have an
opportunity to enter a drawing contest to create a new monster for The
Blue Bottle. Winners will receive $50 and with the permission of
parents their photo and drawing of the monster will appear on this
website. Honourable mentions will also have the opportunity to have
their photos and drawings posted on this website.
We will have two fundraisers for Living Green to help raise funds for tree planting projects. We will be giving out white spruce seedlings in return for a donation. And we will be holding a Silent Auction whereby residents will have an opportunity to bid on planters created by the author.
The Word on the Street, Toronto
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
The Word On The Street is a national celebration of literacy and the
written word. On one extraordinary Sunday each September, in
communities coast to coast, the public is invited to participate in
hundreds of author events, presentations and workshops and to browse a
marketplace that boasts the best selection of Canadian books and
magazines you'll find anywhere. There is always plenty to see and do at
Canada's largest book and magazine festival, and best of all, The Word
On The Street and all of its events are FREE!
Visit the author on KidStreet from 11 AM - 6 PM
The Barrie
Examiner May 20, 2010
Barrie teacher's
book proof of Living Green
Posted By ERICH
JACOBY-HAWKINS
Just about everyone has thought, at
some point, 'I could write a book about this.' Many dream of someday becoming a
published author, and for some reason, children's books hold a special allure.
Yet very few of us chase this dream
and actually set pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Our wit and wisdom
remain unimparted.
But a friend of mine has broken the
rule -- she has actually begun writing, illustrating and publishing original
primary-level children's books.
She is Barrie resident and retired
teacher Gwen Petreman. I know her as a long-time colleague on the board of
Barrie's respected environmental charity, Living Green.
One of her driving concerns is the
lack of trees around us. To be healthy, a community needs at least 30% tree
canopy. Barrie (pre-annex) has about 25%, so we aren't too bad, but still need
to improve. Our many retail centres and new subdivisions are particularly
under-treed. Petreman is spearheading a number of local initiatives aimed at fixing
this by planting seedlings and mature native trees.
Her first book, The Blue Bottle,
combines many of her passions: ecology, nature, education and especially,
trees. The book features a monstrous genie, unwittingly released from an old
bottle, who threatens to destroy all of the finder's treasured trees, then
uproot the Amazon rain forest. Does it succeed? Well, I don't want to spoil the
ending. But the book also includes an informative appendix about Amazon
wildlife and beneficial trees from around the world.
Although Petreman feels the book is
best appreciated by boys, my own two daughters, aged five and three, are big
fans. They love monsters, and stories that are (not too) scary.
As a teacher, Petreman carefully
designed her book to be ideal for classroom education. What's more, she is
happy to present it at schools, as a fundraiser for planting trees nearby. The
book can be used for teaching literacy, the science of trees and the Amazon,
and the process of writing and illustrating your own book.
Petreman will be an active
participant in Barrie's first Eco- Fest on June 12. At the Transition Barrie's
Oasis tent, she will be hosting multiple activities centered around the book
and tree-planting. For parents, there will be discount copies of The Blue Bottle,
a silent auction of decorative plants and herb gardens, and white spruce
seedlings to plant at home. The kids will enjoy a monster-drawing contest and
making woodland critters from stones. And between now and Eco-Fest, Gwen is
hoping to collect your old cell phones to recycle. Call her at 722-5377 to
arrange pickup.
Since she is the author, I'll let
Gwen have the final words.
"I wrote the book to get the
message across to young people about the critical role trees play in creating a
balanced and healthy environment where people and animals can thrive.
Hopefully, as parent and child read this book together, the parents will be
inspired to plant as many trees as possible on their property," she said.
cofest band runs on pedal-power
Ecofest band runs on
pedal-power.
Mr. Something Something, a
bicycle powered band, will perform as part of Ecofest celebrations.
Contributed photo
BARRIE - Ecofest will use fashion, music, literature
and art to spread its environmental message Saturday.
“Our artists bring their insights to the celebration of Earth. They
teach through song, through visual art and through creativity,” said
Doug Pettigrew, executive producer of In House Productions, creator of
the festival.
One of the entertainment highlights is bicycle-powered band Mr.
Something Something which will perform with the help of the audience.
Audience members need to peddle to give the band power.
“We have the Sound Cycle, which takes audience participation to a
whole other level,” said singer Johan Hultqvist. “We are literally
depending on the audience to keep the show going.”
The band has travelled all over North America spreading its
environmental message and promoting sustainability.
“We are a perfect fit for a festival like this one,” Hultqvist
said.
City of Barrie licensed buskers will also create a festive ambiance
as they wander throughout Heritage Park.
Local author Gwen Petreman is also getting involved. She will have
copies of her new book The Blue Bottle on display and for sale.
The book is a fantasy story that explains the important role trees
place in creating balanced and healthy lifestyles.
“I have always had an appreciation for trees and the more research I
did, the more I realized how important they are. I wanted to share that
with children,” she said. “If you get a child passionate about
something, their
parents will get on board, too.”
Gwen Petreman will also host a monster-drawing contest, a silent
auction, and has teamed up with CellCycle to collect old cellphones.
Other events at Ecofest include Trashfusion, which Pettigrew calls
the signature event of the festival.
“It will offer a very interesting looking at how we can re-fashion
items that would normally end up in the recycling bin, or those items
that have possibly a longer life that they are currently given through
fashion design,” he said.
“Designers have been busy creating fashions with an eye towards
turning some thinking around. Some of what you will see will poke fun at
the fashion industry itself, some will bring beauty and seriousness.”
Designers started submitting their entries four months ago,
competing for the winning prize of $1,000, sponsored by WSI Disposal.
