November 1st is National Cinnamon Day. I do like the flavor of cinnamon. Even my toothpaste is Close-Up, cinnamon flavor. There is true cinnamon from Ceylon, and there is Cassia from Indonesia and China. Both are similar. In England and Australia, they are marketed separately, but in America, Cassia can be called cinnamon. In fact, most cinnamon in the US is Cassia from China.
I have several books on Cinnamon. The first is “Spices” by Henry N. Ridley, published in 1912.
This is a wonderful old book on spices. There are chapters on cinnamon and cassia. They explain the history of each. Both cinnamon and caassia were two of the earliest known spices, used in biblical times-mentioned in the bible, and also in Egypt and Greece.
There is much information on how to grow, and harvest cinnamon, peeling and drying the bark, along with similar information on cassia. They said that in 1882, over 2 million pounds of cinnamon was exported from Ceylon. In 1872, 10 millions pounds of cassia was shipped from China. That is over 150 years ago!
There were also instructions on using as a spice, as medicine, as a cordial and stimulant, and also incense.
I looked up cinnamon in “Perfumes and Spices” by A. Hyatt Verrill, published in 1940.
This book explains more good information on cinnamon and cassia. Verrill states that as well as the bark, the unripe fruit of cassia is dried as cassia buds. Those are considered the best flavored of all the cinnamons.
November 1st is National Family Literacy Day, which kicks off Family Literacy Month. They list several things one can do to help celebrate family literacy, inportantly having books around the home (and not being a stranger to local library). Two other ideas that are recommended, and that I do, are one, making bookmarks. We have all sorts of bookmarks I help the grandkids make, because I despise folding page corners over. And second, reading books that have been seen as movies. I have that covered, as well.
One with “Jumanji” by Chris Van Allsburg, 1981. Good movie, great book.
And two, “Zathura” another book by Chris Van Allsburg, 2002. Grandkids loved the movie, and the youngest are growing into the book.
The whole idea as a grandpa to help kids read, is to make it fun. They all see me get excited about books. I am always showing a poem, or a picture, or a cover. Sometimes they laugh with me, sometimes they laugh at me. It’s OK. I ‘make’ them spend a few minutes with a book, any book, before they fall prey to social media. Every time they visit, they touch a book. Sometimes they stay in the library a while, other times not so much.
It is never a punishment or a task, like the rule of taking off your shoes at the door. Then you go touch a book. Even my adult kids are called into the library. The only exempt one is my wife. She allows me open purse strings to buy the books. If she is forced to touch one, I would be forced to duck when said book is tossed back at me.
Why did the kid always sit in his wardrobe when reading a book?
Narnia business!
A friend told me just told me she doesn’t like Lord of the Rings. She definitely doesn’t know what she’s Tolkien about.
Did you hear they were going to make an entire book about Harry Potter’s godfather, but then it got axed?
They thought it would be too Sirius.
Please keep turning pages with me…thanks for reading.
Librarytomes 