Kids book teaches the importance of the sun

Stars shine in our night sky and all throughout the galaxy, but the closest star to us on Earth is the one we see during the day, the sun.

This month, Science Naturally published Walkersville native Elizabeth Everett’s second children’s book, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Daytime Star,” with a bilingual English/Spanish edition to be released simultaneously.

children everywhere get excited about science and reading.

Science Naturally will provide a free, downloadable Teacher’s Guide in English on their website.

sold all over the world. Sometimes, the only English words on a label are Berkeley Spring.

Arthur von Wiesenberger will serve as water master and is responsible for training the judges at this year’s event, which will be held on Feb. 24 and 25.

The event also includes a seminar, Water: Beneath the Surface and Around the Globe, which takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 24. This will also be livestreamed.

New this year, Project WET (Water Education Today) will host three exhibits at the event, two of which are interactive. They will also present at the seminar.

Come by The Country Inn on Feb. 25 to learn from Project WET, and visit the public tasting table to sample waters — bottled, sparkling and municipal — from all over the world.

Learn more at berkeleyspringswatertasting.com.

A science lesson wrapped in a familiar rhyme, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Daytime Star” is a sweet, educational bedtime story for ages 2 to 7. This charming book illuminates the important relationship we have with the sun and gives a glimpse of the amazing and surprising ways it affects our lives –– like telling time, marking the days and seasons, creating light and shadows, maintaining the orbit of planets in our solar system and providing life to all living things on Earth.

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Daytime Star” is illustrated by Beatriz Castro, who uses bright colors, diverse characters and detailed drawings to encapsulate the sun’s bright presence in our lives. With her glowing artwork, this twist on a classic poem is a cozy way to learn about the one-of-a-kind star that makes everything possible.

In the bilingual English/Spanish edition, “Brilla, brilla, estrellita del día,” the rhyming Spanish text was adapted and reviewed by native speakers to ensure that the language is accurate and rhythmic. Science Naturally is committed to publishing works in a variety of world languages to help always been this daydream I’ve had. Everything I’ve been working toward has been to get to touring. Growing up, I’d play out in bars and restaurants pretty heavily, just doing acoustic gigs. It was great and all, but sometimes, it’s discouraging when you feel like background music. I just wanted to put on a show where people come out and they know my music. That’s always been a goal.

The guide is for educators, parents and librarians who want to help kids better engage and understand the material. The guide includes activities, discussion questions, handson activities and experiments to encourage young minds to think more about our solar system.

Everett spent 16 years as a classroom teacher before venturing into writing. Inspired by her energetic youngster, Jalen, and his love for books, she took her background in education and meshed it with his childhood interests. Everett’s first book, “This is the Sun,” won two awards: the 2022 Brain Child Award and the 2022 Creative Child Book of the Year Award. She worked for Frederick County Public Schools before relocating to Colorado with her family.

I just did a five-day run with Black Joe Lewis, and that was my first real introduction to touring. That was the first time I started doing legitimate shows and opening for awesome bands.

In April, I’ll be opening for The Heavy Heavy. It’s my introduction to touring, and so far, it’s been both good and bad. I never envisioned everything that goes into it, but it’s been a great opportunity.

Around the time I was releasing one single at a time, I was reaching out to booking agents. I always knew that I wanted a booking agent on my team, and I was cold-emailing agents. I made a list of booking agents I could see myself aligning with, and a couple got back to me.

One of them was Chris Palmer at Madison House. Initially, in the spring and summer of 2022, we were just talking. He heard the music and really liked it. So, we’d go back and forth and have phone calls every couple weeks. I remember one day in December, I was at work when he called me in the middle of the day, and I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was just another phone call to check in, and he mentioned he wanted to work together officially. Since then, we’ve been working together. I’m really grateful he came along, and he’s been helping me tremendously.

Let’s go back to the pop covers on YouTube. Your sound is older than modern day music. It’s interesting how those two things clash. How important do you think it is now to have that video presence on all the different platforms and getting your name out there, even if you’re just doing covers and not your own music? Do you think that’s essential these days?

That’s a very, very good question. It’s hard for an artist to come around and accept that’s where the industry is at. That’s where the opportunity is to get a fanbase and get that exposure. I personally think it’s really instrumental in the developing stage of an artist. You’re coming from no fanbase to building one. It’s a really great platform to do that.

For me, I was building a fanbase at the same time I was figuring out how to be an artist. You get those fans that stay with you through the whole process, and they’re on the journey with you. I understand why it’s seen as a negative thing, because a lot of the time, we fall into the game of making content that appeals to an audience, and you get caught in the game of marketing more than making art. I understand that, but at the same time, I think it’s a necessary evil to at least be aware of what it can do for you and how you can get your name out there. It’s a double-edged sword.

The last thing I wanted to ask about is the rest of your year. Do you have things planned for the rest of the summer and maybe even the fall?

Right now, the furthest out I’m looking at is April. I’m doing that 15day tour for The Heavy Heavy, starting in Maine and ending up in Florida, so it’s the whole East Coast, and I’m looking forward to that. I know we’re looking into getting more dates, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are upcoming tours after that and into the summer.

Besides that, I’m working on new music. I can’t give all the details away on that because it’s so early, but I definitely am planning on releasing new music, and I think it’s going to be the same approach — me in my room recording this stuff. I like the organic quality to it. It’s just me and the fans. There’s no middle man. I’m writing all these songs, I’m producing them, and I feel like that’s special for these early days.

One day, I’m sure I’ll find a producer, but it has to be the right one — one where we see eye-to-eye. For now, I just really like these early days.

Colin McGuire has been in and out of bands for more than 20 years and also helps produce concerts in and around Frederick. His work has appeared in Alternative Press magazine, PopMatters and 72 Hours, among other outlets. He is convinced that the difference between being in a band and being in a romantic relationship is less than minimal. Contact him at mcguire.colin@gmail.