11 minute read
Vista educator’s new book based on sweet tradition
The CoasT News
APRIL 8, 2022 Vista teacher’s book draws on sweet family tradition
By Jacqueline Covey
VISTA — If you’re turning another year older in a day, a certain fairy may be on her way.
Third-generation Vista resident and educator Jana Anderson captures the magic of childhood in her book released in March, “Lollipop Fairy: A Sweet Birthday Tradition.”
The book opens with a young girl hugging a brightly-colored heart, signing “I love you” in American Sign Language while holding a lollipop. The little girl reminds children that they are loved all year, but a birthday is a day that “is all about you, a day that tells us how much you grew.”
In a world where magic exists, and love is plentiful, children grow lollipops on their birthdays with seeds delivered the day before.
The story is based on a longtime tradition in the Anderson house. Anderson started it for her two sons when they were small children.
“The night before your birthday, you get the number of seeds you’re turning, and you plant the seeds by midnight,” Anderson told The Coast News. “Then, you go to bed, and the lollipops grow by the morning.”
Today, Anderson’s sons, ages 15 and 17, have yet to celebrate a birthday without a lollipop garden sprout-
JANA ANDERSON
ing in their name.
“It’s just been the most beautiful thing because every birthday they would look outside… even now with my 17-year-old … he gets up and I see him poking his head out… and I am like ‘See, you still look, you still look,’” Anderson laughed.
In 2021, Anderson gave herself 45 minutes to write a book. So, she sat down, wrote and the story of the Lollipop Fairy just flowed.
“It just came to me,” Anderson said. “I just put it out there.”
While her creative breakthrough was rewarding, Anderson was able to use her education and love for teaching to publish a children’s book.
Anderson attended the University of North Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in special education.
Once a public school teacher in Vista, Anderson is now a literacy specialist and special education teacher at an online charter school that offers a program for children with dyslexia, a learning disability that causes people to have diffi-
LAST MONTH, Vista educator Jana Anderson published her children’s book, “Lollipop Fairy: A Sweet Birthday Tradition.”
Courtesy photo/The Coast News graphic
culties with language skills, such as reading.
As a literacy specialist, Anderson knows time with family and reading aloud is essential for childhood development, and another key to that is representation.
The “Lollipop Fairy: A Sweet Birthday Tradition” draws in readers with the brightest and boldest rainbow hues of candy.
The book’s characters represent many diverse backgrounds and cultures, which may be attractive to children looking for themselves in modern stories.
“A child wants to connect with the characters,” Anderson said, “Especially a lollipop fairy, that should matter to all children. I wanted a book that had represented as many children as possible.”
And so far, she’s already seen it benefit others in the community. While attempting to sell the book to a store, Anderson left with a piece of what it means to have representation in the arts.
“[The seller] went, ‘Oh my God, that looks like me. Do you know how few characters I see in a book or my daughter can say look like me,’” Anderson said. “It stuck with me.”
Looking at her own experience, Anderson said she had a loving but “different childhood.”
“No matter where we were at financially, no matter what was going on, my birthday was always spe-
CHEERS!
CONTINUED FROM 21 but generally speaking, I can tell if a beer is wellmade and or of a high caliber that just isn’t for me. This beer was neither. It was a West Coast-style IPA like none I have ever tasted.
After taking that first (typically glorious) first swig, I was left trying to decide if I really wanted to take another. I did because I believe in second chances.
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The second drink was worse than the first. These were the beers that I pulled from the cooler after reading labels, comparing styles, and trying to decide if I should try something new or follow through on another beer resolution to drink a repeat beer. Now what? What would you do?
I decided to add my list of beer resolutions. The newest 2022 beer resolution is:
Dump It Out: If I am not enjoying a beer, I’ll dump it out. We only get so many beers in a lifetime. I’m committed to enjoying the time I spend drinking a beer, and I don’t want to create negative neural pathways that discourage me from drinking other craft beers. That’s science. I think. I’m not a scientist.
I took what remained of the tallboy can back into the house, walked to the sink, and flipped it upside down over the drain. The 22-year old version of me would have been horrified. It hurt a little bit, but it also felt liberating.
No longer will the compulsive side of my brain obligate me to finish a beer just because I’ve opened the can.
After crushing the can, I opened the fridge to discover another problem. I was out of beer. Luckily, there was a bottle of sweet
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TASTE OF WINE
CONTINUED FROM 21 of the Pauillac district of Bordeaux, mostly cabernet sauvignon and merlot along with accents from cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot. The 2015 J Lohr had all the varietals except for cabernet franc with cassis and black fruit on the nose, plum on the palate, and smooth finish due in part to the equal 18 months in both barrels and bottles.
J Lohr recommends decanting an hour before enjoying within the 2022 to 2027 timeframe. Jlohr.com.
McClean Vineyards, Red Blend, Paso Robles, NV.
$18: I always like providing at least one good value, under $20 wine, in my top 5. McClean Vineyards NV Red Blend is my pick this go around.
I found this super diverse bargain blend, syrah (25%), zinfandel (20%), cabernet sauvignon (18%), grenache (14%), malbec (12%), and mourvedre (11%) at Costco. Both times I popped a bottle, I had it with beef where it paired well. Mccleanwine.com.
cial,” Anderson said.
One birthday she remembers particularly well. At the time, Anderson’s father was suffering from homelessness, and the two hadn’t been able to see each other for a long time.
“(But my father) showed up on my birthday,” Anderson said. “As a child, my birthday was never forgotten. I just knew that I wanted [my kids’] birthdays to be something that they always remembered and they felt special.”
And so, she planted her lollipop garden made with seeds and lollipops she found around town.
“It’s so easy for any parent — foster parents — you don’t have to have the book. You can grab a bag of lollipops from the dollar store and make [a child’s birthday] magical,” Anderson said.
In the end, “Lollipop Fairy: A Sweet Birthday Tradition” is for her family. To Anderson, publishing a book was an essential piece of herself to leave behind for her children and future grandchildren.
And even when they’re older, she hopes that magic lives on.
“No matter where they’re at, no matter what they’re doing, somehow someway they’ll see a lollipop,” Anderson said. “And no one will know it’s me, but they’ll know. It’s like something to keep the sweetness forever in a small little way.”
Find “Lollipop Fairy: A Sweet Birthday Tradition” online or at www.lollipopfairy.com.
vermouth in the door, and I keep a bottle of Pacific Coast Spirits White Rye Whiskey on the liquor cabinet.
I settled down onto the patio lounger. The sun was just beginning to head towards the horizon. The ice in my Manhattan made a lovely clinking sound in time with Willie, and the dog rested his head on my knee.
Stream the Roast! West Coast coffee podcast on the Coast News Podcast page, and be sure to follow and share your drinking adventures with Cheers! North County on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
AN OLD lighthouse adorns the Catalina Island Yacht Club in Avalon, one of the oldest in Southern California. Courtesy photo. THE BISON HERD on Catalina Island are kept at a manageable number of no more than 150. These two wandered into the path of a Bison Expedition tour vehicle that takes visitors to the uninhabited highlands of the island. Bison look harmless but can charge at high speeds when provoked. Photo by Jerry Ondash
Catalina ‘a playground for all,’ including bison
We are halfway into our twohour tour with Bison Expeditions on Catalina Island when tour guide Steve Carroll assures us that his passengers see bison 95% of the time.
As I’m thinking we that we may be one of the unlucky 5%, we veer left on the dirt road and there they are: one hefty, wooly bull, possibly 2,000 pounds, and four smaller cows, just a few steps from our vehicle. They saunter across the road, hardly acknowledging our presence.
“His harem,” says Carroll, as he brings the bio-fuel, open-air Hummer to a halt. “They have a cute and cuddly look that gives visitors the sense that they are harmless and approachable…” but their demeanor can change quickly.
“The biggest misconception that visitors have is that bison are slow, lumbering animals,” he says, “but they can run up to 35 miles an hour and are very agile. Humans can’t outrun them when bison decide to defend themselves from what they perceive as a threat.”
We arrived in Avalon, the island’s only town, 24 hours earlier on Catalina Express, the ferry from Dana Point.
Much of the one-hour cruise took us through heavy fog, but about 20 minutes before arrival, the island’s rugged mountains appeared through the soupy haze like the culmination of magic trick.
After disembarking, we wheeled our luggage to the end of Crescent Avenue and the recently renovated Bellanca Hotel.
The 40-room boutique hotel received a nearly $4 million renovation in 2020 that created a contemporary nautical vibe with its rooftop sun deck, jaunty umbrellas and nautical-flag tables.
From this perch, guests can observe arriving cruise ships, sailboats anchored in the crescent-shaped harbor, the picture-postcard hills to the southeast and pedestrian traffic that flows from the ferry terminal all the way to the Casino and beyond to Descanso Beach.
While we could linger here, there are things to see and do, like our meetup with the bison.
These five American bison are descendants of a few that were imported to Catalina in the 1920s for film-making purposes but were never deported. The herd is maintained by the Catalina Island Conservancy at no more than a manageable 150. There has been only one birth in several years.
This is not our first trip to Catalina, but we’ve never been up and into the nearly uninhabited areas. As we bounce along in the Hummer, Carroll’s entertaining narration provides history of the island and also points out endemic animals and native and invasive plant species.
Eventually we reach the near-summit of Catalina’s second-highest point, Blackjack Mountain.
The ocean is visible to our right and left nearly 2,000 feet below, confirming that indeed, we are sitting on a dramatic and precipitous outcropping in the Pacific.
Catalina has been inhabited for 7,000 years and has a rich history of Indian culture. The island was eventually purchased by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley in 1919, who invested millions to make it “a playground for all.”
But to assure that most of the island would remain undeveloped, Wrigley created the conservancy, which owns and manages 88% of the 74 square miles. This keeps Avalon at about 4,000 residents. About 500 people live elsewhere on the island.
Post-tour, we return to the Bellanca’s restaurant and bar, the Naughty Fox, the name a nod to the island’s tiny fox, found only on Catalina.
The outdoor seating is the perfect spot to watch Catalina go about its business via foot traffic, bicycle, utility vehicle and golf cart, the main mode of transport for both tourists and residents.
“The island only allows a certain number of regular cars and you have to apply for a permit,” Carroll says during our Hummer tour. “The waiting list is about 20 years.”
hit the road
e’louise ondash
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