The Les Fruits de Mer association invites the public to celebrate the launch of a new coloring book, Soualiga Creatures. The free launch event will take place from 9am to noon this Saturday, March 16th at Amuseum Naturalis in French Quarter. The new book spotlights the incredible insects and other little creatures of St. Martin. It will be given away for free at the launch. The event will also feature a coloring station, and a craft station where kids and adults can decorate creature-themed fabric bags. The author will be present for book signing.

Soualiga Creatures is the latest in the association’s popular Soualiga series of multi-lingual “color and learn” books for young children. Earlier books in the series include Soualiga Island, Soualiga Sea, and Soualiga Birds. Future topics planned for the series include St. Martin plants and heritage.

“Soualiga is one of the Amerindian names for St. Martin,” said author Jenn Yerkes. “English is the most common language spoken on this island. But it’s been a richly multi-lingual place for a very long time! That’s why our association makes multi-lingual books for the kids here. In the Soualiga series, everything is in English, French, Spanish and Dutch.”

Soualiga Creatures stars some of the tiniest of St. Martin’s amazing animals, especially insects. It’s a great look at the fascinating little critters that fly, crawl, glide and jump around on this island. There is a visual guide on the back cover with vivid color photos of all the featured creatures. This encourages kids to learn what they look like, and spot them in the wild. Inside, kids will find a coloring page for each creature with its name in all four languages. Each one also has a page where they can practice writing the names of the creature.

“Reading and writing are key skills for everyone. This series makes it fun to learn them by showcasing wildlife from this island that kids can see around them, or discover through the books. We hear from St. Martin educators and parents that the local topics help kids connect more with reading and writing,” said Les Fruits de Mer co-founder Mark Yokoyama. “This series is especially designed to inspire kids to practice handwriting. And to give teachers a great tool to encourage their students to practice it, too!”

“With multi-lingual books, parents and family members who might speak a different language at home can participate in kids’ education,” added Jenn Yerkes. “Plus, it’s fun for everyone to learn creature names in different languages!”

The free launch event and book giveaway of Soualiga Creatures will be held at Amuseum Naturalis on Saturday, March 16th from 9am to noon, thanks to Delta Petroleum. Amuseum Naturalis is a free museum of nature and heritage located in French Quarter, St. Martin. It is open every day from sunrise to sunset.

The book is also available as a free download from https://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected]. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

Free printed copies of Soualiga Creatures are being given to local schools and students as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s 2024 book giveaway program.This project is supported by the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin, implemented by the State and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. Distribution of this book to students in Sandy Ground is supported by the Cité Éducative de Saint-Martin. Soualiga Creatures was produced with support from the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires.

The public is invited to celebrate the launch of two new books in the Soualikids children’s series produced by the Les Fruits de Mer association! The free launch event will take place from 9am to noon this Saturday, February 10th at Amuseum Naturalis in French Quarter. The two new books in the series, Soualikids Birds and Soualkids Birds Coloring Book, star St. Martin’s birds. These two books will be given away for free at the event, which will feature a coloring station. The author and photographer will be present for book signing.

The Les Fruits de Mer association developed the Soualikids series based on requests from St. Martin educators and parents for materials about this island for toddlers and pre-school age kids. Each book in the series is a quadrilingual word book, in four of the many languages spoken here: English, French, Spanish and Dutch. The goal of the series is to highlight St. Martin nature, culture, and heritage, to help little kids build early word skills about the special place where they live.

“The series is called ‘Soualikids’ because it was created for the kids of St. Martin, and Soualiga is one of the Amerindian names for this island,” explained author Jenn Yerkes. “The nature books in this series are designed in pairs: a first book with wildlife photos, and a second companion book with fun coloring pages of the same wildlife. We’re so excited to launch the second pair of books, which showcase amazing birds that kids can see here on St. Martin!”

Soualikids Birds is a full-color “look and learn” picture book, full of colorful photos of fabulous local birds. The companion Soualikids Birds Coloring Book is a “color and learn” book with two fun coloring pages for each of the birds. It also has a visual guide on the back cover with bright photos of all the birds presented. Both books include bird names in all four languages.

“Adults can share these books with little kids, to help them build their vocabulary and discover the incredible birds on their own island!” said Mark Yokoyama, co-founder of the Les Fruits de Mer association. “We’ll be giving free printed copies of both of these books to local preschools as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s 2024 book giveaway program. And more Soualikids books are on the way that spotlight island creatures, and St. Martin art and culture!”

The free launch event and book giveaway will be held at Amuseum Naturalis on Saturday, Saturday, February 10th from 9am to noon. Amuseum Naturalis is a free museum of nature and heritage located in French Quarter, St. Martin. It is open every day from sunrise to sunset.

Both new books are also available as free downloads from https://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected]. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

Les Fruits de Mer’s 2024 book giveaway program is supported by the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin, implemented by the State and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. Soualikids Birds and Soualikids Birds Coloring Book were produced with support from the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires.

The Les Fruits de Mer association invites the public to the launch of the first Incredibilia! Activity Book, a new book of fun facts and activities about local nature. The free, festive launch event will be held this Saturday, December 23 from 9am to noon at Amuseum Naturalis. It will feature cookie decorating and an art activity station. Kids and adults will enjoy personalizing wood ornaments in the shapes of St. Martin wildlife. Free copies of both the new Incredibilia! Activity Book and the original Incredibilia! book will be given away at the event.

The new Incredibilia! Activity Book is bilingual in French and English, with 80 pages of amazing St. Martin nature stories, mazes, word games, coloring pages, and creative writing activities. The association created the new book in response to the requests of St. Martin educators to expand the original Incredibilia! book into a coloring and activity book.

“On this island, we’re surrounded by nature,” said author Jenn Yerkes. “And there are really cool things to discover about it, like why a caterpillar would eat poison. And which bird has a built-in comb in its foot!” These incredible true nature stories are the perfect inspiration for the activities in the book, she adds. “One writing activity invites you to imagine what would happen if you would walk up walls like a gecko, and write a story about it!”

The Incredibilia! Activity Book draws on selections from Yerkes’ popular weekly St. Martin nature series “Le saviez-vous ?” published in Le Pélican. The French parts of the book were edited thanks to the editing team of Le Pélican.

“It’s packed with fascinating natural and cultural heritage as well as fun activities,” said Mark Yokoyama, co-founder of Les Fruits de Mer. “And it makes a great holiday gift,” added Yerkes. “So pass by and get a free copy at the Amuseum this Saturday morning!”

Free copies of the new Incredibilia! Activity Book and the original Incredibilia! will be given away, thanks to Vie Associative and the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin. The giveaways will be offered at the launch, along with coloring, art activities and cookie decorating. The free event will be held on Saturday, December 23rd at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House in French Quarter from 9am to noon.

The book is also available as a free download from https://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected]. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

Free printed copies of the Incredibilia! Activity Book will also be given to local schools as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s 2023 book giveaway program. This project is supported by Vie Associative and the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin, implemented by the State and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. The Incredibilia! Activity Book was produced with support from Vie Associative, the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires.

Overlooking Coconut Grove in French Quarter, The Old House has been a part of St. Martin’s history for over 250 years. Very few buildings from its era survive today. A new bilingual book by the Les Fruits de Mer association, The Old House, highlights this landmark and the stories that surround it.

“In many ways, The Old House itself represents the story of St. Martin,” explained Les Fruits de Mer co-founder Mark Yokoyama. “The building showcases the craftsmanship of many generations of St. Martiners, from those who laid the foundations in the 1700s to those who did carpentry, tile and cement work in the last century.”

The book includes a historical look at The Old House, which reflects the history of the island. During the colonial period, a variety of crops were raised by enslaved people for the benefit of slaveholding families and colonial governments. Around the time of Emancipation, the industry shifted to salt production on the Orient Bay salt pond, which continued until the late 1950s. In 2000, the house itself became a museum developed and run by Pierre Beauperthuy.

The book explores various aspects of The Old House, from its architecture and craftsmanship to its role in salt production and its representation in art. The book includes interviews with Elise Hyman, who worked at the Orient Bay salt pond in her youth, and Sir Roland Richardson, who created an etching of the house and showcased it in an early issue of Discover magazine.

“Sadly, The Old House is one of very few old buildings left on St. Martin,” said Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. “This makes the house itself, and its story, even more important. The destruction of two historical sites on the island already this year shows how vulnerable local heritage is. When these old buildings are destroyed, history is erased. The history of enslavement and enslaved people is especially vulnerable. With fewer written records of their lives, the things they built are a key part of their legacy. The history of the culturally-rich traditional period between Emancipation and the rise of tourism is also being lost along with these buildings.”

The Old House book is bilingual in French and English. It is available for free online at lesfruitsdemer.com. A printed edition will be available in the coming weeks. The public is welcome to visit Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House every day of the week from sunrise to sunset. The free museum features exhibits about The Old House itself, and many other parts of St. Martin’s nature, heritage and culture.

The public is invited to celebrate the launch of 6 Poems / 6 Poèmes / 6 Poemas by Lasana M. Sekou on Saturday, February 4. The launch and free give-away of the new book will be held at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House in French Quarter from 9 am to 12 noon.

The author, St. Martin poet and writer Lasana M. Sekou, will be present to sign copies of 6 Poems, and light refreshments will be served for all to enjoy, said the Les Fruits de Mer association, publisher of the book. The launch event is part of the 32nd annual Black History Celebration organized island-wide by Conscious Lyrics Foundation.

The book presents six poems by Sekou in three languages: English, French and Spanish. It was created by Sekou and Les Fruits de Mer for distribution to students, schools, and the public. The internationally renowned author has published over 20 books, said Les Fruits de Mer. St. Martin and its people are often the focus of his writing.

“For the last 40 years, Sekou’s poetry has been a vital expression of St. Martin culture and identity. It was a privilege to develop 6 Poems together to help make his work accessible to more people, especially youth,” said Mark Yokoyama, editor at Les Fruits de Mer.

“We selected poems with themes of the island’s past and present, its traditions, elders, art, and spirit. We chose to present them in French and Spanish, as well as the original English, to make them more available to more people here. And we will be giving hundreds of copies to schools and students,” said Yokoyama, who is also an author.

The slim volume includes new translations by Alex Richards, Fabian Adekunle Badejo, and Jocelyne Illidge. A new exhibit in the Amuseum’s poetry garden will be unveiled at the launch event, featuring the poems from the book in three languages.

“6 Poems is an outcome of the St. Martin literature panels and poetry in the park exhibits that Mark Yokoyama, Jenn Yerkes, and Les Fruits de Mer have initiated at Amuseum Naturalis. The association is known for its fascinating books for children and adults about St. Martin’s wildlife from the land, air, and sea,” said Sekou.

“It’s an honor to be one of the writers with work being made visible to young people, parents, teachers, visitors, all who visit the museum. With 6 Poems some of that writing can be taken home and into classrooms and media centers of schools throughout our island,” said Sekou.

The 6 Poems collection is also available as a free download from lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected]. Companies, organizations, or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are encouraged to contact the association, said Yokoyama.

Free printed copies of 6 Poems by Lasana M. Sekou will be given to St. Martin schools as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s book give-away program, said Yokoyama. This project was funded by the Collectivité de Saint-Martin through Vie Associative. Permission to publish the poems in this volume was granted by House of Nehesi Publishers and Sekou.