YA Eco Mysteries, Memoirs, Novels & Travel
Global Travel Environmental Books
15/10/21 10:36 Filed in: Environmental childrens Fiction
Teiglach made from crunchy dough: A Memoir Behind the Walled Garden of Apartheid
In my memoir, Behind the Walled Garden of Apartheid I describe memories triggered by my mother’s cooking, including her wonderful aromatic chicken soup, gefilte fish, a savory fish mouse, and the sweet teiglach made from crunchy dough boiled in honey and ginger, to name just a few.
In The Case of the Missing Piping Plovers set in the Bahamas, I describe the delectable traditional fresh Conch salad, Johnnycakes, and Guava Duff—a Bahamian dessert akin to a jelly roll.
Bahamian Guava Duff, The Adventures of the Sizzling Six: The Case of the Missing Pipping Plovers
In Vanishing Birds, slated for publication in fall of 2021, I expand my narrative to the entire length of the Atlantic migratory flyway from Baffin Bay in the Arctic to Tierra Del Fuego, a remote island on the southernmost point of Chile. I can still taste the Chilean sea bass and empanadas we dined on in a restaurant overlooking the bay in Valparaiso, Chile.
Monarch Mysteries, follows the migration routes of the threatened Monarch butterflies from North America to the Oyamel forest at El Rosario sanctuary in Mexico. In this tale I describe the Day of the Dead Bread, or Pan de Muerto, a big round soft bread decorated with strips of dough to resemble bones, and also spicy tamales.
Recently, I completed Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure, sparked (pun intended) by the devastating wildfires now exploding around the globe. The story is told through the eyes of three diverse teenagers: Aisyah from Sumatra, Kirri from Western from Australia, and Hector from Northern California, brought together by a powerful gift—the ability to communicate with animals. In this Eco adventure the reader is treated to a Rijsttafel feast including Lucky New Year Salad, which I actually enjoyed in Singapore during the Chinese New Year.

Rijsttafel Indonesia, Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure
I would be remiss in not mentioning that I have favorite Southern recipes, too. I hope those recipes I serve at family dinners and special occasions will entwine themselves in my children’s and grandchildren’s memories—to be shared with the next generation.
Other favorite gustatory moments, which haven’t yet made it into my stories, include the manicotti filled with ricotta cheese we tasted at a small restaurant atop Mt. Etna, on the island of Sicily. And then there’s Israeli chopped salad we ate at Latrun in Israel . . . I could go on and on.
To celebrate good times and good memories I would love you to share your favorite memories of food. Just send them to cldatnow@me.com. And if you are interested in ordering a copy of any of my books you can find them on Amazon. For more Information Please visit related blogs at:
Mysteries of the Monarch Butterflies Migration Blog
How Migratory Species Connect the Planet
Multicultural, Diverse, and Global Environmental Literature
The Winds of Climate Change calling Authors of Children's Literature
The Winds of Change Blog blog SCWBI Spring Bulletin
Interview with Author Claire Datnow Dragon Fly Eco Lit.