11/20/06 Reaching Out with Pears

Reaching out with pears. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Sometimes using something familiar helps to get a message across. Maggie Andre with Pear Bureau Northwest used the pear and a bear as a basis for a series of children's book. ANDRE: I just got back from Newfoundland where I read to kids. I travel all over the country reading the Pear Bear Chronicles which are a series of 11 books so far. I do one a year. We have assemblies and last year I talked to 7000 kids, the year before it was 8 (thousand) and I'm heading for 10 (thousand) this year. Andre has written 11 books with a wide range of subjects. ANDRE: They're kind of based on nutrition and kind of the hot button issues that teachers and educators worry about today. Nutrition being one of them, another one is bullying another one being obesity and exercise so subliminally these little messages are worked through the plot and there's learning pages at the back of each book. The stories are reinforced with the use of a stuffed bear holding a pear. ANDRE: What we use them for primarily is when I go into a school I'll leave one for the school library or we give them away at promotions. I've got one coming up in the spring in Houston, Texas and what we're going to do is it's a health fair and I'll probably give away maybe 5 or 6 of these little bears. For more information and the Pear Bears, contact the Pear Bureau Northwest. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.