Tu B'Shvat begins at sundown today (February 7th) and if you're looking for fun ways to celebrate the "New Year of the Trees" here are a few ideas. From delicious recipes to an easy craft project for kids, there's a bit of something for everyone.

• Do a Tu B'Shvat craft project for kids. Plant parsley seeds as part of your Tu B'Shvat celebration then use the resulting plant for your Passover seder in April.
• Make Tu B'Shvat recipes using figs or pomegranates
• Print Tu B'Shvat coloring pages and riddles
• Weather permitting, go for a hike in the woods or visit a community park to spend time among the trees.
• Host a Kabbalistic Tu B'Shvat seder.

Chag Sameach! (Happy holiday!)

Here's a quick look at all the new articles that were published here on About Judaism in January 2012. Hope the new year is off to a great start for you!

1. Choosing a Hebrew Name for Your Baby
2. Jewish Bedtime Rituals for Children
3. The Kaddish Prayer: A Guide to the Different Forms of the Kaddish
4. The Mourner's Kaddish

Image credit: Getty Images/PNC

As one of the Seven Species pomegranates are traditional Tu B'Shvat fare. But what can you do with them aside from eating the delicious seeds? Here are a few yummy ideas.

• Mango Pomegranate Guacamole
• Ruby Yacht (pomegranate & champagne cocktail)
• Pomegranate Pilaf
• Pomegranate Syrup (which you can drizzle over stuffed dates or use to make tequila sunrises)
• Battered Chicken Wings with Pomegranate and Mango Barbecue Sauce
• Orange Blossom Cheesecake with Raspberry and Pomegranate Sauce

Also, in case you're wondering how to easily remove pomegranate seeds, here's the trick:

Cut your pomegranate in half, then hold it cut-side down in the palm of your hand over a large bowl. With your other hand use the back of a large spoon to smack the pomegranate firmly. It may take a couple whacks, but the seeds will fall out and into your bowl.

Image credit: Ruby Yacht Cocktail via Two Tarts

Every year the Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens for their quality and ability to portray the Jewish experience. The award is named after Sydney Taylor, the author of the classic "All-of-a-Kind Family" series.

At a recent mid-winter meeting the Association of Jewish Libraries announced the 2012 award winners. If you're looking for new Jewish books to add to your child's library you might want to check these ones out. I'm especially interested in "Chanukah Lights" by Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda. This gorgeous book was featured in one of my parenting magazines and takes the concept of pop-up-book to another level entirely. (See image above).

• Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Holly Meade (Ages 4+)
• Around the World in One Shabbat by Durga Yael Bernhard (Ages 4+)
• Chanukah Lights, by Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda. (Ages 5+)
• Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Ages 10+)
• Hammerin' Hank Greenberg by Shelly Sommer (Ages 10+)
• Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins, Anne Timmons and Mo Oh. (Ages 11+)
• The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow (Ages 13+)