Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

*I've blogged about Ruby Lu, Brave and True , an early chapter book written by Lenore Look and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf, over at Color Online. Click here to read the post. I loved Ruby Lu, Brave and True so much that I read it twice in a row. I just bought the sequel Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything , so expect me to blog about it at Color Online next week. :o) *I've been given a Sunshine Award by Megumi Lemons of Goomie's World . "The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world." Thank you, Megumi! Megumi is an illustrator and you should all check out her work here . *I will be in Singapore from May 5 to May 9 to attend the very first Asian Festival of Children's Content . Expect blog posts from me about the festival. I AM SO EXCITED!!! Let me know if you are going to the festival too. :o)

The Valentine's Day concert is just a few days away. Ruby Rai is part of the Loveheart Dance. Unfortunately, when Ruby stands on tiptoe and turns circles, she wobbles and falls over. When she jumps, her feet hardly leave the ground. When she tries to wave her heart-shaped balloon gracefully, it gets caught between her knees. Ruby wants to dance just like her Auntie Pooja who won a Bollywood dancing competition! Auntie Pooja gives Ruby a heart made of rubies for good luck. Will it help Ruby dance gracefully during the concert? A Heart for Ruby , written by Franzeska Ewart and illustrated by Lauren Tobia (Walker Books, 2009), is a really quiet book with three connected short stories for children, but I like it. I like how it handles the ideas of luck and self-confidence in a very gentle and natural way. I like how above all it is a touching book about the relationship between an aunt and her niece. Tariq Chaudury simply adores his funny dad. But when his teacher invites his dad to ...

Watch the book trailer for Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger: Author Neesha Meminger 's debut work is Shine, Coconut Moon , an important and interesting young adult novel about the many complexities of family, identity, and living between two cultures. I've asked Neesha some questions to get to know more about her and her work. Thank you, Neesha, for answering my questions. And thank you very much for Shine, Coconut Moon - my wonderful gateway to learning about Indians, Indian Americans, and Sikhism! Can you please tell us a bit about your South Asian heritage? I was born in Punjab, India and we moved to Canada when I was five. I have been in the west since. My parents didn't speak a word of English, so we spoke only Punjabi at home, and only English at school. I think it took me a while to figure out both, but it's where my fascination with the rhythms of language, the importance of word choice, and the power of the word took root. Growing up, were you more lik...

I am absolutely THRILLED to be interviewing Grace Lin today! Grace Lin is a Taiwanese American children's book author and illustrator - and a really impressive one at that. Her work is always charming and endearing. And her work is always excellent storytelling. Grace's most recent book is the Newbery Honor-winning middle grade fantasy novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon . Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is one of my favorite children's books (click here to read my review of it). Grace's next book is the easy reader Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! , which is out in July. Hi, Grace! Welcome! What were you like as a young reader? Well, I have to admit my tastes have not changed a great deal since then. I love to read but if the book does not have a happy ending, I feel completely gypped (as a young reader, I threw away my copy of CS Lewis ' The Last Battle with a great deal of disgust). I tend to like "cozy" books--books t...

I'd like to share a few pictures from the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the National Book Development Board - Philippines and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People for the 1st National Children's Book Awards. All photos and information are courtesy of children's and young adult book editor Ramón "Rayvi" Sunico, the publishing representative to the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. Thank you, Rayvi! This is the logo of the National Children's Book Awards, designed by children's book illustrator Ruben “Totet” De Jesus . And this is a model of the trophy for the awards. Isn't it adorable?! The final version will be a ceramic trophy mounted on a mahogany base with a brass plate. Here are members of the National Book Development Board - Philippines and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People discussing the awards before the signing of the memorandum of agreement. And here are pictures of the actual signing! Click...

This post is long overdue: I had the most amazing Friday in February. I got to have lunch with children's and young adult book author Candy Gourlay and her Philippine editor Ramón "Rayvi" Sunico. Aside from being a really great writer for young readers, Candy is the most down to earth person I have ever met. Rayvi is a pioneer in children's and young adult literature in the Philippines, and is a fountain of wisdom on reading and writing in general. After our lunch, Candy gave a talk at the Ateneo de Manila University - Suffering in Translation: A Filipino Author's Writing Journey. Here I am listening intently to Candy. I wish that every writer in the Philippines, not just the writers for young readers, had attended the talk. It was an inspiring reminder of the importance of hard work, patience, and perseverance in writing. Candy related her writing journey to the hero's journey . The end of the talk was a real treat for the audience! Candy and Rayvi signed ...

My name is Abdullah Bin Salim al Ashur and I live with my people in Wadi Hasik close to Al Haffah in the Governance of Dhofar on the southern coast of Oman. Abdullah and His Grandfather , written by Andy McNab and illustrated by Patricia Al Fakhri ( Jerboa Books , 2008) is about the greatest day of eleven-year-old Abdullah's life: the first day his grandfather took him to the wadi (dried riverbed) to harvest Boswellia trees for their luban (frankincense). Luban is essential to Abdullah and his grandfather and their people, and greatly prized in Omani history. Abdullah is very happy and eager to learn how to make a taqii (cut) on Boswellia tree branches using his manqaf (a traditional Arabic tool like a miniature scythe) so that luban will leak from the branches. The luban will harden and in two to three weeks time will resemble large pearls. These pearls of luban can then be removed from the trees and sold in the suqs (traditional Arab market places) of Salalah. Abdullah...