Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

To celebrate Bangkok, Thailand being the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital, some international schools organized the Bangkok Book Awards . Congratulations to the authors, illustrators, and publishers below! Bangkok Book Awards - Picture Book Category Winner The Umbrella Queen , written by Shirin Bridges and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Greenwillow Books, 2008) Bangkok Book Awards - Junior Book Category Winner Tua and the Elephant , written by R.P. Harris and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Chronicle Books, 2012)   Bangkok Book Awards - Teen Book Category Winner Behind the Painting: And Other Stories by Siburapha (Silkworm Books, 2001)

For having freedom of speech, tons of reading programs, and a strong publishing industry, Bangkok, Thailand is the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital . To celebrate this honor, international schools in Bangkok are running the Bangkok Book Awards for the best children’s and teen books set in Thailand. I would really like to commend the ten amazing and hardworking librarians from these schools for putting together the awards shortlists. Over three months, they read children's and teen books set in Thailand and chose age-appropriate, high quality books available in English and still in print. Each shortlist includes at least one book by a Thai author and one book by an international author, books set in different parts of Thailand, and at least one book in translation from Thai. You can check out the picture book shortlist here , the junior book shortlist here , and the teen book shortlist here . They are a GREAT way to discover good children's and teen books set in Thailand. =D ...

The first of The Adventures of BB and Sam , an ebook series from Dubai-based Bon Education , takes children to Thailand! I'm thinking of checking it out! [Edited to add: The illustrator for the ebook is from the Philippines!!!]

Vonlai knows that soldiers who guard the Mekong River shoot at anything that moves, but in oppressive Communist Laos, there’s nothing left for him, his spirited sister, Dalah, and his desperate parents. Their only hope is a refugee camp in Thailand—on the other side of the river. When they reach camp, their struggles are far from over. Na Pho is a forgotten place where life consists of squalid huts, stifling heat, and rationed food. Still, Vonlai tries to carry on as if everything is normal. He pays attention in school, a dusty barrack overcrowded with kids too hungry to learn. And he plays soccer in a field full of rocks to forget his empty stomach. But when someone inside the camp threatens his family, Vonlai calls on a forbidden skill to protect their future, a future he’s sure is full of promise, if only they can make it out of Na Pho alive. Hi, everyone! :o) Today's interview is with the beautiful Laura Manivong , author of Escaping the Tiger (HarperCollins, 2010), a treasure...

I'm a fan of Thai American children's book illustrator Dan Santat . The man and his work are SO FUNNY. For a proper introduction, watch Mr. Santat's video portfolio below:

This was originally posted at Into the Wardrobe on May 16, 2008. I am thrilled to interview the funny and fabulous Cherry Cheva, author of the great and very hip fusion story She's So Money . :D You are a writer for the Fox animated TV series Family Guy. What made you decide to write young adult fiction? Can you tell us about your road to publication as a writer for teens? I actually sort of fell into it—I mean, when I was a kid I always thought it would be cool to write a book, but then I was focused on getting into TV writing for so long that I didn't really think about it seriously until my agent had another client who was doing a book-related project. He asked if I wanted to give it a try, and I was like hell yes! But if you count the road to getting my job on Family Guy, which no doubt helped me land the book deal in the first place, the story is much longer, involving moving to LA and getting a series of assistant jobs while writing spec scripts and trying to find an ag...

This was originally posted at Into the Wardrobe on May 16, 2008. Thai American Maya Naravadee is an obedient daughter to her parents and a great older sister to her brother Nat. (Family is number one for Maya!) She works really hard at her family's restaurant, Pailin Thai Cuisine. She's a high school senior who's always gotten straight As. She's even a student tutor. Maya is the "smart chick," a "good girl." (Hahahahahaha, another protagonist I can relate to.:o) ) When Maya's parents attend a wedding and go to a trade show out of town, Maya is in charge of the family restaurant for five days. She has everything under control until she encounters two difficult customers who threaten to contact the Health Department. That night, Maya goes straight home after the dinner shift, too tired from the difficult customers to do the usual restaurant cleanup. Unfortunately, the angry customers do contact the Health Department, and when the Health Inspector...