Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

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...

Wondering what we are so disgusted about? Click here .

Today, let's get to know award winning Australian children's book author Christopher Cheng . I've asked Chris a few questions so that he can introduce himself and his work to readers of Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind. Thank you so much for sharing, Chris! What was it like growing up Asian Australian? How has the experience informed, influenced, and/or inspired your work as a writer for young readers? My dad is from Hong Kong and my mother was born here of European ancestry. I have the best of both worlds being half Australian born Chinese. I got to live in Australia but travel to Hong Kong regularly as a kid, meeting relatives and having just the best fun!!!! Growing up I was in a school with kids whose parents were of a range of different heritages. There were though only a few of Chinese ancestry and I would think that it is true to say that I really didn't think that I was much different to any of the other kids - although I did have a Chinese name! Now as I tr...

My beautiful cousin Kate, who lives in Manama, Bahrain, has sent me a copy of Abdullah and His Grandfather , written by Andy McNab and illustrated by Patricia Al Fakhri. I can't wait to read it and blog about it! Abdullah and His Grandfather was published in 2008 by Jerboa Books . Jerboa Books is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is dedicated to producing top quality children's books with a focus on Arabia. I am so glad to have discovered this publisher! Mardel of Rabid Reader has given Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind a Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you so much, Mardel! By the way folks, Mardel is a really youthful and cool grandmother! :o)