Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

I found out about this festival in Qatar from Asia Writes . (Click on the images to enlarge them and to find out more about the festival.) I sooooooooooooooooooooo want to go. Who's going? :o)

I've got another special author interview for you today! Meet Becky Bravo, one of the nine winners of the first Philippine National Children's Book Awards . Here is the official Philippine National Children's Book Award citation for Becky's book, Just Add Dirt (illustrated by Jason Moss and published by Adarna House in 2009): One morning, Miguel wakes up to find little mung bean seedlings growing out of his ears. "That's what you get for not taking a bath," his mother says quite nonchalantly. Miguel promises to take a bath, but he keeps putting it off so that he can play with his friends. Meanwhile, more and more plants start growing all over his body - a veritable vegetable garden! Miguel starts to panic, but his mother remains cool and calm. Becky Bravo has written very interesting characters and a funny, immensely entertaining story. Jason Moss' colorful, vivid, and detailed illustrations add even more humor to the book. Just Add Dirt will have c...

is on children's literature from India and the Indian diaspora! =D

I kinda fell in love with Tagu-Taguan by Jomike Tejido ( Tahanan Books , 2009). It's a counting book in Filipino, and I thought it was so refreshing that it counted backwards from 10 to 1, then reinforced the "lesson" of counting by counting again from 1 to 10. I also thought that the use of creepy crawlies for the counting was sure to be a hit with the young 'uns. Young 'uns love their creepy crawlies! =D Jomike Tejido is an architect, artist, and illustrator. This year he won two Philippine National Children's Book Awards for writing and illustrating Tagu-Taguan and for illustrating Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub . ( Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub is a picture book biography of Filipino pediatrician Fe del Mundo. It was written by Russell Molina and published by Bookmark in 2008). Here I have a special interview with Mr. Tejido. He's revealed a lot of what goes on behind his work (his inspirations and rituals, etc.) and I hope you enjoy reading all about it! Hi, Jomike! Con...

* Check out the website of the Philippine chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators! * Then check out the latest issue of Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. The essays section features children's book authors Margaret Hui Lian Lim , Emily Lim , Adeline Foo , and Sarah Brennan . LOVE. :o) Love, love, love, love, love!

* New blog alert! Filipino children's book author/illustrator May Tobias-Papa has a new blog, Little Wishing Star . May is charming, her work is charming, and her new blog is charming. Ch-ch-check it out! * The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (promoters of literacy, the love of reading, and children's books in the Philippines) also has a new blog . Be sure to watch that space! * Korean American children's and young adult author Paula Yoo is a guest blogger over at angry asian man . She gathered several librarians for a roundtable discussion on Asian American children's and young adult literature. EPIC. * During the Manila International Book Fair last week, I gave a presentation on blogging about children's and young adult literature. =D * ETA: And ooohhh, check out this site . It "contains reviews, articles, interviews, recommendations and blog posts related to: books and multimedia (in the English Language) for Muslim children and young adults (Isl...

Hi, everyone! I have another special guest today: Tutu Dutta-Yean. She's at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind to share a bit about herself and her work in children's literature. Welcome, Tutu! About the Author Tutu Dutta-Yean was born in India, but she grew up in Malaysia. She has traveled and lived in Japan and France as a student and later in Singapore, Nigeria, New York and Cuba as the wife of a diplomat. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from University Putra Malaysia and also devoted a few years researching this subject for a master’s degree in the University of Malaya before embarking on a career in public relations. Her lifelong interest in culture, folklore and children’s literature inspired her to research and write her first book, Timeless Tales of Malaysia . Since then she has published two more books: Eight Fortunes of the Qilin and Eight Jewels of the Phoenix . She has a teenaged daughter, Shona, who was born in Singapore. At present, Tutu i...