Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

Picture Book Winner: Yasmin’s Hammer written by Ann Malaspina and illustrated by Doug Ghayka (Lee and Low, 2010) Picture Book Honor: Fly Free! written by Roseanne Thong and illustrated by Eujin Kim Neilan (Boyds Mills Press, 2010) Children’s Literature Winner: Heart of a Samurai written by Margi Preus (Amulet Books, 2010) Children’s Literature Honor: Bamboo People written by Mitali Perkins (Charlesbridge, 2010) Young Adult Literature Winner: Shooting Kabul written by N. H. Senzai (Simon and Schuster, 2010) Young Adult Literature Honor: A Boy of Heart Mountain written by Barbara Bazaldua and illustrated by Willie Ito (Yabitoon Books, 2010) The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature honor and recognize the literary and artistic merit of work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage. Click here to see the winners in the adult fiction and adult nonfiction categories. Congratulations to all! =D

* Check out my feature on middle grade author Wendy Wan-Long Shang over at Color Online . =D * Another link of interest (in case you missed it): "Children's Publishing in Asia" by Teri Tan . * CONGRATULATIONS to children's book writer and illustrator Shaun Tan for winning this year's Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award , the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature. * Speaking of awards for children's and young adult literature, there is a fantastic new one. The South Asia Book Award will be given annually in recognition of a published work of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or folklore, from early childhood to secondary reading levels, published in the U.S., Canada, or U.K., in English, which accurately and skillfully portrays South Asia or South Asians in the diasporas. Very exciting!

Now available is the picture book - for ages 4-8 - Dream Big, Little Pig! written by Kristi Yamaguchi (yes, the Olympic figure skater!) and illustrated by Tim Bowers (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2011). Dream Big, Little Pig! is the fun and inspiring story of Poppy, a pot-bellied, waddling, toddling little pig who wants to be a star. Poppy dreams of being a posh prima ballerina, a soulful singer, a big-time splashy supermodel, a spectacular ice-skating star, and the first sky-diving pig. With the support and encouragement of her mother, grandparents, and best friend, Poppy works hard and pursues all of her dreams. She doesn't achieve all of them, and several people tell her to just give up. But Poppy is a plucky little pig and she persists until she finds what is right for her. You'll be cheering for her all throughout the story! With its pink-purple-glittery book design, adorable illustrations, hopeful and positive tone, and story about patience and perseverance, Dream Big, Li...

All I could do yesterday was follow the news and try to contact my friends in Japan. Now, more than ever, I have Asia in the heart and the world on my mind. I pray for all the people and countries affected by the earthquakes and tsunami, but most especially for Japan. Stay safe, everyone.

My cousins Bobby and Lina Bear (yes, their last name is "Bear") are visiting and the first thing Bobby told me when he saw me was, " Ate , story time." Perfect! Today is World Read Aloud Day . I read aloud Prince Bear & Pauper Bear , written by Emily Lim and illustrated by Neal Sharp (Mustard Seed Books, 2007). As you can imagine, my cousins were tickled by my choice of book. What did you read aloud today? =D

I was so happy to blog again today. Please click here to read my new interview with Candy Gourlay for Color Online. :o)

Orchards by Holly Thompson (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg — a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American — wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother's ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family's mikan orange groves. Kana's mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana's father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.