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Hello! :o) You may be visiting Into the Wardrobe for the first time because you read about it in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine. Welcome! I've put together this post to introduce you to Into the Wardrobe and the rest of the kidlitosphere.

Here are some of my favorite Into the Wardrobe posts:

Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour: Interview with Illustrator Shahar Kober

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Author/Illustrator Interview: Peter Brown

The winner of the Cybils middle grade science fiction and fantasy category is...

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Another Interview with Author Sue Fliess!

I highly, highly recommend these other kidlit and YA lit blogs. They are the reason I started blogging more seriously!

A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

A Fuse #8 Production

Chasing Ray

Chicken Spaghetti

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

You can follow me on my other social media accounts:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Tumblr

Thank you so, so much for stopping by! :o)

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Fully Booked (Philippines) hosts Ransom Riggs, author of the New York Times-bestselling young adult book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The Q&A and book signing will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, in Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street (Taguig).

Click here for more information.

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The students, teachers, and staff of Obelisk Interlinked Learner's Home do the Harlem Shake!

Don't forget to watch it in 480p. =P

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Happy International Book Giving Day!

We hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy giving a book to a kid! Please share a photo of you celebrating via Instagram or Twitter (hashtag #giveabook).

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Do you remember Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell (first published in 1983)? I reviewed it here several years ago! There is a Kickstarter project underway to help fund a graphic novel version and I encourage all of you to check it out and contribute to the cause. Ratha's Creature is an excellent and truly unique young adult novel that should be introduced to a new generation of readers (especially those who love cats)! 

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The Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards returns for its second straight year, engaging the Filipino reading public in honoring their favorite Philippine-published titles.

An initiative of the Filipino Book Bloggers Group and Filipino book clubs, the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards debuted at the 2nd Filipino Reader Conference in 2012, and was established to develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine literature, recognize the reader’s role in creating the meaning and experience of a literary work, and give the readers a voice in the Philippine book industry.

For 2013, the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards will be open to books published from January to December 2012. The nomination period is set for May 2013, in preparation for the awards ceremony at the 3rd Filipino Reader Conference in August.

The 2012 winners of the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards (books published 2010-2011) were: “But That Won’t Wake Me Up!” by Annie and Anelka Lumbao and Liza Flores, Adarna House (Children’s Picture Book); “Fairy Tale Fail” by Mina V. Esguerra, Summit Books (Chick Lit); “Ilustrado” by Miguel Syjuco, Anvil Publishing (Novel in English), “Ang Huling Dalagang Bukid at ang Authobiography na Mali by Jun Cruz-Reyes, Anvil Publishing (Novel in Filipino); “KikoMachine Komiks Blg 6” by Manix Abrera, Visprint (Comics/Graphic Novel); “Alternative Alamat” edited by Paolo Chikiamco, Rocket Kapre and Flipside (Short Story Anthology); “It’s A Mens World” by Bebang Siy, Anvil Publishing (Essay Anthology); and “Off the Beaten Track: Tulaan sa Tren 2,” NBDB and Vibal Foundation (Poetry Anthology).

A preliminary survey for the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards is now ongoing at http://filipinoreadercon.wordpress.com/readers-choice-awards/frca-2013-survey/.

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We are looking for children’s book illustrators from countries around the world to design bookplates for International Book Giving Day 2013! If you are interested in designing a bookplate, please contact Amy Broadmoore at amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com.

International Book Giving Day is a grassroots, 100% volunteer initiative to encourage people to give books to children on February 14, 2013. To celebrate, people are invited to 1) give a book to a friend or family member, 2) leave a book in a waiting room for children to read, or 3) donate a book to an organization that distributes books to children in need.

Children’s book illustrators are invited to design bookplates that celebrants can attach to books they give to children. We welcome bookplates written in a variety of languages. The bookplates must be 11.4 cm x 6.9 cm (or 4.5 inches x 2.7 inches) in size. We will make the bookplates available for free at the International Book Giving Day website for people to download and print themselves. We will also offer the bookplates for sale as inexpensively as possible at International Book Giving Day’s Zazzle store.

Other ways for children’s book authors and illustrators to support International Book Giving Day:

• Add your name to the list of people giving books for International Book Giving Day. Fill out the very brief form on the home page of the International Book Giving Day website.
• Invite others to celebrate International Book Giving Day.
• Take a photo of yourself leaving a book in a waiting room, giving a book to a child, or otherwise celebrating International Book Giving Day for us to share at our website or Instagram page (#giveabook).

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The 2012 winners of the Golden Baobab Prize, a leading African literary award, have been announced. This year Joy Nwiyi of Nigeria, Jenny Robson of South Africa and Botswana, and Rutendo Chabikwa of Zimbabwe were selected as the distinguished winners by a prestigious panel of judges. They join the growing circle of promising authors chosen by the Golden Baobab Prize, which is the only prize of its kind. It is awarded annually to inspire the creation of quality African literature to be enjoyed by youth readers in Africa and around the world. The prize offers a monetary award to its winners and connects outstanding stories with an array of African and international publishers. 

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Click here to see all the finalists for the 1st Filipino Readers' Choice Awards! Congratulations to all the finalists!

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Filipino book bloggers and book club members have put together the 1st Filipino Readers' Choice Awards! The Awards aim to: develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine-published books, engage Filipino reading communities and honor their favorite Philippine-published books, and give Filipino readers a greater voice and recognize their vital role in the Philippine book industry.

Do you have favorite Philippine-published books from 2010 or 2011? Please nominate them for the 1st Filipino Readers' Choice Awards! Here are the categories for the Awards:

* Children’s picture book
* Chick lit
* Novel in English
* Novel in Filipino
* Comic/graphic novel
* Short story anthology
* Essay anthology
* Poetry collection

Click here for the nomination form. Nominations close next Monday, July 23!

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Friday July 20, 6 p.m. at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4 is the book signing event with New York Times bestselling YA author Alyson Noël! See you there. =D

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Literature, Media, and the Romance of Childhood: States of Innocence and the Business of Frightening Our Children, an interdisciplinary conference for early career researchers and postgraduates

MA/MS/PhD students and independent researchers are welcome.

When: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.*) and Wednesday, August 22, 2012 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)

Where: The University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City (specific rooms to be announced)

We welcome 250- to 300-word abstracts from postgraduates and early career researchers who would like to contribute 20-minute papers to a two-day conference at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Paper topics include but are not limited to:

children's literature
innocence and experience
the sexualization of children in literature and in the media
the gothic imagination and the literature of horror
conduct literature and media didacticism
maternity, paternity, and parenting
the Harry Potter phenomenon and relevant popular literature
eroticism in literary material for children and teens
laws for the protection of children
the infantilization of women in print and visual culture, film, and/or music
anxieties of masculinity and sexual offense
parents' responses to the hyperreal and the hyper-connected world
the social impact of niched cable and TV channels for children
ante-natal parenting programs at hospitals and the economics/politics of childcare
publishing for children
omnigamy, polyamorous partnerships, the neo-nuclear family, the child-raising village
pictures/images/movements of health, illness, and rehabilitation
population and crowding, playgrounds and spaces
fashion, ethics, aesthetics for restless, disaffected, and/or anti-social youth
publishing conduct literature for the 21st century

The first day of the conference aims to bring together researchers and practitioners engaged in the fields of Childhood Studies, Gothic Literature, Media Studies, Gender Studies, Early Childhood Development, Women's Health, Visual Arts and Mass Media, Children's Literature, Publishing for Children, Child Protection Services, Social Work, Community Development, and other related areas. It is hoped that the interdisciplinary nature of the conference opens up the terrain to a multitude of issues, topics, and theories surrounding Philippine and international perspectives on childhood and children's texts in various media.

The second day of the conference features artists, illustrators, publishers, bloggers, and other practitioners who have had years of experience in producing and reviewing reading material for children. Blogger-teacher Tarie Sabido chairs and moderates this round-table discussion.

All are welcome. Free admission for non-readers. Paper-readers can register at the door**.

Email 250- to 300-word abstracts and 50-word author bios to [email protected]

Deadline for abstract submissions: Monday, July 23, 2012

Conference website: to be posted at a later date


*Wine reception follows a tour of the Main Library Reading Rooms and archives

**Registration fee for conference packet photocopies

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For me, the best thing about blogging is the people - the community I am a part of. It's a joy interacting with other lovers of kidlit and YA lit, and I have some truly amazing friendships because of the kidlitosphere/YA blogosphere. I've been able to meet many book bloggers in the Philippines, and last month in Singapore, I met Liyana of Liyanaland. We were so happy to be spazzing over YA authors and K-pop together IN PERSON. We thought, why not do this with other kidlit and YA lit bloggers? Why not have an INTERNATIONAL book bloggers meetup? If you're interested in getting together with kidlit and YA lit bloggers from all over the world, please click here to fill out Liyana's survey. Help us plan this international meetup. I think we can really make this happen!

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Submit a story to the 2012 Golden Baobab Prize, a literary award for African stories that children and young adults all over the world will love!

The deadline for submissions to the 2012 Golden Baobab Prize is midnight GMT, Sunday, June 24, and the winners will be announced the first week of November.

Eligibility

* The author must be a citizen of an African state or a dual citizenship holder (a copy of a passport or comparable document will be required of winners).

* African citizens of all ages qualify to present submissions.

* Writers below the age of 18 years will be automatically considered for the Rising Writer Prize.

* There is no restriction on race or geographical location.

Submission Guidelines

Contestants and entries must comply with ALL of the following criteria. Works that do not conform to the rules will be disqualified.

* Submitted stories should fall into either Category A (stories for readers aged 8-11 years) or Category B (stories for readers aged 12-15 years).

* An entry should be a work of fiction between 1,000 to 5,000 words. The category a story falls into may influence its length.

* There are no restrictions on themes but stories must be set in Africa or have very evident African content.

* Stories should be in written in English and should not have been previously published elsewhere, in part or in full.

* Pseudonyms may not be used. Entries must be submitted under the entrant's real name.

* Entrants may enter up to five stories.

* All entries must be the unaided work of the entrant.

* Previous entrants and winners of the Prize are eligible to enter in subsequent years.

* The title page of submissions should state the category and title of the story. All biographical information should be sent in the body of the submission email.

ALL entries will be acknowledged with an email to the address from which the entry was sent.

For all queries visit our FAQ page or contact: [email protected]

Submitting Your Story

Entries should be submitted as typed Microsoft word or PDF documents. There should be a title page with the following information:

Title of Story
Category
Age of entrant

The body of the email should include the following personal information:

Name
Title of story
Age of entrant
Country of citizenship
Category
Email
Phone number (country code - area code - number)
How I heard about the Golden Baobab Prize (just a sentence or two)

Submissions will be accepted as email attachments to: [email protected]

Good luck, everyone!!! =D

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My brother JP and his teammates Galilee and Marvin just won the gold medal in the men's team poomsae division of the 2nd Asian Taekwondo Championships in Vietnam! Click here to watch JP, Galilee, and Marvin being interviewed about their victory. The interview starts at 11:35 and is mostly in English. =D

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Gosh, do you guys remember back-to-school shopping? I LOVED back-to-school shopping. Choosing new notebooks, new crayons and other art supplies, new pencils and pens, new shoes. . . and of course, new clothes!!!

A Dress for Me! written by Sue Fliess and illustrated by Mike Laughead (Amazon Children's Publishing, 2012), the companion book to Shoes for Me! (Amazon Children's Publishing, 2011), is a fun and RELEVANT picture book that captures some of the excitement - and frustration - of back-to-school shopping.

Click here to read my review of Shoes for Me! and click here to read my first interview with Sue Fliess. Then check out the book trailer below for more about A Dress for Me!



Sue Fliess steps Into the Wardrobe again today to talk about A Dress for Me! Welcome back, Sue! =D


Why do picture books matter? What keeps you inspired and motivated to write picture books?

First, all books matter! But I think every kind of book serves a different purpose – and all are important. A picture book (and I do not have a background in education) is the first type of book children are exposed to, so it’s really helping develop their little spongy and curious minds, and help them make sense of the world around them. Before they even understand what the words mean, they are absorbing the illustrations – but at the same time, making a connection between the words and the illustrations in some way – and that is a powerful thing. They are long enough to hold a child’s attention, but short and engaging enough for them to want to read them over and over. I can’t think of another vehicle that does this as well as a picture book.

I love writing picture books. When I’m writing something longer and I’m struggling, my reward is to visit a picture book manuscript I’m working on and tinker. (Though, many may call that procrastinating!) I write a lot of my stories in rhyme, and frankly, it’s simply fun to write them! It is so satisfying when I get that one turn of phrase just right, or I’m able to convey a storyline in one stanza. I’m around kids a lot – my own and my friends’ children too – and it’s something about the innocence of the age that picture books target that keeps me striving to make each story better than the last. Also, the competition is fierce, so I can’t let myself settle on anything. If I’m not feeling the love for part of a story, I know it’s not going to slip by unnoticed – by a publishe

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The first volume of the anthology‭ ‬Philippine Speculative Fiction,‭ ‬which was first released in‭ ‬2005‭ ‬and paved the way for a unique literary movement in the Philippines,‭ ‬is now available as an eBook on Amazon and Flipreads.‭ ‬Series editor Dean Francis Alfar has partnered with Flipside Publishing to make the first four anthologies in the series available.‭ ‬The two books complement the speculative fiction eBooks in Flipside Publishing's lineup.

“Speculative Fiction opens the trapdoor of the imagination beneath our feet,”‭ ‬says Dean Francis Alfar,‭ ‬on why the genre is important.‭ “‬As we fall to new worlds,‭ familiar or far-flung,‭ ‬we open our eyes and minds to new ways of seeing and thinking.‭ ‬Throughout human history,‭ ‬the ability to imagine has driven us forward.”

Stories from the‭ ‬Philippine Speculative Fiction series have been included in the Honorable Mentions list of‭ ‬The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link‭, and Gavin J.‭ ‬Grant,‭ ‬while the individual anthologies have been praised by World Fantasy Award-winning author Jeffrey Ford and SF writer Nancy Jane Moore.

Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.‭ ‬1 is now available on Amazon for‭ ‬$0.99‭ ‬and‭ Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.‭ ‬2 for‭ ‬$3.99.‭ ‬The next two volumes will eventually be released in May.‭ ‬The eBooks are also available at‭ ‬http://www.flipreads.com for P80 and P195 respectively.

Other speculative fiction titles that Flipside Publishing has published include‭ Lower Myths by Eliza Victoria,‭ ‬Alternative Alamat edited by Paolo Chikiamco,‭ ‬Geek Tragedies by Carljoe Javier,‭ ‬News of the Shaman by Karl De Mesa,‭ ‬and‭ ‬Ghosts of Infinity edited by Lara Saguisag‭ and ‬April Yap.‭

Flipside Publishing Services Inc.,‭ ‬sister company of Flipside Digital Content,‭ ‬is involved in leading-edge conversion,‭ ‬production,‭ ‬and publishing of eBooks.‭ ‬Over‭ ‬100‭ ‬eBooks are available for the Amazon Kindle,‭ ‬Apple iTunes,‭ ‬and B&N Nook.

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I really want to congratulate Filipina singer Charice Pempengco for winning this year's Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Asian Act!

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Remember my blogging workshop at the Filipinas Heritage Library? The picture above is with about half of the participants. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of the participants. I really enjoyed meeting new people and talking about blogging and other social media!

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That the movie adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender should have been a bit more like this:



Read: ASIAN (and Inuit!) people with elemental powers.

And yes, I'm bringing this up again because of those racist Hunger Games tweets, because Avatar: The Legend of Korra has started (Why do I get the sinking feeling there are still people out there who will deny the Asian and Inuit roots of the Avatar world?), and because I like that K-pop group in the video.

[Cross-posted from Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind.]

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Book blogger Charles Tan told me a bit about this and then Tu Books editorial director Stacy Whitman shared a link on Facebook. . . Apparently there are Hunger Games fans who are very disappointed, even outraged, about the black actors cast in the movie.

*flips tables*

Click here to read an article about it.

Edited to add: I'm angry I'm angry I'm angry. So one of the messages being sent is that Amandla Stenberg "ruined" the Hunger Games movie BY BEING BLACK??? I cannot find the words to describe how angry I am right now.

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