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Shen's Books is a publisher and resource for children's books that promote cultural understanding.
Our specialties include Cinderella tales from around the world, Asian and Latin American cultures, and immigrant lives in America.
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Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap: 33
Every year, the Sun Gallery in Hayward, California hosts a showcase of artwork from children's books. This year, art from Maneki Neko: The Tale of the Beckoning Cat will be featured in the show, and illustrator Kathryn Otoshi will be at the Artist Reception on March 19, 2001 from 1:00-4:00.
From the Sun Gallery: Our 22nd Annual Childrens Book Illustrators Exhibit opens February 9, and features nine artists this year as well as the work of art students from Chabot College. There will be an artist and book signing reception on Saturday, March 19th from 1:00pm - 4:00pm, where you will have the opportunity to meet many of the illustrators and have them sign books you might want to purchase. So, bring your kids along to this fun and informative event and see how the magic of illustration and language creates engaging children's literature.
This year's artists are: Gabriele Bungardt-Mup the Pup, Joe Cepeda-From North to South, Felicia Hoshino-My Dog Teny, Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher-For the Love of Music, Elisa Kleven-Welcome Home, Mouse, Lea Lyon-Keep your Ear on the Ball, Mark Meyers-Counting Cows, Yuyi Morales- Floating on Mama's Song, Kathryn Otoshi Maneki Neko: The Tale of the Beckoning Cat
Artist Reception & Book Signing Party: Saturday, March 19, 2011, from 1-4 PM.
Teachers: Classroom tours of the gallery with a studio art project are available. Call or email the gallery to schedule your guided tour: 510-581-4050/ [email protected]
Linda Gerdner, author of Grandfather's Story Cloth, will be speaking at the 2011 Re-SEAing Conference in San Francisco. The conference, devoted to Southeast Asian Studies, will be held at San Francisco State University. This year's theme is "Memories & Visions: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." It is fitting, therefore, that Linda Gerdner will be speaking about Alzheimer's Disease: Stimulating Remote Memories Though Grandfather's Story Cloth.
More information about the conference:
The third tri-annual interdisciplinary Southeast Asians in the diaspora conference will take place at San Francisco State University. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to sizable populations of Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Lao, Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, and Vietnamese Americans. This conference will foreground the large Southeast Asian American communities of the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and the Pacific Northwest, as well as continue to build momentum and grow just as the Southeast Asian American demographics increase in size and visibility here in the U.S. and in particular, on the West Coast.
The main objectives of this conference are: · to encourage the interdisciplinary and comparative study of Southeast Asian American peoples and their communities; · to promote national and international cooperation in the field; · to establish partnerships between academia and the community.
This two-day conference explores memories (e.g., memories of homeland; memories of war; memories of childhood and growing up American; historical memories; embodied memories; intergenerational memories; technologies of memories; and imagined/created memories) and visions (actual sightings and sites of Southeast Asian Americans and their communities, both real and imaginary). Because this conference takes place after the constitutionally mandated 2010 census, the focus will be on locating/situating Southeast Asian American Studies for the 21st century.
The 2010 JAMsj Winter Boutique will feature annual favorites
including Japanese-style collages, clothing and accessories made from
vintage Japanese kimono, hand-crafted jewelry, Japanese folk dolls,
washi crafts, stationery, hand-dyed silk scarves and many more specialty
gifts!
Note that the Boutique will be at the San Jose Buddhist Church (640 N. 5th St., San Jose), not the museum.
Author/Illustrator Kathryn Otoshi at JAMsj Winter Boutique Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:00am - 1:00pm (Boutique open 10:00am - 4:00pm) San Jose Buddhist Church 640 N. 5th St. San Jose, CA
Come to the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California! Enjoy a FREE Family Festival
with a pan-Asian theme: "Honoring our Ancestors/Celebrating Family
History." The festival runs from 12 Noon - 4:00 PM, and author Susan Lendroth will read and
sign Maneki Neko: The Tale of the Beckoning Cat at 2:00 PM. Author Susan Lendroth at the Pacific Asia Museum "Honoring our Ancestors/Celebrating Family History" Festival Saturday, October 30, 2010 2:00 PM Reading/Signing 12 Noon - 4:00 PM Festival Open 46 North Los Robles Avenue
As part of the American Library Association's conference, the Asian/Pacific American Librarian's Association held their annual banquet and award dinner on June 27. This year, Dorina Lazo Gilmore and Kristi Valiant were honored for their book, Cora Cooks Pancit. Here they are, meeting for the first time at the dinner!
It's the first signing for the release of Maneki Neko: The Tale of the Beckoning Cat! Author Susan Lendroth will be at Sierra Madre Books in Sierra Madre, CA (in the greater Los Angeles area) on June 26, 2010. She'll be there from 11:00am until 12:30pm. See you there! Author Susan Lendroth Signing Saturday, June 26, 2010 11 am - 12:30 pm Sierra Madre Books 52 West Sierra Madre Boulevard Sierra Madre, CA 91024-2434 (626) 836-3200
Proofs have been approved, and Maneki Neko is off to print. Want a peek at what's in store? Here are two interior spreads from the book. For those who have pre-ordered, I'm hoping you'll have your books by the end of the month. Fingers crossed.
More good news for Cora Cooks Pancit: The Cooperative Children's Book Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has chosen Cora for its list of top children's book picks for 2010!
The 2010 edition of CCBC Choices features
annotated entries for 235 books for children and young adults
published
in
2009 and recommended by the CCBC staff. CCBC Choices 2010
includes author/title and subject indexes. CCBC Choices 2010
also includes an essay about the 2009 publishing year.
CCBC Choices is created annually by the librarians of
the Cooperative Children's Book Center and published by the Friends
of the CCBC, Inc.
To request a copy be sent by U.S.mail:
Wisconsin
residents: send $3.00 (to cover postage and handling) OR a
self-addressed manila envelope with $2.75 postage to: CCBC Choices 600
N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
Outside
Wisconsin: Send $10 to: CCBC Choices Friends of the CCBC, Inc. P.O.
Box 5189 Madison, WI 53705
We are pleased to announce that Cora Cook Pancit, by Dorina Lazo Gilmore and illustrated by Kristi Valiant, has won the 2010 Award for Literature! Past winners in the picture book category have included Ed Young and Linda Sue Park, so we are very honored to be in such good company.
In addition, the honorable mention picture book this year was Tan to Tamarind, which was written by our very own Malathi Michelle Iyengar, author of Romina's Rangoli.
In this week's Multicultural Minute video, author Beverly Patt mentions that the authenticity of an author's voice was a "very controversial subject at the time [of writing her book]." At the time! That's funny, since it's one of the most controversial subjects of ALL time. And it's one of the issues that fascinates me most. Who should have the right to tell a story? Can people outside of a group write authentically about members of the group?
I asked these and similar questions to authors I met at the Kindling Words conference and noticed that a number of authors had decided, after struggling with this question, to write their book from a Caucasian character's point of view. Even if the story and theme were about the other group, they created a character who filtered the story through their own Caucasian experience.
There were a few reasons for this, but the biggest was that the authors were afraid of receiving criticism for co-opting a story from a group they did not belong to. And while it's true that some outspoken individuals believe that no one can represent a group they don't have firsthand knowledge of, they underestimate the power of imaginative empathy and the mighty strength of good research.
And they also seem to forget a most important point: no one is asking the author to represent an entire group of people. We are asking them to present one person's story. Almost because there is so little available about some people, we expect every story to be THE representative story and not just A story.
Unfortunately, this fear of criticism, coupled with a disproportionately large percentage of white published authors, results in a publishing landscape where too many people of color are relegated to secondary-character roles.
So. As you may know, I do not agree that any one group of people has more of a right to tell a story than another. I do not believe in looking at the author's name before judging the quality of a book (and even if I did, what would that tell me, in this day and age?). I urge authors to write on whatever subjects most move you, and from the point of view that most moves you. Don't be cowed by the small-minded and exclusionary among us. When they twitter and post diatribes on the blogs, don't worry. We of the broad mind and love of the good story will be here to cover your back.
This week's special guest is author Beverly Patt. She has book coming out in April called Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook. I ask her how she handled being an "outsider" and writing about the Japanese experience.
For more information about Beverly Patt, visit her website.
Last weekend, I attended the Kindling Words conference, which was an amazing weekend spent with distinguished children's book authors, illustrators, and editors. Not only did I learn a lot about the publishing trade, but I got to meet a whole slew of great people, and I got to talk to a bunch of them about multicultural books. Even better, the issue of multiculturalism in children's literature came up on the last day, and we had an insightful and productive discussion about how we can make the future of children's books more multicultural. This discussion was led by author Christine Taylor-Butler, who I caught afterward to ask the question: What is your one wish for the future of multicultural children's books?
A public service announcement from the great folks at Mixed Roots:
"The largest west coast Loving Day celebration kicks off the 3rd Annual Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival on June 12, 2010. The Festival celebrates storytelling of the Mixed racial and cultural experience and brings together innovative artists, film and book lovers, and families for two days of writing and film workshops, readings, film screenings, a special family event and live performance by talented comedians, musicians and actors. All events are free and open to the public.
"WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING FILM, LITERARY, LIVE PERFORMANCE, AND WORKSHOP SUBMISSIONS. For submission requirements and more information, visit: www.mxroots.org"
I was thrilled to receive a sweet note from Eileen Spinelli. I've been friends with her for a few years now, and sent her a copy of The Falling Flowers when it first came out. She and husband Jerry used my book as an entry in their new book, Today I Will, published by Alfred A. Knopf. It's a book about a year of quotes, notes and promises to myself... Anyway- looks like a great book- have it on order. :) And, it's always awesome to be part of something so special!
The books that appear in these annotated book lists were evaluated and selected by a Book Review Committee appointed by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and assembled in cooperation with the Children's Book Council (CBC). NCSS and CBC have cooperated on this annual bibliography since 1972.
Books selected for this bibliography are written primarily for children in grades K-8. The selection committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text. Each book is read by several reviewers, and books are included on the list by committee assent.
Debbi Michiko Florence talks about what she loved most writing her two non-fiction titles, China and Japan.
More about Debbi Michiko Florence's books:
China Children can dig in with hands, feet and mind to 4,000 years of this country's history, traditions and culture. Through photos, illustrations, diagrams, interviews and activities children will gain a deeper understanding of China and its people.
Japan A hands-on, interactive guide to the culture, history, people, and traditions of Japan. Children will:
learn how to write and speak some Japanese words
explore fascinating places like Mount Fuji and Tokyo
learn how to fold origami and how to use chopsticks
discover what schools in Japan are like
More than 40 activities, modern photographs, diagrams, and humorous art bring this fascinating country to life.
Oh, it's coming up really fast-- in just over a week, I'll be heading
to the Asilomar Conference Center for the Santa Clara County Reading
Association's annual conference. We'll have a table and will be selling
books, so stop by, say hello, and check out our newest publications!
See you there!
Cora is the youngest child in a Filipino-American family. She longs to do things her older brother and three older sisters do. One day when her older siblings are all gone, she sees her chance. This is the day she helps her mother make pancit, a chicken, vegetable, noodle dish. As Mother and Cora cook together, Mother tells stories of Lolo, Cora's grandfather, who migrated from the Philippines to California. The pancit is served for the evening meal with five children, Mother, and Father all enjoying this special dish. As Cora observes the dinnertime scene, she replaces the doubt she had about her contributions with pride in her work.
Both story and illustrations capture the frustration of being the youngest, while it celebrates a close family with a loving and understanding mother. And the story not only tells of the immigrant experience, it provides the very pleasant way of experiencing culture through oral family stories and food. A glossary reviews the Tagalog words used, and the recipe for pancit is on the final page.
Happy New Year! Yes, I took two weeks off from making videos at the end of the year, but now I'm excited about the new year and ready to talk about multicultural books!
This week's video features a book called Minutka: The Bilingual Dog by Anna Mycek-Wodecki. It sparked my imagination about bilingual pets and bilingual texts. Take a look.
Christmas means different things to everyone, and the spirit of the holiday can take on special meaning when you're far away from home. In this episode, I talk about four Christmas stories about families from four different cultures.
Books mentioned in this episode: The Christmas Gift by Francisco Jimenez, illustrated by Claire B. Cotts Tree of Cranes by Allen Say Yoon and the Christmas Mitten by Helen Recorvits, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas by Pauline Chen
Join us for a fun Christmas event at Petunia's Place bookstore,
including signings by local authors. This is a great opportunity to do
some Christmas shopping for all the little people on your list.
Dorina
Lazo Gilmore (CORA COOKS PANCIT) will be signing from 11:00am until 1:00pm. Other authors, including Margarita Engle (THE POET SLAVE OF
CUBA) and Doug Hansen (MOTHER GOOSE IN CALIFORNIA), will be signing
books as well.
If you are outside the Fresno area, Dorina is offering
signed copies of her book at a discount of $15 plus shipping. Delight a
little person with this colorful children's book.
Dorina Lazo Gilmore at Petunia's Place Saturday, December 5, 2009 11:00am - 1:00pm 2017 W Bullard Ave. Fresno, CA 93711
