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“A book is a science laboratory, an art museum, a guided tour through history, a great friend. Books put the magic in the carpet ride.”

~quoted from the Parents’ Choice Foundation website.

Established in 1978 by author and educator Diana Huss Green with the goal of providing parents with information to participate wisely in their children’s learning outside the classroom, the Parents’ Choice Foundation is the oldest non-profit guide in the US to quality children’s media. Its panels of parents, educators, scientists, librarians, artists, as well as kids themselves, identify the very best products available to help kids and parents connect: “books with honesty and integrity of characters; illustration of elegance and imagination; toys with staying power; music that families can sing together; storytelling that teaches us lessons from lands and cultures close and far away; magazines that do not mask editorial content in advertising; television that teaches with civility and not chaos.”

In addition to lists of award winners and recommended books (and other products), the website, whose unofficial motto is “Read More. Play More. Learn More.”, also offers internet safety and media management guides and a variety of themed articles, including What-Kids-Who-Don’t-Like-To-Read-Like-To-Read and Have you Hugged an Ugly Book Today?. “Until the time when parenting road maps are issued with birth certificates, these guides should make [navigating the terrain of children's media] a little easier.” And with summer upon us, in the Northern Hemisphere, what could be better than some “guided” fun?… Jammed full of information and flavor, this website should be bookmarked and consulted time and again by parents and caregivers alike.

The following books have been awarded the Spring 2009 Parents’ Choice Seal in the picture book, fiction and non-fiction categories, respectively: A Party in Ramadan; Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life. And a shout-out is also in order for the multi-award winning Kahani Magazine, for its selection as a “2009 Parents’ Choice Recommended” children’s magazine.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I'm delighted to present a one-minute book trailer produced by Bethany Macleod for SECRET KEEPER.

The trailer stars Sejal, the daughter of my good friend Monika Jain, editor of the award-winning Kahani Magazine. The voiceover is moi. Enjoy.

Every year India New England showcases women who are "contributing to future generations." Award-winning Kahani magazine's Monika Jain and Sunitha Das were especially honored this year, and rightfully so. 

Check out these new reviews of First Daughter: White House Rules at Kahani magazine and Paper Tigers, and a couple of interviews at Harmony's Book Reviews and Robin Friedman's JerseyFresh Tude.

Scholastic editor Sandhya Nankani is guest-blogging at the always stimulating Sepia Mutiny site this month, and tells us about Disney's plans to diversify and update Enid Blyton's beloved Famous Five characters.

Among other innovations, the Mouse Factory is inventing a hip anglo-Indian character named Jyoti who is the daughter of the original hero of the books. Mutineers' comments reveal the impact that Brit Kid Lit, and especially Ms. Blyton (who wrote 800 books in 40 years!), had on South Asia and mixed feelings about this new venture.

Sandhya ends her post with a quote about Kahani magazine, a children’s literary magazine illuminating the richness and diversity that South Asian cultures bring to North America:

I feel so lucky that we have publications like the South Asian children’s literary magazine Kahani which ... just won the highly respected 2008 Parents’ Choice Award for magazines for the second year in a row. That’s a huge deal. This is a prestigious award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation which has been reviewing mainstream children’s media since 1978.

Spread the word about a great contest for kids organized by Kahani Magazine, a 2007 Parent's Choice Award Winner:

A gentle reminder that all short story submissions for Kahani's 3rd Annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest is due Friday, November 23, 2007. That's the day after Thanksgiving, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time before - or after - the partying to get your stories in. Entry forms have to be snail mailed and postmarked by that date. Go to the Kahani site for more details about prizes and rules. Winners also get their stories published in our Spring 2008 issue called Rock the Vote!

Cheers,

Kahani Staff

The Fall 2007 issue of Kahani: A South Asian Literary Magazine For Children has a holiday theme, and includes details about the magazine's third annual contest for young writers and illustrators. If you're educating and/or raising global young citizens, why wait? Head over there right now and subscribe.

Kahani (which means story in Hindi), a South Asian literary magazine for children, has won a 2007 Parents’ Choice Foundation Approved Award. Other winners in the same category include Sesame Street Magazine and American Girl.

Published four times a year, Kahani is an ad-free children’s literary magazine that features a vibrant mix of original short stories, nonfiction articles, biography series, interactive activities, comics, and book reviews. The editorial mission is simple: empower, educate, and entertain. While focused on the experiences of South Asian children raised in North America, “…this literary magazine reflects unique life experiences from which each of us can learn,” announced the Foundation.

The magazine won a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers last year and also received the 2006 Multicultural Children’s Periodical Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education. Why all the buzz about Kahani? Go there and see for yourself — it's fantastic.

There's still time for young artists to enter Kahani's Second Annual Young Illustrators Contest. The task is to illustrate the prize-winning stories penned by young writers Shivani, age 7, and Varun, age 11 (the story contests were judged by editor Sangeeta Mehta of Simon Pulse). Lara Lakshmi, the talented artist behind the upcoming picture book, A Friend by Any Other Name, will judge the illustrations.

The text for each story has already been laid out carefully and the illustration spots and sizes clearly marked. Download the template for Varun's story, "Hey! Is That A Yellow Crocodile?" here, and for Shivani's story, "The Clever Cousins," here. Entries for the art contest will be divided into the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups, but kids may illustrate either story, and don't need to be of South Asian origin to enter. Attach an entry form to the artwork and mail by Saturday, March 31, 2007.

The first place stories and illustrations will be published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani. The winners will also get a check for $50 each. Second place winners will receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature. Third place finishers will each get a $25 Borders gift card. See last year's winners here: Age Group 6-8 | Age Group 9-11.

Kahani Magazine, a South Asian literary magazine for children, has won the National Association for Multicultural Education's 2006 Multicultural Children's Periodical Award! The judges said Kahani "fosters awareness, acceptance, and affirmation of diversity for pre-K-12th grade students; contributes to the development of multicultural education; and maintains high multicultural standards." So true, so true.

And there's still more Kahani news. The deadline for the mag's 2nd Annual Young Writers Contest is this weekend! You don't have to be of South Asian origin to enter this contest, so why not encourage your favorite home school or elementary school buddy to use the words cousin, river, and turmeric in a short story and enter the contest? S/he's got everything to gain, and nothing to lose: first place winners get their stories and illustrations published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani and checks for $50; second place finishers receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature, and 3rd place winners each get a $25 Borders gift card. All manuscripts and entry forms must be received by Sunday, December 17, 2006, and you can even submit them on-line.

Note: Check out Cynthia Leitich Smith's interview with Kahani contributor and children's book author Anjali Banerjee. (Looking For Bapu, Wendy Lamb Books, Random House).