multicultural

friday feast: savoring ching yeung russell’s tofu quilt

~ jama ~ 25 Comments

Imagine a warm bowl of steamed custard so incredibly delicious, it inspires a young girl to become a writer. This is exactly what happens to Yeung Ying in Tofu Quilt, a beautiful collection of free verse poems based on author Ching Yeung Russell’s own childhood in 1960s Hong Kong.

The thirty eight luminous poems, told in Yeung Ying’s lively, engaging voice, are brimming with candid observations and telling, authentic details which reveal a young writer in the making. Russell’s lovingly crafted, spare verses flow effortlessly and resonate with simple truths.

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soup of the day: japan by debbi michiko florence

~ jama ~ 21 Comments


      Apprentice geisha by Daniel Bachler.

Konnichiwa! Ogenki desu ka? (Hello, How are you?)

*bowing*

Are you ready to travel to the Land of the Rising Sun?  We’ve no better guide than the lovely and talented Debbi Michiko Florence, who just published her second Kaleidoscope Kids activity book, Japan (Williamson Books, 2009)!


 Nonfiction activity book for ages 7-14, 95 pages.

This irresistible, 95-page mega-feast is overflowing with delectable facts and interactive activities for kids ages 7-14, touching on bits of history, geography, sports, wildlife, language, music, philosophy, religion, cultural celebrations and more.

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soup of the day: where the mountain meets the moon by grace lin!

~ jama ~ 18 Comments


Gorgeous photo of Grace by Alexandre Ferron.

Hooray hooray hooray!!

Today is official Pub Day for Grace Lin’s brand new middle grade novel, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little,Brown, 2009)!

As far as I’m concerned, any time Grace publishes a new book, it is cause for big celebration. I’m a huge fan of both her gorgeous picture books and her heartwarming novels about Pacy Lin, Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat. When I interviewed Grace last year, she had recently returned from visiting China and Taiwan, and she talked about how she hoped to incorporate some of the sights and sounds of her fascinating experiences in a new book.

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happy 10th anniversary to the ugly vegetables!

~ jama ~ 9 Comments


Mmmmmm!! What’s that tantalizing aroma?

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spotlight: author/illustrator allen say

~ jama ~ 8 Comments

“Most people seem to be interested in turning their dreams into reality. Then there are those who turn reality into dreams. I belong to the latter group.” ~ Allen Say

Open any one of Allen Say’s picture books, and chances are good you will see lots of windows and doors.

Some of these are the wood and paper shoji doors found in Japan, while others are flat panel doors or double-hung windows commonly found in homes across America.

 

For Say, these may be portals to a dream state, concrete symbols of conflict and exclusion, or simply the way an outsider views the world — looking at the lighted windows in a cozy home and wishing he belonged inside, or sitting inside viewing the rest of the world through panes of glass.

I’ve been a big Allen Say fan since the late 80’s, traveling back and forth between Japan and America with him via his books, keenly identifying with his dilemma of a dual identity, walking the tightrope between cultures.

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