1/30/14 Culturally Relevant Children’s Literature!

Click here to download this episode.

As promised, here is the listing of books recommended on this week’s show!:

The books featured on the show were:

• Lakas and the Manilatown Fish (and the sequel Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel) by Tony Robles
• Beautiful Eyes by Gayle Romasanta

And the other books mentioned on the show – either by Eastwind Books or by callers who called in – are:

• Cora Cooks Pancit | by Dorina Gillmore, illustrated by Kristi Valiant
• Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth | by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
• Emperor and the Kite | by Jane Yolen
• Sora and the Cloud | by Felicia Hoshino
• Oh Oh Baby Boy | by Janine Macbeth
• The Mountains of Tibet | by Mordicai Gerstein
• Kamishibai Man | by Allen Say
• A is for Activist | written and illustrated by Innosanto Nagara
• The Five Chinese Brothers | by Claire Huchet Bishop
• The Year of the Horse (from Tales from the Chinese Zodiac) | by Oliver Chin
• And Another World is Possible Book Collective (who has a collection of books!)

We’re calling all book lovers and families to join us in exploring the history of Multicultural Children’s Literature, with an eye toward Asian/Pacific Islander Stories! In studio we have an exciting group of guests to talk about the power of culturally relevant narratives and positive portrayals of communities of color:

Lakas and the Manilatown Fish by Tony Robles

Beautiful Eyes by Gayle Romasanta

Eastwind Books in Berkeley

• Special readings by two award-winning children’s books: Tony Robles, Author of Lakas and the Manilatown Fish, and Gayle Romasanta, Author of Beautiful Eyes
• An interview with Kassie Pham and Kristine Aquino, staff at one of the oldest independent Bookstores in the nation focused on Asian and Asian American Literature – Eastwind Books in Berkeley. With the transformation of the publishing industry as a whole, are multicultural publishers on the decline?
• And we invite you, our listeners at home to call in with your recommendations for the best Asian and Pacific Islander children’s literature. Is there a book that you have read to your children, or a book that stands out to you in your own life that was read to you at an early age?

Here are links to more information:

• Eastwind Books
• Beautiful Eyes
• Lakas and the Manilatown Fish
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center
• Asian Pacific American Librarian Award Winners

COMMUNITY CALENDAR:

• Saturday, February 8th
  Lunar New Year at OACC!
  @ Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Oakland Chinatown above the Asian Library
  Featuring traditional dances, drumming, live music, and much much more.
  You can visit oacc.cc for more info.

• Sunday, February 9th
  Eastwind Books is hosting Deng Ming Dao and a reading of his book “The Lunar Tao.”
  3:00 – 5:00 pm
  @ Eastwind Books in Berkeley (2066 University Ave in Berkeley)
  Unlike any other book, “The Lunar Tao” gives readers a new way to explore Taoism and shows readers a way to include the tenets of Taoism into daily life.
  The event will include qigong demonstrations.
  More info online is at asiabookcenter.com