Two Asian Festivals & Some Food for Thought

It's been a busy week! I camped in Yosemite for five days with my son Jacob's sixth grade class. At left are the hearty 12-year-olds who made it to the top of Yosemite falls. It was a tough hike but the view was absolutely amazing!
Yosemite is spectacular this spring! I could feel the ground shaking at night from all the water falling down the mountains. I can't wait to go back!

On Saturday, I participated in the Asian Pacific American Authors Celebration in Foster City. Young and old, it was a delightfully enthusiastic  crowd. A special thanks to Sophie Wong, Mas Hongo and  Philip Chin for their help with this fun reading! 

I would like to acknowledge Florence and Mas Hongo for their tireless work encouraging multicultural understanding through literature. As the pair that created and has supported the Asian American Curriculum Project for more than thirty years, you are inspirations to me! Thanks to Leonard Chan, Martin Jung and all of the AACP's volunteers for your work as well!

Then on Sunday, I participated in Sacramento's Pacific Rim Festival. I was delighted to see so many folks in Old Town Sacramento enjoying Asian food and culture. I had many young readers fascinated by my books and musical instruments. I also enjoyed meeting Liz Wong, who recently traveled to the Treasure Fleet museum in Malacca: she was really excited to discover Adventures of the Treasure Fleet! 

      Now that I am home, I was really interested to read a post on bias and/or racism within children's literature. The post was by Tarie Sabido, a teacher, book reviewer and passionate advocate of Kid Lit. She currently lives in the Philippines, and she recently participated in an international Kid Lit event in Singapore. Her insights are definitely food for thought. More on this topic soon......