I chose these books because there was something special about each of them that helps me to connect to my Chinese roots and I hope that you enjoy them to, even if your ancestry isn’t Asian.
National Orchid Garden at Singapore Botanic Gardens
Barbara Richardson, my 87-year-old neighbor loves orchids so when I knew that I had to take photos of the world’s largest orchid garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. My favorite spot in this garden-within-a-garden is the cold house! It is so hot in Singapore that instead of a hothouse, they need a cold house. And…
Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! book launch with Andrew Hacket
Thank you to everyone who came out to Andrew Hacket and my book launch Storytime at Newtonville Books. Andrew read his hilarious Curlilocks and the Three Hares and had a photo frame activity which was a lot of fun! I read from my newest picture book, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!, and had the kids put…
62 LGBTQIA+ Children’s Books
In the Netflix series, Taco Chronicles, the episode on basket tacos features Marven, the “Lady Tacos de Canasta,” a transgender taco vendor who identifies as ‘muxe’, the third Zapotec indigenous gender. She used her rise to fame from the show to fight against police harassment, using her experiences as an LGBTQIA+ street vendor to run…
Food for the Future Wins Nautilus Silver Book Award
I’m thrilled that Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World has won the Silver Nautilus Book for Children’s Picture Books / Non-Fiction Ages 2- 6 Years (Preschool-Grade 2). Thank you so much to Nautilus for this honor. Thank you also to Robert Sae-Heng, the amazing illustrator, and to the team at Barefoot Books…
National University Singapore (NUS) Dorm Room
My middle daughter is studying abroad at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for one semester. Her dormitory at the College of Alice and Peter Tan, to our surprise, is not air-conditioned! It is a well-appointed single — all the rooms are singles — with a shared bathroom for the floor. I was pleasantly surprised…
Resources for Pride Month and Juneteenth
June celebrations include: Pride Month Juneteenth (June 19th) Father’s Day National Caribbean American Heritage Month Immigrant Heritage Month Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month Great Outdoors Month / National Oceans Month Juneteenth Multicultural Children’s Book Club with Carole Boston Weatherford 9 Juneteenth Children’s Books Price Month Multicultural Children’s Book Club with Michael Genhart My 8 LGBTQIA…