Roseanne Thong
Roseanne Thong is author of Red is Dragon and Round is a Mooncake, multicultural picture books featuring Asian culture. She has also written numerous short stories and works of non-fiction. She divides her time between Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai and Felicia Hoshino (illustrator)
ROSEANNE THONG | 30 August 2006"Flowers don't grow easily in the desert," laments young Mari during her first week at Topaz Internment Camp for Japanese-Americans during WWII.
Lakas and the Manilatown Fish by Anthony D RoblesChachaji's Cup by Uma Krishnaswami
ROSEANNE THONG | 09 November 2003Can a fish talk? Can it race through the crowded streets of imagination, through the intersections of a people's history?
These provocative words dash across the first page of LAKAS AND THE MANILATOWN FISH, a journey led by a sly but charming carp that escapes from his tank and guides young Lakas through San Francisco's Filipino enclave. In this first-ever bilingual English-Tagalog story, Lakas--an all-American boy of Filipino descent--learns about the sights, smells and sounds of historic Manilatown. The text is fanciful and buoyant, evoking swirls of a child's imagination. Carl Angel's brightly-colored illustrations seem to leap off the page at every turn in the same spirit of the renegade fish.
LAKAS AND THE MANILATOWN FISH is just one of a new line of multicultural and bilingual Asian-American children's books recently published by Children's Book Press (CBP) of California. As part of their mission to serve under-represented communities (Asian, Latino, Native American and African American), they have begun to fill an important niche in the area of minority children's literature.
"We are publishing more Asian titles than ever before," says Janet del Mundo, Publicity Coordinator at CBP. "For many years, we were known to have a strictly Latino focus, but as a response to feedback we've received from teachers, librarians, and other customers, we've recently devoted more attention to the Asian American market."
CBP publishes only authentic, contemporary accounts that reflect minority children's daily lives. They are committed to the principle of "authenticity" to the point that they require their artists and authors to be part of the communities that they're trying to represent. Many CBP authors are additionally community activists. Nancy Hom, for example, who has contributed five books to CBP, is director of a workshop promoting "art that enriches and empowers Asian Pacific American communities."
CHACHAJI'S CUP,written in Englishby UMA KRISHNASWAMI, is another recent CBP title that exemplifies their mission to represent Asian-American communities. It features an American-born boy named Neel who discovers his rich cultural heritage through his great-uncle Chachaji's teatime stories. The story that impresses him most is the tale of the Indian-Pakistan Partition--and a special teacup that survived the long journey that Chachaji made by foot when the countries separated.
Neel's life is a confluence of backgrounds and experience--a blend just as rich as the spicy masala chai he drinks each afternoon. He savors Hindi movies, samosas and tales of the Indian Army as much as he enjoys playing computers and basketball with his best friend Daniel. These two facets of Neel's background are brought to life Soumya Sitaraman, whose vibrant paintings reflect elements of Shivite artistry.
Currently, CBP is one of the few North-American publishers with an exclusive focus on minority kids. What sets them apart, in particular, is the high quality of their books—each one is a real work of art—and their interest in bilingual books. Several of CBP's Asian titles are currently available in bilingual editions: Ayekung's Dream (English/Korean), China's Bravest Girl (English/Chinese) and Going Home, Coming Home (English/Vietnamese). Additional Asian-American titles in English include Judge Rabbit and the Tree Spirit (Cambodia), Nine-in-One, Grr! Grr! (Hmong), Sachiko Means Happiness (Japanese) and The Little Weaver of Thai-Yen Village (Vietnamese). For parents, children and teachers with an interest in the... [ more ]
Going Home, Coming Home by Truong Tran
ROSEANNE THONG | 17 October 2003What happens when a person's "home" -- that very tangible, physical place, as well as the more emotional, metaphysical place of belonging -- is very different for parents and their children?
ROSEANNE THONG | 01 March 2003Anyone who has visited Hong Kong is familiar with the boat people of Aberdeen Harbor -- the fascinating "sea gypsies" who fish, work, eat, sleep and play on their brightly-colored junks and trawlers.
DEAN BARRETT uses this community as a backdrop for a modern day Hong Kong fairy tale -- the story of an 8-year-old girl named Kum-Choi (Golden Wealth) and a magic fish who befriends her in times of need.... [ more ]
Yoko's Paper Cranes by Rosemary Wells
ROSEANNE THONG | 20 December 2001Yoko, the winsome, green-eyed, kimono-clad kitten is back again-delightful as ever-in ROSEMARY WELLS's new picture book... [ more ]
