Book Giveaway: A IS FOR ASIAN AMERICAN: An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alphabet by Virginia Loh-Hagan

Virginia Loh-Hagan has written a new picture book, A IS FOR ASIAN AMERICAN, illustrated by Tracy Bishop and publish by Sleeping Bear Press. They have agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. So, thanks for helping Debbie and Jen.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The fabric of America is made up of countless threads weaving together different backgrounds and cultures. Using poetry and expository text, A is for Asian American: An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alphabet celebrates the cultures of and contributions from Asian Americans throughout our country’s history. Letter topics include traditions in food, family, and social celebrations, as well as key moments in history and milestone achievements. A is for Asian American illuminates the amazing and ongoing role the Asian American community has played in the shaping of America. Front and back matter provides additional information, including a glossary.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Happy year of the rabbit! The Chinese New Year starts on January 22, 2023. In the Chinese culture, this is a time to celebrate new beginnings and to prepare for a lucky new year.

Although I am optimistic about a lucky 2023, I was also blessed with a lucky 2022. My latest book came out in August 2022. It’s called A is for Asian American: An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American. It’s my second alphabet book from Sleeping Bear Press – my first alphabet book was T is for Thor: A Norse Mythology Book. It’s also my fourth picture book from Sleeping Bear Press. My other books are Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America, Popo’s Lucky Chinese New Year, and Nian: The Chinese New Year Dragon. Clearly, I love writing about Asian American topics and I love Sleeping Bear Press!

In addition, I have written many titles for Cherry Lake Publishing and 45^th Parallel Press. For the My Itty-Bitty Bios series, I have written about many Asian American and Pacific Islander heroes such as Patsy Mink, Queen Lili’uokalani, Larry Itliong, Sunisa Lee, Fred Korematsu, Bruce Lee, Kalpani Chawla, and more. I also wrote a series on AAPI Excellence and Achievement and another series on AAPI Histories.

Furthermore, as the inaugural Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center at San Diego State University (SDSU) and the Co-Executive Director of The Asian American Education Project, I am committed to amplifying the histories and narratives of the APIDA community in K-12 and higher education. I have written tons of curriculum and hosted tons of programs – all centered on APIDA topics.

What’s this have to do with A is for Asian American? Well, I essentially wanted to create a book that would compile all the fun bits of information that I had picked up along the way. I had all this information and it needed to go somewhere. And of course, my fabulous editor, Barb, was on board!

It’s also important to mention the timing. When I started writing the book, the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the world in so many different ways – the effects of which we are still feeling today. One of the effects is escalating anti-Asian hate. A book like A is for Asian American, now more than ever, is essential reading. The more young people (and their parents and teachers who will read the book with them) know about the APIDA community, the safer we will be. Together, we can be better. (I truly believe that.)

The other timing piece is that while I was writing this book, I was offered the opportunity to launch the APIDA Center at SDSU; as such, I dedicated A is for Asian American to the students, faculty, staff, and community members who supported me and the APIDA Center. The APIDA Center is a testament to the power of being seen and heard – I hope that my book, A is for Asian American, helps young APIDA readers feel seen and heard. I also hope that it helps non-APIDA readers to see and hear.

The hardest part of writing a book is having to decide what goes into it. A is for Asian American gives readers at least 26 fun facts from A to Z, but I have so much more content that I want to share. There’s so much content and only so many pages in a book so stay tuned, I’m not done writing yet….

VIRGINIA’S BIO:

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan is an author, university faculty member, and former K-8 teacher. She’s currently the Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Center at San Diego State University. She writes books about things that geek her out. She especially likes to write about her Chinese-American heritage. After all, she was born on Flag Day in the Year of the Dragon. She’s also interested in writing fun facts about monsters, weird bodily noises, urban legends, hot dogs, and anything on the odd side. She has over 300 books out in the world! She lives in northern San Diego with two non-trained naughty dogs and one semi-well-trained husband.

MORE BOOK TITLES:

The Jade Dragon (Candlewick Press, 2008)

Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America (Sleeping Bear Press, 2013)

PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year (Sleeping Bear Press, 2016)

Nian: The Chinese New Year Dragon (Sleeping Bear Press, 2019)

T is for Thor: A Norse Mythology Alphabet Book (Sleeping Bear Press, 2020)

BELOW ARE LINKS FOR VIRGINIA:

•  Website
•  Twitter
•  Instagram

TRACY’S BIO:

Tracy Nishimura Bishop grew up on an U.S. Army base just outside of Tokyo, Japan. At an early age, Tracy’s dad recognized her interest in art and kept her supplied with endless reams of dot-matrix printer paper from his office so she could draw to her heart’s content.

Tracy attended San Jose State University and graduated with a degree in graphic design with a concentration in illustration/animation. For the next decade Tracy focused on building a career in graphic and web design, but Tracy’s passion for telling stories through pictures persisted. In 2010, she left her design job at a children’s museum to focus on being a full-time illustrator.

Tracy can now be found working from home in San Jose, CA. Her daily inspirations are her son, husband, and a hairy dog appropriately named Harry. When she’s not working, you’ll find Tracy reading, collecting picture books, knitting, or tinkering on her computer.

Below are her most recent projects, A Is for Asian American by Virginia Loh-Hagan (Sleeping Bear Pr), You Can’t Please Everyone! by Ellen Flanagan Burns (Magination Press), The Homework Squad’s ADHD Guide to School Success by Joshua Shifrin Ph.D. (Magination Press), Mary Had A Little Snowplow by Rachel Matson (Scholastic), Remembering Ethan by Lesléa Newman (Magination Press), Pop Flies, Robo-Pets, and Other Disasters by Suzanne Kamata (One Elm Books), Goodbye, School by Tonya Lippert PhD (Magination Press), The Curious Cat Spy Club series by Linda Joy Singleton (Albert Whitman & Company), Butterfly Wishes series by Jennifer Castle (Bloomsbury USA Childrens), Snowball Moon by Fran Cannon Slayton (little bee books), Pipsie, Nature Detective series by Rick DeDonato (Two Lions), First Grade, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg (Grosset & Dunlap), The Critter Club Series by Callie Barkley, The Rolling Reading Room by Eleanor Fremont (Pearson Digital Studio), Not the Quitting Kind by Sarra J. Roth (Peter Pauper Press), Meri’s Mirror Series: Meri Mercer Doesn’t Lie, Mostly, Tattletale Traitor, Terrible Twin Mania and Facing a Frenemy by Jan Fields (Magic Wagon), Dance Divas: Showtime! by Sheryl Berk (Bloomsbury USA), Let’s Play Peek-a-Boo by Jane E. Gerver (Highlights), Go Away! by Anne Giulieri (Hinkler Education).

Tracy Nishimura Bishop and I am a children’s book illustrator working in San Jose, CA.

I attended San Jose State University and enrolled in the animation/illustration program because I wanted to become a Disney animator. I quickly discovered that I didn’t like doing animation at all but loved telling stories with illustrations instead. After graduating, I worked as a  designer for ten years at places like Gymboree and the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Virginia, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. This is a nice introduction to Asian-American culture. I love how this book will help broaden awareness of the many contributions by Asian Americans to the children who read it. The illustrations Tracy created for the book are perfect. Good luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy