International Friday: Ghosts from the Motherland

As a little kid, I was never afraid of Freddy Kreuger or Jason. Instead, the frightening creatures which plagued my Filipino-American psyche were:

1. The Multo. Loosely translated to "zombie", but I think most Filipino kids understand it to be just something hideously scary.

2. The White Lady. She could be anywhere and everywhere.

3. Don't forget the contribution of Catholicism. Stories of saints statues coming to life were commonly told among us children, and even scarier since most us had altars at home chock full of scary statues like this one of the Santo Nino (Baby Jesus):

4. Of course, there was also the Mama Mary.

It wasn't until I went to a high school with a large Cuban-American population that I encountered the chupacabra. Then I realized I wasn't alone in having fear of creatures that no one else knew about except people from the same ethnic immigrant population.

Which ghosts/creatures from near or far scared you? (Still scare you?)

Photo Credits

Thanks, as always! In no particular order:

• Chup-chup-chupacabra!!!
• White Lady
• The Santo Nino
• The Mother Mary
• Multo

International Friday: Cute Stationery and Such

Angry Birds bento? Heck yeah!

We've talked about some really serious things here at EKM--racism, stereotyping, and girls' empowerment. But for this International Friday, we're going to talk about something even more important...CUTE STATIONERY! It's the last International Friday of Back-to-School Month, so what better way to close it off than by indulging in mindless but delicious consumerism?

I've posted some yummy pictures of kawaii (cute) bento (lunchboxes) and school supplies. Kawaii culture originated in Japan but has spread throughout Asia and the world, as evidenced by the amount of online retailers specializing in it (*NOTE* I have zero affiliation with any of the web sites listed here, and have listed them for informational purposes only). Also, cute culture isn't just for kids. Women in Japan, and some men, just can't resist the cute!

The Lunches

Yes, folks, they are made from nothing other than an imaginative use of rice, seaweed, and other food products!

Pencils and Such

School supplies so cute, who really needs school? My favorite are the poop pencils (they're the ones that look like ice cream scoops!) With the POCKY pencils a close second.

I can't stand it! Everything is just...so...cute!

Thanks for reading, everyone! See you in October!

Photo Credits

• Angry Birds bento was taken from Neatorama.
• Totoro bento was from Instant Ramen.
• Piggy bento came from Women's Day.
• Omelet tiger bento came from JustBento.
• Panda pencil toppers came from flickr.
• Stamp set came from Modes4u.
• Cute poop pens from TofuCandy.
• POCKY pencils came from TofuCute.

International Friday: A Library Without Books

My dream is to make millions of dollars and give a whole bunch of it away. Since I don't have those millions yet, I will gladly promote worthy causes in the meantime. Library for All is a non-profit organization that aims to create a digital library for children in the Third World. E-textbooks and other learning resources will be accessible via an inexpensive tablet, and downloadable through the country's mobile network or internet connection. The content will be relevant to the local community. The first stop is Haiti, and then the world!

To learn more about Library for All, visit their web site. You can also donate to their Kickstarter campaign until July 13th.

International Friday: Sara Farizan's If You Could Be Mine

I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about Sara Farizan's If You Could Be Mine in the Twitterverse for awhile now. If You Could Be Mine is a YA novel about a seventeen-year-old girl Sahar, and how far she would go for the love of her best friend, Nasrin (also a girl, for those of you not familiar with Persian names)...in the Islamic Republic of Iran. *Cue dramatic music* And you thought you had problems!

I'll admit I was excited when I read blurbs about the book online, but I was also a little worried. As a person of color living in the United States, I am always conscious of media representations of non-Anglo cultures. Would this book resort to stereotyping? Tokenism? Preachiness about the evils of living in Iran?

Much to Ms. Farizan's credit, the answer to those questions is a resounding no. While some of the foods, culture, and words might be unfamiliar to some American readers, somehow, by using Sahar's voice to tell the story, it makes the story feel more immediate. It makes me feel like it is happening to a close friend, and not a random girl in a country I know nothing about.

I only read the first five chapters from the digital preview on Amazon, but I can't wait to see what happens next. The official release for the book is August 20, 2013. Pre-order it from your favorite bookseller today!

Check out morethanjustmagic's interview with Sara Farizan here.

International Friday: Books With International Focus

This week I decided to stay local, or glocal, as it were. I wanted to see what international treasures I could find at the library. I have seen kids' books in Hindi, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, and Spanish at the library before, so I thought inspiration for this blog entry would hit me when I got there. Lo and behold, I was smitten not with foreign books, but with (American) English books with a global focus.

I stumbled upon Sitti's Secrets and I am so glad I did. This book was published in 1994, but sadly, it is still relevant today. Sitti's Secerets is about a young girl named Mona from the United States who visits her Sitti (which means "grandmother" in Arabic) living in Palestine. Using gentle, nostalgic language, Shihab Nye showcases the love between a granddaughter and grandmother but manages to delicately weave in the War as a silent, yet persistent character. It's a book that kids and their parents will definitely have to sit down and chat about, but that's a good thing. Because love, not war, is at the center of this book, all kids with loving grandparents will be able to relate to this story. I'm not a kid, and I almost cried at the end! Don't worry, parents, there's no violence or death in this book.

The next gem I found is for the younger set and is the perfect complement to Sitti's Secrets. It's called, appropriately, Little Treasures by Jacqueline K. Ogburn. Little Treasures lists endearments parents all over the world use on their children. While there's no story per se, Chris Raschka's darling illustrations are candy for the eyes--I just wanted to reach into the book and squeeze the pictures THEY WERE THAT CUTE. Ms. Ogburn's message is crystal clear and much-needed in today's world: People might look different and speak different languages, but no matter where they are, they love their children.

What are your favorite books with an international focus? Let me know in the comments section below!

International Friday: Pororo the Penguin!

It might be summer here on the East Coast, but in Pororo's village, it's always winter!

Pororo is a computer-animated cartoon from South Korea animated by Iconix. It's been a runaway commercial success, airing in about 100 countries. I'd heard about Pororo a couple of years back from a Korean-American friend of mine, but I never got the chance to actually check the show out for myself. All I can say is WOW! It's a good thing each episode is only five minutes long, because Pororo and his friends are so sweet they could give you cavities!

If you've watched other programs for the preschool set (Miffy and Friends, Teletubbies, Pocoyo) you'll notice how similar in format Pororo is to those shows (in fact, the founder of Iconix used The Teletubbies as inspiration for Pororo, which you can read about here, if you are so inclined). There is Pororo and his friends having all sorts of fun, and the unseen narrator who elaborates the actions (or one of the character's feelings) to the viewers. There's nothing earth-shatteringly great about the show, but there isn't anything earth-shatteringly bad, either. I'm still not certain why this show is so popular, but then again, who can resist a cute, blue, penguin? I know I can't!

Recommended for kids ages 2-5.

You can watch Pororo in English (and Chinese or Korean, for that matter) on his official YouTube channel here.

Picture of Pororo was taken from here.

International Friday: Little Krishna Episode One (English Version)

Little Krishna and his flute.

With all this hype about the new Superman movie, today we're going to talk about the original Superman, Krishna! More specifically, Big Animation's 3D television series Little Krishna.

Little Krishna is the result of seven years of research by the India Heritage Foundation and gorgeous, gorgeous animation by Big Animation. The stories presented in each episode are based on the childhood of Sri Krishna, a very important Hindu god, the 8th incarnation of the Lord Vishnu, to be exact. (Thanks, Wikipedia!) I wasn't really sure what to expect from this tv show. I wasn't raised in the Hindu religion, but still, I was a little nervous about how someone could turn something as weighty as the life of a god into a kids' cartoon.

But the show did not disappoint. I have seen very few things on television that I can describe using the word, "lush." But there is a richness about this show that is difficult to put into words. Perhaps it is the combination of entrancing music, superb voice acting, and eye-popping colors which wove a spell on me. I didn't notice any overt religious preaching. If you are unfamiliar with Hindu texts, you won't have any problems following the story (although a background in the subject matter of course, wouldn't hurt). Kids watching it will love the action and the friendship among the children. The writers did an amazing job of turning a Hindu god into a lovable little boy with superpowers. Who also happens to be blue.

Recommended for kids ages 6 and up. There are a couple of scary scenes here with the sea serpent, but the way Little Krishna handles him is very exciting to watch!

To watch this episode on Big Animation's YouTube channel, click here.

Photo Credits

Today's picture of Little Krishna was taken from here.

International Friday: Upin & Ipin and Friends Episode 1, Season 5

Welcome to the first "International Friday" post at Eating Kids' Media! Here we will explore kids' media around the world, because let's face it-- the world is wide and interesting!
Let's get blabbing!

I finally learned how to center a photo!

Upin & Ipin is a 3D-animated cartoon about five-year-old twin boys who live with their sister and grandmother in a village in Malaysia. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this show. I've seen bits and pieces of it, thanks to my Indonesian relatives (Upin and Ipin is also broadcast in Indonesia, oddly enough, with Indonesian subtitles) but I've never actually paid attention (Upin and Ipin's voices always annoyed me) so I always ended up leaving the room after five minutes. But something inside me said it might be a good topic to explore, so here we are today.

The episode I chose to watch was Episode 1, Season 5, "Belajar Lagi?" (Study again?). I chose this episode at random, because I knew that the characters don't age, like the Simpsons, so it wouldn't matter which episode I watched. In this episode, Upin and Ipin come back to school after an unnamed school holiday. There's lots of drama and excitement as they prepare for school, see their newly-renovated classroom, catch up with old friends, and play a game in school. After watching this 20 minute episode, I can honestly say that I am an Upin and Ipin convert.

Upin and Ipin is just pure kid fun. They might be Malaysian kids, but they act like any other kid on the planet. Everything about life is amazing to them, from the shoe polish that their sister uses on their shoes, to the way their new classroom shines. This show is a celebration of the magic of being a kid, without being too heavy-handed or moralistic. My favorite scene, and this is a SPOILER ALERT, in case you were thinking of watching, is when their classmate, Mail walks in to the classroom like a cowboy. When Mail's classmates ask him what's wrong, there is a unified gasp of horror when he answers, "circumcision." Circumcision is an everyday thing in a Muslim-majority country like Malaysia. But to see it through the eyes of a child brings laughter and joy to even a jaded adult like me.

If you're looking for something different to watch with the little ones, or you just want a good laugh, I recommend Upin and Ipin. I would like to say one final thing, however. I am not familiar with the socio-political situation in Malaysia, but there was one character who gave me pause. Upin and Ipin's classmate, Jarjit, is a Sikh boy (evident from the turban he wears) with a booming, adult voice. I'm not exactly sure if this is a stereotype, or if this is meant to be derogatory. If anyone out there knows, feel free to drop me a line, and I will post your answer on this page.

Photo Credits

The image of Upin & Ipin was taken from here.

Coming soon! Let's get some print media up in here! Plus a guest blog (or two) from my writer/editor friend, Shabana! Stay tuned logged in!

Also, don't forget to comment, share a post, or email me. My electronic door is always open!