Monday, February 07, 2011

Rice Daddies Turns 5! To Celebrate, We're Giving You Gifts!

Rice Daddies, the group blog by Asian American dads, launched on February 6, 2006. Which means that yesterday, we turned 5! And we're still here! I mean, happy birthday to us! Heh. Five years ago, I wrote:

We're a group of dads of the Asian persuasion, most of us only 2 years or less into the parenting game. We're bicoastal and multiethnic, Chinese- and Japanese- and Filipino- and Korean- and biracial- Americans. We're writers and lawyers and businessmen and teachers (oh my!), stay-at-home and work-at-home and wish-we-could-work-at-home dads. We're dads who happen to be Asian, and Asians who happen to be dads. And we mention both, matter-of-factly, because they both matter.

Which is not to say that this is gonna be all serious all the time, or all political, or all race-centric. Of course, we're not promising that when we try to be funny, that'll work all the time either. (Except for MetroDad. We give you a money-back guarantee that he will always be piss-your-pants funny.) But really, this is just a place where we can muddle through our own experiences of what it means to be raising the next generation of Asian American young'ns in the technicolor 21st century.


Since then, we've seen old contributors go and welcomed new voices on board, and we've gotten more diverse in terms of ethnic background, geographic location, and length and breadth of parenting experience. (And we're always looking for more, so shoot us a note at ricedaddies@gmail.com if you wanna add your voice to the fray.) We've enjoyed making connections and building community with other Asian American parents, parents of color, and parents of children of color both on- and off-line (and we hope to meet a lot of you at the big Banana 2 AsAm blogger confab on Feb. 26 in LA!), and we look forward to continuing the discussion as our kids get older and teach us more about what it means to Asian Americans who are dads and dads who are Asian American.

To celebrate our 5th blogaversary, the amazing and prolific author Lisa Yee has graciously donated 5 sets of her two Bobby Ellis-Chan books to give away to Rice Daddies readers, signed by both her and illustrator (and AsAm dad) Dan Santat. Lisa's middle-grade novels have always featured Asian American characters, like Millicent Min, Stanford Wong, and her American Girl books, and her Bobby Ellis-Chan books portray the everyday life of an interracial family, comprised of a boy trying to find his place in his family and school, his princess-obsessed little sister, his football star older sister, their Chinese American businesswoman mom, and their non-Asian pro-football-player-turned-stay-at-home-dad, with humor, a keen, sensitive eye, and a matter-of-factness about the family's racial background that I found refreshing. And my six-year-old daughter absolutely loved them!



To enter to win a set of autographed copies of Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby The Brave (Sometimes) for your young readers, leave a comment on this post by midnight PST on Saturday, February 26, listing your or your kids' favorite children's book either by an author or illustrator of color or featuring characters of color. At the end of the contest, we'll compile all of your recommendations into a single post and we'll have a random drawing for five winners.

Thank you for all of your support over the years, for reading, commenting, linking, and coming back. You're why this isn't just a blog, but a community. (Okay, sappiness over. Heh.)

40 comments:

davita said...

Happy Birthday!!

We are huge advocates of reading. Here are just a few of our favorites.

My two year loves:

Amy Wilson Sanger- Yum Yum Dim Sum, FIrst Book of Sushi, Chaat and Sweets, A Little Bit of Soul Food, Hola! Jalapeno

My six year loves:

Ezra Jack Keats- The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willy, Goggles, The Pet Show

Grace Lin- The Ugly Vegetables, Kite Flying, Dim Sum for Everyone,

The Empty Pot by Demi
Lon PoPo by Ed Young
Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett
The Moon Lady by Amy Tan

My almost ten year old has read and enjoyed:

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bett Bao Lord

Grace Lin- The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

Unknown said...

happy birthday rice daddies!!!

in addition to many of lisa yee's books, paloma's fave books include:

almost everything in the adarna house catalog especially haluhalo espesyal by y. ferreol and the moon is my friend by c. litiatco-acosta

she also loves the keena ford books by melissa thomson, wave and shadow by suzy lee, one afternoon and one sunday morning by yumi heo, and anything by grace lin.

Susan said...

Those Bobby Ellis-Chan books look interesting - and perfect for our family!

My 4 YO is currently obsessed with:

Boy Dumplings by Ying Chang Compestine (I honestly thought this might be a little scary for him, but apparently it is not.)

Others he has liked recently:

Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

D Is For Dragon Dance also by Ying Chang Compestine

kim said...

Happy birthday, Daddies! I can't believe you're as old as my first... I think I found you guys within the first year and have stuck around ever since! :)

As for our book choices, my 5 and 3 year olds (and I!!!) like...

- Bee Bim Bop!, by Linda Sue Park
- While We Were Out, by Ho Baek Lee
- The Green Frogs, by Yumi Heo
- Babies Can't Eat Kimchi, Nancy Patz and Susan Roth
- Dumpling Soup, by Jama Kim Rattigan
- The Story of Cherry the Pig, Utako Yamada
- The Rabbit's Escape, by Suzanne Crowder Han

TimeOutDad said...

Happy Birthday, Rice Daddies! You have the same birthday as my wife and mother-in-law! ;)

Cherrimae said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cherrimae said...

colorless mother of asian child doomed to re-read Cat in the Hat sharing link with other adoptive parents - we need these books more than you do

vdaygirl214 said...

Happy birthday!!! Congrats!!!

Well, I loved reading these books with my daughter.

"Bee Bim Bop!" by Linda Sue Park
"While We Were Out" by Ho Baek Lee
"Seesaw Girl" by Linda Sue Park

We can't wait to read "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. My daughter just turned 10 last month!

CJM said...

My 5 & 8 yr-olds like:

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
Written by Lenore Look
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Little Pear
Little Pear and His Friends
by Eleanor Frances Lattimore

monica said...

my 5-year-old's recent favorites:

-Ling and Ting: Not the Same Thing
-Interrupting Chicken
-Dave, the Potter
-To Thee I Sing: Barack Obama's book for his daughters
-Bob Books for early reading

cheers,
monica m.

eliaday said...

Some favorites of our six year old daughter:

-Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
-Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen (I love anything illustrated by Kadir Nelson!)
-Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

David and Olivia said...

MY 10yo recently loved Esperanza Rising, Angelfish & Starfisher by Lawrence Yep.

We also have the Manilatown Fish picture books (two of them).

I cannot wait to see your roundup.

I also want to win some books!

Jun Zuniga said...

Happy B-day!

Cora Cooks Pancit By Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore Illustrated by Kristi Valiant

Willie Wins by Almira Astudillo Gilles and Carl Angel

Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel /Si Lakas at ang Makibaka Hotel by Anthony D. Robles, Carl Angel, and Eloisa D. de Jesus

Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown by Anthony D. Robles, Carl Angel, Magdalena Guzman, and Eloisa D. de Jesus

Filipino Friends by Liana Romulo and Corazon Dandan-Albano

A Kid's Guide to Asian American History: More than 70 Activities (A Kid's Guide series) by Valerie Petrillo

Cleversticks by Bernard Ashley and Derek Brazell

Unknown said...

The Snowy Day by Exra Jack Keats is a classic and my 4 yo daughter loves it!

We love The Mommy Book and all the books by Todd Parr

Good Night! by Claire Masurel & Marie H Henry... I'm not sure if the girl in this book is supposed to be Asian, but I bought it for my daughter because she sure looks Hapa to me!

Anna said...

Babies Can't Eat Kimchee by Nancy Patz is a lovely way to talk about Korean heritage and sibling issues. Beautiful illustrations!

M said...

I'm an elementary school teacher and can't wait to read these books to my daughter. She's still at the boardbooks stage.
Mad At Mommy by Komako Sakai
All books by Grace Lin
The Pigeon Series “Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and The Elephant and Piggie Series by
Mo Willems (hilarious)

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Rice Daddies!

My kids love just about anything by Grace Lin. Her stories are great and we love her illustrations as well.

They also love anything Monkey King! We've read several versions of it, mostly abbreviated versions for children. Ed Young's version is one of my kids' favorite ones and we enjoy his other books as well. My mom read my brothers and I this series in mandarin when we were just kids and it is probably one of my fondest memories as a kid. So, I have been so eager to share the legend of Monkey King with my kids. They are getting old enough now that I may break out a longer, more detailed version of Monkey King for them.

L&B said...

"Alvin Ho" series by Lenore Look.

"Momo" by Taro Yashima.

Thank you! I've been wanting to read "Millicent Min" and "Stanford Wong" but haven't gotten around to it yet. :-)

L&B said...

I made a mistake! It is "Umbrella" not "Momo". :P

i.ikeda said...

Happy birthday! And I can't believe I'm so late finding you. I can't wait to tell my husband (an Asian dad, though not American) about this place. I know he's going to be so excited.

Some of our 2 year old favorites are:

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
The Icky Sticky Frog and It's Christmas Time both by Salina Yoon
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt illustrated by Miki Sakamoto

Unknown said...

Our family has a special connection with Grace Lin, author of Dim Sum, Year of the Rat, Year of the Dog, Ugly Vegetables.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kristalina said...

Happy Birthday:)
Two of our favorites are Dear Juno by Soyung Pak and The Firekeeper's Son by Linda Sue Park.

Stella said...

Happy Birthday!

Our favorite author/illustrator without a doubt is LeUyen Pham. Some of her books include "Big Sister, Little Sister" (author & illustrator), "Benny & Beautiful Baby Delilah" (illustrator), and the "Alvin Ho" series (illustrator)

Another amazing author of color is Janice N. Harrington. Our favorite book of hers is "The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County."

Thanks for asking!

Asianmommy said...

I like "The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters" by Christoph Niemann.

Jen in Belgium said...

Happy Birthday! My 5 year old loves her some Allen Say; she loves his _Emma's Rug_ and his _Grandfather's Journey_.

OTRgirl said...

Anything by Jerry Pinkney (African American Illustrator): http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html

Halmoni and the Picnic
http://www.amazon.com/Halmoni-Picnic-Sook-Nyul-Choi/dp/0395616263

The Korean Cinderella
http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Cinderella-Trophy-Picture-Books/dp/0064433978

Anything by Ed Young:
http://edyoungart.com/books.html
in particular I like the format of Mouse Match. The whole book unfolds into one LONG piece of paper. The back of the paper has the entire story in Chinese, the front has an illustrated children's story that can be read as 'just' a book.
http://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Match-Folktale-Ed-Young/dp/0152014535/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1297902675&sr=8-3

silverwhitewinters said...

Grace Lin's Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Ling and Ting, The Ugly Vegetables, Lissy's Friends...

Lisa Yee's Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Tim, So Totally Emily Ebers, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally), Bobby the Brave

Allen Say (especially Grandfather's Journey)

beXn said...

Happy 5th Year!

Our daughter is a young toddler and two of her favorite baby books right now are "Siesta" and "Fiesta" by Ginger Fogleson Guy. The picture books she enjoys are "New Cat" by Yangsook Choi, "Dim Sum for Everyone" by Grace Lin and "From Tan to Tamarind" by Malathi Michelle Iyengar.

Debra said...

Happy birthday, Rice Daddies!

Some of our favorite books include:
The Color of Us by Karen Katz
Frida by Jonah Winter
Cesar Chavez by Ruth Franchere
The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores by Subcomandante Marcos
Why War is Never a Good Idea by Alice Walker
Wolf! Wolf! by John Rocco
Little Bunny Kung Fu by Regan Johnson
Umbrella by Taro Yashima

Lincoln Yue said...

Hey this is great! Dads like me, just found this blog. Congratulations on five years!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Rice Daddies!

I've always loved Allen Say's books for myself and my nieces and nephew, especially Grandfather's Journey.

My oldest niece loved Cynthia Kadohata's Kira-Kira and Year of the Dog by Grace Lin.

The youngest (toddlers) love Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi.

I loved Laurence Yep's Dragonwings when I was a kid.

Superha said...

We've read various renditions of the Cinderella story, but our 5-year-old daughter is particularly taken with the story of Pear Blossom - The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Ruth Heller.

Happy birthday, Rice Daddies! Look how far you've come!

Deepi said...

Congrats! We all love Taro Gomi, especially My Friends and Bus Stops

Unknown said...

Books by Linda Sue Park.

nikisma said...

Happy Birthday Rice Daddies! We love Halmoni and the Picnic and Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip, both by Sook Nyul Choi. Quietly insightful books about feeling like an outsider, and the way a young girl and her halmoni resolve the inner conflict of wanting to belong.

Cynthia said...

Hiro Protagonist just finished the Harry Potter series, which of course featured Cho Chang as a love interest and the Patel twins as minor characters. Prior to that, his fave explicitly APA books were Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin, and The Giving Chair, by Youshiko Koyama. Dearth of APA authors/characters in this kid's life, although i hope to rectify with some Laurence Yep and Lisa Yee. :)

Happy Birthday Rice Daddies!

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