Book Review Contest: The Story of Ferdinand

Title: The Story of Ferdinand
Author: Munro Leaf
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Reviewer: Naomi Shapiro

I always loved this story about the bull who didn't like to fight, preferring to smell the flowers and lounge in the shade. Seems entirely reasonable to me! My daughter turns three next month and she loves it, too.

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Moved to the beta the New Blogger...

...so, if y'all have any problems, like with posting comments or anything, due to the changeover, please let us know.

And fellow Rice Daddies, please switch your accounts over to the New Blogger/Google Accounts a.s.a.p. so that your posting access is uninterrupted. Thanks, everybody.

See, we're good losers, part one

Remember that friendly little competition we had with the Kimchi Mamas? You know, the one that y'all helped us lose by a measly one contest entry? Well, we're no sore losers, so, as agreed upon, go check out the first of three "most embarrassing parenting moments" our team owes them, courtesy of our own Henri. More to come...we promise. Heh.

Speaking of contests, don't forget to enter our blogaversary children's book review contest, with entries due by Feb. 23 to win some awesome new kids' books.

Time to be Baseball Daddy

I know a good portion of the nation is under heavy snow but here in Arizona the Little League baseball season is already gearing up. I am a Baseball Daddy as my Number One Monster has displayed some pretty good hitting talent and we are getting pretty excited about another season.

Last weekend they held tryouts. For those of you unfamiliar with Little League baseball the spring season is the competitive one that leads to State Championships and the Little League World Series. In the interest of fairness, our league employs a draft hence the need for tryouts. As protective parents you might be thinking how horrible it would be to place our nervous kids who probably didn’t swing a bat all winter in front of 100+ parents and 2 dozen managers with pencil in hand rating every misstep of our kids in hitting, catching and throwing. Yeah it really is that bad and the anxiety shows; 90%+ of the kids at the tryouts whiffed on all 3 machine pitched balls.

So for my son, the competitor in me scouted the pitching. I told my son waiting in line that the pitch would be coming in high to him so he needed to position himself at the back of the batters box to let the ball drop more. He said “OK.” Alright, I go back to the stands and wait for his home runs...

Unfortunately my son “left his brain at home” as he tends to do and when it was his turn he backs away from the plate to the outer side of the batters box instead. I yelled from the crowd to back up (not something you want to do often as managers might think you are a DIA (“Dad Is an Ass” in Little League parlance) and not draft your kid because of that) but Number One Monster misunderstands again and backs up even further away from the plate. Aiyah!

They say sports is 90% mental, lemme tell ya, it's absolutely true!

Well, he lucked out in that his skill overcame his deficiency in brain cells and he lined two of the three balls squarely (the one he whiffed on was way high as I had feared.) He further lucked out in that no other hitter his age hit as well as he did. So tryouts done, now comes the networking…

Because my son is 9 he is eligible to be drafted into the older minors division, AAA (where the pitching is faster and more consistent) over the younger minors division, AA (where the pitching can be downright atrocious but hey that is what it is with young kids learning to pitch). Last year he was lucky to be drafted into AA, did well and had a great time. But to face the same loopy pitching would unbearable, my son gets discouraged when he walks on 4 pitches again and again (plus there is at least one PITA AA manager I don't want him to get drafted by.)

So I need to talk to a AAA manager to draft him because at this point all these managers know about my son is his Tryout Number and at best 100 seconds of watching him. I thinking it can’t be too hard, he did well in tryouts. I managed to talk to my only acquaintance who is a AAA manager and he tells me the league initiated a rule limiting each team to one 9 year old and his son would take that slot (and that is how most young kids get drafted up, their father is the manager). Doh!

So now what to do without looking like a DIA?! I don’t know any of the other managers. Maybe I need to get my wife involved, some managers draft by the time honored GLM principle (the “Good Looking Mom.”) Nah, just kidding but seriously I have to figure how much of a pushy parent I want to be.

To be continued...

Book Review Contest: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Stone Fox

Title: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Author: Judi Barrett
Illustrator:Ron Barrett

Title: Stone Fox
Author: John Reynolds Gardiner

Reviewer: Honglien123

I SO do not want to work today and I'm currently on a conference call. The odds of me paying attention are very low anyway. I saw your post on Rice Daddies and while there are several books that I will be shoving into my children's faces when they get old enough, as soon as I became pregnant, there were two that I specifically went out to buy for them because I loved them so much as a child. One of the books, I've already shared with the kids, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, about a small town called Chewandswallow where food comes down from the sky. It's a fun picture book that I loved when I was in elementary school and so I bought it and read it to my daughter everyday when I was pregnant with her and every now and then she'll request it. Food coming down from the sky, what's not to like?

The other book I had to get, since my copy had long since been lended out and disappeared, was Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. Stone Fox is about a young boy named Willy who lives with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight on his grandfather's potato farm. One day, Willy's grandfather becomes ill and Willy finds out that there are property taxes due on the farm. While Willy and Searchlight work hard to keep the farm running, their only hope of earning enough money to save the farm is for Willy to win a big dog sledding race where he has to go up against a large silent Native American man named Stone Fox who wants to win the race for his own noble reasons. I had to buy this book for my kids and I will read it to them when they are ready because it was one of the first books to really hook me onto reading. I read it in fourth grade, but I remember so clearly being able to see in my mind Willy and Searchlight training for the big race. I remember admiring Willy for working so hard to help his grandfather, not because he had to, but because he loved him and that's what you do for people you love. This book speaks volumes about love, loyalty, and compassion; even the reason for the taxes is explained in a manner that makes them seem fair. It is a book that didn't hold back any hard realities about life and assumes that the child audience reading it is smart and mature enough to handle all the issues that Willy faced, even down to the heartbreaking ending. Reading Stone Fox as a child took me away from my world and put me in the shoes of a young boy who had problems so much bigger than my own, but who managed them with levelheadedness and determination. I was rooting so hard for Willy that the ending took my breath away and made me cry for days. In fact, I'm tearing up as we speak just thinking about it.

Of course I have to share this book with my children and with you. That's the real reason why I'm telling you about it. =)

Thanks to longtime RD reader Honglien123 for being our first contest entrant! Don't forget, you have until Feb. 23 to send us a review of your favorite children's book from your childhood that you want to share (or have already shared) with your kids, for a chance to win some great new books. For complete details, see this post.

Have no Fear, Monster Daddy is Here!

Hello Fellow Rice Daddies and fans!

I’ve been a fan of this blog for some time and I decided to take the plunge so this is my very first blog entry ever!

I guess you may wonder why I decided to call myself Monster Daddy. Is it because I have four (eek 4!!!) kids? Is it because my four kids are monsters driving me to premature heart failure? Is it because of the way I treat my kids when they act up? (No, but sometimes the thought crosses my mind, hehe…) Actually, it’s from Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster, Elmo and Zoe monsters (yep Elmo and Zoe’s “race” per Sesame Street is actually monster). My wife adores these characters and we took to the habit of calling our kids monsters (and most of the time it is with affection…)

So who am I? I am a 2nd generation ABC who was lucky enough to be married to another 2nd generation ABC and living in sunny Arizona. 2nd generation meaning we were the first generation born in America so our children’s grandparents are the ones who immigrated to America. I think of my kids as lucky to be 3rd generation Americans, growing up my parents were too busy trying to adjust and eek out a living to know what is baseball, SATs, prom, spring break, etc. (not that I fault them for it, er well not anymore…)

My oldest is 9, the youngest is 2, in order; boy/boy/girl/boy. So have no fear, I am surviving with four and by now I probably have lots of stories to share. But aside from the fun stuff, I feel it is important to recognize that Asian American parents face some unique circumstances in America. I can only offer my perspective but I feel we are doing a good job with the kids (they haven’t dropped out of school… yet!) so I hope it is worth sharing.

Thank you for this opportunity!

Happy -24th Blogaversary RD!

Well, for reasons peripherally related to my day job, I had a chance to imagine a magazine which didn't exist. I came up with a riff on Rice Daddies, and how it might have existed circa 1982 as a xeroxed zine.

Happy -24th, Ricedaddies!

The Rice Daddies 1st Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest

A year ago today, a bunch of Asian American guys who happened to be dads—or a bunch of dads who happened to be Asian American—dubbed themselves the "Rice Daddies" and started the blog you're reading right now. We wanted a place where we could write about being dads, and what it meant to be Asian American dads raising a new generation of Asian American kids. Over the past 12 months, we've been funny, we've been serious, we've been sappy, we've been controversial—new dads have joined us to tell their stories, and you, our readers, have been here to read and comment and listen and talk back. Like a dad of a newborn, we didn't always think we'd make it through the first year, but we did—we're here, still kicking, and ready to keep embarrassing our kids and partners for another 12 months and beyond.

To celebrate our first blogaversary, we're having a contest. Send us a review of your favorite book from your own childhood that you want to share (or have already shared) with your own kid(s) and we'll publish them as we get them. Each reviewer [you can submit more than one review, but you'll only be entered once] will be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win some awesome books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers. With the motto "open-minded books opening young minds to the world," Kane/Miller has been bringing acclaimed international children's books, often in translation, to a U.S. audience for years. You probably know them for such classics as Japanese author/illustrator Taro Gomi's "Everyone Poops," and they have titles from countries on every continent except Antarctica. We're pleased to partner with Kane/Miller to provide a selection of titles from Asian countries of origin as prizes in this contest.

So, you have until the end of the day Friday, February 23 to get your submissions in to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com, with an Amazon link, whatever name you want to be called, and your URL if you have one. Winners will be announced on Monday, Feb. 26. Again, multiple submissions are welcome, but each reviewer will only be put in the drawing once.

We can't wait to read and share your book reviews here, and thank you for helping us celebrate our birthday!

And the winners are... Crap. Not us. Oh well.

After the close of last week's great Rice Daddies/Kimchi Mamas The Motel/Red Doors DVD giveaway contest, we tallied up the entries, subtracted the duplicates and the entries by members of the RD/KM family, and ended up with this:

Rice Daddies, 16. Kimchi Mamas, 17.

Crap. By one entry, we lost. But you won. Well, five of you did. For telling stories to the whole internet behind their mamas' backs—and for being lucky enough to have their names picked from among 16 slips of paper in a rice cooker by my 2-year-old daughter— the following people have won our super double DVD/poster prize packs:

Ashley Tsai
Henry Tsai
J
Knack26
Sarah

Congratulations. You'll be hearing from us by e-mail to get your snailmail addresses for delivery. Click on over to Kimchi Mamas to see who won on their side, and stay tuned over there to see which three of us get pressured into posting our most embarrassing parenting moment. Thanks to all who entered both contests, to Deborah at Palm Pictures and Michael at Blanc de Chine films, to filmmakers Mike Kang and Georgia Lee, and to Eliaday, Citymama, and Instant Yang for making this happen (plus thanks to Angry Asian Man, Racialicious/ARP, Babble/Strollerderby, and anyone else who linked to the contest).

The stories you've shared on both sites have been both heartwarming and hilarious. Though the contest has ended, we encourage you to continue adding your own stories to the comments of either this post or the original one.

Many of you who entered our contest were new to the site, or at least were new commenters. We hope that you come back, and that you tell others about us. You may be an old hand at this parenting game, you may not have even started thinking about the prospect of having kids, but wherever you are in life, you are welcome here.

Tomorrow Rice Daddies turns one year old. Check back here for a cool new contest with awesome prizes, and for the beginning of another year of adventures and misadventures with a bunch of AsAm dudes dadding.

Asian Americans: Please Help Save A Life

One In A Million
We all like to believe that our children are one in a million. But what if it were actually true? What if your child had a rare blood disease and their only chance for survival was finding that one in a million match? Now imagine you're the parent of 2 year old Harrison Leonardo who has Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), needs a bone marrow transplant to survive and the odds are even worse. Of the 1.4 million registered donors in the National Marrow Donor Program, none are a match for Harrison. What makes it difficult is that bone marrow matches rely heavily on hereditary and ethnic factors. Of the 1.4 million only 6.6% or roughly 425,000 are Asian American. What makes it seemingly impossible to find a match is that Harrison is half-Filipino and half-Caucasian. Narrowing down the field, there are 34,000 Filipinos and only 11,000 multi-ethnic Asian Americans registered as donors. Neither his parents, younger brother or anyone in his extended family are matches. Harrison and others like him are in desperate need of finding matches within the Asian American community at large. I didn't realize how difficult it was to find a bone marrow match until I heard about Harrison's story on SFGate.com and checked out his web site at helpharrison.com. Sure I've heard and read stories in the press regarding bone marrow donor drives. And please pardon my medical cluelessness, but I always thought they were somehow related to blood drives and it was as simple as matching blood types. Now I know that it couldn't be further from the truth.

Hidden But Deadly Problem
In 1989 two Asian leukemia patients, Amanda Chiang, 9 months, and Judity Jang Berkoltz, 32, were in desperate need of bone marrow transplants. Neither were able to find a match within their own families and turned to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), hoping to find a match with unrelated marrow donors. At the time there were only 123 Asian donors listed on the National Registry. Their families and friends were able to recruit some 2,000 Asian American marrow donors, but none were compatible matches. Unfortunately, their deaths highlighted a hidden but deadly problem within the Asian American community. But it also gave birth to the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) and other organizations like it.

What If It Were My Son?
What really got to me was thinking about my own 1 year-old boy who is half-Filipino and half-Caucasian. What if he contracted a rare blood disease and we were faced with a similar situation? How many potential donors would there be for him? Now ask yourself how many potential donors would there be for your child? Needless to say I become a registered donor this week and I encourage every one of you to do the same. You need to be between the ages of 18-61 and in good health. After filling out some forms there's a test kit where you swab the inside of your cheek to get some samples. It's as simple as brushing your teeth but with a cotton swab instead. You can even have a test kit sent to your home for free and send it back in a postage paid envelope. It's quick, painless and you could potentially help save a life. Please do this right away as it takes 4 weeks for the test results to come back and Harrison doesn't have a lot of time. Normally it takes 10 weeks, but they're expediting the process in hopes of finding a match sooner. Below is more information on where to go or order a home test kit.

Cross Country Donor Drives And Home Test Kits
Part of the effort to help save Harrison and others are organized donor drives across the country.
IN NEW YORK for more info including additional drives or to receive a home test kit, please contact DKMS AMERICAS at 1-866-340-3567 or emailing info@dkmsamericas.org
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA please contact Marc Loresto at Asians for a Miracle Marrow Match (888) 236-4673 X172 or visit the A3M website for more local drives in the LA , San Diego and Orange County areas http://www.asianmarrow.org/drives/index.php
IN HAWAII please contact Roy Yamashiro at the Hawaiian Bone Marrow Registry (877) 443-6667 or visit their website at http://www.stfrancishawaii.org/sfhs/services/onco_bone_marrow.jsp
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Bay Area) please contact Cynthia Carlson, Recruitment Specialist at the National Marrow Donor Program ccarlson@nmdp.org or Carol Gillespie, Executive Director of Asian American Donor Program http://www.aadp.org/ or carol@aadp.org
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Merced to Oregon Border) please contact Bloodsource in Sacramento at 1-800-995-4420
IN ARIZONA please contact Oscar with NMDP at 602-242-5459 or ocorrea@nmdp.org

Spreading The Word
Besides registering as a potential life saving donor, I also encourage all the Rice Daddies and Mommies out there to help spread the word. If you have a blog or web site please include a link to Harrison's site or to one of the organizations above. With your help we can help save Harrison's life, the lives of others like him and possibly the life of your own child.