The Discovery of Ramen on Kickstarter

Greetings! Today we launched a Kickstarter campaign for our new book idea The Discovery of Ramen.

Hopefully this will be the first adventure in an ongoing series called The Asian Hall of Fame.

The kids Emma and Ethan see something that piques their curiosity. Lucky for them...POOF! Out of a cloud of smoke comes a cute red panda! Dao can show them how that cool thing was invented in Asia. Dao can guide them back into time and place and bring them to where it all began.

The first journey is about ramen!

There has never been a U.S. children's book about ramen.

We intend to remedy that oversight. Ramen is more popular than ever and millions of people love eating it around the world.

So we hope those ramen lovers will learn about our book idea and support it on Kickstarter.

The tale of ramen starts in Japan in the 1800s. From there, Dao leads Emma and Ethan across the country to explore how these noodles became special. Together they visit restaurants, factories, and museums.

Then they zip through the decades, into outer space and back to America, where ramen mania has gripped the West!

Co-authors Phil Amara (The Treehouse Heroes) and Oliver Chin (Julie Black Belt) unite with artist Juan Calle (Good Dream, Bad Dream) to create a journey that blends travel, history, culture, food, and fun!

We have a special combo of rewards for our Kickstarter backers. So check out our project and we appreciate your support.  With your help, we'll all enjoy fantastic storybook which can be a great gift to give for the upcoming holiday season.

May = Asian Pacific American heritage month

It's that time of year again, when both the USA and Canada commemorate the cultures and contributions of their Asian citizenry. Hooray!

We have 5 new Asian themed stories to share with you this season. We've reprinted children's books authored by Ying Chang Compestine and have redesigned them with new bilingual translations in simplified Chinese.

1) Boy Dumplings: A Tasty Chinese Tale
- illustrated by James Yamasaki

Set in old Beijing, this fun-filled romp follows the travails of a hungry ghost. Perchance he stumbles upon a boy who looks good enough to eat! However, the clever child convinces the ghost to delay his easy meal and instead make the more delicious (but more complicated) recipe of "boy dumplings."

2) then there are 4 stories in our series Amazing Chinese Inventions
- illustrated by YongSheng Xuan

The three Kang brothers, Ting, Pan, and Kùai, always seem to get themselves in a pickle. But using their wits and resources, they produce some of the world's greatest creations!

"Xuan’s colourful illustrations with their thick, bold outlines are eye-catching"
- CM magazine

a) The Story of Chopsticks 

The youngest child, Kùai never got enough to eat. Maybe he can he grab food right off the over, when it is too hot for others to touch...but how? Soon the entire Kang family is eating with sticks. But should the boys bring them to a big wedding banquet?

b) The Story of Noodles

It's time for Mama Kang to win the annual cooking contest. But when she leaves her three sons to oversee making her dumpling wrappers, look out!

Boiled strips of dough end up everywhere! Hmmm, but they do taste good. With no time to waste, the Kangs submit a new dish to the judges.

What will everyone think about their entry of... noodles?


c) The Story of Kites

Protecting the rice during the harvest is a full-time job! Whew!  Shooing hungry birds from their fields never stops. Ting, Pan, and Kùai wonder if there is a better way.

Perhaps they can figure out a way to fly in the sky and beat these birds at their own game. They do have some materials handy.

Ouch! Flying themselves may be out of the question. But maybe they can launch something else!

d) The Story of Paper 

These Kang boys need to pay more attention at school! So their teacher writes messages on their hands to show their parents. How embarassing!

If only their teacher could write on something else.

The brothers brainstorm and come up with an idea that may result in what becomes an indispensable school supply!

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Enjoy these tall tales and another month of celebrating Asian themes and adventures!

May is Asian Heritage Month

Well it's that time of year again, when the USA commemorates the contributes of Asian Americans.

The official commemoration was officially designated three decades ago by President Jimmy Carter (later the entire month of May by President George H. Bush). However, Asian voices still strain to be heard and recognized on a national level. 

A case in point is how President Obama won't even attend the "White House summit" on Asian Pacific American Islanders (AAPI) held in Washington DC this week, as reported by the Daily Beast.

We still live in an era of mixed signals, and where society seems to take one step forward and then drift one step back.

Yet, we firmly believe that sharing children stories is a great way to instill not only understanding cultural differences but also appreciating them.

Kids (as opposed to ossified adults) have a awe-inspiring capacity to soak in new experiences and resiliency to redefine their view of the world. It is no coincidence that polls regularly note how younger generations of voters have become more tolerant of social issues that have inflamed, divided, and bedeviled their elders.

Since 2006, we've been dedicating to publish more new Asian American authors, artists, and characters. These include:

• Tales from the Chinese Zodiac - still the only series in English of its kind
• Julie Black Belt - our popular heroine in the martial arts
• Sora and the Cloud - our first Japanese bilingual book

All told, more than 1/3 (of our nearly 40 books) features Asian American themes.

Diversity in publishing is vital because it reflects the variety of real life. Maybe more interestingly, it is even more important since it underscores how we as a community need to learn from each other and develop bonds for a greater good.

Happy Year of the Sheep

February 19th is the start of the Chinese New Year...and we're ready to celebrate The Year of the Sheep!

We've created original adventures in our annual series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac for a decade. Now the latest yarn centers on Sydney - this lamb redefines (in very positive ways) what it means to be sheepish!

Already we have shared this energetic story with dozens of schools, libraries, and cultural associations...and have seen kids go baaa-baaa-bonkers with enthusiasm :)

Artist Alina Chau illustrated a brand new world for Sydney and our readers to explore - full of color, humor, and the beauty of nature. Well known for her expert use of watercolors, Alina imbues her illustrations with intimate and impressionistic detail. Plus Alina will present the March 1st storytime at Books, Inc. in Burlingame, CA.

Meanwhile author Oliver Chin is reading at many other locales. See our events calendar for a venue near you.

In addition, we are translating Tales from the Chinese Zodiac into Chinese, due to regular requests from teachers and parents from Chinese immersion classes. Now you can download free PDFs that have either the simplified and traditional Chinese translations for The Year of the Sheep and prior Tales.

May 2015 be full of health, wealth, and prosperity for you, your family, and your community.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Asian American Month

As you may know, May is America's annual month to commemorate the heritage and contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

We at Immedium are happy to do so, since one of our publishing missions is to create more stories with Asian American themes and characters.

On tap is our upcoming September sequel in our series Julie Black Belt. The first story, The Kung Fu Chronicles launched in 2007 and readers have been asking for a follow up ever since. We are finally pleased to oblige them!

Julie is a girl that kids relate to - like any child, she wants to do well and learn new things but discovers that life is full of experiments, trials, and errors. Ultimately Julie understands that challenges require her to open her mind, revise her expectations, and grow with her body.

The notion of kung fu centers around practicing a discipline and honing one's skill. Though it normally is discussed in relation to sports and physical activity, kung fu really is about any endeavor one would want to improve in. Seeing themselves walking in Julie's shoes, youngsters understand what she is going through and, by extension, reframe their own experiences.

Now in The Belt of Fire, Julie is gunning to earn her next belt - orange! She continues to admire her movie idol Brandy Wu, a martial arts superstar. Julie starts watching Brandy Wu's latest adventure on DVD, but soon observes her heroine's success getting stifled by a mysterious stranger. But life starts to imitate art, as Julie discovers that a new kid in town has enrolled in her kung fu class. And her teacher Mr. Fong (aka "Sifu") may think he is better than her!

The amazing illustrator Charlene Chua has returned to draw Julie. We look forward to entertaining young and older martial artists with Julie's continuing adventures!