Asia Society is pleased to present, in partnership with The Culture Tree, our first annual AAPI Children's Literary Festival. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are an integral part of the American cultural mosaic and the group encompasses a wide range of traditions, identities, and cultures. We will celebrate AAPI heritage month with an exciting event featuring readings, meet-and-greet sessions with authors and illustrators, panel discussions, and writing and illustration workshops. The festival will serve as a unique gathering place for writers, illustrators, publishers, and fans of AAPI literary works.
Our AsiaStore will be packed with AAPI titles for all ages. Each child will receive a sketchbook and drawing kit!
1:00 PM Book Reading by Anu Sehgal, author of I am a Lotus.
1:15 - 2:00 PM Young Voices, Wise Words: An interactive session featuring authors and kids shaping literary futures.
2:00 - 2:30 PM Book signing and meet and greet with featured authors and illustrators.
2:30 - 3:15 PM Writing Workshop with Veera Hiranandani, author of Amil and the After.
Who’s Story, is it? In this workshop, young writers will learn about character development through the craft technique of point of view. Veera Hiranandani will discuss examples that she has used in her books with different points of view (first, second, and third person). Participants will also learn how and why a writer chooses a certain point of view for their main character, participating in exciting writing prompts to practice their new skills!
3:15 - 4:00 PM Illustration Workshop with ShinYeon Moon, illustrator of LaoLao's Dumplings.
What’s in their head? In this workshop with ShinYeon Moon, artists will learn how to create a unique portrait of their character. Participants will use symbols to determine their character’s likes (or dislikes), and we will focus on how to best depict a character’s emotions by drawing their expressions.
4:00 - 4:45 PM Cookbook and Recipe Documentation with Priya Krishna, New York Times best-selling author and creator of Priya's Kitchen Adventures.
Culture, Literacy, and Food! Priya Krishna will read from her book, share a recipe, and give tips on how children can document their own recipes. This session will conclude with a yummy dumpling tasting!
Special thanks to our teen volunteers!
Nikhil Sethi, Sara Vichaidith, Samara Chopra, Emi Dotter Tse, and Sahana Narayan
The Lotus flower has significance in many cultures and religions. It stands for resilience, persistence, inner strength and humility. In the book I am a Lotus, children learn about everything that a Lotus flower stands for, and how they can try to become a Lotus flower in mind and body by incorporating a few practices in their daily lives.
The story encourages young readers to pause and reflect on their deep connection with this wonder of nature. Blooming in muddy waters and gracing sacred spaces and arts, the lotus becomes a source of inspiration for all who turn the pages of this delightful lyrical tale.
Anu Sehgal is a children's author and the founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education company that focuses on South Asia. Anu believes awareness of one's heritage, culture and language is key for children to become self-aware and confident individuals. With an MBA from Yale University, she worked in the corporate sector for more than a decade. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two sons.
Book Launch Schedule:
- 4/15 NYPL World Literature Festival
- 5/16 Brooklyn Children's Museum
- 5/18 Children's Museum of Manhattan
- 5/19 Rubin Museum
Story of Diwali, The Indian Festival of Lights
The festival of Diwali has its roots in ancient India and the epic Ramayan. Through Ramleela our Puppet Show, see Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and Ravana come to life. It is a famous story on Diwali from North India. The show will teach the meaning of true devotion, love, kindness and valor; a
Story of Diwali, The Indian Festival of Lights
The festival of Diwali has its roots in ancient India and the epic Ramayan. Through Ramleela our Puppet Show, see Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and Ravana come to life. It is a famous story on Diwali from North India. The show will teach the meaning of true devotion, love, kindness and valor; all while learning why we celebrate Diwali. We will end in a surprise celebration!
Duration: 30 mins
Time Frame: October/November
Age: 3 – 12 years
Includes a puppet making activity kit
This puppet show has been produced in partnership with The Culture Tree and WonderSpark Puppets
Celebrate Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors
Through our puppet show Colors of Krishna’s Love, we bring to life Krisha and a popular story of Holi.
Holi has its roots in ancient Indian mythology. Lord Krishna loves to have fun with his friends and family. He plays Holi, throwing colored powder, and sharing love and laughter. The Culture Tr
Celebrate Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors
Through our puppet show Colors of Krishna’s Love, we bring to life Krisha and a popular story of Holi.
Holi has its roots in ancient Indian mythology. Lord Krishna loves to have fun with his friends and family. He plays Holi, throwing colored powder, and sharing love and laughter. The Culture Tree has created a puppet show that showcases Krishna playing Holi with his friends Radha and Sudama. Here children will learn the story of Holi and also learn how it is celebrated.
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: March/April
Age: 3 – 12 years (Children and parents)
Includes a puppet making activity kit
This puppet show has been produced in partnership with The Culture Tree and WonderSpark Puppets
Inspirational stories from around the world about how little kids have tried to make the earth more beautiful, safe and sustainable
Goal: Celebrate Earth Day and Instill Conversation about the Environment and Climate Change Through Puppetry
Given the importance of youngsters to be part of the discussion on climate change, we have developed
Inspirational stories from around the world about how little kids have tried to make the earth more beautiful, safe and sustainable
Goal: Celebrate Earth Day and Instill Conversation about the Environment and Climate Change Through Puppetry
Given the importance of youngsters to be part of the discussion on climate change, we have developed a puppet show for children to learn how they can take action to help save Planet Earth. The story captures the journey of three inspirational children located different parts of the world, who join forces to take action and make a change so as to inspire their parents, friends and everyone around them to save Planet Earth. These youngsters are brave, knowledgeable and environmentally responsible. This show will empower your children to understand the importance of climate change and what they can do to help reverse the climate crisis.
Duration: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Time Frame: April (Earth Day), June (World Environment Day) or Year Round
Age: 3 – 16 years (Children and parents)
A Private Tour of Henri Cartier-Bresson's: India in Full Frame
First Ever Literary Festival for Indian-American Children.
Dabba Dialogue is a series in which we will have conversations about our “story”, revolving around identity, diversity, heritage and culture.
Episode 1: Our first segment will feature Chief Spice Mama Dr Kanchan Koya and singer Falu. In our first session, we will invite 6 Indian – American kids to describe and talk about their Dabbas an
Dabba Dialogue is a series in which we will have conversations about our “story”, revolving around identity, diversity, heritage and culture.
Episode 1: Our first segment will feature Chief Spice Mama Dr Kanchan Koya and singer Falu. In our first session, we will invite 6 Indian – American kids to describe and talk about their Dabbas and share their story. Episode 2: Asia Society hosts our next event where we will have conversation with Teens about identity