Immedium: The ImagiNation

Sora and the Cloud take off

2011-12-19T08:51:00.001-08:00

Our newest adventure is by Felicia Hoshino (www.felishino.com). Having illustrated many other stories, Felicia decided to write her first book, inspired by her very own son.

The result is Immedium's first Japanese American themed book, and its first title that features bilingual translation (in Japanese).

Sora and the Cloud enjoyed a launch party at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (www.jcccnc.org) in San Francisco, CA on December 10, 2011.

There the author and her pal Akiko Hisa (who translated the story into Japanese) read the tale, discussed their creative processes, and signed dozens (and dozens) of copies for supportive and eager readers.

Meanwhile families could enjoy a rainbow of fun, crafted by Felicia. They could take a photo with their very own Cloud and balloon, and make their own hand-held clouds. They could see up close the author's beautifully detailed artwork.

Of course, the delicious snacks were a hit and soon all gone!

Then Sora and the Cloud proceeded to fly over the Bay Area. They visited students at Rosa Parks and Clarendon elementary schoools and returned for their seasonal Performing Arts Nights. They touched down at ABC preschool and AIM Montessori in Berkeley.

This past weekend, they popped up at the Renegade Craft Fair's Holiday Market at the San Francisco Concourse. There among the DIY throngs, friends admired a little puffy slice of heaven.

"Sora" means "sky" in Japanese. One of the book's themes is that you can engage the world, explore it, and make meaning out of it. You can draw upon your experience and stretch your limits.

To that end, we will donate a percentage of book sales to Japan Earthquake Relief, to make this goal tangible for others around the world.

We hope to share Sora and the Cloud with more of you in 2012!

Octonauts TV show in Germany and Japan

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

The Octonauts search for fun around the globe. So, it is fitting that the TV adaptation continues to reach new fans in more continents.

Yesterday, the animated series launched as "Die Oktonauten" on the channel Super RTL in Germany. A few weeks earlier it had debuted in Deutschland on Disney Junior. The brave teammates are still the same but sport new handles such as Käpt'n Barnius and Professor Tintling. Hopefully something is found in translation :)

Fortunately for all the mädchen and jungen, the original Octonauts book stories are on their way, translated into German for their reading pleasure!

On the other side of the earth the crew recently docked in Japan on Disney Junior as well. There in Nippon, known as オクトノーツ to the locals, the eight pals will feel at home.

Their kawaii designs fit right in. I think a character's sure sign of acceptance is when they inspire the consumable contents of bento boxes.

Come to think of it, Captain Barnacles is ideal for sticky rice. Is that Peso Penguin on the starboard bow? That's very deft folding of the seaweed and a nice daikon beak!

After decades of a one-sided trade imbalance, we can now export bona fide cuteness back into the land of Hello Kitty and Pokemon. The Vegimals' have realized their dreams of bring smiles to little tummies for lunch.

It's just a chair... but it's a Shelby Williams Gazelle.

2011-09-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't blog about home decor (as opposed to creating entertaining characters and publishing multimedia), but I've got to tell you I did have something akin to lust for a particular piece of seating.

In fact, this did happen once, not too long ago, when I happened upon a Herman Miller Equa chair at Costco. I plopped myself on the aisle sample, still zip-tied to the pallet. Surprisingly I felt the closest thing to pleasure possible that I could ever have imagined while tethered to a computer keyboard.

I rationalized my need for this object this by considering the facts. Finding a good seat is important nowadays. Especially when a slew of scientific studies point out how homo sapiens didn't evolve to be 9 to 5 desk jockeys. Sitting is now equated to being a couch potato, but you now have the added bonus of eye-strain, carpal tunnel, and multi-tasking attention deficit disorder. So, now I ride an "Equa B" everyday (affordably obtained BTW).

But back to the anecdote at hand. The criteria for a dining room chair is different from an office chair. There is more a premium on appearance. Size matters (in this case smaller!). Nevertheless, the chair still has to be cozy enough to allow you to nosh forever. It shouldn't eject you from enjoying a meal because your posterior gets too sore.

So on with the story...

A few months ago, while on vacation I visited my sister who treated us to a small diner in Pasadena for lunch. I took a seat by the main "farm-style" table with my family to consider the menu. It slowly dawned on me that I was sitting in a very, no make that extremely, comfortable chair. I stood up and looked at it. Then I sat down again.

The cushion was soft but firm.

The design was modern but retro.

The chair was compact but durable.

It afforded a range of motion but provided support.

The diner's chair was a clean white vinyl, but clearly had to take a licking but keep on ticking.

Then (mind you, normally I don't do this either) I surreptitiously bent down to see if the manufacturer's name was written on the bottom. After eating my sandwich, I looked under the chair again to make sure. I walked to the counter, grabbed a the restaurant's business card and pen and wrote it down.

It was a Shelby Williams.

Later when I got home, I emailed the restaurant. I couldn't wait for a reply, so I called them. Not to ask about their recipes, but about their chairs. I hinted to my sister that she could follow up and walk over there during her lunch break if she wasn't busy. One lead led to another, and I discovered that this particular piece of furniture was old and not made any more at all. The company still existed but their website no longer produced this model.

I searched the web and finally identified the item. Mid Century Modern. Akin to Danish Erik Buck and Eames. A Gazelle, aka Antelope or Impala.

A fitting name. Connoting fluid motion. Sleek lines. A burst of energy from a position of rest.

In the back of my reptilian brain, I knew this could be the start of a fruitless search. But indulgently I allowed the seed to germinate, and then watered it with a daily trickle of web browsing. This yielded a predictable paucity of results, most of which led to dead ends. The links that did stand up were on the other end of the spectrum - listings fitted to shoppers where price was not an object.

However, I'm glad to report a happy ending. Miraculously, I found a super nice person who was selling 3 chairs. I immediately hopped in the car to make her acquaintance and came home with my very own trio of orange Gazelles (affordably obtained BTW).

My kids crawled atop them without a second thought.

More importantly my wife was pleased too.

My search has ended for now.

For another smitten aficionado's take, visit www.finedivingchicago.com/?p=4536.

Burning Man Redux at a Quarter Century

2011-08-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is the week, long-awaited all year...even more so after 50,000 tickets sold out back in July. The New York Times has jumped on the bandwagon with three stories in two days, including the Monday obituary of Rod Garrett who helped design Black Rock City's spoke-like layout and annual
Center Camps.

Like clockwork and seemingly by its very nature, Burning Man spins off speculation like swirling dust-devils. This year it has ranged off the art section to the business page and even Op-Eds.

So goes the 25th anniversary of Burning Man with the 2011 Art Theme: Rites of Passage. More traffic will fork through tiny towns for the Burn this Labor Day weekend.

For those who've gone before, want to attend, or wish to know what compels pilgrims to trek year after year to the Black Rock Desert in an arid corner of Nevada...we present our revised edition of Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography.

Barbara Traub updated her 2006 opus (since sold out too) with 2 more years, 16 more pages, and two dozen more photos, along with a fitting postscript by her friend D.S. Black.

We're pleased to publish this evolving chronicle of an event which has grown from a happening to a festival to the state's 10th largest city. But it still provides a rainbow of mesmerizing experiences, which differ to the viewer according to the time of day and the shifting sands of happenstance.

Fortunately, Barbara was there to capture these fleeting moments of spectacle and share them with people around the world, in the pages of magazines from Wired to Time and now in the 2nd edition of her book. Once the playa is wiped clean next week, participants and voyeurs can still appreciate the memories of the desert and their dreams they created there.

August means Attaboy!

2011-08-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, we try to blog every month that begins with "A". No, seriously folks, we have a brand spanking new book out...so here goes.

This picture is worth at least 100 words. The other 900 and change you can find inside the covers of You Might be a Monster and Other Stories I Made Up. Attaboy surely has made more than his fair share of tales which collectively break the expectations of what a kids book is.

For one thing, when have you read a book with a couch of contents?

Secondly, name a children's adventure that had at least a dozen monsters you hadn't seen before?

Thirdly, when have you seen a dustjacket that can wrap around from the inside out?

Don't get me started buddy. You get the idea. Anyhoo, you'd definitely get more than your nickel's worth as you confront a riot of color, characters, and poems, chock full of brio and moxie from a certifiably wild brain.

Attaboy is definitely a rule bender, as you can tell from his recent author photo. As you may know, he co-founded Hi-Fructose magazine with his partner Annie Owens. This pop "cult" periodical showcases like-minded artists who push buttons and envelopes and other drawing implements around to create genre-bending and innovative art. Their latest issue #20 has instantly sold out.

Recently Atta kicked off San Diego Comic Con with his new book and now is slinging couplets at lucky readers up on down the California coast. Catch him in the coming weeks at:

August 5th at Dragatomi, Sacramento, CA

August 6th at The Escapist, Berkeley, CA

August 7th at SF MOMA, San Francisco, CA

August 11th at Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA

August 12th at Sweet Breams, San Mateo, CA

August 13th at Books Inc., Alameda, CA

Atta will even give away a rare "heat-seeking" glow-in-the-dark ASTRX at the SF MOMA!

This will undoubtedly make more monsters out there, hungry for more offbeat humor and off-the-wall illustrations. As Publishers Weekly recently reviewed:

"Artist and toy designer Attaboy pairs flippant humor with page-popping digital cartoons in this collection of monster-themed poems....Readers should be drawn toward the subversive, macabre tone and lurid, Cartoon-Network-on-acid illustrations..."

Billie the Unicorn in Bloom!

2011-04-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. However it rained today in San Francisco but our flowers were already in bloom!

Likewise, we're sharing a very beautiful flower this month. We can't help ourselves...take a gander at Billie the Unicorn!

The author Brianne Drouhard launched her debut storybook at WonderCon in San Francisco at the start of April, much to the delight of her appreciative fans.

At our booth #220, Brianne happily provided special Billie buttons, necklace charms, limited edition prints, and convention sketches. Plus she generously drew a cool picture of Billie inside each of her new books.

We quickly sold out of our 1st few cartons and surely needed more copies to satisfy eager (yet patient) readers who pre-ordered the story!

Today our breath was taken away when we received a batch of amazing "autographed" faceplates from Brianne. Going far beyond our wildest expectations, she drew and colored dozens of original sketches of Billie and her cousins Smudge and Rhubarb!

The sheets of 6 stickers were fantastic works of art in their own right. We managed to capture most of them for posterity and your viewing pleasure...before we started mailing them away!

Like Billie, each is unique and special in their own way and we are extremely proud to be sending these along (with Brianne's signature) to lucky readers from Alaska to Australia, and from Dover (New Hampshire) to Denmark.

We may have a few left, and who knows if we'll ever see such an amazing sight of dozens of Billie flowers in bloom again.

And who other than Brianne would make a plain mailer so very special by gracing it with a fleet unicorn?

We are lucky to collaborate with an artist who cares so much about her art! On behalf of our appreciative readers, we thank you very much!

Happy post-holidays & pre-New Year

2010-12-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the "slowest week of the year" - as a pal recently reminded me. Driving back and forth from LA during the holi-daze, we racked up 800 miles on the old odometer (certainly we'd have preferred driving a Prius).

But more importantly, we provided our full line of illustrated books to Burbank's best comic book store - House of Secrets (1930 West Olive Avenue Burbank, CA 91506).

There we met owner Paul and manager Eric and enjoyed the lovely view of thousands of comics, old and new. We heard the store will benefit from a quick remodel that will soon devote more shelf space to children's books, so we were glad that our timing was just right!

Meanwhile we drove a frisbee toss away to drop off a case of our newest book at the nerve center of DKE Toys. Though we missed seeing the impresario Dov Kelemer, we did admire the endless cardboard mountains of vinyl toys and collectibles, such as colorful line up of Darth Vader helmets in various states of heady expression. These were a handful of representatives of a past gallery tour, aka The Vader Project.

Unfortunately couldn't stay in the valley long enough to redeem his generous invitation to attend a Korean cuisine theme Christmas Eve party (our stomachs are still wistful at the mere possibility of partaking). But we had more appointments to keep and relatives to meet.

We divvied up and delivered one of our last cartons of the aforementioned The Year of the Rabbit. But we're already expecting our 2nd printing to arrive any day now.

The first was soaked up by Barnes and Noble as they will imminently trot out a month long "Chinese New Year" book promotion nationwide in their +700 stores, starting next week.

So, it would be great if you'd be kind dears and spread the word to family and friends and complete strangers to check out the 6th story in our Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series at a nearby B&N, local bookstore, and elsewhere.

Octonauts on TV around the world

2010-10-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well, shiver me timbers and blow me down. The Octonauts are now an animated TV show and it debuted this month in the United Kingdom, France, and South America!

They started in the King's English on the esteemed BBC in the UK, on the children's channel CBeebies, which also broadcasts worldwide. Though the web episode player is restricted from operating in non-sanctioned territories (i.e. the USA), you can enjoy some fun stuff.

We always imagined what Captain Barnacles would sound like if he became James Bond. Note, Sauci dog is now called "Dashi"!

Octonauts "sub" site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/octonauts/

Listen to the Theme Tune!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/octonauts/songs/octonautsthemetune/

Dance to the Creature Report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/octonauts/watch/octonautsclips/

Play at the TV show's site

http://www.theoctonauts.com/

On the continent, the home station in France is TF1. The title translation is very debonair, and we're confident that Dr. Shellington sounds very convincing in French.

Les Octonauts

http://videos.tf1.fr/octonauts/

In South America, the team has found their headquarters on Discovery Kids. From the sound of it, the ocho amigos will give telenovelas on Telemundo a run for their pesos. Vegimals must be even more cute when they babble in Spanish.

Los Octonautas

http://www.tudiscoverykids.com/
http://www.discoverykidsbrasil.com/
"Os Octonautas e a Tempestade Submarina/Os Octonautas e a Lula Gigante"

All in all, many more adventures await. We're glad that the rest of the globe can learn not only how the Octonauts can be such a treat, but also help them learn more about the ocean and its creatures. Of course, there is no substitute to enjoy our original 4 missions - the Immedium books that started it all!

So turn in if you're travelling and let us know that your TV tube time was well spent!

Space Cadet Topo

2010-10-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Calling all you wanna be astonauts!

Next up is our 2nd new book of the fall season. Topo lives the dream of many a child - he monitors the universe from his rotating space station and helps out extra terrestrials in need.

Being a good space cadet, he wants to become space commander one day! That means, he is eager to undertake missions that would turn a regular terran's knees to jelly!

The following surprise assignment certainly qualifies...the sun has mysteriously turned off and needs to be turned back on before everything freezes forever! Ooops.

Well, that's not all. The only way to accomplish that impossible mission is to use the mythical "galactic torch"... and no one in eons has ever been able to do that.

Of course, Topo may be the right mole for the job. He is a cheery fellow and aided by his intrepid robot friends.

The Argentinian artists DGPH have created a colorful universe in Space Cadet Topo: the Day the Sun Turned Off. Bursting at the seams with life and wit, outer space has never seemed so much fun (let's forget about that dark matter for the moment). Kids will get a kick out of this brave astronaut's fantastic voyage, and parents can appreciate these entertaining adventures on the little printed screen.

Sid the Squid

2010-10-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

New book alert! We're a little tardy in celebrating the annual Cephalopod Awareness Day (October 10), but here goes anyway.

Sid is no ordinary squid. Given the fact that he has 10 appendages (8 tentacles + 2 arms), he wants to use them all to the best of his ability. He's scoured the seas and had no luck. So he is willing to travel up to the human world on a rumor that he could find the perfect job there.

In that sense, Sid is the same as you and me. Everyone likes a little adventure. But certainly one is willing to travel the extra yard in the hope they could find some fulfilling work. Self-actualization is as important for a cephalopod as it is for a homo sapiens.

Sid the Squid and the Search for the Perfect Job is the first story by David Derrick, a story artist at Dreamworks. Dave recently contributed to the summer flick How to Train Your Dragon and the upcoming Megamind.

Take a gander at Sid's adventures, and you'll enjoy seeing not only how an everyman becomes emblematic of our age, but also how a lush world of color and whimsy is created which both kids and adults can simply savor.

Culture Camp in Colorado

2010-09-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

We hope you had a good Labor Day Weekend. Immedium author Oliver Chin spent his holiday at the final summer Heritage camp of the year in Fraser, Colorado. There he shared his Asian American (Tales from the Chinese Zodiac, Julie Black Belt) and other story books with families nationwide.

A two hour drive from Denver, the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch is nestled in the Rocky Mountains. The facility grounds cover a startlingly wide expanse. For the car-less, this made walking a necessary and good workout in the mile high air.

The camp's area seems even wider to those campers who remember how a forest used to blanket the terrain between the lodges. It was so thick that one couldn't even see the next cabin through the trees. After the arrival of the infamous pine beetle, the trees died in the thousands during the past few years. These multi-story matchsticks had to be chopped down (and sometimes are visible in big piles, looking like a stack of twigs in the distance), leaving the surroundings strangely barren to those who remember verdant green woods.

However this desolate contextual memory stands in startling contrast to the vibrant proceedings of the camp itself. This year the theme was "Folktales". Attendance was the highest ever in the camp's 14 year history. Dozens of programs for preschoolers to parents filled three days to the brim.

Oliver taught one hundred precocious 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders how to create their own "zodiac" animals stories as 4 page comic books. Plus he managed to sooth the savage beasts of "post lunch" preschoolers by drawing a big dragon and reading The Year of the Dog.

One of many culture camps held during the summer, this was the 2nd Chinese session. which is aimed at families who have adopted children from China. The program (staffed by local college students who act as counselors) offers many sessions for kids (mainly girls with a handful of boys and non-adopted children) to learn and participate in cultural traditions from a land they don't quite remember. Parents volunteer in a myriad of ways (from cooking to teaching), and learn some ways to help their children come to grips with their dual Asian and American-ness, while their families simultaneous cope with a spectrum of "adoption" issues.

This was a whirlwind weekend full of inspirational friendship that spanned age and geography. Immedium was privileged to be a part of it, and appreciated the opportunity to meet new people who are eager to learn about and proud of their Asian-American identity.

Artist at 2010 Anime Expo AX in LA

2010-07-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Animator Brianne Drouhard attends Anime Expo this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Brianne (www.potatofarmgirl.blogspot.com) is a veteran artist who has contributed to popular Cartoon Network TV series such as Teen Titans, Batman Brave and the Bold, Class of 3000, and Transformers Animated, Brianne will dispense pearls of wisdom on a boffo panel:

Breaking In! Working in Animation!

(July 3rd, Saturday, 8pm, room lp2):

Giving tips on how to break into the domestic animation industry. Speakers will discuss how they got in and how anime influenced their work. Guest speakers will vary from writer, creator, director, character designer and production.

Brianne will hand out super cute buttons and postcards of her Spring 2011 children's adventure Billie the Unicorn (website www.billietheunicorn.com to come!).

Contest Alert! The first person who pre-orders Billie from us gets a special prize! Get free copy of Brianne's brand new "Girly Poo" sketchbook iPhone app (33 pages, $2.99, free with redeemable promo code for the iTunes store)! Take a peek and you will be happy!

The Kung Fu Kid showing at a bookshelf near you

2010-06-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Such is the fate of Generation X - to watch another wave of recycled stories from our youth. Oh, where do new stories come from? It seems the path of least resistance is clear. It is easier, cheaper, and less risky to bank on nostalgia and name recognition by redoing the Flintstones, Josie and the Pussycats, and Scooby Doo on the big screen. Yeech. What we're they drinking? Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook were better off imitating Valley Girl, which copied Pygmalion. Next up are the A-Team and The Karate Kid.

Plus it is even savvier to appeal to the world's most populous nation and biggest emerging consumer market. The NBA opened the doors to the Middle Kingdom with the Trojan Horse of Yao Ming. Kung Fu Panda won over the hearts of the Forbidden City by denaturing the ideal a revolutionary action hero into a fat furry toy. Cue Will Smith and Jada Pinkett who wish to establish gainful employment for their son Jaden. Studios want their films to be #1 for their first weekend at any cost (creative or otherwise), so I'm sure that Columbia Pictures loves it when a plans comes together.

I never equated Jackie Chan with Pat Morita. But I'm sure that Jackie would have been better off reprising the role of Arnold from Happy Days. Jackie was a great Drunken Master, but I don't think Bruce Lee would have been caught playing a shadow of his former self, while simultaneously following the footsteps of a former burger flipper. Despite his prominent turns talking pidgin-English, at least Pat Morita helped raise the profile of Asian Americans as a lonely actor among a homogeneous eggshell-tinted cast. Mr. Miyagi was authentic in his limited way. Jackie just seems caught in a cycle of diluting whatever made him notable in the first place. (What else could have been the reasons to make Rush Hour 3 and Shanghai Knights?) You can blame it on aging or economic opportunism, but whatever it is, P.T. Barnum must be laughing because of it.

Let's forget for the time being the disingenuous mis-titling of the retelling of Ralph Macchio redux - that this weekend's remake is set in China with kung fu, as opposed to Japan (or Japantown or Okinawa) with karate. Or that the original writer of the screenplay was denied a credit. Or that Jaden only got the job because of his famous parents or that he acts like a typical 12 year old (i.e. not good enough to get the job in the first place). Or that we have a new target for the whole Avatar social-political criticism (i.e. a Westerner comes to a "native" culture, and shows he's the new savior and best warrior and gets the girl). The question is why can't we have some new stories with new characters. Do we have to swallow reheated leftovers from the cinematic microwave?

Sure, a movie can serve a good purpose - this flick can inspire children to take a martial arts class and learn discipline, good listening and exercise habits, and piety for peers and elders. (These are all laudable goals.) Or it can exploit the actual opposite values like a wolf in sheep's clothing - promoting the sexiness of violence, instant gratification, and egotism while ostensibly upholding the values of self-defense, self-respect, and self-mastery. Let viewers be the judge, but don't settle for the concept of "voting" with your pocket book by refusing to open it. That's like trying to tell Arizona that you disapprove of their recent immigration law by saying you won't vacation there.

If a movie piques your curiosity, great! Take some time, search some more. Dig a little deeper, beyond the superficial layer of merchandising (though Toy Story 3 may be a unique case now that Pixar was assimilated by the Disney Borg).

Check out www.julieblackbelt.com - we're proud of the book and Charlene Chua's dazzling artwork - and how that is based on a real story and a real kid. Here a girl can be the heroine (and not just a prize). Here a both man and a woman, and a mother and a father, can be inspirational teachers. Here stereotypes are challenged, not pandered to. Plus there's our itty bitty You Tube trailer :)

Though Julie Black Belt was published a few years ago, it may be new to you - and still seem new after the 10th reading.

If so, that's great too.

May = Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

2010-05-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

We're halfway through May, but it's not too late to remember that it is officially Asian Pacific American Heritage month (APAHM).

Our friends at Asian American Curriculum Project (AACP), Japanese American Citizens League (San Mateo, JACL), and the Organization of Chinese Americans (San Mateo, OCA) have helped organized a commemoration at the Foster City Public Library (1000 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, 94404) on May 22nd (10 am - 6:30 pm).

Throughout the day many authors will present and artists will peform their work. The event is free so come and enjoy!

AACP helps distribute some of Immedium's books to schools and libraries, and we've participated in APAHM events in the past. AACP's mission is to:

to educate the public about the great diversity of the Asian American experience, through the books that we distribute; fostering cultural awareness and to educate Asian Americans about their own heritage, instilling a sense of pride. AACP believes that the knowledge which comes from the use of appropriate materials can accomplish these goals.

Unfortunately, we can't attend this year due to a prior commitment. But we wholeheartedly support May's theme and celebrations such as this!

Learn more at:

http://asianamericanbooks.com/apahac/apahac.htm

Immedium at CAIS Institute conference on Chinese Education

2010-04-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we’ll present this weekend (April 11th at noon) at the Chinese Education Conference in San Francisco, CA.

The conference is sponsored by the CAIS Institute, founded in 1989 to advocate Chinese language and culture education nationwide. It is related to the Chinese American International School (CAIS), the nation’s first Mandarin-English immersion school.

Our session is titled “Immedium: Bringing Chinese Culture Alive through Children’s Picture Books”. Here's the official description:

We’ll share how modern children’s literature can bring Chinese culture into the classroom and energize students, teachers and parents. The popular series “Tales from the Chinese Zodiac” (The Year of the Rat, Pig, Dog, Ox, Tiger) dovetails perfectly with annual New Year celebrations at elementary schools. Other titles on martial arts, “Julie Black Belt”, sports “The Tao of Yao: Insights from Basketball’s Brightest Big Man” and graphic novels “9 of 1: A Window to the World”, can engage middle and high school students and provide rich opportunities for classroom discussion, group activities and self-exploration. Learn how a new wave of children’s books can invigorate traditional subject matter, and inspire both kids and adults to learn more.

Whew! It sounds like a mouthful but we'll spice it up with the books' lovely illustrations, useful handouts (which we're diligently working on), and reader feedback. We share our new stories with first graders at CAIS every year (as well as those enrolled in other Chinese language programs), so we're glad to meet more teachers from around the nation and introduce our tales to them.

Barbara Traub revisits Desert to Dream

2010-03-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

Photographer Barbara Traub will present a 25 year slideshow survey of her work at Books, Inc., 2251 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94123 on Tuesday, March 30th at 7:30 pm.

Following her presentation, she will gladly sign copies of her recent book Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography.

You're welcome to join this meetup group and rsvp or else just show up!
http://www.meetup.com/SF-Travel-Book-Club-and-Lecture-Series/calendar/11863578/

During the publication of Desert to Dream, Traub presented at venues such as the Commonwealth Club of California with Burning Man co-founder and director Larry Harvey, Litquake, and the Crucible's Fire Arts Festival. Afterwards Traub became a photographer teacher at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Larry Harvey said, "This book is a landmark. It does more than illustrate a so-called counter-cultural event. Rather, it exhibits the integrity and singleness of vision of a complete work of art...It does not merely display Burning Man in pictures or explain it in words: It manifests the spirit of our culture through its style."

Relive the magic all over again, and get inspired for another glorious Labor Day Weekend 2010!

Immedium talks about Kid Lit at Book Passage

2010-03-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Join Immedium as we share our children's books at the Kid Lit Salon, held at the literary landmark Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. We present on Monday, March 22nd, from 7 - 9 pm.

Hosted by moderator extraordinaire Lissa Rovetch, The Kid Lit Salon is for both established and beginning children’s book writers, illustrators, and lovers of fun kids’ books. (New members welcome! Just $10 per meeting.) Previous guests have included Lemony Snicket, the brothers Robert San Souci and Daniel San Souci, and Ashley Wolff.

Now come socialize with like-minded, creative types for an evening of casual conversation with author Oliver Chin, soon-to-be author Attaboy, and graphic designer Stefanie Liang.

As you may know, Atta is a boffo vinyl toy creator and co-founder of the cutting-edge (increasingly popular) art magazine Hi-Fructose. Now he is concocting his first children’s picture book, You Might be a Monster: and Other Stories I Made Up!, due to be published with us in the oh so near future!

Stefanie is one of our treasured Adobe InDesign gurus, and has designed books ranging from Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography and Julie Black Belt to Welcome to Monster Isle and the newest Octonauts adventures.

We'll provide a colorful PowerPoint and be pleased to autograph scintillating stories and sundry swag!

Reading all day 3/16 at College Park Elementary, San Mateo, CA

2010-03-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

We're honored to be invited to College Park Elementary School (715 Indian Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401) to celebrate Literacy Week. We visit tomorrow, March 16th, and stay for the entire day!

Immedium has visited a few San Mateo public schools during the past few years, so we're pleased to see College Park's Gate (California's program of Gifted & Talented Education) and Mandarin Magnet Programs in person. Mandarin Immersion education is a hot topic nowadays, as schools nationwide are incorporating Chinese language curriculum. College Park is unique because it also houses a preschool program on site, which then feeds into the elementary school (kindergarten-5th grade).

Given the latest news of the severe budget cuts to California public schools next year and the resulting statewide protests by teachers, parents, and students, it is more important than ever to support our schools. Having traveled recently to dozens of schools, both public and private, we take great pride in sharing our stories and reinforcing an enthusiasm in kids for writing, drawing, and creating. Certainly parents and teachers have challenging jobs, so it is rewarding when they tell us that our books' themes reinforce their instruction and spur their students to love reading.

Never let it be said that we don't "put out" - we've been training for months for this day! Three presentations to six grades, another visit to the pre-K tykes, a book signing in the library, staff luncheon, plus a special drawing workshop to "lottery" winning 4th & 5th graders. Whew! By the time this day is over, our Powerpoint and PDF files will be melted, Teddy the Tiger will be officially put out to pasture, and we'll feel how it is to be a teacher...for one day.

We appreciate their kind staff and generous PTA for hosting us, and continued good luck to them.

Eh, Canada! 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics mascots

2010-02-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Meomi, the creators of The Octonauts series, designed the mascots for the Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which start today.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) chose Meomi's proposal from 177 entries. "They had to appeal to children from all over the world, they needed to represent the people, geography, and spirit of British Columbia and Canada, and they had to personify the values and essence of the 2010 Winter Games…. In short, they needed to be many things all at once," said John Furlong, VANOC CEO,

The three official ambassadors are Quatchi (a young Sasquatch). Sumi (a mythical Thunderbird), and Miga (a Sea-Bear). Plus don't forget their sidekick Mukmuk the Marmot.

'When we met Meomi Design's Vicki Wong, and saw the portfolios of her and her partner, Michael Murphy, I think we all felt they were born for this project," said VANOC Brand & Creative Services director Ali Gardiner. "Not only is her work warm, endearing and imaginative, but she's a very proud Vancouverite and Canadian, and was excited to share our culture and environment with the world through these Vancouver 2010 mascots. Vicki also understood immediately how the mascots could communicate Olympic and Paralympic ideals and values to children, and get them engaged in our Games."

Though Vancouver has no snow, it has the first 21st Century mascots - modern, fun, and adaptable.

Ask a Canadian friend to send you a commemorative hockey puck with a mascot stamp...or better yet collect all four adventures of their aquatic cousins The Octonauts. Their newest trek is The Octonauts and the Great Ghost Reef.

Roar at the SF Asian Art Museum

2010-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the annual Chinese New Year family program at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum this weekend, Sunday, February 7th. The agenda is:

Lion Dance - 12:00–12:30 pm
Hands-on activities 1:30–4:00 pm
Author Reading 2:00–2:45 at Samsung Hall

At 2 pm, listen to author Oliver Chin read the newest book from his Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series, The Year of the Tiger, a charming tale about Teddy the tiger and his human friend, Su. Stick around and color pictures from the book, illustrated by Justin Roth, have your face painted like a tiger, create your own red envelopes (hung bao), decorate them with auspicious symbols, and fill with chocolate coins to give to friends and family.

This is a "Target First Free Sunday"— enjoy free admission on the first Sunday of every month. First-come, first-served! We look forward to seeing you there and we hope you enjoy our new hero Teddy, his friend Su, and the other characters from the lunar new year.

Ring in 2010 & The Year of the Tiger at Kepler's book store

2009-12-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

A day should be long enough for you to recover from imbibing warm spirits, gawking at Dick Clark, and watching the ball drop. Then you'll be ready for a good yarn on Sunday morning. Celebrate the baby new year with a story time of The Year of the Tiger with author Oliver Chin.

Oliver will read the 5th adventure in the popular Tales from the Chinese Zodiac on Sunday, January 3rd at 11:30 am at:

Kepler's
1010 El Camino Real Blvd.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-324-4321
www.keplers.com

Naturally there will be free coloring pages (courtesy of new series artist Justin Roth) for a fun art activity following the story time.

This kicks off another season of visits to schools, libraries, museums, and associations. Kids of all ages will enjoy getting to know our new hero Teddy the Tiger and his human friend Su.

Holiday gifts for Secret Santas

2009-12-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

We're looking forward to meeting the Association of Chinese Cooking
Teachers tomorrow in Cupertino, CA.

Founded in 1983, these friends share knowledge about Chinese food and cooking, while having fun dining throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

We're pleased to share our Asian American children's books with them during their annual holiday party at the Merlion Restaurant and Wine Bar. In the meantime, we'll make sure that we've worked up an appetite and that our stomachs are suitable empty so we can enjoy sampling Lychee Martinis and a buffet of Singaporean cuisine that blends Thai, Malaysian, Indian and Chinese influences. Sounds yummy!

We'll debut the fifth adventure in our popular annual series The Tales from the Chinese Zodiac - The Year of the Tiger, just in time to welcome in the new year of 2010!

Teddy the Tiger is our newest hero. No he does not ruin his teeth by eating sugary breakfast cereal. However he is on a grrreeeat quest to grow up and discover his true character. Colorfully animated by the artist Justin Roth, this curious cat meets his match in the girl Su. So take this tiger by the tail and come along for an exciting ride!

Santa's elves would certainly get a promotion if they put this in children's stockings!

Reading at recess urban recreation on 11/22/09

2009-11-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

We're pleased to participate in Holiday Fest, a special family event this weekend - Sunday, November 22nd, 9am-noon at:

recess urban recreation
470 carolina st.
san francisco, ca, 94107
415.701.7529
www.recessurbanrecreation.com

Adults are free. $5 per child/$12 per non-member child.

We've been invited to read a story time at 10 am, and will present our popular alphabet board book The Adventures of WonderBaby + our railroad adventure Timmy & Tammy's Train of Thought.

"The variety of animals doing activities that a typical child would enjoy - like blowing bubbles or swinging - makes [WonderBaby] a fun story for kids because it is easy to relate to. The little lady bug to find on every page adds to it as an enjoyable book to read over and over again with your toddler.” – Babitty

"I think Timmy and Tammy’s Train of Thought has replaced Thomas the Train in our house!" - BabyLuxe

We'll be there starting at 9 am to show all our colorful children's books. These stories would make great holiday gifts for the kids in your life. Plus there will be music, crafts (make your own holiday cards), snacks, and other local artisans.

Meomi's new The Octonauts and the Great Ghost Reef book

2009-11-13T08:15:00.000-08:00

Well, they've done it again! Meomi's newest adventure is now available, to the joy of those who love cute things everywhere.

The team of 8 bosom buddies take a well-deserved vacation, but their famously colorful destination is not at all in the condition they expected! The coral reef has turned a ghostly white. So the Octonauts decide they must solve this mystery before it's too late!

Meomi launches their fourth fantastic tale in their usual style - with a weekend of fun readings in the San Francisco Bay area! They are in town and autographing copies galore. Catch them at Book Passage today (Friday, 11/13) at 10 am, and tomorrow (Saturday, 11/14) at Books Inc in Berkeley at 11 am and Given in San Francisco at 1 pm.

Sales from Books Inc benefit the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the only international organization working exclusively to save coral reefs! Get your own autographed book at our website and free coloring pages at www.octonauts.com.

Immedium books available at www.astorybeforebed.com

2009-11-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Given all the news about digital books, e-books, and electronic book readers like the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble's Nook, the book publishing industry seems like it is going e-crazy.

We're not the first to jump on any bandwagon. But whenever we do jump, we want to do it right. Therefore we are glad to announce that our children's books are now available online at www.astorybeforebed.com. The producers of this new web site, Jackson Fish Market, have made the reading experience appropriately digital (with multimedia elements such as audio and video) but very personal. Of course our illustrators' art is prominently displayed in their colorful glory.

Anyone can read a sample of a story and make our authors' narratives their very own. They can customize the experience and share it with friends or family. As long as one has a webcam, a customer can record themselves reading the book, page by page. Like a television's picture in picture feature, they can see themselves in a little window next to the story's illustrations. Then if they like their performance, they can pay an affordable fee to "own" it, and then they can email their "storytime" to another person around the globe who can enjoy playing it. For parents on the road, this is a great substitute for being home and reading a bedtime story to their kids. Similarly, grandparents can send their love to little relatives with these online postcards.

Plus as a service to our men and women in uniform, people in the United States armed forces can sign up for a special mailing list offering free recordings and discounts so they can send greetings to their children who may be far away.

Check out wwww.astorybeforebed.com and give our adventures your own personal spin. Let us know what you think!