Author Joan Schoettler will be signing her book, Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth, this Saturday at Willow Bridge Books. Willow Bridge Books is an independent bookstore located in Oakhurst, California.  Nestled between the scenic landscapes of the San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite National Park, the bookstore serves the communities in Madera and Mariposa counties.

February 4, 2012, 1:00pm
Willow Bridge Books
40044 Hwy 49
Oakhurst, CA  93644
559-692-2665

The November, 2011 issue of School Library Journal contains a very nice review of Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth, by Joan Schoettler and illustrated by Jessica Lanan:

"Ji-su, a girl in 18th-century Korea, is devastated when her mother is selected to sew for the king. It is an honor for the family, but it means a life apart, and Eomma has no choice in the matter. Ji-su is determined to learn to sew bojagi-- wrapping cloths-- as skillfully as her mother so that she will also work at the palace. Descriptive language and stunning watercolor paintings show the seasons passing as Ji-su works toward her goal. With a masterful eye for color and skillful use of perspective, Lanan brings the text to life and adds depth to Ji-su's emotions. When Ji-su presents her bojagi to the sewing master, the low perspective makes the men seem to tower over her, and readers feel her trepidation and the importance of the moment. Densely packed with Korean customs and vocabulary, the writing is nuanced and evocative: "Eomma and Ji-su held each other like threads in a seam." There is a glossary, but without some familiarity with Korean culture, it is difficult to infer the meaning of some words. Although the complexity of this book may limit its appeal for general audiences, Good Fortune is a treasure for libraries serving Korean populations."

A treasure!

Every year, the Sun Gallery in Hayward, California holds a children's book art exhibit. This year, artist Jessica Lanan's illustrations from Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth will be on display. And they have featured her artwork on their promotional postcard! Lovely!


Sun Gallery 23rd Annual Children's Book Illustrators Exhibit
February 15 to April 7, 2012
1015 E Street
Hayward, CA 94541

This sounds like an amazing event! The Filipino American International Book Festival will be held in San Francisco on October 1 and 2, 2011. Author Dorina Lazo Gilmore will be on hand both days reading Cora Cooks Pancit in the Children's Area at 1:30 both days. She will sign immediately after each reading at the Philippine Expressions Bookshop booth.

"FILBOOKFEST celebrates the richness and fusion of Philippine and Filipino American culture through literature, visual arts and music.
FILBOOKFEST is the largest gathering of authors of Filipino heritage from around the world. FILBOOKFEST invites all book lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area to spend a weekend of fun literary events, performances and good food."

Filipino American International Book Festival
October 1-2, 2011
Fulton Street, Civic Center, San Francisco
Free Admission
Dorina Lazo Gilmore reading at 1:30pm both days

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is hosting the Korean Foundation Korean Culture Day on September  17, 2011 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. As part of the festivities, which are free with museum admission, author Joan Schoettler will be on hand signing copies of Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth at 2:00 pm.

Here is what the Asian Art Museum says about the event:

Chuseok is the Korean holiday of the autumn harvest during the full moon, when people visit their hometowns and feast with family and friends. This family fun day for all ages offers docent tours, storytelling, food tastings, music, and art. Korean musicians Kang Eun-il & Haegum Plus will perform their "new music" for the first time in the Bay Area. Artists Shin Meekyung and Lee Kang Hyo will demonstrate new and traditional forms of ceramic art.

And here is the day's schedule:

Explore and Join In
Education Studios and  North Court 12:00 noon-4:00 pm	Watch two artists from Korea demonstrating new and old forms of Korean art! Shin Meekyoung uses ceramic forms and imagery as the inspiration for her soap sculptures, and ceramist Lee Kang Hyo follows ancient way of pottery making using a simple kick-wheel and red and white clay. Make an artwork to take home inspired by artists.
South Court 2:00-3:00 pm	Meet the author of the new book "Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth". Joan Schoettler signs and discusses how she was inspired to write her book after viewing Korean wrapping cloths (bojagi) at the Asian Art Museum. The book is available for purchase at the museum store.
Korean Galleries and Resource Room	Pick up a copy of the Family Gallery Activity Guide for the Poetry In Clay exhibition, and learn to look at the artworks in a different way.
Learn and Discover
Samsung Hall 12:30 and 3:00 pm	Discover "New music" of Korea! Musical group Haegum Plus performs. Musical director Kang uses haegum, a two-stringed vertical fiddle-like instrument, along with guitar and keyboard, and fuses Korean music with jazz and western classical music.
Korean Galleries* 11:00 am and 1:30 pm	Asian Art Museum's storytellers tell myths and folktales from Korea. Special 15 min. tour at 11 am for families with kids ages 3-6.
Korean Galleries* 11:30 am and 2:00 pm	Join the museum's docents for a tour of new exhibition the Poetry in Clay with your family.
Korean Galleries* 2:30 pm (Korean only) and 4:00 pm (English only)	Join the special tour of Poetry In Clay exhibition with Associate Curator of Korean Art, Hyonjeong Kim Han, and listen to her behind-the-scene stories.
Resource Room	Meet students from Oakland Korean School in Oakland and see their Youth Inspiration Artwork Display; play with IPads to checkout latest K-pop and other great videos from the Asian Art Museum.
South Court	Just for teachers!  Learn about the museum's school programs and resources. Browse the museum's teacher education resources and pick up a poster.
Make and Do
North Court 11:00 am-4:00 pm	Make an artwork to take home! Get inspired by art in the galleries and enjoy fun art activities with your friends and family.
South Court 1:00 pm-3:00 pm	Taste sweet rice called yaksik (or yakbap)! It is a sweet dish made by steaming glutinous rice with chestnuts and pine nuts, seasoned with honey, sesame oil, and soy sauce, generally eaten on traditional holidays as well as weddings and other festivities.
And More
Museum Café and  Outside	Korean tacos and more! San Francisco's Gourmet food trucks join the museum for the day's festivities. Also the museum's Café Asia offers affordable Asian-fusion dishes for the whole family.

The end of summer is upon us (I have always considered Labor Day to be MY official end-of-summer, despite what the calendar says), and with it the bittersweet end to our long and lazy days. Of course, fall brings with it new excitements: new school year, crisp cool days, football season. Not to mention new starts for me too. We will be moving into our new house in a few weeks, and baby J will turn a year old at the beginning of October. How time flies!

Anyway, let's give away some free apps to mourn the end of one season and celebrate the start of another! And let's not be stingy-- how about 15 free apps? Fifteen lucky winners will get their choice of the iOS or Android version of the Cora Cooks Pancit app.

There are THREE WAYS TO WIN. Here they are:

-Website sign-up. Fill out the form here. On Friday, September 2, FIVE winners will be chosen from those signed up.

-Facebook. "Like" us on Facebook here. When we hit 500 Likes, we will pick FIVE winners from everyone who likes us. There's no set date for this drawing. We'll do it whenever we hit 500 Likes.

-Twitter. We will pick ONE WINNER A DAY from August 29 - September 2 from those who follow @ReneeatShens and tweet the following:

Win a free CORA COOKS PANCIT ebook app. 3 Ways to win! http://bit.ly/nWrcZV #coracookspancit

Tweet this message once each day to be entered for that day's drawing.

Good luck!

Do you absolutely love Cora Cooks Pancit? Or have you not read it yet? Either way, now's your chance to get this wonderful book on your mobile devices and tablets. Introducing the Cora Cooks Pancit app for both iOS and Android!

The app features the entire book, including its beautiful illustrations, glossary, and pancit recipe. In addition, it has a "read to me" option that features author Dorina Lazo Gilmore herself reading the book. All this for only $3.99, a fraction of the hardcover price. Get yours now:

Click here for iTunes Store
Click here for Android Marketplace

If you're in Iowa City, you'll have to check out the Iowa City Book Festival! Linda Gerdner, author of Grandfather's Story Cloth, will be there on Saturday, July 16 reading and signing her book in the children's tent.

Linda Gerdner Reading & Signing
Iowa City Book Festival
Children's Tent, Gibson Square
Saturday, July 16, 2011
12:20pm