pandaroo's blog

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Caldecott Medal picture book is a mine rich in literary gems. For 2012, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) (a division of the American Library Association), has awarded the Caldecott Medal once again to writer and illustrator Chris Raschka, this time for his book A Ball for Daisy. The ASLC’s website described the wordless book as, “The story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed.  With brilliant economy of line and color, Raschka captures Daisy’s total (yet temporary) devastation. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery and friendship.” Though we have not seen a copy of the book yet, it is said to be appropriate for children aged 2-7 and parents of all ages. 

 

A week before Chinese New Year (CNY), I was all set to depart in the morning for Hong Kong, but something about my daughter’s cough didn’t seem normal for a typical cold. It was persistent to the point that it made her agitated. So I skipped out on my flight and instead we made a family trip to Beijing United Family Hospital for what we assumed was a case of bronchitis. Half an hour later, my wife and I were both a bit shell shocked when the doctor told us she wanted to admit Reina for what was soon confirmed as pneumonia. What began as typical cold symptoms just four days prior led to a three-night stay at the hospital for little Reina and Savvy, whom Reina would not allow to leave for any reason.

 

 

 

As many of you may know, today, January 23, 2012 marks the start of the year of the dragon. Here are some interesting facts about the year of the dragon and Chinese dragon mythology:  

 

From all of us at beijingkids, Happy 2012!

 

We take it you’re all wired in and ready for the new year? Great!

 

Some people are making New Year’s resolutions, but instead I have some wishes and hopes for the New Year. In 2012, I wish:

 

Gmail is offering free phone calls FROM Santa Claus to your friends. While it is only available for the US and Canada only, you can make your calls “anonymously” from Santa Claus by using the 907 area code for the North Pole! As long as the recipient is from the US or Canada, the call will go through. 

 

We are currently looking for talented mom who thinks they have what it takes to write a bi-monthly column. Applicants should be able to meet the following criteria:

 

To get in the Christmas spirit we, as a family, like to watch Christmas movies as we are counting down the days until Santa arrives. We watch It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street but we also like to watch Christmas comedies. We love to curl up on the couch on cold winter nights and laugh at our favorite funny, silly Christmas movies. You can find some of these movies in the DVD stores around Beijing, or if you have an iTunes account you can download them.