I am so excited! A very dear friend has had a huge milestone. The publishing company she and her friend founded, Hartlyn Kids (formerly “Cosmopolitan Kids”) has released its very first children’s book:

The Bamboo Dance
Written by Cress Sia and illustrated by Lisa Butler

I got an advance copy of the book and I am absolutely in love. It tells the story of Paco and Diego, two young boys living in the Philippines who are learning to dance the tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines. This book is a heartwarming and excellent introduction to Filipino culture. I was blessed enough to grow up in an area with the largest concentration of Filipino-Americans on the east coast and was already very familiar with the dance (please YouTube it if you’ve never seen it… brilliant) and the cuisine described in the book. It brought back so many great memories (and made me hungry!).

Let me tell you about the important mission Hartlyn Kids has undertaken. From their website:

Hartlyn Kids provides an interactive reading experience which incorporates travel and reading. Our books and products offer the opportunity to Travel the Globe… One Book at a Time.

As the world gets smaller thanks to social media and increased access to worldwide information, it’s exceedingly important that we raise kids who can function in a global society and have knowledge of and appreciation for cultures other than their own. The coolest feature (in my opinion) of Hartlyn Kids is that they offer a passport, and with each book comes a stamp for your passport. The goal is to fill your child’s passport with stamps from around the world. You’re killing so many birds with one stone here: reading practice, cultural education, and quality time spent with your children!

I think every child’s book collection should contain at least one Hartlyn Kids publication, so I’m giving you a chance to win a copy of The Bamboo Dance and a Hartlyn Kids passport to start off your collection. Here’s what you have to do to enter:

REQUIRED: Friend the Hartlyn Kids Facebook Page and let me know you did either in the comments below or on the HMGHSB Facebook Page (feel free to tell them who sent you )

EXTRA ENTRIES:

• Follow Hartlyn Kids on Twitter @HartlynKids and tell me you did so in the comments.
• Visit the Hartlyn Kids website and post the name of the book scheduled for release this fall in the comments.
• Share this blog entry with your Facebook friends and/or retweet it to your Twitter followers and tell me you did in the comments (doing both earns you TWO entries!)
• Answer the following question in the comments –
  What do you currently do to expose your children to different cultures?

That is it! You have until Thursday, September 22^nd at 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time to enter. I will draw a winner randomly and announce the results on Friday, September 23^rd. Just please remember to comment telling me what you did to enter, otherwise I will not be able to count you in. Happy travels!

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