In this Author Spotlight Series, we invite diverse children’s book authors and publishers to share their stories and books that feature Chinese culture and world culture. As parents continue to guide children to explore and thrive we want to provide you with quality and accessible tools and resources.
Here we are delighted to feature multicultural children’s books and resources mindfully created by two female entrepreneurs! Please enjoy this featured article by Kshama, indigrow!
A to Z of Chinese Culture by Indigrow
The Story of Indigrow
Indigrow is born out of a personal story. Aren’t those the best ones? So here it is – straight from me, Kshama – Founder of indigrow. You see, I was born and raised in India, but many years and 5 countries later, I found myself about to raise a multicultural family with my South African husband Rich in Singapore. As we dreamt of raising our child, I knew I wanted our little one to be proud of his Indian & South African heritage. I soon realized other parents across the world wanted the same – Be it Indian, Chinese, or any other diaspora culture… Parents across the world wanted to connect their kids to their heritage culture and celebrate their identity. That was the start of indigrow.
I then called upon my best friend, soul sister, and passionate early childhood expert, Akhila, to come on board this journey. We wanted indigrow to be an enchanting universe that inspires play and conversation about identity, diversity, and inclusivity. And, we set about creating a world of wonder, play, make-believe and fun. We hope by creating a platform where kids and their grown-ups join hands to celebrate differences and similarities in the early childhood years, we can break bias, educate and have conversations that truly matter. So, join our indigrow family in growing a kinder, more empathetic generation of tomorrow.
We wanted to go beyond just bringing one or two cultures to life, we wanted to bring many cultures to life. We want to help educators and parents navigate a more multicultural world and create tools and ecosystem that are based around play that are backed by science.
-Kashma Alur, Founder of Indigrow | Author Interview with Miss Panda
About A to Z of Chinese Culture Playbook (suitable for all ages)
We wanted to write a book about Chinese culture that went beyond geography, history, and old traditions. A book that celebrates the everyday aspects of Chinese culture that little ones all over the world see and experience. A book that was a fun and playful way to explore food, language, people, clothes, festivals, attitudes, and more. With Amanda’s help, we were able to accurately represent the cultural nuances, language, and vocabulary. The use of alphabets from A to Z makes it relatable and fun, including words in Mandarin and Pinyin for little ones eager to practice the language. There are books that will teach you about your culture.. but this one teaches your little one to share their culture, in a fun and inclusive way. Don’t just get it for your little one- get it for their friends too!!
A to Z of Chinese Culture by Indigrow
How did we do it?
Every letter from A to Z is a delightful story in itself. Follow your little one’s natural curiosity and storytelling ability .. “How do you think Bao Bao the bear became friends with the panda at the zoo?” “ Do you want to play Go with your Ge Ge this weekend?” We included a ‘Have Fun’ section to the book that provides you and your little one with opportunities to learn fun facts, and new vocabulary, get creative with activities, talk about their feelings, and thoughts and explore cultural stereotypes and how to address them. This is not a book that will be read only once. Your little one will come back to it .. again and again. Each time, discovering something new – about the culture and themselves. Use it to spark conversations across different topics, create opportunities to break mindsets, and empower your little ones.
Our diversity play lab is… that we want to create opportunities like setting the stage right for grown-ups and Children to have connections. So whether you’re a parent, whether you’re an educator, we want our diversity play lab to be easy, simple. …the whole idea behind the creation of the diversity play lab is not for you to go out and get expensive materials and pay for. It’s to use everyday items that you have at home…within easy distance.
-Akhila Das Blah, Co-founder, Indigrow & Early Childhood Education Expert | Author Interview with Miss Panda
What else do we have at indigrow?
At indigrow, we have an entire delightful ecosystem of books, games, songs, and activities for you to create everyday moments of play inspired by diversity and culture. Check out all our goodies at indigrow.
Our brand new Toco’s How We Look collection is now available on our online store. We have a fun Story Book and Play Lab filled with activities that spark conversations about confidence around different physical features and abilities. We even have some wonderful Affirmation Stickers! You can find the full collection on our website.
*Special Offer* – A to Z of Chinese Culture Playbook
A to Z of Chinese Culture Playbook and Personalized Digital Name Posters!
Their name is the first thing that our little ones learn about themselves. And then they learn about their heritage. Our combination of Personalized Name Posters complements the A to Z of Chinese Culture Playbook perfectly – a delightful way to explore their identity and culture. Designed by early childhood experts to work together. Have fun reading the book with your little one and watch as they connect the characters from the book to their name and fall in love! It’s the perfect, meaningful way to build your little one’s cultural identity!
A to Z of Chinese Culture e by Indigrow
I would say don’t shy away… is my phrase for this year almost right. …you (will be) surprised how much they (kids) see how much they pick up. So for me the message is there are tools and resources available. We’re also working hard to make them (resources) fun and delightful, to make it easy and impactful at the same time to grow more empathetic, more kinder, more confident Children as well.
-Kashma Alur, Founder of Indigrow | Author Interview with Miss Panda
…we live in a diverse, multicultural world… use the opportunity to talk about differences in food and people that we meet, how people live. Everything is an opportunity for conversation. And I think that you know, just play, talk, play, talk, play, talk…
-Akhila Das Blah, Co-founder, Indigrow & Early Childhood Education Expert | Author Interview with Miss Panda
From Miss Panda
Learn more about Indigrow’s books, activities, tools, and resources, support their mission, and connect with the author at:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
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