News, thoughts and play inspirations

Recently I had the honor to co-host an interview with Asian American author Mia Wenjen about standing up to racism in school. Mia wears many hats: book writer, blogger, founder of the Multicultural Children's Book Day - but she's also a mom like all of us. Mia saw a case of overt racism and discrimination during the school's planning of a year-end play and she decided not to let it go quietly.  The experience she shared about being the only mom "making a fuss" and risking losing relationships with friends and neighbors is an inspiration to all of us.

We are kicking off the workshop series with the first one on Whidbey Island! Please email us at haianh@littlebeanstoychest.com if you want to reserve a seat at this event. 

Every year around Lunar New Year, I see dozens of parents asking the same questions on the Asian parenting forums:  How do you celebrate Lunar New ...

Happy Halloween! We've been so enjoying the internet trend of little kids dressed in Asian & Pacific Islander inspired costumes on the Interne...

In recent years, the lack of children’s books featuring Asian children and cultures has been much improved with the increased efforts of big publishers. However, there is still much room for progress when it comes to truly represent the breadth and vibrancy of different Asian cultures, especially for the preschool age group. Cue the talented Asian children’s book authors, usually mamas, who are publishing Asian children’s books all by themselves! 

Inspired by their own journey raising bi-lingual children in a multicultural setting, these moms took it upon themselves to write and publish children’s books featuring Asian characters for their children. Many of them are entrepreneurs – sliding some creative writing and cute illustration in between pick up, mealtime, and sometimes a real job, which makes their efforts all the more admirable. 

On the occasion of Mother’s Day and AAPI Heritage Month, I’ve compiled a list of independent AAPI authors for children’s books that you should seek out and support – if you also care about getting more books with Asian representation for your little ones!  

Love our quiet books but not sure which one is best to gift your child? This is a simple infographic that will let you choose easily! 

We are so blessed to have two girls in our lives. When I was pregnant with my first one, Bean, I used to joke that I loved girls because I could ”d...

I wanted to tell you a story of a customer I met while selling books at a farmer’s market last year, that changed my perception of what it meant to...

In 2019, Little Bean's Toy Chest was honored to become a content partner at Tai Kwun Center Heritage and Arts (Hong Kong). We were the first creato...

  Studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics show that babies as young as six months old can observe race-based differences, and children as ...

  Facilitating cultural exploration is a big part of our mission - as we continue to expand our collection of quiet books that reflect...

Hello friends, it's that time of the year again for the traditional celebration of the Chinese New Year!  While there are less noisy festivities ou...