Peerbagh

Thank you to our Bento members for their unwavering support. Bento is Peerbagh’s official children’s magazine celebrating South Asian storytelling. It was created to honor the legacy of multicultural storytelling from our late founder, Vatsala. Bento publishes quarterly in print on various themes. Digital toolkits are created for members every month. We ship to the US, Canada, UK, India, and a bunch of other South-Asian countries.

Digital Toolkits: Each new monthly toolkit with themes and writing and literary activities will arrive directly in your inbox. These can be printed at home. Please mark Peerbagh’s email as safe. This ensures you receive all our monthly emails without hitting spam folders. Here are the toolkits to expect in 2026.

Jan: Setting Creative Goals	Feb: Multilingual Reading	Mar: Flash Fiction Tips
Apr: Making a Picture Book	May: Summer Reading Tips	June: Points of View
July: Making a DIY Zine	Aug: Retellings	Sep: Graphical Stories
Oct: A Literary Outfit	Nov: Holiday Idea with Books	Dec: Gratitude Journal

Upcoming Events

In 2026, Bento members and volunteers can join four workshops virtually for free. These are events that help you build the craft of writing and storytelling with the help of authors, and creatives, and practice writing! Please RSVP for workshops here to receive the joining link.
Jan: Mitali Banerjee Ruths and Dr. Rahul Rastogi
Apr: Meera Sriram and Dr. Rahul Rastogi
Jul: Salma Hussain and Dr. Rahul Rastogi
Oct: Suma Subramaniam and Dr. Rahul Rastogi

Updating Membership Information

If you need to change your address or member details, please fill the form here. Please submit changes before the 5th of each quarter. Changes are then reflected in the upcoming shipping period. We will not be able to accept changes via WhatsApp or Instagram DMs for security purposes.

Member Spotlights

We love celebrating our members. You can share any highlights with us through our update form here. We spotlight Bento members regularly via our social media and monthly newsletter.

Submit Stories to Bento

The themes for this year include: Bravo Avocado (Jan 2026), Are We There Yet? (April 2026), The Curious Garden (July 2026), We Are All Stars (Oct 2026), and Strictly No Elephants (Jan 2027). Adults can submit stories via our submission form. Please see our submission guidelines here. Children can submit via our quarterly contests.

Membership Renewal

Renewal information is in your monthly newsletters before the start of a new quarter. Starting October 2025, we also send physical letters with your 4th issue so you’re aware if your membership renewals are coming up.

For those who choose not to renew, we will pause your membership immediately once your period is up. We do not offer partial refunds as the production process works with 2 issues 6-8 months in advance. The cost of 2 single copies of Bento is the same as your annual membership fee. Please fill our member update form before the quarterly deadlines of Jan 5, April 5, Jul 5, or October 5, so we can modify the status.

Member Feedback

If you are an existing Bento member, we are so excited to hear from you. Please share your feedback. Bento loves letters, and we will publish select ideas from our readers in upcoming issues.

Frequently asked questions

1. What makes Bento unique compared to other children’s magazines? Bento is the ONLY South-Asia-inspired children’s magazine in print in the world. Isn’t it awesome to bring stories from so many different countries?
2. Is Bento magazine only for South Asian children? All children aged 8+ and their parents will LOVE Bento. Good stories belong everywhere!
3. What age group is Bento magazine designed for? Bento best serves children aged 8-14 years and their grownups. Our members are also artists and writers.
4. Does Bento include activities parents can do with their kids? Yes! We have quizzes, family games, coloring, and ideas you can explore individually, with friends, and with family.
5. What do Bento members get? You get the print copy and free storytelling workshops. Bento members also can submit stories to contests for free. If you represent a school, you can nominate two students per grade level to free workshops and contest submissions. Bento members also get digital printables, tips, and resources via our member newsletter each month.
6. Can I submit my child’s writing or artwork to Bento? Please submit children’s art and/or writing as a part of our quarterly contests for children. You can also submit artwork by writing Bento a letter or responding to activities within each issue.
7. Which Bento issue will I get when I join? You will get the latest issue that is being shipped at the time you join. For earlier issues, please reach us via email. It will depend on the availability.
8. Can I update my member details or not renew the Bento membership? Please fill our member update form here to inform us before the quarterly deadlines of Jan 5, April 5, Jul 5, or October 5. Changes are then reflected in the upcoming shipping period. For those who choose not to renew, we will pause your membership immediately once your period is up.