-
2026 Varta Storytelling Festival: Lineup and Activities
We’re eager to welcome you to Austin and be a part of the fifth Varta storytelling festival. It will come to Austin for the third time! This event programming is supported in part by the Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment. We are grateful to our partners Austin Public Library, Burrow Library, artists,…
-
Can We Stop the Summer Slide And Encourage Kids to Read?
We had a tremendous response on our last post on how to encourage kids to read more. And many of our Bento community members shared their own ideas to stop the summer slide. We hope you enjoy these and share your insights too! What is the summer slide? Summer slide refers to the decline in…
-
How Does Reading Spark Creativity in Young Children?
Creativity doesn’t always arrive with fireworks. In fact, it often grows page by page while you’re lost in a story. You open a book, expecting an adventure, and suddenly your imagination wakes up, stretches its arms, and says, “Let’s make something cool!” That’s the magic of reading. It fills your mind with colors, characters, mysteries,…
-
How Can We Encourage Reading For Fun?
In a recent podcast episode with Debbie Millman, writer and editor, Spencer Bailey said, “We’re now all on a McDonald’s fast food diet when it comes to our media consumption.” Millman talked about the dip she felt when media platforms began sharing “how many minutes” it’ll take to read. This overbusy, always on the edge…
-
Book of the Month: It’s Not Over yet
In June, we’re discussing Salma Hussain’s upcoming young adult book, It’s Not Over Yet (INOY). The book will release in North America this October. INOY is a contemporary young adult book set in Toronto with experiences of a desi family of Pakistani heritage. It’s a coming-of-age story of a teen struggling to come to terms…
-
Celebrating AAPI Month: Highlights from May 2026!
As an organization that works with a mission to encourage reading and spotlighting South-Asia-inspired stories, celebrating AAPI month stretches through the entire year for us. But we recognize the importance of celebrating days that honor Asian heritage. This May we’re excited about the impact our programs had with help from librarians, school students, our supporters,…
-
Varta Storytelling festival Back in Austin for the 3rd time!
The Varta Storytelling Festival: a first of its kind event for families in the United States is back for its 5th edition this winter. We’re bringing the event back for the 3rd time to our Austin home. It will be held at the Austin Public Library’s Central Branch on December 5th, 2026 between 1:30 to…
-
Book of the Month: All That Chandni Knows
In May, we are discussing Khushboo Patel’s debut upper MG book, All That Chandni Knows (ATCK). The next books we will review are here. ATCK is set in 1999 in Vadodara, India. It is Patel’s debut novel-in-verse, a coming-of-age story about the difficult truths behind seemingly perfect home settings. The book released in the US…
-
Zubaani Season 4 Announced
Peerbagh is delighted to announce the new season of the Zubaani podcast that will be launched on May 6th, 2026. This season is once again hosted by writers Salma Hussain and Upasna Kakroo celebrating South Asian diaspora during the AAPI heritage month. They will be discussing the theme “weave” where heritage culture meets lived experiences…
-
Book of the Month: Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions
In April, we are discussing Ahmad Saber’s recent YA book, Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions. You will see our upcoming books to be reviewed here. Ramin Abbas is asking the questions we rarely see in literature describing a queer Muslim teen’s experiences. The book was released in the US in March, 2026. Note: this review was…
Search
Archive
- August 2026
- July 2026
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
Recent Post
Tags
children's book characters childrens book publishers childrens stories childrens storytelling epic books for kids katha kidlit new kid book stories for kids storytelling for children storytelling in education storytelling in teaching teachers storytelling workshop teachers workshop workshop for teachers
Social Icons
Sign up for our newsletter
