V.T. BIDANIA AUTHOR Q&A
Learn more about the author of "Astrid and Apollo's Starry Campout"!
WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO CAMP IN MINNESOTA?
Parks like Forestville and Whitewater, where there's trout fishing and fewer mosquitos!
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES?
Canoeing & Kayaking
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO EAT AT CAMP?
Hmong sausage and purple sticky rice!
WHAT DO YOU HOPE ASTRID AND APOLLO WILL DO FOR YOUNG READERS, ESPECIALLY HMONG READERS?
I hope all readers will connect to the characters and their experiences.
I hope that by seeing themselves as the heroes of their own series -- not just minor characters or characters on the sidelines -- young Hmong readers will know that their stories and voices matter and they can be stars, too.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE ASTRID AND APOLLO?
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE ASTRID AND APOLLO'S HMONG NAMES?
AS A KID, DID YOU HAVE A SECURITY ITEM LIKE ASTRID'S WAND?
Yes! I had a stuffed toy monkey that I took everywhere.
I felt braver and safer with it!
I got this as a gift from our sponsor when we first came to the U.S.
My parents kept it as a souvenir so after all these years, we still have it!
WILL THERE BE MORE ASTRID AND APOLLO BOOKS IN THE FUTURE?
2021 Read Brave is presented by Saint Paul Public Library in collaboration with the City of Saint Paul, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, Saint Paul Public Schools, and Irreducible Grace Foundation. Read Brave is sponsored by Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and the Saint Paul Saints.
