A Review of the "Blue Penguin and the Sensational Surf" DVD featuring George Takei as Blue Penguin

In Eileen Wacker’s seventh installation of the Fujimini Adventure Series, all the beloved animals of the island are buzzing with excitement. It is the grand opening of the new Fujilimini Island Swim and Surf school, and everyone is busy getting ready for the big day. Everything is going great, until news of a Kappa arrival hits the shore. A Kappa is a creature that can be found in Japanese folklore. Another name for the mythical creature is a “river-child”. The potential arrival of a Kappa is worrisome for the occupants of Fujimini Island because they are known for their naughty, mischievous behavior and tricks. However, the Blue Penguin is set out to impress with his surfing skills and does not want anything to get in the way of his perfect plan- including a Kappa- so he ignores the warnings and proceeds with his opening. And, of course, the Kappa does arrive to make some trouble, but the Blue Penguin is too busy showing off to notice. So when Silver Bunny goes missing, all the animals on the island will have to ban together to figure out a solution. 

This book provides humor and demonstrates valuable lessons as well as integrates elements of Asian culture and folklore. The author’s use of a Kappa is not only culturally significant but also very creative and unique, especially when it comes to children’s literature. Not only does the book teach a valuable lesson of the potentially negative effects of being a show-off (in the case of the Blue Penguin), it also demonstrates the value of teamwork, second chances, and peaceful conversation when trying to solve a difficult problem, rather than resorting to anger or violence. 

In addition to the book on paper, you can also bring the story to life through the DVD, featuring George Takei as the voice of the Blue Penguin. The DVD is an excellent way to draw children into the story, through both words and visuals. The voices are fun and fitting for the characters, which makes it even more enjoyable to watch. The use of animated books unites the learning reading provides with the fun pictures and sounds give. Overall, the DVD was extremely well done and an awesome addition to the Fujimini Adventure Series. I would recommend it to anyone looking to encourage a reluctant reader to become more interested in what books can offer. With the new additions of Ebooks and Books on DVD, a whole new window of learning opportunity is opened and hopefully will draw in many more little reading lovers. 

Learn more about the award-winning Fujimini Adventure series.  Purchase the books here

ONCEKids Gets Ready For Christmas By Donating Over 1000 Books To Children in Need

At First Book, a national nonprofit organization, they believe that one of the most important factors and issues affecting literacy is children’s access to books, which often times can be quite limited. Since their inception in 1992, First Book has distributed over 100 million books to children across the country and raised $32,000. 

The staff at ONCEKids wanted to help First Book work towards their goal of providing books and the gift of reading to kids in need, so for the holiday ONCEKids author Eileen Wacker generously donated 300 brand new children’s books. Six cases, one case for each book, was shipped to the organization December 4th. Six of the seven books that make up the Fujimini Adventure Series, made up the 300-book donation, including Green Hamster and the Quest For Fun, Pink Hamster and the Birthday Surprise, Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco, Black Tortoise and the Dynasty Dragon, Red Penguin and the Missing Sushi, and Silent Samurai and the Magnificent Rescue. 

ONCEKids CEO Wacker also wanted to make sure all the children at Seattle Children’s Hospital have books to love and cherish in time for the holidays, so over 350 books were donated to the hospital. All of the books donated go directly to into the hospital to be used for the comfort and entertainment throughout the duration of their stay, or for the hospital to use any way it sees fit to comfort children, especially in the holiday season. Random acts of kindness can have a profound effect on others, and Wacker hopes that more organizations might feel inspired to give as much as they can. A gift of literacy is appreciated, a gift of kindness is unparalleled. 

ONCEKids also gave 300 books to Barrett Russell Kindergarten. Santa will be handing the books out to children as they exit school for winter break so that every kindergartener will have a book to read for the holidays. In this school, 84% of kids get free breakfast and lunch and most of the children have few or no books at home.

Reading is one of the most essential and enjoyable parts of childhood, and every child deserves to know the love and joy that can come from a book. Eileen Wacker and the other dedicated members of the ONCEKids staff wanted to help organizations like First Kids and Seattle Children’s Hospital as well as schools like Barrett Russell Kindergarten give children the gift of reading this holiday season.

ONCEKids Publishing is run by literacy advocate and Mompreneur Eileen Wacker.  Click here to find her acclaimed books

Accomplished Composer and Musician Alexander Tovar Contributes His Talents For ONCEKids Animated Book Music

Alexander Tovar wears many hats. Besides being the amazing composer of our animated books, Mr. Tovar is an accomplished director, producer, screenwriter, musician, editor, AND actor. Wow, that is quite a list! 

The talented artist began his long and accomplished career when he wrote his first opera at the age of just ten years old. He continued exploring his love of writing and music through high school when he studied the trumpet, piano and the guitar. Following high school, Tovar moved to New York to study and work with Philip Glass. After returning to his roots in the West Coast, he studied philosophy and graduated from USC with a BM in music composition. 

His music has been played all over the country including on the public radio and in front of Disney Hall. He has worked with a variety of other talented artists including Van Dyke Parks and Roger Neil. His recent works include writing the book and music to the musical “Mr. Genius” and the production of his very first film, “Nothing in Los Angeles”. 

The film, “Nothing In Los Angeles”, describes an aspiring artist who becomes romantically involved with an older woman and soon finds himself falling in love with his best friend’s wife. It been the winner of several awards including “Best Narrative Feature”, “Best Filmed Screenplay”, “Best Actor”, and “Best Actress” as well as being the official selection of the Cinequest Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. 

We could not be more proud and excited to have such a talented addition to our books and look forward to his many accomplishments to come! 

Click the link below to visit his official homepage and learn more about his amazing work

Learn more about the award-winning Fujimini Adventure series.  Purchase the books here

Celebrate #WalmartWednesday With ONCEkids and Receive a Free Book Signed By the Author

Every week ONCEkids celebrates #WalmartWednesday with amazing deals on books and related products that make the perfect gifts for the holiday season. This Wednesday only, buy one book and receive a second book free! All you have to do is visit the website, send us your receipt and you’ll receive your second free book, even autographed by the author. 

Click on the link to view and purchase one of our 

family-friendly books at an unbeatable price:

Eileen Wacker: Walmart.com

Also, to learn more about the characters and world of Fujimini Island, click here

Acclaimed ONCEKids Publishing Presents at Book Expo America June 4-7

ONCEKids Publishing, home of the beloved and acclaimed children’s Fujimini Adventure Series will present at Book Expo America in New York June 4-7.

CEO Eileen Wacker explains, “Last year’s event was great. Our company has grown so much, we’ve expanded our product line, and have aggressively entered the digital market with optimistic results.  We’re excited to once again share our work with this great industry.”

Read more here: Acclaimed ONCEKIDS Publishing Presents at Book Expo America June 5-7

2012: Black Water Dragon propels happiness, success. Be bold!

2012 Lunar New Year welcomes the Year of the Dragon, specifically the Black Water Dragon. The Black Water Dragon propels happiness and success. It encourages us to be bold rather than humble. This year there will be many smart and healthy babies born, many predict a 20% surge over normal birth rates in China and Korea. 

The Year of the Dragon is the time for big projects and innovative ideas. It will bring great success socially and financially. Great happiness and success will come to good and honest people this year. 

How can someone participate in this very exciting year? Regarding fashion for this new year, black is agreed to be the dominate color and most favored by the Dragon. But other bright colors will be worn as they attract the attention of the sometimes flamboyant dragon. The dinner table should be full of fresh and natural foods including fish, seafood, and even pumpkin. The main decoration on the table is glowing, radiant candles. The best gifts for the Dragon in 2012 are any gifts associated with water. Water related gifts to the Dragon are said to bring great success to its owner. Most importantly, the new year is a time to let go of the past and look towards the future. On January 23, no more talk of the past, just start planning your bold moves for 2012.

 The Dragon is a karmic animal so be sure to give lots of love and positive energy this year,
 and that love and positive energy will be returned! Be a giver.


To learn more about The Year of the Dragon and other Asian themes, please visit Fujimini Island, find Fujimini Island on Facebook, follow Fujimini Island on Twitter.

K-Pop Star Rain Joins South Korean Army, Learn more about K-Pop

Korean popular music, also known as K-pop, is a musical genre that is made up of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music all originating in South Korea.  What started with the debut of the musical group Seo Tai-ji & Boys in the early 1990s, who incorporated elements of rap and techno into their music, led to the outbreak of many hip hop duos including Deux, Shinhwa, and Sechs Kies. 

Eventually, the increase in the popularity of this genre led to the opening of South Korea's largest talent agency, S.M. Entertainment. S.M Entertainment was founded by Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man in 1995. This agency publicized the first K-Pop girl groups and boy bands and inspired the founding of other talent agencies such as YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. These talent agencies produced talent as rapidly as the public could consume it. In recent years, K-Pop has become very popular in Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. 

In addition to music, K-Pop has grown into a subculture among teenagers around the world. It is a representation of fashion and style for people who listen to and idolize the Korean groups and singers. 

Through Facebook fan pages, Itunes, Twitter, and Youtube the genre of K-Pop has continued to grow and flourish among people worldwide. 

For more information about what is happening in the world of K-Pop visit: http://k-popped.com/ 

Fujimini Island celebrates PRC National Day

When you think of the month of October, we think of autumn leaves falling and Halloween. But October is a very important month in China and for Chinese people around the world. 


The People's Republic of China's National Day was first celebrated in Tian'anmen Square on October 1, 1949. 300,000 people watched eagerly as the first People's Republic of China five-star flag was waved. 

In the past this day was celebrated with large political gatherings and speeches, parades, and banquets. This holiday is still very much alive and rejoiced today. As the economy has developed, a new way of celebrating has as well. 


Today, celebration of the national holiday lasts up to seven days. During this week, called a Golden Week, the people of China get time off from school and work. Many Chinese use this time for domestic and international travel. As this is such a popular week for travel, international flights fill up quickly and must be booked far in advanced. Fares almost triple during this time! 

Fujimini Island learns the Korean history of Kite Flying

In Korea, flying kites is one of the most popular folk games experienced during two of their major holidays - Chu'sok and Lunar New Year. The traditional Korean kite is made from bamboo and rice paper. In Korean history, kite flying is traced back to 637 AD during the reign of  Queen Chindok of Shilla. General Kim used the kite flying in the night skies to calm a restless and unhappy population.

Fujimini Island is a Moms Choice Award-winning picture book series teaching Asian culture and values.

Summer Fun: Go Fly a Kite

Have you ever built or flown a kite with your friends and family before? My kids and I love kites and the feeling of joy we have when we are running behind them watching them dip and fly in the sky. We went out and flew some kites over the holiday and felt inspired to research and understand kite flying. Do you ever wonder where this essential piece of your childhood came from? Kites were first created approximately 2800 years ago in China. 

The earliest known kites were flat and often rectangular. They were mostly made from bamboo and silk. Often times 

they were decorated with legendary figures and fitted with whistles to make musical sounds while flying.

Learn more about family-friendly Asian culture at Fujimini Island

Asian Holidays: Tet Doan Ngo

Asia is a place filled with celebration and deeply rooted tradition, especially during these warm summer months. July is a time of great festivities including the Food Festival in Singapore, the Arts Festival in Bali, the Kite Festival in Bali, and the Tet Doan Ngo Festival in Vietnam. Tet Doan Ngo is the middle year festival in Vietnam. It is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This festival celebrates the prevention of disease and warding off unwanted evil spirits. On this day, also known as the day for "killing insects", everyone must get up early and eat fermented sticky rice and fruits. The worshipping is held at noon, the hour of Ngo. The fermented sticky rice, also known as Ruou nep, is what is eaten to exterminate any bugs or parasites within the body. To make Ruou nep sticky rice is boiled and cooled then left to ferment for 2-3 days. This turns it into a thick, sweet liquid ready for consumption by children and adults alike. 

Tet Doan Ngo is one of the most significant festivals of Vietnam and is greatly linked with Vietnamese 

tradition and culture. 

The World Celebrates in July

When tourism took off in 1965 in Bali, the Balinese decided they wanted tourism to exist solely through culture. The saying "tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism" stemmed from that very idea. The desire for cultural tourism brought about many holidays in festivals including The Bali Arts Festival and The Bali International Kite Festival. 

Like Independence Day in the United States, both these festivals take place in July. The Bali Arts Festival is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions, and other culture-heavy activities. This month is filled with spectacular sights and sounds of Balinese dance, music, and decorations. Throughout the villages of Bali music and dance groups compete in contests at the district level. From there the seka, or cultural groups, are selected and organized at the regency level to perform the Arts Festival, displaying the uniqueness of their villages and ancestors to a large audience. Many of the performances are held at the amphitheater which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, in a temple-like stage. Many schools for dance and music have been built since the creation of the Bali Arts Festival. 

Like the Bali Arts Festival, the Bali International Kite Festival stems from Balinese culture and the desire for cultural tourism. The Bali International Kite Festival is an annual kite festival held in July in the Padang Galak area, Sanur Beach, Bali. The event is a religious festival intended to send the Hindu Gods a message to create abundant harvests. The competition consists of 10 teams, each team competing for the best launch and longest flight time. There are 3 traditional kites, the Bebean, or fish-shaped kite, the Janggan, or bird-shaped kite, and the Pecukan, or leaf-shaped kite. Kites traditionally 5 meters in width and 10 meters in length are made and flown by teams from the villages of Denpasar. Red, white, and black are the traditional colors of this festival. Tourists flock from around the world to watch and participate in this fun filled festival! 

See spectacular pictures of the Bali International Kite Festival 

How The World Celebrates Children

I used to ask my mother on Mother's Day, "why isn't there a day to celebrate the children as well as the parents"?  Her response would always be "everyday is children's day" punctuated with a wink.  After all those years with "no REAL children's day", I discovered many countries around the world celebrate a children's day. 

For example, in Japan and Korea, May 5th is nationally known as Children's day. It is the day when families celebrate the happiness and growth of their children. Although it has been celebrated for hundreds of years, Children's Day became an official national holiday in 1948. On this day it is tradition for families with boys to hang large carpe-shaped streamers outside their home to symbolize strength and success. 

Other celebrations including bathing with iris leaves and root sprinkles and eating kashiwamochi, rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves and filled with bean paste. These activities are to ward off evil and encourage good health. Activities involving arts and theater are widely celebrated on this day. 

Kids Olympics is nationally celebrated and is participated in by both children and their parents. Even though not everywhere has a nationally acknowledged Children's day, hug your children today and tell you love them. Others celebrate Cinque de mayo; just think of how many people were celebrating last week! Were you?

Fujimini's Bunny Battle!

ONCEKids, creators of the critically-acclaimed children's books Fujimini Adventure Series, celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with a Bunny inspired family friendly contest.

Fujimini Island character The Taekwondo Bunny wants to reward her friends with books, i-books and game apps.   To enter the contest is easy, just simply "Fan" ONCEKids on Facebook.  The prizes are great fun for the whole family delivering colorful imagery, encouraging peaceful, global messages and modern education.  Winners will be announced next week, just as you're Easter egg hunting.

It is the Year of the Rabbit so come celebrate with The Taekwondo Bunny! And, it is no coincidence there is another POWER bunny coming onto the scene in just a few short days. Yes, that's right, the Easter Bunny is her friend BUT she will quietly compete to be the top bunny.
ONCEKids encourages your family to enjoy technology so our ibooks and game plays great on an iPad.  However you can still travel to Fujimini Island and have fun with the animals even without a computer, by reading the print books.

So jump into the contest and decide which reading experience you want to take!

Japan Catastrophe: Saving your Furry Family

Most families have pets: dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, maybe more?  As soon as your family adopts the pet, they become a part of your family.  As a kid, your job is to love and take care of your family's pets. Play with them, walk them, feed them, clean up after them.  But what happens when there's an emergency?  What happens when your furry (or gilled) family member goes missing during a catastrophe?  Here's the rescue story of one.  Video is below.


When the Japanese Tsunami and earthquake occurred, millions of homes were destroyed.  Families were pulled apart and family went missing.  This week, amazingly, a Japanese family's pet dog was found.  He somehow stayed alive on a floating pile of rubble with a roof on top for three weeks before the Japanese Coast Guard rescued him.  Floating in the ocean off the coast of Japan, the dog was surrounded by salt water -- which like humans in the same situation, if he drank it, it would only hurt him -- luckily there was so much drinkable rain water caused by the storm, that the pup was able to stay hydrated and survive long enough to be found and rescued.

Fun April Fools Day Ideas

April Fools' Day is a great holiday to be funny and silly with your friends and family.  You get the chance to play fun pranks and outrageous jokes on people in your life - and you don't get in trouble for it! Here are some safe but fun April Fools' pranks you can pull on your friends and family.

Got Milk?

If your milk comes in a cardboard container, ask Mom or Dad to help you add a few drops of food coloring. It's harmless April Fool's joke but the results are pretty colorful.

What's That in Your Apple?

For a fruity April Fool's practical joke, get a few gummy worms and carefully poke them into fresh fruit, particularly apples. Give mom or dad a wormy apple for lunch and leave a few apples on the table for friends and family members to snack on

Kids, What's Your Favorite App?

Kids worldwide on smart phones, iPods and iPads.  Do your parents let you borrow their iPad?  OMG, or do you have your own?  That would be very cool.  Well, here are some fun games you can play on your iPad.

1  "Dora The Explorer: Coloring Adventures"   Take a break from Dora the Explorer on TV and sit down and color with the whole gang including Boots, Backpack and Swiper. Learn Spanish while you’re choosing scenes, adding characters to your setting and then touching colors to sections on the iPad to fill it in as you would on a coloring book. If you're addicted to all things Dora, you won’t want to miss out on this accessory either.

2  Super Why: Fans of the hit PBS Kids TV show will love this app. Kids play by finding missing words and rhyming words and also by spelling words and tracing letters.

3 Fuji Scene   Children's game that has user select one of six backgrounds to create a customized scene. The scenes will contain characters which can be dragged and dropped into the creation. The animal characters are colored pandas, bunnies, penguins, hamsters, and other sea animals. The user can then add favorite foods and toys and props to the scene. All the items are Asian inspired. The user can than use dialogue boxes to give the characters some text. The creation can have a banner heading and be e-mail, sent to photos or sent to the ONCEKids site to be highlighted in a gallery. The user can restart at any point.

If you'd like to read more about Fuji Scene, click here

Fun St. Patrick's Day Ideas

St. Patrick's Day is a fun chance to dress in green and play with your friends and family.  But it's also about Irish Culture and Heritage.

Here are some quick questions you can answer to learn more.  Each correct answer is worth one point.  (Answers are below)

1.  How many leaves are on a lucky clover?  3, 4, or 7 ?

2.  According to Irish culture, what are you supposed to do to your friend who forget to wear green on St. Patrick's Day?

Pinch them gently?  Pull their hair?  Make them say the alphabet backwards?

3.  Where does the largest St. Patrick's Day parade take place?

Dublin?  London?  New York City?

Out of 3, how many points did you score?

Answers: 4, pinch them gently, New York City 

As a reward, here's a fun St. Patrick's Day activity:

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by creating a green Shamrock collage.

Go on a scavenger hunt around the house for small green objects to use in your collage. 

What You Need:

• Several small green objects in various textures and shapes
• Poster board or construction paper
• Glue
• Hole punch
• String

What You Do:

1. Start by figuring out how to lay out the collage. Ask your child if she wants to lay out the objects in random fashion or assemble them within a pattern, such as a shamrock. 
2. Help your child arrange and glue the items onto the poster board or construction paper, encouraging her to explore the way things look and feel.
3. To maximize this experience, you can add a sorting element by dividing the collage into different visual sections. One section could be dedicated to tactile objects of various textures such as smooth and rough; a second area could be used to identify shapes such as circles, lines, and stars; and a third could be used to differentiate colors such as light vs. dark green.
4. Let the glue dry.
5. Once the glue is dry, it's time to hang up your collage for everyone to admire! Simply punch two holes at the top of the collage, thread string through the holes, tie a knot and hang it in a prominent place in the house.

More Bamboo Just For You

Here are some more amazing facts about bamboo:

1. Most bamboo floors come from the Hunan province of China.
2. 6 million people are employed in the bamboo industry in China.
3. 600 million people worldwide rely on the income generated by bamboo.
4. Bamboo comprises of 99% of the giant panda’s diet. Yummy!
5. Bamboo is part of the grass family.
6. Comparison: an oak tree requires 120 years to reach maturity but bamboo only requires 3 years.
7. Bamboo has been around for 200 million years.
8. Thomas Edison used bamboo as filaments in the first light bulb.
9. There a bridge in China built entirely of bamboo and without a single nail.
10. Bamboo is twice as strong as oak.

Do YOU know Taekwondo?

Orange Bunny is the taekwondo instructor on Fujimini Island. Taekwondo is a martial art similar to karate. Taekwondo is not just about kicking. Taekwondo also is about ethics. What is ethics? Ethics is basically about what is good and what is bad. Taekwondo guides people to what is good in life. Taekwondo is often seen as an aggressive sport, which is usually associated with what is bad. But taekwondo is not a destructive or aggressive sport but a sportive one. Doing taekwondo is not about hurting your opponent but testing your strength, in both physical and mental ways. The main goal of taekwondo is to achieve harmony with nature and oneself. Balance is gained by controlling both evil and good forces.

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