TARGET FREE FAMILY, 'CALLING ALL KIDS', TO FEATURE AUTHOR NAOMI HIRAHARA ON MAY 8

In recognition of International Children’s Day, the Japanese American National Museum’s popular series Target Free Family Saturday presents "Calling All Kids" on Saturday, May 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This program is free and open to the public as part of Target’s sponsorship of family programs in Southern California.

This event, which features hands-on arts and craft activities for the whole family throughout the day, is highlighted by a reading by award-winning mystery writer Naomi Hirahara of her just-released book, Blood Hina. Part of her successful Mas Arai mystery series, which began with Summer of the Big Bachi and was followed by Gasa-Gasa Girl and Snakeskin Shamisen, Blood Hina continues the adventures of Mas Arai, a Nikkei gardener who reluctantly becomes involved in local mysteries set in Southern California’s Japanese American community. Hirahara will read from her latest book beginning at 3 p.m. and then sign books. For more information on the Mas Arai mysteries, go to www.naomihirahara.com.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kidding Around the Kitchen will help participants make their own kid-friendly fruit kebobs with yogurt dipping sauce. Kidding Around the Kitchen’s goal is to bring families together by teaching them how to eat smarter, both health-wise and economically, while letting all members participate. Their approach includes a "how to" get everyone involved in the family meal. For more information on their programs, go to www.kiddingaroundthekitchen.com.

Also featured will be traditional Japanese Children’s Day sweets created by Brian Kito, proprietor of Fugetsu-Do, the oldest manju-ya in Little Tokyo. Kito, whose grandfather founded the business in 1903, will demonstrate how he makes the different confections and provide samples beginning at 1 p.m. For more information on Fugetsu-Do, go to www.fugetsu-do.com.

At 2 p.m., Sunny Seki will present a special shadow puppet show of "Urashima Taro", a 400-year-old folk tale from Japan. He will then read the story, "The Last Kappa of Old Japan", a story of the last of a mythic Japanese creature known as a kappa and how the kappa were affected by the changing environment. Seki is an illustrator, photographer, children’s book author and poet whose work has been featured on the Disney Channel.

Throughout the day, the Target Free Family Saturday will feature different activities. Participants can learn how to make their own tanabata, a decoration featured in a Japanese summer festival. They can build their own maneki-neko, or lucky cat, that many Japanese businesses highlight to bring in customers. Materials will be available to create koi-nobori, a traditional Japanese symbol for Boys’ Day. Finally, Ruthie’s origami (traditional paper folding) will teach participants to make a Mother’s Day card.

Generously sponsored by Target, these special free Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together. Media sponsors for this series include Los Angeles Downtown News, KSCI-TV LA-18, and The Rafu Shimpo. The National Museum will continue this series throughout 2010 with free events scheduled for eight different second Saturdays.