Peerbagh

🌟 Honoring the legacy of our beloved founder, Vatsala Kakroo, we are thrilled to unveil Bento, the first global South-Asian children’s magazine! 🎉 Packed with stunning illustrations, Bento is a quarterly magazine brimming with history, culture, books, and storytelling—plus fun activities for both kids and their grown-ups! 🐘🦄✨ Our debut issue, themed “Where the Wild Things Are,” takes you on a thrilling journey through wildlife and conservation. 🌿 From elephants in Afghanistan 🐘 to snow leopards in the Himalayas 🐾, unicorns of the Indus Valley 🦄, and exciting animal trivia—there’s so much to explore! Contributing writers and illustrators for the issue include Brij Nath Betab, Varun Grover, Aftab Shaikh, Santhini Govindan, Professor Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, Janan Abir, Tishya Malya, Neeta Desai, Chandrima Chatterjee, and more. Bento has a special section for student reporters from the United States, Canada, India, and Pakistan.📚✏️ Ideal for ages 8-12, Bento sparks curiosity and creativity in every issue. You can preorder now at: peerbagh.com/bookstore [south Asian nonprofit children’s storytelling ] #southasian #childrensbooks #writingcommunity #diversifybookstagram

Books teach you to dream, critical thinking teaches you to debate... perfect skills for navigating your parents' cultural expectations! 😂🌏 Parents, if you're ready to raise readers and critical thinkers, go here: https://buff.ly/40wiEVz

The Shape of Home is shipping this week (knock on wood, cross your fingers, do a little dance – we’re manifesting smooth deliveries here 🤞📦)! Bento members are officially EVERYWHERE – 45 cities across North America and India. 🌎✨ Basically, we’re one big, long-distance family sharing stories of home, belonging, and maybe a little chaos. 🏡💥 And starting Jan 20th, we’re turning up the fun with FREE monthly storytelling workshops – open to kids, grown-ups, and that one overly curious cat in your household. 🐾📖 January is cold. 🥶 Like, why-did-I-go-outside cold. But Bento stories? Total sweater weather for your soul. 🧣✨ Not part of the Bento fam yet? What are you even doing?! Click here 👉 https://buff.ly/3HvX8X3 Warning: this issue may cause an uncontrollable urge to cozy up and read. Proceed with caution. 😏 #storytelling #bookswelove #childrensmagazine

🎉 2025 is HERE! 🎉 Calling all young bookworms, aspiring critics, and kids with opinions. (Yes, we know they have plenty!) 📚💬 Applications for our 2025 Book Reporters Cohort are officially OPEN! 🚨 This free program is perfect for students who: ✨ Love reading and writing ✨ Have hot takes on books (whether they love them or… not so much) ✨ Want to be a part of monthly workshops led by experts! 📢We’re only taking 50 reporters this year, so please apply TODAY 🏃♀️🏃♂️ 🌎 This is a global program, so no matter where you are in the world, your child can apply! 👉 Apply today! Don’t miss out: https://buff.ly/3Gz7kNF Let’s make 2025 the year of reading, writing, and epic opinions! 🖊️📖💥 #BookLovers #KidsWhoRead #YoungWriters #GlobalProgram #2025Cohort

The #1 question we get at story events or via email is: What book can my child read? For parents of teens, it's more like: My child was a reader, but now they just grunt and stay in their room. Help! So, we asked our team to come up a list of South-Asian books for teens. These books practically jumped onto the list themselves (with some gentle nudging). Oh, and while technically BENTO isn’t a book, teens are obsessed with it. So yeah, it made the cut too—because we’re cool like that. Did we miss anything? Drop your recommendations below (or just vent about your grumpy teen, we’re here for it). 😊 #bookrecommendations #fridayfollow #booksforteens #readinglove

In 2024, our team collectively read over 300 books. Why read, you ask? Why eat? [sorry, we get a little too excited sometimes 😅] Reading is soul food, y’all. It’s like opening a magical door to new worlds, epic adventures, and cultures...you get the drift. Good. Now go grab our SMART reading goals printable (made for Bento members) and let’s make 2025 the year of reading like a boss: 📚✨ https://buff.ly/3HvX8X3 #readinggoals #familyreading #2025startstrong

New year, new inspirations—and guess what? Oxford commas are back! Rumor has it Sweta loves them almost as much as she loves cats. And trust us, she really loves cats. This year, our newsletter is serving up a feast for your soul: - Slower, more intentional writing for parents, educators, and storytellers (we're talking zen-level storytelling vibes 🧘♀️). - Monthly themes packed with data, research, and ideas (basically, we're the overachievers of newsletters 📚). - Free workshops and downloadable resources for Bento members (because we like to spoil you). Why join? - You’re into building a culture of reading. - Early access to submission callouts (VIP vibes only). - You’re all about supporting BIPOC arts, culture, and literature (👏👏👏). And the best part? It’s FREE. Join our community today and make Sweta proud (and maybe adopt a cat while you’re at it): https://buff.ly/3T2P3jp #community #newyear

🌟 Kickstart Your Year with Creativity! 🌟 We’re thrilled to announce our first #StorytellingWorkshop of the year! 🎉 Join illustrators Chandrima, Ira, and Shubhshree as they share their creative journeys. Plus, Bento Student Reporters are back with fun questions! 🎤 Wrap it up with an exciting art prompt—draw along and let your story shine! 🎨✨ 📅 When: Jan 20th, 9 AM ET / 7:30 PM IST 💻 Where: Online 🔗 RSVP: buff.ly/40jTZnk 👶 Ages: 6+ (Adults welcome!) 💥 Cost: FREE for Bento members | $10 / ₹500 for nonmembers Let’s make stories together! 🖌️🌈 #Storytelling #MeetTheArtists #ChildrensWorkshop #CreativeKids #Illustration

📚 #KitabiQisse for the Weekend! Looking for desi stories that spark conversations? These are our top picks for fun, heartwarming reads to enjoy with your family. 🧡✨ 🌟Can you guess the books? (Find them at our site at peerbagh.com/bookstore) 🌟 Got a favorite that we should read? Share it with us! #Bookstagram #BooksWeLove #SouthAsianReads #FamilyFavorites

✨ Happy New Year! ✨ We’re kicking off 2025 with our monthly theme: Place Making—an invitation to explore the spaces that inspire us, bring us together, and feel like home. 🏡✨ 💡 We’ll share tips, creative ideas, and downloadable printables through our newsletter to spark connection and creativity in your life. You can join for free at https://buff.ly/3T2P3jp. 📦We will also be shipping the second issue of Bento, the South-Asian children’s magazine that celebrates stories, culture, and creativity. Plus, exciting storytelling workshops are on the way! Our newsletter is crafted for families, educators, parents, writers, and anyone curious about South-Asian culture, art, folk stories, and books. Here’s to a year of meaningful stories, deeper connections, and joyful inspiration. We hope that you find the sights, sounds, and feelings of home through this work. Artwork by @RababMirza #Storytelling #BookRecommendations #SouthAsianNonprofit #BentoMagazine