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Book Lists

AANHPI Heritage Month Books for Kids

Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month books for kids ages 3-12

AANHPI Picture Books

Chin, Jason, 1978- author, illustrator.
J 530.8 CHI
"A non-fiction introduction to the massive scale of the known universe"-- Provided by publisher.

Ho, Joanna, author.
JEASY HO
"A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages and is a celebration of diversity."--Provided by publisher.

Lê, Minh, 1979- author.
JEASY LE
When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens - with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.--Provided by publisher.

Noor, Nabela, author.
JEASY NOO
Zubi, a happy Bangladeshi girl, is excited about her first day of school, but at breakfast she is puzzled by her mother and older sister worrying about being "too big," and even at school she hears other people criticizing each other's bodies, and she starts to worry that maybe something is wrong with how she looks--until her declaration at dinner that she is on a diet makes her family realize what they have been doing wrong.

Tokuda-Hall, Maggie, author.
JEASY TOK
Based on a true story of love and resilience at the Minidoka incarceration camp.

Anand, Shelly, author.
JEASY ANA
After Laxmi's friend Zoe points out the hairs on her lip, Laxmi is very self-conscious until her East Indian parents help her to accept and celebrate her appearance.

Tuiasoa, Shar, author, illustrator.
JEASY TUI
"Punky loves to do a lot of things--except meeting new friends. She doesn't feel brave enough. So when her grandmother asks her to go out and grab butter for her famous banana bread, Punky hesitates. But with the help of her grandmother's magical sunglasses, and with a lot of aloha in her heart, Punky sets off on a BIG adventure for the very first time"-- Provided by publisher

Wong-Kalu, Hinaleimoana, author.
J 398.2 WON
Four individuals of dual male and female spirit bring their healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii, where they are beloved for their gentle ways and miraculous cures and where they imbue four giant boulders with their powers.

Mo, Cherry, author, illustrator.
JEASY MO
After moving to America from Hong Kong, Jun feels isolated at her new school but discovers a sense of home in the familiar foods and flavors she finds in her lunchbox.

Yamanaka, Lois-Ann, 1961- author.
JEASY YAM
"Claire sees . . . [lava, sandy beaches, and undersea coral reefs] on her island of Hawai'i. Yet she dreams of snow falling from the sky, snowflakes melting on her tongue, and most of all, building a snowman. See how Claire's dreams become 'real' as she learns to appreciate the island she call home"--Provided by publisher.

Bontigao, Lynnor, author, illustrator.
JEASY BON
"Nora loves spending summers with Lola at her sari-sari store, a treasure trove filled with everything you could need, from hair accessories to toys, creamy yema to sour tamarind candy. And this year, Nora is big enough to help her grandmother. But when a heat wave strikes and no one comes to the store, Nora worries that she won't get to spend the rest of the summer with her lola -- until she gets a sweet idea. After all, the mangoes on the tree outside are finally ripe, and with a bit of measuring, mixing, and a good deal of tasting, Nora and Lola have a refreshing way to bring people together -- and to the sari-sari store" -- Amazon.

LaRocca, Rajani, author.
JEASY LAR
When his grandfather, who makes masala chai each morning for the family, sprains his ankle, impatient Aarav decides to make the chai himself, but when his rushing causes him to miss some crucial steps, he must learn to slow down to get the recipe right.

Wang, Andrea, author.
JEASY WAN
Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents.

Chen, Eva, 1980- author.
JEASY CHE
This moving ode to the immigrant experience, as well as a manifesto of self-love for Chinese American children, is a jubilant celebration of accepting who you are.

AANHPI For kids ages 7-12

Miller, Chanel, author, illustrator.
J FICTION MIL
A self-proclaimed sock detective inside her parents' New York City laundromat, 10-year-old Magnolia Wu and Iris, a new friend from California, set off across the city to solve the mystery of each missing sock, meeting people and uncovering the unimaginable along the way.

Khan, Hena, author.
J FICTION KHA
Feeling pulled between two cultures after a month with family in Pakistan, Amina shares her experiences with Wisconsin classmates through a class assignment and a songwriting project with new student Nico.

Yee, Lisa, author.
J FICTION YEE
"Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and herself"--Provided by publisher.

Chokshi, Roshani, author.
LARGE TYPE J FICTION CHO
"Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?" -- adapted from Amazon.com

Soontornvat, Christina, author.
J GN BIO SOONTORNVAT
As one of the only Asian Americans in her school, Christina confronts both well-meaning ignorance and cruel racism, but in middle school fitting in is important, which is why she and her best friend Megan are both excited and nervous to try out for the popular cheerleading squad.

Hirahara, Naomi, 1962- author.
J 920.0092 HIR
"There are more than 23 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent living in the United States. Their stories span across generations, as well as across the world. We Are Here highlights Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the impact they've had on the cultural, social, and political fabric of the United States."-- Page 4 of cover.

LaMotte, Lily, author.
J GN FICTION LAM
"Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food."--Provided by publisher.

Keller, Tae, author.
LARGE TYPE J FICTION KEL
"When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives. The tiger offers Lily a deal- if Lily will open her grandmother's star jars and return what she stole, the tiger will heal her grandmother. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice . . . and the courage to face a tiger. Tae Keller, the award-winning author of The Science of Breakable Things, shares a sparkling tale about the power of stories and the magic of family.Think Walk Two Moons meets Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!"-- Provided by publisher.

Brown, Waka T., author.
J BIO BROWN
When twelve-year-old Waka's parents suspect she can't understand basic Japanese they speak to her, they make the drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been her summer vacation, Waka is plucked from her straight-A-student life in rural Kansas and flown across the globe, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime. In Japan, Waka struggles with reading and writing in kanji, doesn't quite mesh with her complicated and distant Obaasama, and gets made fun of by the students in her Japanese public-school classes. Even though this is the country her parents came from, Waka has never felt more like an outsider. If she's always been the "smart Japanese girl" in America but is now the "dumb foreigner" in Japan, where is home? And who will Waka be when she finds it?

Maunakea, Malia, author.
J FICTION MAU
Twelve-year-old Anna must dig deep into her Hawaiian roots in order to save her best friend and her island from an angry fire goddess.

Ahn, Flora, author.
J FICTION AHN
"Maya discovers stories and secrets from her family's past in Korea as her grandmother teaches her to cook and about their family's ability to time travel into memories via food"-- Provided by publisher.

Cho, John, 1972- author.
J FICTION CHO
On the first night of rioting in the wake of the Rodney King verdict, Jordan's father leaves to check on the family store, spurring twelve-year-old Jordan and his friends to embark on a dangerous journey through South Central and Koreatown to come to his aid, encountering the racism within their community as they go.

Tang, Betty C., author, illustrator.
J GN FICTION TAN #1
After their two-week family tour of Los Angeles, ten-year-old Feng Li Lin and her older brother and sister learn they will remain in California while their parents return to Taiwan, forcing them to navigate a new school, a new language, bullies, racism, and the pressures of running a household.

Li, Christina, author.
J FICTION LI
"Thanks to her Ye-Ye's epic scavenger hunts, thirteen-year-old Ruby Chu knows San Francisco like the back of her hand. But after his death, she feels lost, and it seems like everyone--from her best friends to her older sister--is abandoning her. After Ruby gets in major trouble at school, her parents decide she has to spend the summer at a local senior center, with her grandmother, Nai-Nai, and Nai-Nai's friends for company. When a new boy from Ruby's grade, Liam Yeung, starts showing up too, Ruby's humiliation is complete. But Nai-Nai, her friends, and Liam all surprise Ruby. She finds herself working with Liam, who might not be as annoying as he seems, to help save a historic Chinatown bakery that's being priced out of the neighborhood. And alongside Nai-Nai, who is keeping a secret that threatens to change everything, Ruby retraces Ye-Ye's scavenger hunt maps in an attempt to find a way out of her grief--and maybe even find herself.