Lists and Suggestions for Kids
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List: Asian/Pacific American Award-Winning Books for Kids
When You Trap a Tiger
Keller, Tae, author.
When Lily, her sister Sam, and their mother move in with her sick grandmother, Lily traps a tiger an... More
When Lily, her sister Sam, and their mother move in with her sick grandmother, Lily traps a tiger and makes a deal with him to heal Halmoni. Less
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
Leung, Julie, author.
"An inspiring picture-book biography of animator Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American immigrant res... More
"An inspiring picture-book biography of animator Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American immigrant responsible for bringing Disney's Bambi to life. Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled across a vast ocean from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. Not papers for drawing--which he loved to do--but immigration papers to start a new life. Once in America, Tyrus seized every opportunity to make art, eventually enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. Working as a janitor at night, his mop twirled like a paintbrush in his hands. Eventually, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime--and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus created the iconic backgrounds of Bambi."-- Amazon.com. Less
Stargazing
Wang, Jen.
2020 Winner. Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, ... More
2020 Winner. Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness. Less
Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom
Robeson, Teresa.
2020 Winner. "When Wu Chien Shiung was born in China 100 years ago, girls did not attend schoo... More
2020 Winner. "When Wu Chien Shiung was born in China 100 years ago, girls did not attend school. But her parents named their daughter "Courageous Hero" and encouraged her love of science. This biography follows Wu as she battles sexism at home and racism in the United States of America to become what Newsweek magazine called the "Queen of Physics" for her work on how atoms split"-- Less
Front Desk
Yang, Kelly.
Also available in Overdrive. Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-yea... More
Also available in Overdrive. Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason. Less
Drawn Together
Lê, Minh.
Also available in Overdrive. A boy and his grandfather cross a language and cultural barrier using t... More
Also available in Overdrive. A boy and his grandfather cross a language and cultural barrier using their shared love of art, storytelling, and fantasy. Less
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh
Krishnaswami, Uma.
"Nine-year-old Maria Singh learns to play softball just like her heroes in the All-American Gi... More
"Nine-year-old Maria Singh learns to play softball just like her heroes in the All-American Girls' League, while her parents and neighbors are struggling through World War II, working for India's independence, and trying to stay on their farmland"-- Less
A Different Pond
Phi, Bao.
"As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fi... More
"As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam"-- Less
The Land of Forgotten Girls
Kelly, Erin Entrada.
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Abandoned by their father and living in poverty with their h... More
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. Abandoned by their father and living in poverty with their heartless stepmother in Louisiana, two sisters from the Philippines, twelve-year-old Sol and six-year-old Ming, learn the true meaning of family. Less
Full Cicada Moon
Hilton, Marilyn.
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. In 1969 twelve-year-old Mimi and her family move to an all-... More
Also available in Overdrive and Hoopla. In 1969 twelve-year-old Mimi and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi's mixed-race background and interest in "boyish" topics like astronomy make her feel like an outsider. Less
Juna
Bahk, Jane.
After her best friend, Hector, moves away, Juna's brother Minho tries to make her feel better ... More
After her best friend, Hector, moves away, Juna's brother Minho tries to make her feel better by finding things to put in her special kimchi jar, and each night, whatever is in the jar takes her on a magical journey in search of Hector. Includes glossary. Less
Gaijin: American Prisoner of War
Faulkner, Matt.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a thirteen-year-old California boy who is half Japanese i... More
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a thirteen-year-old California boy who is half Japanese is sent to an internment camp. Story based on the history of the author's great-aunt. Less
Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin
Uegaki, Chieri.
Hana Hashimoto has signed up to play her violin at her school's talent show. The trouble is, s... More
Hana Hashimoto has signed up to play her violin at her school's talent show. The trouble is, she's only a beginner, and she's had only three lessons. Will her confidence waver on the night of the show? Less
The Thing About Luck
Kadohata, Cynthia.
Also available in Hoopla. Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wron... More
Also available in Hoopla. Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers. Less
Red Kite, Blue Kite
Jiang, Ji-li.
When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, are separated during China's Cultural Revolution, they are... More
When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, are separated during China's Cultural Revolution, they are able to stay close by greeting one another every day with flying kites until Baba, like the kites, is free. Includes historical note. Less
Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan
Kang, Hildi.
Called to follow the wind and search for information about his father who disappeared many years ag... More
Called to follow the wind and search for information about his father who disappeared many years ago, thirteen-year-old Chengli, carrying a piece of jade with strange writing that had belonged to his father, joins a caravan charged with giving safe passage to the Emperor's daughter as it navigates the constant dangers of the Silk Road in 630 A.D. Less
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
Shang, Wendy Wan Long.
Eleven-year-old aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy Wu is excited about finally hav... More
Eleven-year-old aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy Wu is excited about finally having her own bedroom, until she learns that her great-aunt is coming to visit and Lucy will have to share a room with her for several months, shattering her plans for a perfect sixth-grade year. Less
The House Baba Built: An Artist
Young, Ed.
"In Ed Young's childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair beca... More
"In Ed Young's childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair became a horse; a roof became a roller rink; an empty swimming pool became a place for riding scooters and bikes. The house his father built transformed as needed into a place to play hide-and-seek, to eat bamboo shoots, and to be safe. For outside the home's walls, China was at war. Soon the house held not only Ed and his four siblings but also friends, relatives, and even strangers who became family. The war grew closer, and Ed watched as planes flew overhead and friends joined the Chinese air force. But through it all, Ed's childhood remained full of joy and imagination."--Amazon.com. Less
Shooting Kabul
Senzai, N. H.
Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, eleven-year-old Fadi and his fa... More
Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, eleven-year-old Fadi and his family immigrate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Fadi schemes to return to the Pakistani refugee camp where his little sister was accidentally left behind. Less
Heart of a Samurai
Preus, Margi.
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions... More
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States. Less
Yasmin's Hammer
Malaspina, Ann.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, as two girls work hard all day to help support their family by chipping brick... More
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, as two girls work hard all day to help support their family by chipping bricks into small pieces, older sister Yasmin seeks a way to attend school and learn to read so that she can have a better life one day. Includes author's note about conditions in Bangladesh, child labor, and how to help. Less
Cora Cooks Pancit
Lazo Gilmore, Dorina K.
When all her older siblings are away, Cora's mother finally lets her help make pancit, a Filip... More
When all her older siblings are away, Cora's mother finally lets her help make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish. Includes recipe for pancit. Less
Wabi Sabi
Reibstein, Mark.
Also available in Overdrive. Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanes... More
Also available in Overdrive. Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanese concept of beauty through simplicity as she asks various animals she meets about the meaning of her name. Less
Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku
Crowe, Ellie.
"A biography of Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, five-time Olympic swimming champion from the early 1... More
"A biography of Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, five-time Olympic swimming champion from the early 1900s who is also considered worldwide as the 'father of modern surfing'"--Provided by publisher. Less
The Legend of Hong Kil Dong, The Robin Hood of Korea
O'Brien, Anne Sibley.
Also available in Hoopla. In this classic tale from early seventeenth-century Korea, Hong Kil Dong, ... More
Also available in Hoopla. In this classic tale from early seventeenth-century Korea, Hong Kil Dong, the son of a powerful minister, is not entitled to a birthright because his mother is a commoner. After studying the martial arts, divination, swordplay, the uses of magic, and the wisdom of the I Ching, the Book of Changes, Hong Kil Dong sets off on a quest for his destiny. He leads a band of men to right the injustices shown to the peasants by some powerful and corrupt merchants, ministers, and monks. Hong Kil Dong can then claim his rightful role and become a wise and just leader. This graphic book captures the drama and pageantry of sixteenth-century Korea during the Chosun dynasty and pays tribute to the adventure story that became the first novel written in the Korean language. Less
The Firekeeper's Son
Park, Linda Sue.
Also available in Overdrive. In eighteenth-century Korea, after Sang-hee's father injures his a... More
Also available in Overdrive. In eighteenth-century Korea, after Sang-hee's father injures his ankle, Sang-hee attempts to take over the task of lighting the evening fire which signals to the palace that all is well. Includes historical notes. Less
