Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
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Kodomo
by Susan KuklinSeven Japanese children are the guides for this informative, insightful look at daily life and traditional Japanese customs and culture. Nozomi describes his noisy math class, where the teacher calls out addition problems and students scramble to find the answer on their abacus. Beautiful Ai tells of the special importance of her kimono, once her mother's, and explains the painstaking process of putting it on. Keiko and Masaaki enjoy the physical and mental strength that comes with their study of kendo and judo, and Masako and Natsuko delight in calligraphy and Japanese dance. .-Lauren Peterson
Spring Pearl
by Laurence YepCalled boyish by her new family for being able to read and write, twelve-year-old orphaned Spring Pearl's "odd ways" help save the family during the 1857 Opium War in Canton, China.
Flowers from Mariko
by Rick Noguchi and Deneen JenksMariko's family has been freed from a Japanese-American internment camp, but the transition hasn't been easy. "Flowers from Mariko" tells of a family striving to reestablish their lives--through hope, perseverance, and love.
Growing Up Asian American
by Maria HongDifferent authors give their life views on growing up Asian American.
The Key Collection
by Andrea ChengA ten-year-old boy in the Midwest misses his Chinese grandmother, who always lived next door until her health caused her to move.
Distinguished Asian Americans
by Hyung-Chan KimAsian Americans have made significant contributions to American society. This reference work celebrates the contributions of 166 distinguished Asian Americans. Most people profiled are not featured in any other biographical collection of noted Asian Americans. The Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, Korean Americans, South Asian Americans (from India and Pakistan), and Southeast Asian Americans (from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) profiled in this work represent more than 75 fields of endeavor. From historical figures to figure skater Michelle Kwan, this work features both prominent and less familiar individuals who have made significant contributions in their fields. A number of the contemporary subjects have given exclusive interviews for this work.All biographies have been written by experts in their ethnic fields. Those profiled range widely from distinguished scientists and Nobel Prize winners to sports stars, from actors to activists, from politicians to business leaders, from artists to literary luminaries. All are role models for young men and women, and many have overcome difficult odds to succeed. These colorfully written, substantive biographies detail their subjects' goals, struggles, and commitments to success and to their ethnic communities. More than 40 portraits accompany the biographies and each biography concludes with a list of suggested reading for further research. Appendices organizing the biographies by ethnic group and profession make searching easy. This is the most current biographical dictionary on Asian Americans and is ideal for student research.
The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung:
by Laurence Yep1881. A small village in China. A new emperor. The old problems such as hunger. Uncle Precious Stone declares that he is going to The Golden Mountain. After some time for preparation, he goes.
A few months later, Mama and Papa receive a request to send older brother. But they send Runt! He is the younger, smaller, more intellectual brother.
This is an exciting adventure! Although the journal is fiction, the events it portrays are based on history (American and Chinese) and culture. A fine book for a book report!
American Eyes
by Cynthia Kadohata and Lori M. CarlsonHeartfelt short stories written by ten young Asian-American writers who share the conflicts that many young people feel living in two distinct worlds - one of memories and traditions, and one of today. Stories by Marie G. Lee, Ryan Oba, Katherine Min, Mary F. Chen, Lois-ann Yamanaka, Fae Myenne Ng, Cynthia Kadohata, Peter Bacho, Lan Samantha Chang, and Nguyen Duc Minh.
Saying Goodbye
by Marie G. LeeIn this sequel to "Finding My Voice," Ellen Sung explores her interest in creative writing and in her Korean heritage during her freshman year at Harvard.
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen SayA picture book masterpiece from Caldecott medal winner Allen Say. Lyrical, breathtaking, splendid--words used to describe Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey when it was first published. At once deeply personal yet expressing universally held emotions, this tale of one man's love for two countries and his constant desire to be in both places captures readers' attention and hearts. Images and descriptions available.
The Cook's Family
by Laurence Yep12-year-old Robin Lee goes to her grandmother's house in Chinatown where they befriend a lonely cook. In Robin's new make-believe family, she discovers a sense of her Chinese heritage. The thing is, once Robin starts pretending, she doesn't want to stop.
The Rainbow Hand
by Janet S. WongA collection of eighteen original poems about mothers and motherhood, including "Mother's Heart," "Old Mother Chung," and "The Pilot."
Goodbye Vietnam
by Gloria WhelanThirteen-year-old Mai and her family embark on a dangerous sea voyage from Vietnam to Hong Kong to escape the unpredictable and often brutal Vietnamese government.
Anno's Magic Seeds
by Mitsumasa AnnoThe reader is asked to perform a series of arithmetic operations integrated into the story of a man who plants magic seeds and reaps an increasingly abundant harvest. A story that helps children understand the process of plant growth.
The Tiger's Apprentice (Book One of the Tiger Trilogy)
by Laurence YepA tiger, a monkey, a dragon, and a twelve-year-old Chinese American boy fight to keep a magic talisman out of the hands of an enemy who would use its power to destroy the world.
The Land I Lost
by Huynh Quang NhuongA collection of personal reminiscences of the author's youth in a hamlet on the central highlands of Vietnam.
Anno's Counting Book
by Mitsumasa AnnoFirst there is an empty field. The it is January, the first month of the year. All alone in the snow stands 1 yellow house. In front, 1 child builds a snowman. Behind the house is 1 tree and 1 black cow. Now, five months later, it is June. There are 6 buildings in the field, 6 children playing, and 6 adults working. One adult tends 6 ducks. Another drives a trains with 6 cars. From 1 to 12, through the months of the year, the town grows. More houses and trees and animals and people can be seen until December arrives with all it's magic.
China Boy
by Gus LeeKai Ting is the only American-born son of a family that has fled China. Unprepared for life on the streets of San Francisco, Kai spends his childhood trying to adapt to American life.
Stella
by Lauren LeeHoping to be accepted by a popular seventh grade clique, a Korean American girl is embarrassed by her family's heritage-until a series of events gives her a better sense of who she is.
My Chinatown
by Kam MakChinatown -- a place of dragons and dreams; fireflies and memories Chinatown -- full of wonder and magic; fireworks on New Year's Day and a delicious smell on every corner Chinatown -- where every day brings something familiar and something wondrously new to a small boy Chinatown -- home? Kam Mak grew up in a place of two cultures, one existing within the other. Using moving poems, he shares a year of growing up in this small city within a city, which is called Chinatown.
Tae's Sonata
by Haemi BalgassiTae, a Korean American eighth grader, tries to sort out her feelings when she is assigned a popular cute boy as a partner for a school report and later has a falling out with her best friend.
Dream Soul
by Laurence YepIn 1927, as Christmas approaches, fifteen-year-old Joan Lee hopes to get her parents' permission to celebrate the holiday, one of the problems belonging to the only Chinese American family in her small West Virginia community.
Seesaw Girl
by Linda Sue Park and Mou-Sien Tseng and Jean TsengJade never ventures beyond the walls of her family's Inner Court; in seventeenth-century Korea, a girl of good family does not leave home until she marries. She is enthralled by her older brother's stories about trips to the market and to the ancestral grave sites in the mountains, about reading and painting, about his conversations with their father about business and politics and adventures only boys can have. Jade accepts her destiny, and yet she is endlessly curious about what lies beyond the walls. A lively story with a vividly realized historical setting, "Seesaw Girl" recounts Jade Blossom's daring attempts to enlarge her world.
Vatsana's Lucky New Year
by Sara GogolTorn between Laotian and American cultures, twelve-year-old Vatsana faces prejudice from a boy at school as she helps her newly arrived Laotian cousin adjust to life in Portland, Oregon.
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken MochizukiA Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over.