Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
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Ho-Limlim
by Keizaburo Tejima and Hisakazu Fujimura and Cathy HiranoAfter one last foray far from his home, an aging rabbit decides he prefers to rest in his own garden and let his children and grandchildren bring him good things to eat.
If It Hadn't Been For Yoon Jun
by Marie G. LeeSeventh grader Alice's life couldn't be better. She has two fabulous best friends, a boy from the football team who seems to like her, and she has just been chosen to be on the junior high cheerleading squad. But then Yoon Jun moves to town, and because he is Korean, like Alice, her father tries to make her be friends with the new boy. But Alice thinks Yoon Jun is kind of a dork and can't figure out why she should have to be friends with him simply because they happen to come from the same country. Alice was a baby when her parents adopted her and brought her to the U.S. so she doesn't remember anything about Korea and considers herself 100% American. But then Alice and Yoon Jun are assigned to work on a project together for their school's International Day, and Alice discovers that spending time with Yoon Jun might not be so terrible after all.
The Imp That Ate My Homework
by Laurence YepShowdown in Chinatown! Jim wants to be a normal American kid. The only problem: His grandfather is the meanest, ugliest man in Chinatown. Grandpop has no patience for his "native born, no brains" grandson, and Jim is not all that interested in hearing about old Chinese customs and superstitions. But then a nasty green imp shows up, determined to settle an ancient family feud. The imp is making Jim's life miserable, and Grandpop seems to be the only one who can help. Could Grandpop really be the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior-- the world's only hope against one mean green imp?
The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice
by Allen SayA fourteen-year-old boy lives on his own in Tokyo and becomes apprenticed to a famous Japanese cartoonist.
Inside Out and Back Again
by Thanhha LaiNo one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.
For all the ten years of her life, HÀ has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by...and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. HÀ and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, HÀ discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape...and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.
Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the National Book Award
In the Park
by Huy Voun LeeOn the first day of spring, a mother and her son go to the park where they draw Chinese characters that represent words relating to the season.
In the Snow
by Huy Voun LeeA simple introduction to Chinese character writing. It's a wonderful day for a walk in the snow. Using snow as her canvas, Xiao Ming's mother teaches her son ten new Chinese characters. Huy Voun Lee's focus on the similarity between writing Chinese characters and drawing pictures makes learning Chinese seem accessible. Simple mnemonic explanations help children learn and remember the character for each word. "In the Snow" is a great introduction to one of the world's oldest picture languages.
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao LordA young Chinese girl in 1947 comes to Brooklyn and discovers her love for baseball while adjusting to new life in America.
A Jar of Dreams
by Yoshiko UchidaWhen Aunt Waka comes to visit, and brings with her the old-fashioned wisdom of Japan, she teaches Rinko the importance of her Japanese heritage, and the value of her own strengths and dreams.
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!
Journey Home
by Yoshiko UchidaYuki, a 12-year-old Japanese American girl, and her family were sent to a concentration camp in Utah. This is the story of their journey back to Berkeley, California after WWII is over.
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy TanAmy Tan’s beloved, New York Times bestselling tale of mothers and daughters
Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue.
With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.
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.
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
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.
Lion Dancer
by Kate Waters and Madeline Slovenz-LowDescribes six-year-old Ernie Wong's preparations, at home and in school, for the Chinese New Year celebrations and his first public performance of the lion dance.
The Lost Garden
by Laurence YepYoung Laurence didn't really where he fit in. He thought of himself as American, especially since he didn't speak Chinese and couldn't understand his grandmother, who lived in Chinatown. But others saw him as different in the conformist American of the 1950s. In this engaging memoir, the two-time Newbery Honor author tells how writing helped him start to solve the puzzle.
Love as Strong as Ginger
by Lenore LookIn this touching storybook, Katie experiences her Chinese grandmother's hard life when she spends a day with her at work at a crab cannery. She sees her "GninGnin" laboring from sun up to sundown to earn just enough money for bus fare, dinner, and a bit left over to help her granddaughter go to college. Katie also catches the twinkle in her grandmother's eye and realizes that she has inherited the strength to fulfill the dreams her grandmother has for her.
The Magic Fan
by Keith BakerGuided by a magic fan, Yoshi builds a boat to catch the moon, a kite to reach the clouds, and a bridge that saves the villagers from a tidal wave.
The Magic Paintbrush
by Laurence YepA magic paintbrush transports Steve and his elderly caretakers from their drab apartment in Chinatown to a world of adventures.
The Moon Lady
by Amy TanNainai tells her granddaughters the story of her outing, as a seven-year-old girl in China, to see the Moon Lady and be granted a secret wish.
Motherland
by Vineeta VijayraghavanMaya is an American teenager who spent her first four years with her grandmother in India. In her 15th year she returns to India and she is again initiated into the Indian culture and customs.
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.
The Name Jar
by Yangsook ChoiThe new kid in school needs a new name! Or does she? Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what about when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious that American kids will like her. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she tells the class that she will choose a name by the following week. Her new classmates are fascinated by this no-name girl and decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. But while Unhei practices being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, one of her classmates comes to her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its special meaning. On the day of her name choosing, the name jar has mysteriously disappeared. Encouraged by her new friends, Unhei chooses her own Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it--Yoon-Hey. From the Hardcover edition.
Necessary Roughness
by Marie G. LeeSixteen-year-old Korean-American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father.