Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
- Table View
- List View
To Destroy You Is No Loss
by Joan D. Criddle and Teeda Butt MamExplains the horrendous and evil history that was being made in Cambodia during 70's and 80's. This biography is about an educated Cambodian family who was exiled from Phnom Penh, along with the entire city full of inhabitants by The Khmer Rouge.
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.
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.
Butterflies for Kiri
by Cathryn FalwellKiri, a Japanese American girl who loves to draw and paint, tries to use the origami set she received for her birthday. Includes instructions for making an origami butterfly.
Ribbons
by Laurence YepRobin, a promising young ballet student, cannot afford to continue lessons when her Chinese grandmother emigrates from Hong Kong, creating jealousy and conflict among the entire family.
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.
Yell-Oh Girls! Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American
by Vickie NamThe collection includes 80 brief selections (most are under three pages) by budding writers between 15 and 22 years of age, from all over the country.
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.
Behind the Wheel
by Janet S. WongThirty-five poems look at various aspects of driving, including passing the written driver's test, being pulled over by a cop, and having an accident, and treat them as a metaphor for life.
The Sign Painter
by Allen SayIn his Caldecott acceptance speech for GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, Allen Say told of his difficulty in separating his dreams from reality. For him this separation was not as important as finding a meaning behind the contradictions and choices we all must make in life and their consequences.
Early one morning a boy comes into town, hungry, and looking for work. He meets a sign painter who takes him on as a helper. The boy yearns to be a painter. The man offers him security. The two are commissioned to paint a series of billboards in the desert. Each billboard has one word, Arrowstar. They do not know its meaning. As they are about to paint the last sign, the boy looks up and sees in the distance a magnificent structure. Is it real? They go to find out.
Through a simple text and extraordinary paintings, the reader learns of the temptation of safe choices and the uncertainties of following a personal dream. Here Allen Say tells a haunting and provocative story of dreams and choices for readers of all ages.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Born Confused
by Tanuja Desai HidierSeventeen-year-old Dimple, whose family is from India, discovers that she is not Indian enough for the Indians and not American enough for the Americans, as she sees her best friend taking possession of her heritage and the boy she likes.
Children of the River
by Linda CrewSundara fled Cambodia with her aunt's family to escape the Khmer Rouge army when she was thirteen, leaving behind her parents, her brother and sister, and the boy she had loved since she was a child.Now, four years later, she struggles to fit in at her Oregon high school and to be "a good Cambodian girl" at home. A good Cambodian girl never dates; she waits for her family to arrange her marriage to a Cambodian boy. Yet Sundara and Jonathan, an extraordinary American boy, are powerfully drawn to each other. Haunted by grief for her lost family and for the life left behind, Sundara longs to be with him. At the same time she wonders, Are her hopes for happiness and new life in America disloyal to her past and her people?From the Paperback edition.
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 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 Clay Marble
by Minfong HoThe story is about a girl named Dara who goes to a refugee camp along with her family, but gets separated from them and endures many challenges to be safe once again with them.
Finding My Voice
by Marie G. Lee"Books, Tomper, letter jackets, parties, friends. Where do I fit into this mess?" Its Ellen Sungs last year and she is desperate to make it count. This will be the year she finally wins a varsity letter for gymnastics. Shell spend more time with her friends and less time with her books. Shell get into the college of her choice. Maybe shell even find a boyfriend. Easier said than done, when youve got to deal with super-strict parents, pressure to get good grades, and the prejudice of some classmates because youre the only Korean-American student in a small school. But sometimes things do go right!
The Beggar in the Blanket and Other Vietnamese Tales
by Gail B. GrahamThis book is a collection of 8 Vietnamese folk tales.
Shadow of the Dragon
by Sherry GarlandHigh school sophomore Danny Vo tries to resolve the conflict between the values of his Vietnamese refugee family and his new American way of life.
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.
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.
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 Cricket's Cage
by Stefan CzerneckiRetells a Chinese folktale in which a clever and kindly cricket is responsible for designing the tower buildings for Beijing's "Forbidden City."
Hiroshima
by Laurence YepOn the morning of August 6, 1945, an American bomber, the Enola Gay, roars down the runway of the Pacific island, Tinian. Its target is Hiroshima, Japan. Its cargo is an atom bomb.
One Sunday Morning
by Yumi HeoMinho and his father have an active morning at the park, taking a carriage ride, seeing the animals in the zoo, and riding the merry-go-round.
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.