10 Vibrant New Books for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month!
/Just in time for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Holiday House and Peachtree have an excellent selection of new and upcoming books for children and teens that are sure to educate, engage and enlighten.
Chinese Kite Festival
by Rich Lo , ages 4–8
Animal names and their significance in Chinese culture is beautifully explored for young readers in this stunning book. Simple bilingual text helps teach children animal names in both English and Chinese. Paired with Rich Lo's colorful digital watercolors, this simple and practical introduction to Chinese animal names and symbolism is irresistible.
Boy Who Met a Whale
by Nizrana Farook, ages 8–12
A fisherboy is swept up in a thrilling seafaring adventure, complete with a kidnapping, missing treasure, and a huge blue whale! Author Nizrana Farook has crafted a briskly paced, action-packed quest that swells with empathetic heroes, missing treasure, and a great beast lurking beneath. Set against a vibrant, authentic landscape inspired by Sri Lanka, this delightful caper will thrill tweens.
Lali’s Feather
by Farhana Zia, Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, ages 4–8
A vivacious and endearing story of identification, values, and the rewards in looking closely and thinking imaginatively. Farhana Zia offers a charming tale with an inventive circular structure that reveals the importance of looking beyond first impressions. Illustrator Stephanie Fizer Coleman brings this delightful story of imagination and inspiration to life.
All You Need
by Howard Schwartz, illustrated by Jasu Hu, ages 4–8
Follow a Chinese girl from her first steps, all the way to the moment she realizes a lifelong dream in an exciting new land. Ultimately, she creates a very special gift for her parents far away—this very book. Poet Howard Schwartz’s graceful text is made all the more potent by the illustrations of debut illustrator Jasu Hu, who used her talents to create a powerful narrative inspired by her own journey, creative and otherwise, from a childhood in China to her arrival to study art in New York.
Let's Go to Taekwondo!: A Story About Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards
by Aram Kim, ages 3–7
Yoomi and her friends are ready to take on the test for their yellow belts in taekwondo. But Yoomi is afraid to break a board. Meanwhile, Grandma is struggling to learn something new, too. But Yoomi and Grandma encourage and inspire each other. Yoomi discovers how, with persistence, focus, deep breathing, and above all, a loving Grandma, even the toughest challenges can be overcome.
My Dadima Wears a Sari and Sona and the Wedding Game
by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi, ages 4–
An Indian grandmother and her American granddaughter explore culture, imagination, and individuality through a sari. Experience the magic of an Indian wedding in Sona and the Wedding Game, a story of a girl playing a fun, traditional game on her sister’s big day.
Luli and the Language of Tea
by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Hyewon Yum, ages 4–8
All around the ESL classroom, children played alone. Luli couldn’t speak English. Neither could the others. But this time Luli had a plan. She pulled out a fat-bellied teapot and matching cups and called “Chá!” in her native Chinese. And suddenly all the children piped up, recognizing not just the word, but the shared pastime of tea. Luli is a touching story about children from many countries finding a common bond.
My Mechanical Romance
by Alexene Farol Follmuth, ages 14+
Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author (under the penname Olivie Blake) of The Atlas Six. In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its center and lines that beg to be read aloud, My Mechanical Romance is swoonworthy perfection.
Boys I Know
by Anna Gracia, ages 14+
June Zhu, a Tawainese-American high school senior in Iowa, balances her academic expectations with her fraught love life and discovering what she wants for herself, outside of the expectations of her family and society. Readers of Becky Albertalli and Jenny Han’s novel's will be glued to the page as June navigates messy boys and messier relationships in this bitingly funny and much-needed look into the overlap of Asian American identity and teen sexuality.
