Fiction

Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali (Kokila, 2021, 32 pages, ages 4-8). When another girl makes fun of Laxmi’s “whiskers”, her parents assure her that all the women in her family have a “mooch.” Laxmi is empowered to share this with her classmates, and before long, everyone is celebrating their whiskers.

I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Julia Kuo (Roaring Brook Press, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). A girl loves spending time with her grandmother, Popo, but when she and her family move to the United States and Popo remains in Taiwan, their relationship changes.

I Am Golden by Eva Chen, illustrated by Sophie Diao (Feiwel and Friends, 2022, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Chinese parents address their beloved child, Mei, a name that means beautiful, telling her all the beautiful things they see when they look at her.  They acknowledge that people may treat her as though she’s different but encourage her to remember her heritage which gives her the strength and power to be golden. 

Golden Threads by Suzanne Del Rizzo, illustrated by Miki Sato (Owlkids, 2020, 32 pages, ages 4-8). The stuffed fox narrator tells the story of being washed away in a storm and, broken and battered, finding a new home where he is loved and restored. Introduces two Japanese ideas: kintsugi, in which broken china is mended with gold, encouraging reuse instead of throwing away; and wabi-sabi, finding beauty in things that are imperfect and incomplete.

My Bollywood Dream by Avani Dwivedi (Candlewick, 2023, 40 pages, ages 4-8). A girl who dreams of being a filmmaker enjoys an evening at a Mumbai cinema with her family. As they drive to the theater, she imagines turning what she sees in the city streets into Bollywood-style film scenes. 

Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Fahmida Azim (Holiday House, 2021, 40 pages, grades K-3). When Amira’s class picture day conflicts with her family’s celebration of Eid, she figures out a way to enjoy the holiday, make it to school for the picture, and share a little bit of Eid with her classmates.

Nana, Nenek, & Nina by Liza Ferneyhough Dial Books, 2022, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Nina’s grandmothers live a world away: Nana in England and Nenek in Malaysia. She loves to see them, although she misses her home and the other grandmother whenever she goes for a visit.

Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanis, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2022, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Although Kylie loves her Saturday computer chats with Amah, things are different when she visits Taipei, and it takes her awhile to feel comfortable with Amah in person.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho (HarperCollins, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). “Some people have eyes like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns,” a Chinese-American girl reflects.  “Not me.” She shows readers the warm connections among the girls and women in her family, reflected in their eyes that “kiss in the corners” and concludes that all of their eyes are beautiful.

Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai (Norton Young Readers, 2021, 48 pages, ages 4-8). When Lili and Nai Nai run out of cabbage for their baos, Lili goes in search of some through Nai Nai’s apartment building and gets some lessons about dumplings from other cultures and countries.

My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by Lindsey Yankey (Candlewick Press, 2019, 32 pages, ages 4-8). The narrator describes her beloved grandmother, and how they spent their days together as she grew up in Iran.

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by  Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Alea Marley (Sterling Children’s Books, 2019, 32 pages, ages 3-8). Harpreet loves to dress according to his moods until a big move with his family has him feeling shy and sticking with “safe” colors like white and gray.

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel (Lee and Low Books, 2019, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A young girl talks about the different women in her life–her baker grandmother, doctor mother, artist aunt, and fashionista older sister–and how each one has a distinctive way of wearing her hijab.

The Shape of Home by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Levine Querido, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). It’s Rashin’s first day of school, having recently immigrated from Iran to the U.S. When she tells her classmates the shapes of things she encountered that morning, they start sharing what shapes their countries of origin are, including Iran, shaped like a Persian cat.

Finding Papa by Angela Pham Krans, illustrated by Thi Bui (HarperCollins, 2023, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Mai and her mother make a perilous journey from Vietnam to America to reunite with her papa. Based on the author’s real-life experience in 1983.

Dim Sum, Here We Come! By Maple Lam (HarperCollins, 2023, 40 pages, ages 4-8).A girl is excited to be heading out for a weekly dim sum extended family gathering at their favorite restaurant. 

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam (Owlkids Books, 2020, 40 pages, grades 2-7). This wordless picture book tells the story of how the author’s family escaped from Vietnam in 1980 when she was two years old.

Chloe’s Lunar New Year by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Michelle Lee (HarperCollins, 2023, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Chloe and her family get ready for Lunar New Year, cleaning, cooking, and preparing a special place of honor for A-má, observing the holiday tradition of honoring ancestors.

Drawn Together by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat (Disney-Hyperiion, 2018, 40 pages, ages 4-8). A boy is bored while staying with his grandfather, who only speaks Thai, but they finally find a way to communicate through their drawings of superheroes.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (Little, Brown and Company, 2018, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Little Star can’t help nibbling bits of her mama’s moon cake in this story inspired by the Asian Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Friends Are Friends Forever by Dane Liu, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield (Henry Holt and Co., 2022, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Dandan enjoys a final Lunar New Year with her best friend Yueyue before moving to the U.S. where her connection with Yueyue helps her make a new friend.

The Big Bath House by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Gracey Zhang (Random House, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The author recalls her childhood visits to a Japanese bath house with her female relatives.

Happy Diwali! by Sanyukta Mathur and Courtney Pippin-Mathur illustrated by Courtney Pippin-Mathur (Henry Holt and Co., 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). A girl and her family prepare for Diwali by cleaning and decorating the house, cooking food, and dressing up. 

The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Kamala Nair (Two Lions, 2023, 40 pages, ages 4-8). As Diya helps her grandmother, Nani, prepare for Diwali during a visit to India, Nani reminds Diya that the holiday is about light and to shine her light when she’s back at school. Back home, Diya shares Indian souvenirs with her classmates and helps them learn about her culture and holidays.

Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck, illustrated by Reem Madooh (Chronicle Books, 2023, 40 pages, grades K-3). A girl and her two siblings love their father’s bedtime stories, especially those about their homeland, Palestine, a place the kids have never seen.

Home Is In Between by Mitali Perkins (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Shanti leaves her village (in India) to go to her new town (in the United States). It’s exciting to have new experiences, comforting to fall back on the old ones, and sometimes exhausting to travel between the two, but she learns how to make any place feel like home.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui (Capstone, 2017, 32 pages, grades 1-5). Poet Bao Phi tells a slice-of-life story from his childhood, growing up as the son of Vietnamese immigrants. On an early morning fishing expedition to help feed their family of seven, the boy’s father tells stories about his own childhood and surviving the Vietnam War.

Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron (Annick Press, 2020, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Salma and her mother are living in Vancouver’s Welcome Center waiting for Papa to join them from Syria. When Salma notices how tired and sad her mother is, she decides to make her mom’s favorite food, and everyone at the Welcome Center pitches in.

Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Anoosha Syed (Salaam Reads/Simon and Schuster, 2019, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Bilal invites his friends over for dinner to sample some of the daal his father is cooking.  The kids help get things started, but when his friends think the ingredients look and smell funny, Bilal is worried.

A Sweet New Year for Ren by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Dung Ho (Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 20220, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Ren wants to help with the Lunar New Year preparations, but everyone keeps telling her she’s too little. When her big brother Charlie comes home, he finds a way to include Ren in the festivities.

Wishes by Muợn Thị Văn, illustrated by Victo Ngai (Orchard Books, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The story of a refugee family shows them saying goodbye to loved ones, walking a long road with three small children, and traveling by boat on a stormy sea until they are finally picked up by a larger ship and see their destination ahead. Based on the author’s family’s escape from Vietnam.

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books, 2021, 32 pages, grades 1-5). The narrator is embarrassed and angry when her family stops to gather watercress by the side of the road. Back home, her mother tells her a story of the famine she endured as a child in China, changing the girl’s perspective on the watercress.

Grandpa Across the Ocean by Hyewon Yum (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The narrator doesn’t like spending time with his grandfather, who lives in a strange place, eats unfamiliar food, and doesn’t speak his language. Gradually, though, the barriers come down, and by the end of the visit, the boy has enjoyed some fun adventures, learned a few Korean words, and is eagerly anticipating a summer visit.

Nonfiction

Dreams to Ashes: The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Nicole Xu (Carolrhoda Books, 2025, 40 pages, grades 3-6). When a gunfight in L.A. left a police officer and another man dead, the city’s entire Chinese population became the targets of a massacre that killed eighteen Chinese men, only one of whom was involved in the gunfight, and destroyed homes and businesses throughout Chinatown.

Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Fight for Title IX by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Toshiki Nakamura (Quill Tree Books, 2022, 47 pages, grades 1-5). As a Japanese American woman, Patsy Takemoto Mink often faced discrimination, experiences she used to become the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress and to co-sponsor Title IX and fight for its passage.

Wat Takes His Shot: The Life and Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka by Cheryl Kim, illustrated by Nat Iwata (Lee & Low Books, 2024, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Wataru learned as a child the meaning of the Japanese word gambatte, doing your best. Despite discrimination as a Japanese American during and immediately after World War II, Wat became a championship college basketball player and the first player of color on a team (the Knicks) in the BAA, later the NBA.

The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung, illustrated by Julie Kwon (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021, 48 pages, grades 1-5). Chinese American Hazel Ling Yee fell in love with flying as a teenager and worked to pay for flying lessons. She signed on as a WASP in World War II, becoming one of the few women to fly high-powered fighter jets. A radio tower miscommunication resulted in a fatal crash, and her family had to appeal all the way to the White House for her to be buried in the whites-only cemetery.

Mr. Pei’s Perfect Shapes: The Story of Architect I. M. Pei by Julie Leung, illustrated by Yifan Wu (Quill Tree Books, 2024, 40 pages, grades 1-5). As a boy in China, Ioeh Ming Pei had a fascination with structure and drawing, leading him to a career as an architect in America, where he became known as I. M. Pei and designed such famous buildings as the JFK Library and Museum, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Louvre Pyramid.

Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki (Published by Schwartz and Wade, 2019, 40 pages, grades K-5). When Wong Geng Yeo and his father immigrated to the U.S. from China in 1919, they were not members of the Chinese class that was allowed to immigrate, so they had to take on different identities. His name was Americanized to Tyrus, and he went on to become an animator at Disney, most notably contributing the Chinese style of painting he knew to the film Bambi.

It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad (HarperCollins, 2019, 48 pages, grades K-5). Gyo Fujikawa had to overcome prejudice as a Japanese American woman in the 20th century (her parents and other family members spent time in internment camps during WWII). She became a beloved children’s book illustrator, one of the first to portray children of different races.

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot’s World War II Story by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illustrated by Melissa Iwai (Clarion Books, 2018, 40 pages, grades 1-6). Twenty years after a failed attempt to bomb Oregon during World War II, Nobuo Fujito was invited by the Jaycees of Brookings, Oregon to visit the U.S. It was the beginning of a remarkable friendship between Nobuo’s family and the people of Brookings that continued for 35 years.

Love In the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Yas Imamura (Candlewick, 2022, 40 pages, grades 2-6). Maggie Tokuda-Hall tells the story of her grandparents, Tama and George, who met while working in the library at Minidoka, a prison camp for Japanese Americans, during World War II.

A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2021, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The story of Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi as a child, quietly observing the world around him and seeing sticks, pebbles, and shells as gifts to him from the forest and the sea.