Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
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Tea with Milk
by Allen SayAt home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends' homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. Allen Say has created a moving tribute to his parents and their path to discovering where home really is.
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.
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.
The Bicycle Man
by Allen SayThe amazing tricks two American soldiers do on a borrowed bicycle are a fitting finale for the school sports day festivities in a small village in occupied Japan. Includes picture descriptions.
Allison
by Allen SayWhen Allison tries on her new red kimono and looks in the mirror, she suddenly realizes that she looks more like her favorite doll, Mei Mei, than her parents. Where did Mei Mei come from? Where do I come from?" Allison asks. "Far, far away -- from another country; Father says."Mother and I went there and brought you and Mei Mei home with us." But Allison is confused. At daycare the next day, she refuses to climb the monkey bars or play tag with the other children, and alone in her room that night she asks Mei Mei, "Allison isn't my real name. Do you know what it is?" But the only answer is the cry of a stray cat looking in her window. Through evocative watercolors and understated prose, Caldecott Medalist Allen Say creates a moving statement on families, adoption, and the search for belonging.
Stranger in the Mirror
by Allen SayOne morning eight-year-old Martin looks in the mirror and sees a stranger. Overnight, he has changed. His parents take him to one doctor after another, only to be told that there is nothing wrong with their son. At school his teacher asks, "What have we here, trick or treat?" His classmates will not play with him. At home his family tries to treat him as if he were the same child. But things now are different. Martin has grown very old in the space of one day. His world will never be the same again.
Night Garden
by Janet S. WongA collection of poems describing a variety of dreams, some familiar, some strange, some beautiful, and some on the darker side.
Olvina Flies
by Grace LinWhen Olvina gets invited to the Tenth Annual Bird Convention in Hawaii, she decides it's high time to overcome her fear of flying. But on the day of her big plane trip, Olvina's tummy is filled with butterflies and she has second thoughts. After all, chickens aren't supposed to fly. Or are they? This tender and funny story is for children who love to fly as well as those who have not yet had the experience. From takeoff to landing, Olvina's journey is one kids won't want to miss!
Year of Impossible Goodbyes
by Sook Nyul ChoiA young Korean girl survives the oppressive Japanese and Russian occupation of North Korea during the 1940s, to later escape to freedom in South Korea.
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.
Peace Crane
by Sheila HamanakaAfter learning about the Peace Crane, created by Sadako, a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, a young African American girl wishes it would carry her away from the violence of her own world.
The Golem and the Dragon Girl
by Sonia LevitinLaurel Wang is not crazy. She knows that the ghost of her beloved great-grandfather lives in the oak tree outside her house. But now her grandparents are arriving from China, and the family must move to a bigger place - leaving the protective spirit behind. Twelve-year-old Jonathan and his family are moving into Laurel's house - and he's not too happy either. He's already living with a stepfather he can't stand and a dog he didn't choose; now he has to say goodbye to a familiar neighborhood and his wonderful Uncle Jake. But moving blues soon give way to angry ghosts, fortune cookies that predict the future, and a very scary accident - as two teenagers with very different backgrounds join together to investigate a mystery, and discover something remarkable about each other...
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.
Dia's Story Cloth
by Dia ChaThe story cloth made for the author by her aunt and uncle chronicles the life of the Hmong people in their native Laos and their eventual emigration to the United States.
The Rainbow People
by Laurence YepA collection of twenty Chinese folktales that were passed on by word of mouth for generations, as told by some old-timers newly settled in the United States.
A Thousand Peaks
by Siyu Liu and Orel ProtopopescuChina's poets have created shi, poems that follow strict rules of structure and rhythm, for several thousand years. Here are thirty-five shi from the Han dynasty to the modern era, in English and Chinese.
Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom
by Katherine PatersonNewbery Medal author Paterson presents the story of Wang Lee, the young son of starving peasants in 1850's China. Seized by bandits and carried away from home during the Taiping Rebellion, Wang Lee meets Mai Lin when members of her undercover society save him from his captors.
Shizuko's Daughter
by Kyoko MoriShizuko commits suicide to avoid being a hindrance to her husbands affair. Yuki, her daughter, grows up without the love of a mother but lives with the memories of her mother. The story brings out the struggles and achievements of Yuki.
Boxing in Black and White
by Peter BachoText and photographs present some of the notable heavyweight boxing matches of the twentieth century, featuring such fighters as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali.
The Star Fisher
by Laurence YepIn 1927, Joan Lee and her family are the first Chinese-Americans that Clarksburg has ever seen. Joan knows she's American. But no one else seems to think so.
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.
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.
A Single Shard
by Linda Sue ParkIn this Newbery Medal-winning book set in 12th century Korea, Tree-ear, a 13-year-old orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch'ulp'o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter's craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday.
When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated -- until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself -- even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min's work in the hope of a royal commission... even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.
Angelfish
by Laurence YepRobin, a young ballet dancer who is half Chinese and half white, works in a fish store for Mr. Tsow, a brusque Chinese who accuses her of being a half person and who harbors a bitter secret.