Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
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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.
Anno's Magic Seeds
by Mitsumasa AnnoThe reader is asked to perform a series of arithmetic operations integrated into the story of a man who plants magic seeds and reaps an increasingly abundant harvest. A story that helps children understand the process of plant growth.
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 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.
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.
American Eyes
by Lori M. Carlson and Cynthia KadohataHeartfelt short stories written by ten young Asian-American writers who share the conflicts that many young people feel living in two distinct worlds - one of memories and traditions, and one of today. Stories by Marie G. Lee, Ryan Oba, Katherine Min, Mary F. Chen, Lois-ann Yamanaka, Fae Myenne Ng, Cynthia Kadohata, Peter Bacho, Lan Samantha Chang, and Nguyen Duc Minh.
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.
Elaine and the Flying Frog
by Heidi ChangElaine Chow is on her way to school, thinking about her present circumstances, and she makes up a story to go along with her friends.
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums
by Andrea ChengA Chinese American girl puts her goldfish into a fish pond that she creates and borders with chrysanthemums in order to remind her grandmother of the fish pond she had back in China.
Grandfather Counts
by Andrea ChengWhen her mother's father comes from China, Helen, who is biracial, develops a special bond with her grandfather despite their age and language differences.
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.
China's Bravest Girl
by Charlie ChinThe story of Hua Mu Lan, a girl who, disguised as a man, went to war in place of her elderly father.
Echoes of the White Giraffe
by Sook Nyul ChoiFifteen-year-old Sookan adjusts to life in the refugee village in Pusan but continues to hope that the civil war will end and her family will be reunited in Seoul. Historical fiction.
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 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.
Nim and the War Effort
by Milly Lee and Yangsook ChoiIn San Francisco during World War II, Nim, a Chinese-American, is determined to win the newspaper drive -- although it is the last day. She realizes her closest rival has cheated. Undaunted, she leaves Chinatown and heads to Nob Hill after school, determined to find more paper.
An ALA Notable Book. An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies.
About the Author: Milly Lee grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She is a retired school librarian and lives in Sonoma County, California.
About the Illustrator: Yangsook Choi grew up in Korea and holds an M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she now lives. [powells.com]
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito
by Sheila GarrigueThe fate of a 200-year-old bonsai tree is decided by a young girl and an old Japanese Canadian gardener who resists being imprisoned in an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Sequel to "All the Children Were Sent Away."
Willie Wins
by Almira Astudillo GillesWillie's father tells him there is something special in an old coconut bank brought from the Philippines, but Willie is embarrassed to take it to school for a contest, especially since he knows that one of his classmates will make fun of him.
Vatsana's Lucky New Year
by Sara GogolTorn between Laotian and American cultures, twelve-year-old Vatsana faces prejudice from a boy at school as she helps her newly arrived Laotian cousin adjust to life in Portland, Oregon.