Sharing the Asian Pacific American Heritage Experience In celebrating Asian American Heritage month, it is important to remember that teachers and librarians play a critical role in how children benefit from this focus. What we display and feature, what we read aloud to children, and how we engage children in discussion of books and follow-up learning experiences determine the impact the books have. As adults who influence children, we must continue to read widely, reflect on the issues presented, consider the cultural dimensions of the literature, and make meaningful connections to our own lives and help children also make connections. But most of all, we must make a commitment to seek good books, enjoy reading, and share that delight with the children and adults around us. — Dr. Junko Yokota, Professor, National-Louis University, Evanston, IL
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month websites Chicago Public Library Calendar of Events http://www.chipublib.org/003cpl/diversity/apahm05/apahm05_coe.html Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Programs http://www.apa.si.edu/APA_resources.htm Asian Pacific American Heritage Teaching Resources http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/asian_american_resources.html including Korean American Lesson Plans Letters from the Japanese American Internment lesson plan Dreams & Reality: Korean American Art online exhibit On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience online exhibit Asian Pacific American History and Culture links The Art of Buddhism: A Teacher’s Guide (pdf file) Puja: Educator’s Guide The Arts of the Islamic World: A Teacher’s Guide (pdf file) Japan: Images of a People lesson plan The Silk Road: Connecting Culture, Creating Trust online exhibit http://www.silkroadproject.org/smithsonian/index.html The International Children’s Digital Library has digitized 227 children’s books from Asia, both in English and native languages www.icdlbooks.org Visit the companion web site for the PBS series ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS by Loni Ding. Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing yet least known groups of immigrants in the United States. Click here for an exploration of their history and stories http://www.pbs.org/ancestorsintheamericas/index.html
Asian Pacific Heritage Month Books for Grades Kdg – 4 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Almond Cookies and Dragon Well Tea by Cynthia Chin-Lee. 1993, Polychrome. Chinese-American – picture book Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria Surat. 1983, Raintree. Vietnamese-American – picture book At the Beach by Huy Voun Lee. 1994, Henry Holt. Chinese-American – picture book/bilingual The Ballad of Mulan by Song-nan Zhang. 1998, Pan Asian Publications. Chinese – folklore/bilingual Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki. 1993, Lee & Low. Japanese-American – historical fiction The Boy of the Three-Year Nap by Dianne Snyder. 1988, Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books. Japanese – folklore, Caldecott Honor Celebrating Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. 1998, Holiday House. Chinese-American – informational Chachaji’s Cup by Uma Krishnaswami. 2003, Children’s Book Press. Asian Indian – picture book Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes by Robert Wyndham. 1998, Putnam Publishing Group. Chinese – traditional tales/bilingual Cool Melons Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa by Matthew Gollub. 1998, Lee & Low. Japanese – poetry/biography Dear Juno by Soyung Park. 1999, Viking. Korean-American – picture book Dia’s Story Cloth: The Hmong People’s Journey of Freedom by Dia Cha. 1996, Lee & Low. Hmong-American – picture book Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan. 1998, Megan Tingley. Pan-Asian – picture book Farmer’s Wife by Idries Shah. 1998, Hoopoe Books. Middle Eastern – folklore Grandfather Tang’s Story: A Tale Told with Tangrams by Ann Tompert. 1990, Crown. Chinese – picture book Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say. 1993, Houghton Mifflin. Japanese-American – picture book, Caldecott Medal Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner. 2004, Houghton Mifflin. Japanese – picture book Happy Birthday Mr. Kang by Susan L. Roth. 2001, National Geographic Society. Chinese-American – picture book How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman. 1984, Houghton Mifflin. Japanese-American – picture book Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho. 1996, Orchard Books. Thai – folklore, Caldecott Honor Jin Woo by Eve Bunting. 2001, Clarion. Korean American – picture book Karate Hour by Carol Nevius. 2004, Marshall Cavendish. Japanese – informational Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. 2005, Harcourt. Middle Eastern – informational Lights for Gita by Rachna Gilmore. 1994, Tilbury House. Indian-American – picture book.
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Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young. 1989, Philomel Books. Chinese – folklore, Caldecott Medal Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland. 1993, Harcourt Brace. Vietnamese-American – picture book Mommy Far, Mommy Near: An Adoption Story by Carol Antoinette Peacock. 2000, Albert Whitman. Chinese-American – picture book My Freedom Trip by Frances Park. 1998, Boyds Mills Press. Korean – biography My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits. 2003, Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Korean-American – picture book Nadia’s Hands by Karen English. 1999, Caroline House/Boyds Mills Press. Pakistani-American – picture book Nine-in-One Grr! Grr!: A Folktale from the Hmong People of Laos by Cathy Spagnoli. 1989, Children’s Book Press. Hmong – folklore One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi. 1997, Scholastic. Asian Indian – folklore Rice is Life by Rita Golden Gelman. 2000, Henry Holt. Indonesian – informational Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong. 2000, Chronicle Books. Chinese – concept book Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look. 2004, Simon & Schuster. Chinese-American – chapter book Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges. 2002, Chronicle Books. Chinese – picture book Runaway Rice Cake by Ying C. Compestine. 2001, Simon & Schuster. Chinese – picture book Sadako by Eleanor Coerr. 1993, G. P. Putnam. Japanese – biography Silly Chicken by Rukhsana Khan. 2005, Viking. Pakistani – picture book Stone Soup retold by Jon J. Muth. 2003, Scholastic. Chinese – folklore Tasty Baby Belly Buttons by Judy Sierra. 1999, Dragonfly Books. Japanese – folklore Ten Mice for Tet! by Pegi Deitz Shea. 2003, Chronicle Books. Vietnamese – picture book Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. 1999, Talewinds/Charlesbridge. Chinese-American – picture book Usborne Stories from India by Anna Milbourne. 2005, Usborne. Asian Indian – folklore Yoko by Rosemary Wells. 1998, Hyperion. Japanese-American – picture book
Asian Pacific Heritage Month Books for Grades 5-8 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
16 Extraordinary Asian Americans by Nancy Lobb. 1996, J. Weston Walch. Pan-Asian – informational 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye. 2002, Greenwillow. Middle Eastern – poetry Asian Tales and Tellers by Cathy Spagnoli. 1998, August House. Pan-Asian – folklore Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. 2002, Scholastic. Asian Indian-American – fiction Bound by Donna Jo Napoli. 2004, Atheneum. Chinese – fiction, Cinderella story Children of Asian America by the Asian American Coalition. 1995, Polychrome. Pan-Asian – informational Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam by Sherry Garland. 2001, Harcourt. Vietnamese – folklore Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese-American Internment Camp Based on a Classroom Diary by Michael O. Tunnell. 1996, Holiday House. Japanese-American – history Confucius: The Golden Rule by Russell Freedman. 2002, Arthur A. Levine Books. Chinese – biography Dragonwings by Laurence Yep. 1975, HarperCollins. Chinese-American – fiction, Newbery Medal Easy Origami by Dokuohtei Nakano. 1994, Puffin. Japanese – informational Everything You Need to Know About Asian-American History and Culture by Lan Cao and Himilee Novas. 2004, Plume. Pan-Asian – informational Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Elena Romulo. 2000, Periplus Editions. Filipino – folklore Gandhi by Demi. 2001, Margaret K. McElderry Books. Asian Indian – biography Ghost in the Tokkaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. 1999, Philomel. Japanese – historical mystery Good Luck Gold and Other Poems by Janet Wong. 1994, Margaret K. McElderry Books. Chinese-American – poetry Growing Up Asian American edited by Maria Hong. 1995, Perennial Currents. Pan-Asian – informational Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida. 1981, Margaret K. McElderry Books. Japanese-American – historical fiction Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp (My Name is America) by Barry Denenberg. 1999, Scholastic. Japanese-American – historical fiction Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. 2004, Atheneum. Japanese-American – fiction, Newbery Medal Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Warrior of the South (Royal Diaries) by Laurence Yep. 2001, Scholastic. Chinese – historical fiction. Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee. 2003, Arthur A. Levine Books. Chinese-American – fiction Muhammad by Demi. 2003, Margaret K. McElderry Books. Middle Eastern – biography
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My Special Moments by Michelle Kwan. 2001, Volo/Hyperion. Chinese-American – autobiography Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee. 1996, HarperCollins. Korean-American – fiction Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis. 2002, Groundwood. Middle Eastern – fiction Precious Gold, Precious Jade by Sharon E. Heisel. 2000, Holiday House. Chinese-American – historical fiction Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang. 1997, HarperCollins. Chinese – autobiography Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. 2002, HarperCollins. Middle Eastern – biography Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi. 2000, A. A. Levine Books. Middle Eastern – fiction Shadow of the Dragon by Sherry Garland. 1993, Harcourt Brace. Vietnamese-American – fiction Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg. 2001, HarperCollins Japanese-American – history Silk Umbrellas by Carolyn Marsden. 2004, Candlewick Press. Thai – fiction Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. 2001, Clarion Books. Korean – historical fiction, Newbery Medal Squeamish about Sushi and Other Food Adventures in Japan by Betty Reynolds. 2000, Tuttle. Japanese – informational Stella: On the Edge of Popularity by Lauren Lee. 1994, Polychrome. Korean-American – fiction Step from Heaven by An Na. 2001, Front Street. Korean-American – fiction, Michael Printz Award Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho. 2003, Scholastic. Cambodian-American – historical fiction Stone in My Hand by Cathryn Clinton. 2002, Candlewick Press. Middle-Eastern – historical fiction Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems by Janet Wong. 1996, Margaret K. McElderry Books. Pan-Asian – poetry Tai Chi Morning: Snapshots of China by Nikki Grimes. 2004, Cricket Books. Chinese – poetry Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea. 2003, Clarion Books. Hmong-American – fiction Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka. 1999, Dell Laurel-Leaf. Chinese – fiction Tiger’s Apprentice by Laurence Yep. 2003, HarperCollins. Chinese – fantasy To the Golden Mountain: The Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Lila Perl. 2003, Benchmark Books. Chinese-American – informational Usborne Internet-Linked Introduction to Asia by Elizabeth Dalby. 2005, Usborne. Pan-Asian – informational Voices of the Heart by Ed Young. 2003, Scholastic. Chinese – informational When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park. 2003, Clarion. Korean – historical fiction
Asian Heritage series books • • •
Count Your Way Through China by Jim Haskins. 1990, Carolrhoda. Count Your Way Through Japan by Jim Haskins. 1987, Carolrhoda. Count Your Way Through Korea by Jim Haskins. 1989, Carolrhoda.
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Diwali (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Christina Mia Gardeski. 2001, Children’s Press. Holi (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Uma Krishnaswami. 2003, Children’s Press. Ramadan (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by David F. Marx. 2002, Children’s Press.
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I am Chinese American (Our American Family) by Amy Lee. 1997, PowerKids Press. I am Indian American (Our American Family) by Jane Stuart. 1997, PowerKids Press. I am Japanese American (Our American Family) by Vivian Emery. 1997, PowerKids Press. I am Vietnamese American (Our American Family) by Felice Blank. 1997, PowerKids Press.
Asian Cinderella Stories • • • • • • • •
Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna de la Paz. 2001, Shen’s Books Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn. 1998, Shen’s Books. Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox. 1998, Holiday House. Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn. 1996, Shen’s Books. Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo. 1993, HarperCollins. Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo. 1999, HarperCollins. Sumorella: A Hawai’i Cinderella Story by Sandi Takayama. 1997, Bess Press. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie. 1982, Philomel.
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." — Confucious