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There’s nothing we love more than a well-stocked kids’ bookshelf — unless it’s a diverse well-stocked kids’ bookshelf! And since May is Asian American and Pacific Islander American (AAPI) Heritage Month, we’ve curated this collection of some of the best kids’ books by AAPI authors. From lessons about Asian culture and tradition to lessons about racism and staying true to yourself, for toddlers to teens, there’s something for absolutely everyone on this list. We’ve arranged them in order of age level, from the youngest readers to the oldest.
Not only are these beautifully written and illustrated stories that your kids will love, they’re also the perfect way to begin conversations about inclusivity and empathy. Anti-Asian hate crimes rose a staggering 339% last year over the previous year, which highlights the absolute necessity of teaching our kids how to show kindness, appreciation for other cultures, and support for people who may be treated as “other.”
For AAPI Heritage Month, and every month, these kids’ books by AAPI authors show us that there’s such beauty in diversity — and that we’re all much more alike than it seems.
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BoBo Loves Dumplings by Charlotte Cheng & Melissa Miao
Image Credit: SunBridge This bilingual counting board book follows the hungry red panda, BoBo, throughout his counting (and eating!) adventures. It’s written in both Mandarin and English, and also includes Pinyin — the spelling of Chinese phrases with English letters to make it easier for English speakers to read the words out loud. Plus, it introduces young readers to a variety of delicious Chinese foods that they might like to try!
Ages 1-6
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Asian Adventures A-Z by Yobe Qiu
Image Credit: Yobe Qiu, LLC This fun book takes kids on a journey through Asia via the ABCs! A is for áo dài dresses; B is for bibimbap; C is for Cambodia, and so on. Each letter features a fun lesson about some aspect of Asian culture, whether it’s food, fashion, or tradition! Perfect for little kids to learn their ABCs, but this is one of those books that even bigger kids enjoy listening to (and adults will learn something too!).
Ages 2-7
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Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
Image Credit: HarperCollins In this New York Times bestselling book, a young Asian girl learns to be proud of the shape of her beautiful eyes that “kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea” — and to feel connected to her family through the shared trait.
Ages 2-7
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Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
Image Credit: Kids Can Press This fun and whimsical story is about Suki’s prized possession: a blue kimono given to her by her grandmother. She loves it so much she wants to wear it on the first day of school. And through her kimono and a special song and dance, she teaches her enthusiastic classmates a lesson in Japanese culture — and in being yourself.
Ages 4-7
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Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani & Holly Hatam
In this sweet story, a Sikh father and daughter share a bond that starts at the roots – of their hair, that is! Every morning, Papa combs and styles his daughter’s hair … but her very favorite style is when he twists it into a topknot just like the joora he wears underneath his turban.
Ages 4-8
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Every Night is Pizza Night by J. Kenji López-Alt
Image Credit: Norton Young Readers Foodies might recognize the name J. Kenji López-Alt, since he’s a renowned chef and food columnist — but in this New York Times bestselling book, he tells the tale of Pipo, a girl on a quest to prove that pizza is the best food ever. Pipo is quite sure of this fact … until she tastes foods in her neighborhood, everything from Korean bibimbop to Moroccan tagine, and realizes that maybe her beloved pizza isn’t the only food worthy of being called “the best.”
Ages 2-6
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Drawn Together by Minh Lê
Image Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers This heartwarming story about a boy and his grandfather proves that you don’t need words to form a bond. When the boy visits, he is frustrated that he and his grandfather don’t have a shared language to communicate with — but when they start to draw together, magic happens. Drawn Together has been the recipient of much praise, winning the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, as well as awards from Wall Street Journal, NPR, Smithsonian, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Booklist, just to name a few!
Ages 3-8
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Always Anjali by Sheetal Sheth
Image Credit: Mango & Marigold Press Anjali hates her “different” name. She gets bullied at school for it and can’t find a personalized … well, anything. She wants to change it, but her parents refuse, so she takes matters into her own hand and learns a valuable lesson in the meantime. This book is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Children’s Book Award.
Ages 3-7
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I Am Golden by Eva Chen & Sophie Diao
This instant New York Times bestseller, with luminous illustrations and lyrical text, is a gorgeously written tribute to self-love for Chinese-American kids. The School Library Journal’s review says, “Every child should be launched by such words of love and confidence. … Salve on the wounds of racism, this is a transporting invitation to be different, go forward, and meet your destiny.”
Ages 4-6
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The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Image Credit: Dragonfly Books In this bestselling classic, Unhei has just moved to the U.S. from Korea, and she’s worried about fitting in — especially that no one will be able to pronounce her name. So she decides to choose an American name from a jar … until a friend helps her realize that the most beautiful name is the one she already has.
Ages 5-9
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Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand
Image Credit: Kokila Laxmi never paid much attention to her body hair — until some friends pointed out the hairs on her upper lip at recess. When she brings her “mooch” up to her parents, they help her celebrate her uniqueness by pointing out other beautiful creatures who have hair elsewhere than on their heads in this exuberant story of self-acceptance.
Ages 4-8
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Grandmother School by Rina Singh
Image Credit: Orca Book Publishers Based on a true story, this brightly illustrated book highlights the pride the narrator has in her grandmother. Where many grandparents might drop their grandkids off at school, it’s the opposite in this case — she drops her Aaji off with all the other aajis who are finally getting to go to school for the first time in their lives. It’s an inspiring story of overcoming the limitations of illiteracy, and shows you’re never too old to learn new things.
Ages 6-8
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Sumo Joe by Mia Wenjen
Image Credit: Lee & Low Books Sumo Joe is the story of a devoted big brother who loves spending time with his little sister — and, on the weekends, sumo wrestling with his friends. When little sister wants to join in the sumo fun, Sumo Joe has to make a very hard decision: tell his sister no, or break the ultimate “no girls allowed” rule.
Ages 4-7
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The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang
Image Credit: Carolrhoda Books This gorgeously illustrated book draws from the experiences of author Kao Kalia Yang as a Hmong refugee. Young Kalia is unhappy with her smile and wants to get braces, but the family finances don’t allow for it. Her grandmother — with just one tooth — helps her discover where true beauty lies.
Ages 5-9
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Watercress by Andrea Wang
Image Credit: Neal Porter Books A Caldecott Medal Winner, Newbery Honor Book, and an APALA Award Winner, this book’s simple text and gorgeous illustrations convey a deep meaning. When her Chinese immigrant parents stop to gather watercress from an Ohio ditch, a young girl is so embarrassed — why can’t they buy their food at a grocery store like everyone else? But when her mother explains how important foraging was during her own childhood, the girl learns a powerful lesson about her parents’ motivation.
Ages 4-10
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A Different Pond by Bao Phi
Image Credit: Capstone With a long list of accolades including Caldecott Honor Book, Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor and New Illustrator Honor, and the Charlotte Zolotow Award, this book tells the story of young Bao, who woke before dawn with his father to fish in order to get food for the family. His father tells him a tale of a pond in their homeland of Vietnam, and in the quiet time together, they forge a father-son bond that makes Bao realize just how amazing his dad really is.
Ages 4-8
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Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country by Kelly Yang
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang comes this beautifully-illustrated book (from 15 amazing artists!) featuring the accomplishments of Asian Americans who have made an impact. Highlighting all kinds of fields — from dancers and designers to politicians and pop culture icons — Yes We Will is the recipient of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Ages 4-8
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The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Yim Bridges
Image Credit: Greenwillow Books This is the colorful story of a Thai girl named Noot, whose village families make their living crafting and painting beautiful umbrellas. When Noot is finally old enough to paint, she’s happy about it — but instead of traditional flowers, she wants to paint elephants, which is a definite no-no. The King is coming to the village to choose the Umbrella Queen — the one who has painted the most beautiful umbrella. Would he ever choose someone who breaks with tradition?
Ages 4-8
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Image Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers This book by Grace Lin is described as “a fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore” and is a tale of a bold adventure with lots of magical creatures along the way. Minli, who lives with her parents in a run-down hut, loves to hear her father tell the story of the Old Man on the Moon, who has the answers to every question. So she sets out to find him in a quest to change her family’s fortune.
Ages 7-10
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Troublemaker by John Cho
Image Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers In New York Times bestselling author John Cho’s Troublemaker, we follow Jordan — a 12-year-old Korean-American — as he struggles to navigate school, a family whose expectations he can never seem to live up to, and the very real and very frightening racial tension that escalates in the wake of the LA Riots.
Ages 8-12
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Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Yas Imamura
Set in a Japanese-American incarceration camp, Love in the Library is the true story of author Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s grandparents. It’s a story about finding hope even in a place of heartbreak — and an eye-opening look at the racism that Asian Americans continue to face.
Ages 8-12
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Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Image Credit: Arthur A. Levine Books Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, this book follows the everyday adventures of 10-year-old Mia Tang. She lives in a motel, where her immigrant parents clean the rooms — and hide other immigrants. If the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out what her parents are doing, it’s certain doom. Between managing the motel’s front desk, eluding Mr. Yao, and trying to convince her skeptical parents that she should follow her dreams of becoming a writer, Mia has to work hard. Will she be able to handle it all?
Ages 9-11
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When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Image Credit: Random House Books for Young Readers Winner of the Newbery Medal, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, and a New York Times bestseller, this book brings to life a Korean folk tale through the eyes of Lily, who is helping her sick grandmother reconcile with a secret family history. When a magical tiger approaches Lily with a deal in exchange for her grandmother’s health, she realizes that deals with tigers are never what they seem.
Age 9+
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Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Image Credit: Clarion Books Set in 1880 and narrated by Hanna, a half-Asian girl living in the Midwest, this middle-grade novel is both poignant and witty — and a look at how hard it is to fit in when your entire town has a prejudice against Asians.
Ages 10-12
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Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
Image Credit: Nancy Paulsen Books In this book, in equal measure funny and heartbreaking, Indian-American Karina and her grandfather are targeted in a hate crime based on their looks — prompting Karina and her friend Chris to post photos of the attack online, which quickly go viral. It ends up sparking an entire social media movement that begs the question, “What does an American look like?”
Ages 10-12
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Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
Image Credit: HarperCollins This is the award-winning story of Pakistani immigrant Nurah, who desperately wants to fit in at her new school in Georgia. But nearly everything about her makes her stand out, and she feels uncomfortable — until she finds her place on the swim team. Nurah wants to be as good as her athletic brother, Owais, and she works hard toward that goal … but sibling rivalry causes her to make a bad choice that changes both their fates.
Age 8-12
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American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Image Credit: First Second This New York Times bestselling graphic novel has been described as “an action-packed modern fable.” It marries the stories of three seemingly-unrelated characters: Jin Wang, the only Chinese kid at his new school; Chinese folk character The Monkey King; and Chin-Kee, who personifies every negative Chinese stereotype (and is ruining his cousin’s life every time he visits). Their storylines come together seamlessly — with a very unexpected twist.
Age 12+
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Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha
Image Credit: Balzer + Bray In this graphic novel, Robin is growing up as the child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea. But when her mother relocates them to the U.S. to get married, it throws Robin’s life into a tailspin. She doesn’t get along with her stepfamily, she doesn’t fit in at her new school, and she’s struggling. But when her mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, it changes everything.
Ages 13-17
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We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Image Credit: Clarion Books The recipient of many honors, written by New York Times bestselling author Traci Chee, this young adult novel follows a close-knit group of teenage nisei — second-generation Japanese-American citizens — as their lives are upended when over 100,000 Japanese Americans are incarcerated in concentration camps during World War II.
Ages 12+
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