English & Korean 4+ Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Korean Creators Perseverance Respect Dan-ah Kim summary The Grandmaster’s Daughter is a sweet and simple story that shows incidental representation of girls with black belts and tells the reader a bit more about the martial arts practice. Every morning, Sunny can be seen outside of the…
Category: Asian Family & Identity
Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma
English 4-8 Music Historical Figures Immigration Collective Action Joanna Ho & Teresa Martinez summary I’m confident that you’ve seen this gorgeous book floating around on the internet, and I’m here to try and add my two cents to campaign for why you need this book. Playing at the Border weaves together a specific event when…
Two New Mindy Kim Adventures!
English & Korean Early Chapter Book Readers Korean Culture Vacation Language Learning Family Single Parent Family American Culture SEL Lyla Lee & Dung Ho summary I LOVE this series! Mindy is a great protagonist and narrator, and Lyla Lee’s writing is always fresh and engaging. Mindy Kim and the Trip to Korea came out this…
Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too!
English, Mandarin & Taiwanese 6-10 Chinese Culture Food School Friendship Self-Advocacy Family Maggie P. Chang summary Geraldine loves her lunchbox, and that’s a hard same from me too. This introductory graphic novel follows Geraldine Pu as she brings her beloved biandang filled with delicious food that her Amah lovingly packs for her. Unfortunately, a classmate…
Finding Junie Kim
English & Korean MG & Up Korean War Family History Korean-American Experience Racism Friendship Activism Own Voices SEL Immigration War Communism CW: Violent death of a pregnant woman Ellen Oh Cover Art: Alex Cho summary I’ll be real with you, I didn’t expect this book to rip my heart out in the way that it…
Thao
English & some Vietnamese 3 years & Up Self-Esteem Equity Growing Up Immigration Thao Lam summary Thao. Four letters, infinite pronunciation possibilities, much to Thao’s aggravation and dismay. Using a beautiful mix of collage and photos of herself as a child, Thao Lam tells the story of how she became desensitized to people mispronouncing her…
There Must Be More Than That!
English 5 years & Up Humor Existenial Crises Intergenerational Relationships Family Philosophy Shinsuke Yoshitake Summary: I try to share a mix of books that address underrepresented topics and aspects of history in school as well as books that are joyful. There Must Be More Than That! is definitely on the side of sassy and goofy,…
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
Written By: Joanna Ho Illustrated by: Dung Ho For Ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Family, Asian Protagonists, Self-Esteem, Confidence, Social-Emotional Learning, Own Voices. Summary: This book is stunningly beautiful in artwork and text. This empowering story has a main character that loves that her eyes are the same as her family members, their…
Flying Paintings: The Zhou Brothers: A Story of Revolution and Art
Written By: Amy Alznauer Illustrated by: ShanZuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou For Ages: 5-9 years Language: English, some Chinese. Topics Covered: History, Immigration, Communism, China, Immigration, Historical Figures, Chinese Artists, Social Justice, Social-Emotional Learning, Siblings, Biography. Summary: This is a beautiful and autobiographical book detailing the artistic development and lives of the Zhou brothers, who…
What I Like Most
Written By: Mary Murphy Illustrated by: Zhu Cheng-Liang For Ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Social-Emotional Learning, Growing Up, Gratitude, Family, Memories. Summary: What I Like Most is an adorable book with a narrator trying to describe her favorite thing, but continues to make exceptions for other favorite objects. Apricot jam, the…