This list explores Asian and Asian American voices, including experiences from the Far East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. This includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Samoa; and in South Asia - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. Enjoy these #ownvoice stories and celebrate the wonderful diversity of our community!
Celebrate Asian and Asian American Voices
Compiled by:
Ginny H.
Picture Books and Younger Elementary
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Zha)
Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly. Recommended for ages 3-6.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Kri)
Phoebe helps her dad set up telescopes on the sidewalk. It's a special night––Saturn and Mars are going to appear together in the sky. But will Phoebe be able to see them with all the city lights? Recommended for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Le)
A boy and his grandfather cross a language and cultural barrier using their shared love of art, storytelling, and fantasy. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Gia)
Two very different cousins must work together to plan their Grandma's birthday. A gorgeous glimpse of Asian American culture in a story all kids will love. Recommended for ages 3–6.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Florenc)
Eager to do something her big sister has not done first, Jasmine Toguchi, eight, decides to pound mochi with the men and boys when her family gets together for New Year's. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Lee)
Mindy Kim wants to fit in at her new school, but her favorite lunch leads to scorn, then a thriving business, and finally big trouble. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Liu)
Curious and energetic Mei Mei attempts some t'ai chi forms as her grandfather demonstrates them, then tries to teach him basic yoga poses. Includes introductions to t'ai chi and yoga, as well as instructions for the exercises described in the text. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Mak)
A boy adjusts to life away from his home in Hong Kong, the Chinatown of his new American city. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Phi)
Upset after being bullied, Thuy, a Vietnamese American, pretends she is different creatures, including an especially strong, wonderful being made up of her two mothers and herself. Includes note about the phoenix and the Sarabha. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books Nonfiction - Ej 585.5 Chi)
A young city boy, riding the subway, finds an abandoned book about redwoods. He finds himself in the very forest described in the book. After finishing the book, he leaves it for someone else to read. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Kha)
As a young girl observes that each of six women in her life wears her hijab and hair in a different way, she considers how to express her own style one day. Recommended for ages 3-6.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Kelly)
Bullied at school, eighth-grader Apple, a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles, decides to change her life by learning how to play the guitar. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Yang)
After emigrating from China, ten-year-old Mia's parents work at a rundown motel, exploited by the unpleasant owner. Mia, one of just two Chinese kids, tries to fit in at her new school. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels- J-GN Green Lantern Legacy)
When thirteen-year-old Tai Pham inherits his grandmother's jade ring, he soon finds out he has been inducted into a group of space cops known as the Green Lanterns. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Khan)
As features editor of her school newspaper, thirteen-year-old Jameela Pervaiz wants to impress her father by writing a spectacular story about the new student, but a misunderstanding and family illness complicate matters. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Warga)
Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels- J-GN Chanani Pashmina)
An Indian-American teen, Priyanka "Pri" Das, attempts to discover her past and reconnect with her mother's homeland through a magical pashmina shawl. Recommended for ages 9–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Park)
Hanna lives in a small town in America's heartland. In Dakota Territory in the 1880s, half-Chinese Hanna and her white father face racism and resistance to change as they try to make a home for themselves. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Kim)
When eleven-year-old Yumi Chung stumbles into a kids' comedy camp she is mistaken for another student, so she decides to play the part. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Yew)
Recently estranged from her best friend and weeks away from shifting from only child to big sister, seventh grader Beatrix Lee consoles herself by writing haiku in invisible ink and hiding the poems, but one day she finds a reply--is it the librarian with all the answers, the editor of the school paper who admits to admiring her poetry, an old friend feeling remorse, or the boy obsessed with visiting the local labyrinth? Recommended for ages 9-12.