Asian-American Stories
With more land, people, and voices than any other continent, Asia has an especially colorful literary presence. Explore these resonant folktales, heartbreaking immigrant stories, and luscious emotional landscapes.
Picture Books
Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria Surat
Filled with conflicting emotions, a Vietnamese girl works with her classmates to try to bring her mother to the United States. Learn more.
The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong
Wrap yourself in this 5,000-year-old legend about an empress who first imagines the lowly silkworm's thread as a luxurious, beautiful cloth.
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho
A mother begs a mosquito, water buffalo, and other animals to let her baby sleep in this striking and surprising Caldecott Honor book.
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young
Translated as "Wolf Grandmother," this Caldecott Award-winning book retells the familiar story in a wondrous Chinese terrain. Learn more.
Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragonboats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities, and Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, and the Children's Museum, Boston
Learn Chinese culture, one celebration at a time. A great book for bedrooms, classrooms, and kitchens.
Nine-in-One Grr! Grr!: A Folktale from the Hmong People of Laos by Blia Xiong
How come there are few tigers and many birds? This book answers that question in beautiful, clever fashion.
Roses Sing on New Snow: A Delicious Tale by Paul Yee
Discover how a Chinese-American girl proves her worth with a dish that awes a visiting statesman and puts her lazy brothers in their rightful places.
The Song of Mu Lan by Jeanne M. Lee
Luminous watercolors and an elegant translation bring this ancient Chinese poem to dazzling life.
Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth
Western and Japanese art and life fuse in this story of three siblings and a philosophical panda bear. Learn more.
Chapter Books
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Part Cinderella story, part survival tale, this book combines gold slippers and wish-granting ancestors with the familial and societal pressures of ancient China.
The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Travel from Calcutta to the Himalayas in this lush and introspective adventure of an Indian boy and his mission to return a mystical shell to its proper home.
Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
Tease your brain and your funny bone with an 11-year-old Chinese genius. Learn more.
Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Spend an unexpectedly enlightening summer with a girl on her visit to India.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
This Newbery Award-winning book is a moving depiction of a 1950s Japanese family struggling with loss and belonging. Learn more.
12/6/06
