Children's Books for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Happy Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month! Celebrated in the United States the entire month of May, the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was designated in 1992 to commemorate the role and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

The term Asia/Pacific covers a huge area – it is defined by asianpacificheritage.gov as the whole Asian continent, along with the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Here is a selection of some wonderful picture books to help celebrate Asian/Pacific American heritage this month. And although reading is my favorite way to celebrate, here are some other activities to help your child appreciate the rich history of Asian-Pacific American culture.

Children’s Books to Celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

China

When I think of Chinese-American heritage books I think of author and illustrator Grace Lin. Her award-winning books include The Ugly Vegetables, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, Dim Sum for Everyone, and Kite Flying.

From her essay, Why Couldn’t Snow White by Chinese? Lin writes,

“I try to make books that make readers appreciate Asian American culture. For example, “The Ugly Vegetables” takes place in a suburban neighborhood and deals with one child’s chagrin of having a Chinese vegetable garden while the rest of the neighbors grow flowers. “Dim Sum for Everyone!” takes place in Boston’s Chinatown and shows a modern family enjoying this unusual cuisine. “Kite-Flying” shows the same family, driving a car, making and flying their own Chinese dragon kite. They are depictions of a present-day Asian American child’s life.”
Grace Lin

a big mooncake for little star by grace lin children's book

the ugly vegetables by grace lin children's book

kite flying by grace lin children's book

Korea

I’ve been wanting to recommend Bee-Bim Bop! for a while I didn’t have a good place to put it. Here! Here is the place! This book is for children ages 3-6 and is told by a young Korean-American girl who tells about helping her mother make traditional Korean rice dish Bee-Bim Bop. The little girl is just so excited to help her mom grocery shop and prepare the food, it makes the reader really get excited for whatever this delicious thing is they’re making. Author Linda Sue Park has worked as a food journalist and her excitement about this dish is infectious. And very nicely, she has included a recipe for Bee-Bim Bop in the back of the book.

Japan

how my parents learned to eat children's book

If you watching Reading Rainbow growing up then you know that a Reading Rainbow book is going to be a good one! How My Parents Learned to Eat is the story of an American soldier in Japan who is afraid to ask out a Japanese girl for fear of embarrassing himself by eating in front of her. So he learns how to eat Japanese food properly, while she, in turn, learns how to eat the English way. It’s a cute story about overcoming cultural differences.

Vietnam

A Different Pond is stylized more as a graphic novel and is a great introduction to the genre for younger kids. It is about Vietnamese immigrant Bao and his father going fishing on a small lake in Minnesota. It won the Caldecott honor award in 2018 and is recommended for children ages 6-8.

Pacific Islands

Hina: Hawaiian Legends for Little Ones is part of a series of books that tell the stories of Hawaiian legends for an audience of young children. This is an excellent book series if your child enjoys history, legends and folktales. Children might be familiar with the demi-god Maui if they have watched Disney’s Moana, and Maui Hooks the Islands is a great book to start with.

Philippines

There are several food related books on this list and I wonder if it’s because food is a universal language. Every human being eats, and stories about food help the young reader relate to a new culture. I certainly love children’s books about food, and Cora Cooks Pancit is no exception. Cora finally gets to help her mother cook dinner for her family and really wants to impress them! And for big impressions, the best thing to cook is a Filipino noodle dish called pancit. This book is recommended for children ages 3-7.

Laos

the most beautiful thing children's book

What stands out about The Most Beautiful Thing is the beautiful illustrations that go hand in hand with a tale of what beauty is really about. This book tells the story of a family of Hmong refugees going from the jungles of Laos to the United States. The story is written by Kao Kalia Yang who drew on her experiences as a Hmong refugee. I especially appreciate the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book to help me correctly tell the tale. This book is a good read for children ages 5-9.

Children’s Books for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month