Approaching Authenticity: An Annotated Bibliography Of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander Children's Literature

Oftentimes, I think back to my days growing up in a black neighborhood in St. Louis, MO.  Aside from the few whites who did not leave the area, the people who were noticeably different from us were the Chinese. They owned the local chop suey restaurants or beauty supply houses that almost every black person that I knew frequented on a regular basis. I was fortunate to meet people from other backgrounds beginning in my junior high school days. However, because their businesses were a staple in the areas that I lived and my family frequented, Chinese people were a constant contrast to the sea of black and brown faces. Their language, their food and obviously, their physical features, piqued my interest.  What started off as an innocent inquiry became a quest to quell my curiosity. Who were these new and strange people?!

The phrase “All roads lead to Rome” is often said to assure us that different paths can be taken to reach the same destination. Reading countless books, my personal and school experiences and otherwise being exposed to various ways of seeing, thinking and feeling led me to my first important fact--not all Asians are Chinese. As a freshman in high school, one of my first friends and later my first crush and Homecoming date were both Vietnamese. I joined the Korean club as an undergraduate, I became a member of a predominately Japanese church when I started college, and I often think about how lucky I am to have met and befriended Asians from across that vast continent.

To be honest, what initially attracted me to Asians was the contrast in color and culture. The shared love of their cuisine and black people’s personal needs as consumers marked the beginnings of my search for more commonalities. My life has been enriched by what I have learned and experienced from my brothers and sisters from the East. For these reasons and more, carefully constructing an annotated bibliography that consists of books about and written and/or illustrated by Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has been an academically-important and a personally-meaningful undertaking. I want to introduce others to literature that will hopefully encourage them to meet the kind of people that I have met and grown to love. Moreover, I would like them to initiate authentic interaction and not settle for a type of misinformed voyeurism. Understandably, there has been a lot that I have had to learn to start this process.

In their article entitled Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the Early Childhood Classrooms:  Possibilities and Pitfalls, Jean Mendoza & Debbie Reese cited the importance of a trifecta of considerations for children’s literature—it should be aesthetic, psychosocial and informative/instructional.  Imagine children reading books that allow them to personally identify with the characters. When the pictures or drawings are aesthetically pleasing to them, children will be more inclined to enjoy the book and subsequently read more. Knowing that the characters in a story believe and behave the way they do (or should not) can help children learn lessons about themselves and the world around them.  Something as seemingly simple as seeing others who look like them cooking with their parents, living with their grandparents or learning to speak more than one language while growing up can offer children invaluable insight into issues that will guide the decisions they make, ones that what will affect them for the rest of their lives.

The authors go on to provide us timely information about Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s philosophy on the dual role for multicultural children’s literature. As Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and long-time educator of children’s literature, Dr. Bishop asserts that such literature should serve as both a mirror and a window for children. They need to be able to see themselves in the books and be offered the opportunity to see the vast diversity evident in others.

Unfortunately, children’s literature has been (and continues to be) overwhelmingly Euro-centric. Think about how difficult it has been for my students, the majority of whom come from various Latino backgrounds and are growing up in an urban community, to truly develop a positive sense of self when the prevailing images they see in their classroom libraries are of white children living in suburban or rural environments and not interacting with children who look like them. Even if some of my students moved to the city from the suburbs, they would not be able to fully relate because they will never become white and/or be treated as such. I am grateful that my school has been making strides to provide more multicultural and culturally relevant literature to our students. The opening workshop during our most recent professional development day included a repeat of the presentation my colleagues and I gave at the end of the previous school year on those very issues.

Experts on children’s literature go further to speak of the importance of accurate/authentic representations of diverse cultures in multicultural literature. That is why I, as many of them do, firmly believe that children should not only be exposed to materials written about people like them; they should read works written by people like them as well.  My annotated undertaking became quite complicated when I realized that:

1.    * the majority of  the fiction and nonfiction books in my collection that includes Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (A/AA/PI) are not written by them,

2.    * many of the nonfiction books on A/AA/PI at the public library were primarily about countries, holidays, religion or war, and they were not written by Asians, and

3.      *children’s books about Asians written by Asians are primarily fiction.

This leads me to confess that my bibliography has limitations because I relied heavily on the books in my library collection out of convenience, i.e., the books were readily accessible. It was easy to locate and read books for the first time as well as to refresh my memory of the ones I had read a while ago. As a consequence, the majority of the books in my annotation are fiction.

The above justification for choosing books has provided me with wholly welcome, slightly unanticipated yet highly invaluable information. There is an urgent need to seek out and purchase more nonfiction books by and about Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders! I will begin to fill the void with useful, relevant resources as soon as the funds from the most recent book fair become available!

It is my sincere hope that the bibliography that I have created will be used beyond my Library program and in general classrooms where teachers can help develop diverse cross-curricular quarter-, semester- or yearlong lessons and projects for students in Kindergarten to 6^th grade. Therefore, the aims of this annotation are to:

• Provide students with access to general knowledge of Asians around the world
• Pique students’ curiosity about the similarities and difference of Asians’ and non-Asians’ experiences around the world and over time
• Foster an understanding and appreciation of Asian cultures
• Encourage an overall commitment to celebrating diversity
• Instruct students in simple, yet effective ways to critically read in order to identify tone, mood and point of view
• Assist students in evaluating language (key words, phrases, etc.) to determine how Asians are viewed by mainstream culture
• Instruct students on how to engage in meaningful conversations and create writings that reflect critical thinking about Asian cultures/identity
• Teach students how to conduct online and in-class searches to find relevant, non-biased materials by and about Asians

After reading selected books and/or engaging in related activities, students will be able to:

• Appreciate the diversity of Asian cultures
• Ask each other questions (thinking critically about what they have learned) and use inferencing to develop a new set of questions not yet asked
• Compare and contrast experiences amongst Asian and between Asian and non-Asian groups
• Describe and identify Asian groups around the world based on ethnic group, geographic location, language etc.
• Discuss Asian cultures accurately and respectfully
• Evaluate material to be able to recognize author’s tone, or attitude toward subject
• Explain how Asians have learned to cope with and/or adapt to their surroundings
• Identify author’s words to understand tone, or attitude toward, Asians
• List various challenges of Asians during particular decades and in certain areas
• Make connections between their cultures and Asian cultures
• Recognize the diversity among Asians
• Synthesize knowledge of Asians to engage in meaningful conversations
• Search for, read and understand information for academic use and personal enrichment
• Understand how an author’s tone can play a key role in how Asians are viewed and treated in society
• Use oral and written language to communicate effectively
• Value the lives and experiences of Asians by choosing reading materials outside of special projects/cultural celebration months

In an attempt to provide readers with a well-rounded reading experience, I selected a variety of books that covered topics “from A to Z” and those which offered readers samples of “the best of the best” in Asian, Asian American and Pacific Island children’s literature including:

autobiography/biography ● award winners ●careers ●choice ●coming of age ●conflict resolution ●diversity ● education ●ethnicity ● family ● freedom ● friendship ● gender ●geography ●history identity ● immigration ●intergenerational ●language ●life’s lessons nature ● poetry ● pride ●prose ● push and pull factors ● race/racism ●refugees ● responsibility● stereotypes ● traditions

I also hope that the annotated bibliography that follows is both educational and entertaining. There are some very talented, insightful Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander authors and illustrators whose works deserve to be explored and treasured. Happy Reading!

      Approaching Authenticity:

   An Annotated Bibliography of Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander Children’s Literature

Arcellana, F. (1999). The Mats. New York:  Kane/Miller Book Publishers.

Simple, sensitive and sentimental. Francisco Arcellana reminds us that the heart takes time to heal in The Mats, a tender story of a father who returns from his homeland, the Philippines, with beautiful hand-made mats for the entire family. He also brings back three for his daughters who died when they were very young.

Chin, J. (2009). Redwoods. New York:  Roaring Brook Press.

Train rides are almost always an adventure for kids. Imagine the monumental thrill Jason got when he found a book on the subway about redwood trees. The more he reads, the further he travels until he ends up in California and climbs to the top of a redwood tree!

Chinn, K. (1995). Sam and the Lucky Money.

Sam wants to buy something special with the lucky money that he gets for Chinese New Year, but everything is too expensive. From the fresh honey-topped buns to the New Year’s cookies to a brand new basketball, it all looks so appealing! When Sam sees an old beggar man who is grateful for even the coin that his mom gave him, Sam knows exactly what to do with his lucky money. The full-page, larger-than-life water color paintings done by husband and wife team Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu help really bring Sam’s story to life and into our hearts.

Coerr, E. (1977). Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.  New York:  Dell.

For some people, one is their favorite number. Others have lucky number seven. For Sadako, it was supposed to have been 1,000. When she was stricken with leukemia ten years after the dropping of bombs in Hiroshima during World War II, her friend told her that she would be cured if she made 1,000 paper cranes. Find out how many Sadako made and much more in this heart-warming, heart-wrenching story of friendship, hope and the tragedies of war.

Choi, S. N. (1991).  Year of Impossible Goodbyes. New York:  Random House Children’s Books.

Born and raised in Pyongyang, North Korea, Choi wanted to share her personal experiences and foster and understanding of such an unsettling period in time and in her life. Year of Impossible Goodbyes was her contribution. As Choi’s surrogate, Sookan, the main character, freely recounts her own and her family’s internal and external struggles as they suffered yearlong antagonism by the Japanese military that had taken over North Korea during World War II.

Choi, Y. (2001). The Name Jar. New York:  Knopf.

Arriving from Korean and dissatisfied with feeling different for many reasons, including having a name no one can pronounce, Unhei decides to let her American classmates pick her a new one. Consider reading Alma Flor Ada’s My Name Is Maria Isabel and see how a Puerto Rican girl deals with name issues, too.

Ellis, D. (2000). The Breadwinner. Groundwork Books.

An interview with a mother in a refugee camp in Afghanistan inspired Ellis to pen The Breadwinner, the story of Parvana a 11 year old girl whose family’s livelihood was threatened when her apartment was bombed and her father was imprisoned for having a foreign education. Because girls could not earn money, Parvana pretended to be a boy and subsequently became the family’s breadwinner. In the spring of 2015, fifth graders at my school read this book and then collected money to send to students in Afghanistan as part of the service learning project, Pennies For Peace. Learn more about hope, education and a feelings empowerment have been brought to children around the world at http://penniesforpeace.org/about-us/.

Gilmore, D. (2014).  Cora Cooks Pancit. New York:  Shen’s Books.

Like Dorina Gilmore growing up in her Filipino/Italian home, Cora loves to cook! However, this book is more than an account of what goes on in the kitchen. Through Cora, Gilmore shares some of her own memories made with her mother, grandmother and aunties. Gary Soto’s Too Many Tamales would add a second helping of tasty tales about family, food and fun.  

Gold, A. L. (2000).  A Special Fate:  Chiune Sugihara:  Hero of the Holocaust. New York:  Scholastic Press.

Born on January 1^st, the very first day of a new year, Chiune Sugihara was definitely someone special. He was destined to bring about something new. His father wanted him to be a doctor, but Sugihara was going to save lives in a different way. As the Japanese diplomat to Lithuania, Chiune Sugihara lived up to his birthright as he disobeyed his father and governing bodies by writing visas that saved the lives of thousands of Jews. He was named to the Righteous Among the Nations by Israel 30 years ago for his heroic deeds.

Heo, Y. (1996). The Green Frogs. Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

Gae gul! Gae Gul! Gae Gul! In this Korean folktale about two disobedient frogs who always did the opposite of what their mother told them, the boys finally decide to honor their mother’s last wish. Children of all ages will be entertained as they discover why frogs always cry out when it rains.

Houston, J. W. (1973). Farewell To Manzanar. New York:  Ember.

The effects of the World War II hit home when in 1942 when under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, the United States government ordered the Wakatsuki family and over 100,000 other Japanese Americans and resident Japanese “aliens” to leave their homes and relocate to one of ten remote, military style camps. Written thirty years after leaving Manzanar, Houston wrote Farewell…from her perspective as an innocent young girl sharing the hard times her family and other Japanese American families faced in the Manzanar internment camp located over 200 miles from Los Angeles, California.

Ingus, T. (1996).  Two Mrs. Gibsons. New York:  Lee & Low Books.

Celebrating biracial identity, Two Mrs. Gibsons explores the love that the author, Toyomi Igus, has for the two women who share that name and the love she has in her heart—her Japanese mother and her black American grandmother. This book is an excellent companion to Monica Brown’s books about Marisol McDonald, a girl with Peruvian and Scottish heritage.

Kajikawa, K. (2009). Tsunami! New York:  Philomel Books.

Readers will learn much about sacrifice and how some rich people do really care about helping the poor. Tsunami! is a well-crafted Japanese folktale about a wealthy villager who sets fire to his rice fields to warn his neighbors about the impending storm. Chinese-American award-winning author and illustrator Ed Young created life-like cut-to-paper collages for the book.

Kasza, K. (2003).  My Lucky Day. New York:  G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

When you think something may be too good to be true, it just might be. At least that was the case when a piglet looking for Mr. Rabbit showed up at Mr. Fox’s door. Kids of all ages will laugh out loud as the piglet outfoxes another unwitting neighbor and plans to fool a few more.

Kent, Rose. (2007). Kimchi & Calamari. New York:  Harper Collins.

After adopting her son from Korea, Rose Kent decided to write a children’s book to reflect his experience. In Kimchi & Calamari, Joseph Calderaro, a Korean boy adopted by an Italian couple, is about to learn things that will change the way he thinks about himself and others around him. He knows more about the Revolutionary War than he does about what happened to Koreans during WWII. He has also had some not-so-positive experiences with Koreans who have their own views about who he is and how is supposed to be. So, imagine the invaluable lessons Joseph learns about race and identity when he has to write a report on his heritage for his Social Studies class.

Lai, T. (2011). Inside Out & Back Again. New York:  Harper.

There is no doubt that peace and peace of mind mean very different things to different people. Written in a style known as novel in verse, Thanhha Lai offers the reader an autobiographical account of the unexpected troubles that she encountered on her journey from Saigon in Vietnam to Alabama in the American South.  Sometimes the things that happened made her wish to be back in her war-torn homeland.

Lin, G. (2008). The Year Of The Dog:  A Novel. New York:  Little, Brown and Company.

Who Am I? That is a question that Taiwanese American Pacy is determined to find out. It’s the Year of the Dog--her year--and new things are heading her way. She has a new, American name (Grace), new projects at school and a new way of thinking about herself and the people around her. When struggling with her identity, feeling too American for the Chinese and too Chinese for Americans, her mother helped her understand “neither and both” is exactly who she is supposed to be. Though categorized as fiction, this book gives an account of Grace Lin’s real-life experiences.

Louie, A. (1982).  Yeh-Shen:  A Cinderella Story From China. New York:  Philomel Books.

Thought to pre-date Cenerentola, the Italian version of Cinderella, by a millennium, Yeh-Shen is the tale of beautiful, orphaned daughter of Chief Wu, a cave chief who lived in Southern China. Suffering at the hands of her mean and jealous stepmother, Yeh-Shen finds comfort in her pet fish that her stepmother tricked and killed. Read this ancient story to learn more about the power that lived within the spirit of the fish and within Yeh-Shen herself.

Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball Saved Us. New York:  Lee and Low.

Life in the Japanese internment camps was undeniably difficult, but Shorty and his father decided to make the most of a miserable situation. They built a baseball diamond to lift their spirits and help them gain a renewed sense of self-respect. As the first picture book written about the internment camps, Baseball Saved Us is a must-have that teaches us lessons about growing up and growing within. Learn more about life in the camps at http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/internment/.

Mochizuki, K.  (1997).  Passage To Freedom:  The Sugihara Story. New York:  Lee and Low.

As a less academically-advanced, more kid-friendly accompaniment to Lisa Gold’s A Special Fate…, Passage to Freedom offers younger readers the opportunity to see how one person really can change the world. Told from the perspective of his young sons, namely his 5 year old Hiroki, we learn of Chiune Sugihara, the diplomat and the dad. He put his entire family’s life at risk when he decided to write visas for Polish Jews during World War II. His loving wife, Yukiko, supported his decision to save others’ lives, an act of courage that drastically altered the Sugiharas’ lives and changed the world forever.

Park, L. S. (2005) Project Mulberry:  A Novel. New York:  Clarion Books.

As new members of a farming club at their suburban school, Korean-American Julia Song and her neighbor and friend, Patrick, who is white, try to decide what project to do to win the blue ribbon at the state fair. Julia’s mother suggests that they raise silkworms, and Patrick agrees. Julia, who struggles with her identity as she and her family are the only Koreans in their town, thinks that that is “too Korean”. When they decide on working with the silkworms, the kids get of plenty mulberry leaves, the main source of food for silkworms, from Mr. Dixon, a black man with whom Julia’s mother, clearly has “issues”. Telling the story in first person narrative, Park creates conversations between herself and Julia which teach the 7^th grader and us about far more than how to create award-winning projects.

Park, L. S. (2002). When My Name Was Keoko. New York:  Clarion Books.

Reminiscent of Sul Nyol Choi’s Year of Impossible Goodbyes, When My Name Was Keoko is the story of Sun-hee, a Korean girl living in Japanese-occupied North Korea during World War II. Being forced to forget their flag, forgo their own language and fight alongside the Japanese is overwhelming Sun-hee and her family. It is even more difficult for her to keep her family’s secret, especially when her older brother enlists in the Japanese army.

Polacco, P. (2012). The Art Of Miss Chew. New York:  G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Trisha has been so lucky to have teachers who really care about her, leading her to self-empowerment through education. One of her teachers, Mr. Falker, identified her reading problem and got her the help she needed. When she got an F on a Social Studies test with Mr. Donovan, he praised her for knowing the subject matter and offered her extra time which lead to her success. When Trisha is met with opposition when she wants to be an artist like her grandmother,  neither she nor her art teacher, Miss Chew, are willing to let Trisha’s dream fade away. Instrumental in her receiving a college scholarship to an art school, Polacco dedicates the book to Violet Chew “who taught me the art of seeing.”

Robles, A.D. (2006). Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel/Si Lakas at an Makibaka Hotel. Children’s Book Press.

This bilingual English-Tagalog book energizes us with the power of protest! When the Makibaka Hotel is about to be closed and tenants are getting evicted due to poor maintenance, Lakas and his friends rally to keep it open. Tenants Tick A. Boom and Firefoot play the drums and tap their feet to drown out the sounds of a leaking roof and to chase away mice that scurry across the floor. Big, bold and vivid pictures of friends and neighbors holding signs and singing into karaoke machines invite us into the streets to join in the struggle. With so much similar activity going on across the entire nation, this is a story with which readers are bound to relate.

Santat, D. (2014). The Adventures of Beekle:  The Unimaginary Friend. New York:  Little, Brown and Company.

Author Dan Santat claims to have had an imaginary friend, a chicken named Mr. Pickles, when he was a kid. Wanting to share that special childhood experience with others, he created an inspiring tale of friendship and courage as seen in the extraordinary actions of an unimaginary creature.  Excited about what life has to offer, Beekle does not wait for a child to imagine him. He sets out on an adventure of his own to meet the perfect pal. The breath-taking artwork—bold and bright colors on some pages, deep, dark hues on others—coupled with the happy ending of a modern-day boy meets girl tale earned Santat the 2015 Caldecott Medal and a gold star from everyone who has read it.

Say, A. (2011).  Drawing From Memory. New York:  Scholastic Press.

As emotional as it is artistic, Drawing From Memory is a memoir by Allen Say that beautifully recalls his relationship with his mentor, Noro Shinpei, the renowned Japanese cartoonist. Throughout the book, Say unreservedly recounts the roles that his mother (who eventually encouraged his artistic leanings) and that his maternal grandmother and father (who both considered artists’ attributes—they are “lazy and scruffy people”--to be unrespectable) played in his life and events, great and small, through sketches, cartoons, water color paintings, black and white photographs and maps.

Say, A. (1993). Grandfather’s Journey. Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

Have you ever loved a place simply because someone you loved loved it first? Recipient of the 1994 Caldecott Award, Grandfather’s Journey is the emotional account of a man’s Japanese grandfather who loved to travel and ended up expressing his love for two countries—Japan and the United States.

Say, A. (2005). Kamishibai Man. Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

Meaning “paper drama” in Japanese, kamishibai is the art of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temple in the 12^th century to teach moral lessons to an illiterate crowd. Allen Say offers a revival of the lost art, introducing us to a man who continues to tell stories and sell candies even though the advent of television forces to people to lose interest.

Yang, G. L. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York:  Squarefish.

In this coming of age story, kids from all cultures will be able to identify with a kid who is trying to find his place at a new school. As the only Chinese American student in his middle school, Jin is in love with a blond classmate that he’s known since third grade, and he does not want his cousin, Chin-kee, who came straight from Taiwan to ruin his chances with Amelia because of geekdom by association. Painful and funny, filled with stereotypes and truths, the graphic novel format and the inclusion of Kung Fu Monkeys are bound to fit well with readers who may also learn a few lessons about themselves along the way.

Yee, L. (2005). Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time. New York:  Arthur A. Levine Books.

Times are tough for basketball superstar, Stanford Wong. After failing 6^th grade English, he has to deal with his father, his friends and his feelings about Emily, the girl he has a crush on. Oh, and there’s Millicent, his tutor that he constantly reminds us that he hates. Written in first person narrative and in journal/diary-form, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time takes a funny look into the life a typical teen with some unusual issues.

Yep, L. (1995). The American Dragons. New York:  Harper Collins.

Published nearly a quarter of a century ago, American Dragons:  Twenty-Five Asian American Voices is an invaluable contribution to American Literature. Yep’s assembly of short stories in poetry and prose provide an intimate look at the joys, pains, fears and desires of Asian Americans who are at once very similar yet remarkably different from each other and non-Asians/Americans.

Yep, L. (1975).  Dragonwings. New York:  Harper & Row.

Though written 40 years ago, this is a timely story of the relationship of between a Chinese boy and his father at the beginning of the 20^th century. Brought down by the burden of prejudice the two are elated as they work together to create type of flying machine. They have faith in their invention because father thinks that he was once a dragon.

Yin. (2001). Coolies. New York:  Philomel Books.

Based on true events that occurred during the 1800s as recently arrived Chinese worked on the railroads in western USA, Yin’s work of historical fiction gives insight the lives of two brothers, Shek and Wong who endure physical and emotional pain while helping to build the cross-country railroad system. Coolies would pair well with Laurence Yep’s book in the Dear America/My Name Is America series entitled The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung:  Chinese Miner about a boy named Runt who travels form southern China to California in the mid-1800s to join his uncle during the Gold Rush.

Young, E. (1989).  Lon Po Po:  A Red Riding Hood Story From China. New York:  Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.

Author/illustrator Ed Young won the Caldecott Medal for this twisted tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Lon Po Po is actually the granny wolf who meets her match in the form of three little sisters—Shang, Tao and Paotze.

Yousafzai, M. (2013). I Am Malala:  How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed The World. New York:   Little, Brown and Company.

What would you sacrifice to go to school or to speak up for peace and democracy? Malala risked her life. The Taliban took over the area of Pakistan in which Malala and her family lived, and they targeted her for her outspoken nature. Surviving a gunshot wound to the head, Malala continues to stand up against terrorism and inequality. She has become a symbol of international peace and courage; in 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.