Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Reading List for Kids

22 Books Found

Filtered by 'Picture Books'
  • Bee-bim Bop!

    Illustrated by Ho Baek Lee | A child, eager for a favorite meal, helps with the shopping, food preparation, and table setting.
    Cover of Bee-bim Bop!
  • A Big Mooncake for Little Star

    Little Star loves the delicious mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble?
    Cover of A Big Mooncake for Little Star
  • Bilal Cooks Daal

    Illustrated by Anoosha Syed | Bilal loves chana daal, a South Asian lentil stew. But it takes a long time to cook and the young Pakistani American boy isn’t sure if his non-Asian American friends will appreciate the dish or understand all the love that goes into making it.
    Cover of  Bilal Cooks Daal
  • Danbi Leads the School Parade

    Little Danbi is excited to start school in America, but she is the first Asian student most of classmates have ever seen and she doesn't know any of their games. With the power of her imagination, she creates a new game and leads everyone during a fun-filled parade.
    Cover of Danbi Leads the School Parade
  • A Different Pond

    Illustrated by Thi Bui | A young Vietnamese boy and his father head off to a nearby pond to fish for dinner before dawn. This is a powerful, quietly joyful, and intimate slice of life filled with important aspects of one Vietnamese refugee's experience.
    Cover of A Different Pond
  • Drawn Together

    Illustrated by Dan Santat | There's an abundance of awkward silences and cultural differences as an English-speaking boy visits his Thai-speaking grandfather. The two use their passion for art to bridge the barriers between them in this moving picture book.
    Cover of Drawn Together
  • Dumpling Soup

    Illustrated by Lillian Hsu-Flanders | Hawaiian Korean Marisa Yang can’t wait to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her big “chop suey” family. She loves taking part in their traditions, and this year, Marisa gets to make dumplings for the very first time.
    Cover of Dumpling Soup
  • Eyes that Kiss in the Corners

    Illustrated by Dung Ho | A young girl realizes that her mother, her grandmother, and her little sister have eyes that look different. They kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.
    Cover of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
  • Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?

    When her best friend, a rather large dinosaur, goes missing after a bath, a little girl tries everything, including snacks, to find him in this whimsical picture book told through a child’s eyes.

    Cover of Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?
  • Home Is in Between

    Illustrated by Lavanya Naidu | Immigrating to America, a young girl navigates between her family's Bengali traditions and her new country's culture, exploring the meaning of home.
    Cover of Home Is in Between
  • Juna's Jar

    Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino | After her best friend, Hector, moves away, Juna's brother Minho tries to make her feel better by finding things to put in her special kimchi jar. Each night, whatever is in the jar takes her on a magical journey in search of Hector.
    Cover of Juna's Jar
  • Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum

    Illustrated by Violet Kim | On Luna's birthday, the whole family goes out for dim sum—but Luna and her brothers can't agree on how to share their pork buns fairly. Should some siblings get more than others? Or should they cut the buns into smaller and smaller pieces?
    Cover of Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum
  • The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh

    Illustrated by Alea Marley | Harpreet uses his many-colored patkas (turbans) to express his feelings. This rainbow-hued picture book shows how a simple conversation can spark a friendship. A brief afterword on Sikhism is provided.
    Cover of The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
  • A Map into the World

    Illustrated by Seo Kim | Follow Paj Ntaub and her Hmong family through the seasons as they experience birth and death in their new neighborhood. Paj hopes that her sidewalk drawings will be a source of comfort for her elderly neighbor. A tender story about immigration and loss.
    Cover of A Map into the World
  • A Morning with Grandpa

    Illustrated by Christina Forshay | A curious and energetic girl spends the day learning tai chi from her grandfather, and in turn tries to teach him how to do yoga.
    Cover of A Morning with Grandpa
  • One Hug

    Illustrated by Julia Woolf | A young boy discovers many different kinds of hugs and ways to show love as family members and friends gather to welcome his immigrant relatives from China.
    Cover of One Hug
  • Our Favorite Day

    Oh celebrates the bond between grandparents and grandchildren, depicting the peaceful love of a devoted Papa who adjusts his daily routine once a week to visit the craft store, get a takeout treat, or pick flowers with his family.
    Cover of Our Favorite Day
  • Paper Son

    Full Title: Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist | Illustrated by Chris Sasaki | Presents the life of Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, an early employee at the Disney Studios who went on to become an important artist working in different mediums.
    Cover of Paper Son
  • Puddle

    Unhappy when a rainy day prevents him from playing outside, a little boy discovers the power of creativity when his mother draws a picture of them having fun in the rain and splashing in giant puddles.
    Cover of Puddle
  • Punky Aloha

    Armed with her grandmother's magical sunglasses and a lot of aloha in her heart, plucky Polynesian girl Punky Aloha, who is scared to make new friends, sets off on a BIG adventure for the first time.

    Cover of Punky Aloha
  • Red Kite, Blue Kite

    Illustrated by Greg Ruth | When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, are separated during China's Cultural Revolution, they are able to stay close by greeting one another every day with flying kites until Baba, like the kites, is free.
    Cover of Red Kite, Blue Kite
  • Thread of Love

    Illustrated by Zara Gonzalez Hoang | Three siblings enjoy the Indian festival of Raksha Bandhan, a celebration of the special relationship between brothers and sisters, in this reinterpretation of the song "Frère Jacques."
    Cover of Thread of Love