Asian American Children Memoirs And Stories By Country
China
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
by Joanna Ho
A young Taiwanese girl notices that her eyes look different from her friends’. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She begins to wish for eyes like theirs until she realizes that her eyes are like Mama’s, Amah’s, and little sister Mei Mei’s, three generations in her Asian family They have eyes that 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.
Vietnam
A Different Pond
by Bao Phi (Author), Thi Bui (Illustrator)
A Different Pond is a story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Bao Phi narrates a powerful, honest peek into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. As a young boy, Bao and his father awake early, hours before his father's long workday begins, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other fishermen, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant meals for the family. Between casts, Bao's father tells him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.
Upon returning home, Bao helps his mother clean the fish, and both parents leave for work. In the evening, with his older siblings laughing and delicious food on the table.
Drawn Together
by Minh Lê (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator, Cover Art)
In this story, a grandfather and grandson, who seem to have little in common, including a language barrier, discover that they both love heroic tales and drawing. In alternating illustrations, the boy's interpretation of heroism is alongside his grandfather's depiction of traditional, legendary heroes. Their drawing styles begin to borrow from one another. After their awkward start together, they begin to share admiration and affection and find a way to work together. The author, Minh Lê, is Vietnamese-Canadian, and Dan Santat is Thai-American. Their respective cultures are represented in both the storyline and the artwork.
The Yellow Áo Dài
by Hanh Bui (Author), Minnie Phan (Illustrator)
Naliah, a little girl of Vietnamese heritage, is excited for her school’s international festival and eager to share a traditional Vietnamese Fan Dance with her classmates. She is dismayed to discover, though, that she has outgrown her special áo dài, and her mother’s is so large that she trips on it and rips it during practice. Naliah is afraid she is in trouble, but instead her mother sews a patch over the rip and tells her the áo dài’s legacy as being one her grandmother wore. Bui’s debut picture book is inspired by her daughter and mother-in-law. Her hope, written in her author’s note, is that “all children recognize that their family stories matter and see themselves between the pages of the books they read.” Vietnamese culture is beautifully honored through Phan’s watercolors. Naliah’s joy and fear are clear on her face, and the áo dàis are rich with details. A glossary is included at the end, defining some of the words and cultural celebrations.
Naliah’s story teaches readers about the importance of family and culture in forming identity.
Korea
Giving Thanks with Halmoni: Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival
by Kathleen Choi (Author), Sook Nyul Choi (Author), Il Sung Na (Illustrator)
This picture book introduces young readers to the traditions of Chuseok, Korea’s harvest moon festival. As the moon grows fuller each night, Su-Jin’s halmoni (grandmother) prepares for the biggest Korean holiday of the year - a time for family, gratitude, and remembrance.
Excited to share the celebration, Su-Jin invites her friends Maddy and Keisha to help Halmoni get ready. Together, they prepare traditional foods, wrap gifts in colorful cloth, play festive games, and learn how to honor ancestors. Along the way, the girls discover how to wish each other a happy Chuseok in Korean and explore the connections between Korean and American Thanksgiving traditions.
This is a story that examines friendship, identity, and belonging and ways to celebrate heritage and gratitude together and captures the spirit of Chuseok and the joy of cultural exchange.
Kathleen Choi once worked as a child actor on Sesame Street. Choi has collaborated with her mother, Sook Nyul Choi, on many books for children and young adults. As a second-generation Korean American, it is important to Choi to preserve knowledge and a connectedness to one’s heritage by keeping Korean traditions alive. Kathleen Choi was born and raised in New York City.
Sook Nyul Choi is the co-author of this story but has written many books for older readers, including Year of Impossible Goodbyes, an autobiographically based novel telling her dramatic escape from North Korea to South Korea in the aftermath of World War II.
Il Sung Na is a Korean born author-illustrator of many books for younger children, including A Book of Sleep; Bird, Balloon, Bear; That’s My Carrot; and A Book of Babies.
My Name Is Yoon
by Helen Recorvits (Author), Gabi Swiatkowska (Illustrator)
This is a story that helps young children learn about some of the challenges of getting to feel at home in a new country. Yoon's name means "shining wisdom," and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy, “like dancing figures.” But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn't sure that she wants to be Yoon and she decides to try out different names - even silly ones.
Helen Recorvits was born in Rhode Island and graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in education and psychology. She went on to earn a Master's degree and also a certification in gifted and talented education. A former educator, Helen now devotes her time to writing and to speaking at conferences and literary events. Additional stories by Recorvits are Yoon and the Christmas Mitten & Yoon and the Jade Bracelet.
My Tree
by Hope Lim (Author), Il Sung Na (Illustrator)
When a young boy's beloved plum tree falls in a storm, he feels like he's lost both a friend and a connection to his old home. A young boy, recently arrived from Korea, finds a plum tree in his new backyard. It reminds him of a tree his family had back home, and he names it "Plumee" for the deep purple plums on its branches. Whenever the boy is homesick, he knows he can take shelter in Plumee's tall branches. Then a storm brings the old tree down. He and his friends have all kinds of adventures on its branches, as it becomes a dragon, a treehouse, and a ship in their imaginations. Soon it's time to say goodbye when the remains of the tree are taken away. Before long, a new plum tree is planted, new blossoms bloom, and a new friendship takes root. Both South Korean immigrants, Hope Lim and Il Sung Na bring their perspective on the struggle for child immigrants to feel at home to bear through poetic story.
The Name Jar
by Yangsook Choi
Unhei has just moved from Korea. She brought with her a gift from her grandmother, a stamp of her name to use when she writes letters to her family in Korea. She is anxious about fitting in, so instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she decides to choose an American name from a glass jar. But while Unhei thinks of being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, nothing feels right. With the help of a new friend, Unhei will learn that the best name is her own.
Dear Juno
by Soyung Pak (Author), Susan Kathleen Hartung (Illustrator)
Juno's grandmother writes in Korean and Juno writes in drawings, but that doesn't mean they can't exchange letters. From the photo his grandmother sends him, Juno can tell that she has a new cat. From the picture he makes for her, Juno's grandmother can tell that he wants her to come for a visit. She sends Juno a miniature plane, to let him know she's on the way. This story helps the children better understand the concept of foreign cultures and far-off lands.
Here I Am
by Patti Kim and illustrated by Sonia Sanchez
This wordless book tells a complex story of one boy's immigration, and struggle to make America his home. Because it relies on the reader's imagination to supply the text, it becomes uniquely personal while remaining a universal story as well. The success of the story relies on the artwork. The pictures capture the many emotions and struggle which the boy faces. The story begins with the boy peering out an airplane window. We follow the boy as he confronts, confusion, loneliness, fear, sadness and isolation, until he finds a seed for hope and positivity. He finds friendship and a feeling of belonging.
The author includes comments that explain the back story which motivated her to create this book. It is a personal narrative of her immigration to the U.S from Korea with her family.
Japan
Tea with Milk
by Allen Say
This is a story of the author’s mother and her journey as a young woman. At home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends’ homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. Tea with Milk shows the graceful formality of Japan and captures the struggle between two cultures as May strives to live out her own life.
Yoko’s Paper Cranes
by Rosemary Wells
Ever since Yoko moved with her Mama from Japan, she misses her Obaasan and Ojiisan (her grandma and grandpa) very much. She especially misses doing origami with them. Luckily, Yoko knows just what to do for Obaasan's birthday - make paper cranes.
Suki’s Kimono
by Chieri Uegaki (Author), Stephanie Jorish (Illustrator)
Suki's favorite possession is her blue cotton kimono. It was a gift from her obachan (grandmother) and holds special memories of their visit last summer. Suki is going to wear it on her first day back to school. When it is Suki’s chance to share with her classmates about her what she did over the summer, she talks them about the street festival she attended with her obachan and the circle dance that they took part in. She gets so excited remembering she is soon humming the music and dancing away, which the class loves.
Every Peach is a Story
by David Mas Masumoto and Nikko Masumoto (Authors), Lauren Temaki (Illustrator)
Little Midori asks Jiichan, her grandfather, if the peaches on her family’s farm are ripe yet. To her surprise, he asks, “Does it taste like a story? That’s when you know it is ripe.” As Jiichan teaches her about her Japanese American heritage and her family’s deep connection to this land, Midori begins to realize the patience, hard work, and endurance that allowed their roots to grow.
David Mas Masumoto is an organic farmer. He and his daughter, Nikiko, wrote this story together and are third-and fourth-generation farmers on the Masumoto Family Farm in California.
Cambodia
Like a Dandelion
by Huy Voun Lee
A young girl and her mother take flight, putting down roots in an adopted country. Soon they blossom in their new home, strong and beautiful among hundreds of others just like them. The story and the artwork show the passing of the seasons, and the dandelion’s growth from seed to shoot to blossom as a sunny, poignant metaphor for the resilience of immigrants and refugees. Information on the history and uses of dandelions is found the end of the story.
The story is based on Huy’s own childhood experience of moving to the U.S. as a Cambodian refugee.
A Path of Stars
by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Dara’s grandmother, Lok Yeay, is full of stories about her life growing up in Cambodia, before she immigrated to the United States. Lok Yeay tells her granddaughter of the fruits and plants that grew there, and how her family would sit in their yard and watch the stars that glowed like fireflies. Lok Yeay tells Dara about her brother, Lok Ta, who is still in Cambodia, and how one day she will return with Dara and Dara’s family to visit the place she still considers home. But when a phone call disrupts Lok Yeay’s dream to see her brother again, Dara becomes determined to bring her grandmother back to a place of happiness. Back matter contains information about the admission of Cambodian refugees into the United States, specifically Maine, in the 1970s. An author’s note and glossary are also included.
Hmong (Laos)
The Rock in My Throat
by Kao Kalia Yang
This is a second story told by Kao Kalia Yang as she shares her experiences as a young Hmong refugee navigating life at home and at school. At first, no one noticed when she stopped talking at school. Having seen the poor treatment her parents received when making their best efforts at speaking English, she no longer speaks at school. Kalia feels as though a rock has become lodged in her throat, and it grows heavier each day.
Philippines
Lolo's Sari-sari Store
by Sophia N. Lee (Author), Christine Almeda (Illustrator)
This is a story about the joy of community, connection, and Filipino culture. The young girl spends summers in her grandfather’s sari-sari store where she learns from him how to show kindness, patience, empathy, and generosity, the reasons he and his store are so beloved in their neighborhood. Now that she’s far from the Philippines, she misses her grandfather and the friendly faces that surrounded his store. She discovers that she can find many ways to be as loving as Lolo, wherever she may be.
Sophia N. Lee grew up in the Philippines; Christine Almeda is a Filipino American illustrator.
Maribel’s Year
by Michelle Sterling (Author), Sarah Gonzales (Illustrator)
This story tells of Maribel’s first year in the U.S. after moving from the Philippines with her mother. Papa is still back home, and Maribel misses both him and her home. English is confusing, and the cold, snowy weather feels unfamiliar. As the year goes on, she meets a new friend and has new experiences like learning to ride a bike, swimming at the beach, and trick-or-treating. When the snow falls again, it’s time for Papa to join them, in time to celebrate Christmas together.
The story focuses on the experience of new immigrants and shows Filipino culture and tropics of Maribel’s homeland.
Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures
by Christine Alemshah (Author), Dream Chen (Illustrator)
A balikbayan box is the international care package and an expression of love for many Filipino families living abroad. Bea and her family spend months gathering and packing surprises, like special food for Tito Rico, fancy lotion for Tita Alma, and toys and candy for Maribel.
When the package has been shipped, Bea waits patiently for it to arrive overseas. She learns that the balikbayan tradition helps sustain her connection to her far-away family. Finally, Bea’s family gets a video call from her family in the Philipinnes and they connect over the excitement of unpacking the box.
Christine Alemshah is a Filipina American; Dream (Mengqian) Chen is a Chinese artist
Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel
by Anthony D. Robles (Author), Carl Angel (Illustrator)
This is a bilingual picture book, in English with a Tagalog translation on every page. It begins with a note from the author about his Filipino grandparents, who came to the U.S. as farm workers and brought Makibaka, the spirit "of struggle, of love, and of laughter," with them. Lakas is a contemporary kid in a busy city neighborhood, who inspires his poor community to resist the demolition of their hotel home and the gentrification of their neighborhood. The pictures show Lakas calling on the people in his community, including the dancers and musicians and the Karaoke King. They make signs, march through the streets, and ultimately defeat the landlord, who is drawn as a comic figure dressed in a suit of green banknotes.
Lakas and the Manilatown Fish
by Anthony D. Robles (Author), Carl Angel (Illustrator)
This is a second bilingual English and Tagalog story set in the U.S. featuring an all-American boy of Filipino descent, Lakas. He and his dad go shopping, they meet a very special fish that can do amazing things and won't stay put in his fish tank. When it leaps out, Manilatown characters chase it down the street and all the way to San Francisco Bay.
Nurse Mommies are the Best
by Annie Cheng (Author), Fer Basbas (Illustrator)
Told through a child’s view, this book shows how moms who are in the work force, particularly nurses, face daily challenges. A child explains why, for them, nurse mommies are the best. This book has colorful images of Filipino life and culture and is dedicated to Filipina nurses all over the world. It also serves as a tribute to all hardworking healthcare professionals and their kids.
Asia
Gibberish
By Young Vo
This is a story of a young boy named Dat and his Mah as they begin a journey to a new country from their unnamed country in Asia. As Dat prepares for his first day of school, Mah tells him the people around him may speak words that "sound like gibberish," and he should listen and do his best.
Throughout his day, Dat struggles to communicate with his bus driver, teacher, and classmates. Dat shows how loneliness and isolation can be a big part of being in a new place where you don't speak the language. Dat finds unexpected friendships on the playground and during the bus ride home that show the power of human connection and kindness. The story not only teaches children about the challenges of language.
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