30 Books for Kids – AAPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Today I’m sharing 30 books for kids for AAPI Heritage Month. I’m only sharing 30 titles there are hundreds more out there, but rather than compile more, I wanted to at least get these shared!
Asia covers a vast part of our globe and includes cultures, religions, and traditions from a wide variety of people. I mean, we’re talking all the way from India and Pakistan to China and Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. And we can’t forget the Pacific Islander piece either! That being said, there is no way I could create a comprehensive list that would incorporate all of these different groups of people. But, I did try to share a little bit from a lot of different places!
This list includes authors and illustrators, characters and settings that range from picture books to chapter books and then to middle grade. I didn’t even touch young adult titles or this list would have been even longer! One of the most exciting things to remember is that many of these authors have written a number of books, so if you discover a title you enjoy – check for other books by the same author or illustrator!
30 Books for Kids – AAPI Heritage Month
- Amina’s Song by Hena Khan
- Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua
- Any Day with You by Mae Respicio
- A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin
- Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
- A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui
- Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho
- Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai
- A Gift for Amma: Market Day in India by Meera Sriram, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa
- Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won
- Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic
- Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu
- Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee, illustrated by Dung Ho
- The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Khoa Le
- My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam
- Nina Soni, Former Best Friend by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky
- ‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis, illustrated by Kenard Pak
- Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham
- Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki
- Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
- Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala by Meenal Patel
- Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
- Stargazing by Jen Wang
- That Thing about Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar
- A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi
- Three Keys by Kelly Yang
- Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Looking for more?
If you’re looking for even more great titles, check out this list by Book Riot (or Google AAPI book lists for kids for even more great results)! You can also check out previous lists I’ve created:
