Books For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in the month of May. The month of May was chosen because it marks two important dates. On May7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrive in the United States. On May 10, 1869, Golden Spike Day celebrated the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad which counted so many Chinese workers among the laborers who worked to build the western side. 

Here are a bunch of booklists that include engaging books for all age levels of children that will introduce them to Asian Heritage:

Seeing Asian-Americans: Best Books for Children

20 Children's Books Featuring Asians and Asian-Americans

Seeing Asian-Americans: Great Chapter Books for Tweens

Seeing Asian-Americans: Great Books for Teens

Seeing Asian-Americans: Children's Fiction and Nonfiction on Asian Lives, Culture, and History

Best Books for Kids About China: Chinese New Year Resources

Everyday Diversity Books for Babies and Toddlers

Everyday Diversity Books for Babies and Toddlers

Here is the second booklist with Everyday Diversity titles. This one is geared to the youngest children: babies and toddlers. Here you can find books about babies with diverse heritages who pal around with doggies, get a fish for a pet, go to bed, and put on red socks in the morning. The point is that they are all in everday situations that are more or less universal to the little ones. Here is a link to the site.

Something Adoptive Families Can Get Behind: Everyday Diversity Books for Kids

Everyday Diversity Books for Children Ages 3-8

Have you ever wished there were books that showed kids that look like your kid, doing everyday things? I was always happy to find books with Asian characters for my daughter, but lots of them took place in ancient China, or in Chinatown. I wanted to see books about things like visiting going to the library, or working out disagreements with playmates, or losing a tooth, that happened to have a main character with Chinese heritage.

This site, and the one mentioned below, have lists of books with diverse main characters involved in a variety of things--reading books, playing with blocks, riding the bus, dancing--you know, things that all kids do. Some of them are Asian, though it would still be nice to see even more Asian characters. But I feel it's important to read our kids books with pictures of all kinds of heritages so that they see all the cultures of America reflected in the books they read.

Here's the link for this booklist There are lots and lots of titls.